VU+ Duo, Quick review.

[Huevos]

what Is min snr that Vu can lock signal - my db5620 with terible tuner can not work with 62 snr at 5/6
can Vu show up BER

On a 5/6 signal, for example ITV2 it will show occasional pixelisation at 40 SNR, and be severely pixelated by 37 SNR. BER is a waste of time as it always shows zero.

 

[sonnetpete]

No, I've never seen the BER showing a reading either. Would a lower SNR of 30 before breakup be possible on a 3/4 signal? I've definitely had it that low on Nilesat without pixellisation.

 

[paxrax]

Now the prices are starting to come down a bit Im wanting a Duo. Ive already got a spare hard drive sitting here waiting to go in it!

i paid £300 for mine, picked up form birmingham, or £314.99 delivered, certainly a lot cheaper than normal!

 

[Analoguesat]

Hope its a SATA drive AS

The Vu+ doesn't use the older PATA IDE Drives.

Nano

YUp its a sata

 

[Huevos]

Ive already got a spare hard drive sitting here waiting to go in it!

I put a 500GB one in mine. I thought it would be big enough because I only have a 320GB in the hard drive recorder and that holds hundreds of things, but it is variable compression. 500 GB in the Vu+ is pretty undersize though especially once you start recording HD stuff.

 

[Huevos]

Would a lower SNR of 30 before breakup be possible on a 3/4 signal? I've definitely had it that low on Nilesat without pixellisation.

30 SNR on a 3/4, yes; about 25 SNR on a 2/3; and 1/2 transponders are still rock solid at 20 SNR. Have a look at the screenshots in my Gibertini thread.

 

[Huevos]

I bought a "WinTV Nova-T" USB stick second hand off eBay for a fiver. It arrived today so now I have a 3 tuner Duo.

 

[Lazarus]

So it's now a Tre?

 

[Huevos]

So it's now a Tre?

Vu+ Trio.

BTW how do you say "Vu+"? Is it "Vee you plus" or "View plus"?

 

[sonnetpete]

Vu+ Trio.

BTW how do you say "Vu+"? Is it "Vee you plus" or "View plus"?

Vous plus (with a really bad French accent)....oh BTW, I side with your second possibility.

 

[Huevos]

Vous plus (with a really bad French accent)....oh BTW, I side with your second possibility.

One of the nice things about Spanish is once you see a word you know exactly how to pronounce it. Pity English isn't so simple.

 

[sonnetpete]

Think it's the same with Italian too. FYI, a lot of French schoolchildren choose Spanish or German to learn as a second language rather than English, so maybe it is complicated. (though we don't have the hang up with objects being male, female or neuter)

 

[mashster]

Mashster Here!

Just received my VU+ Duo three days ago! Almost got a scare when I flashed it, but then I flashed it again using Open PLi! And I must say I have never been happier! I have been lucky to move from a DM500, to a DM800 Clone and now to this!

With the DM800, I always hated the no free tuner thing, when it was recording, and I wanted to watch something else.

And also, who said that this thing was ugly! And It does not double up as a heater in Winter!

So for the Past 3 Days since I've had it I am the happiest man! And of course before you tell me about the DM8000, my pockets do not go that deep! VU+ Duo gets a humungous thumbs up from me!

 

[Huevos]

With the DM800, I always hated the no free tuner thing, when it was recording, and I wanted to watch something else.

Well I still get that message with the Duo quite a bit. My missus records lots of films (often setting timers more than a week in advance). Most of the time it is after midnight and I am in the middle of watching something when the "no free tuner" thing pops up.

 

[moonbase]

Hi,

Has anyone compared the tuner sensitivity of the Duo with that of a Manhattan XT or Technomate (5200, 5400 etc) which were supposedly sensitive tuner models? I would be interested in knowing how they compared.


Rgds
moonbase

 

[sonnetpete]

My Solo is definitely more sensitive than my old Manhattan XT-F.

 

[moonbase]

My Solo is definitely more sensitive than my old Manhattan XT-F.

sonnetpete,

Thanks for the reply, I have a Manhattan XT-F that I use and just wished to confirm that I was not taking a backwards step re "sensitivity" by purchasing a Vu+ Duo. I notice you said that the Solo is definitely more sensitive than the Manhattan, could I please ask what leads you this conclusion? For example, are there any specific transponders that you could not get with the Manhattan XT-F that you now get with the Solo assuming the dish is the same?

Also, would anyone know if the tuners in the Vu+ Duo have the same sensitivity as the tuner in the Solo, ie, is it simply a case of two Solo tuners in the Vu+ Duo or is it a different board with integrated twin tuners on it?



Rgds
moonbase

 

[Huevos]

I have a Manhattan XT-F that I use and just wished to confirm that I was not taking a backwards step re "sensitivity" by purchasing a Vu+ Duo.

The Tuner in the Duo is miles better than the Manhattan. More sensitive and able to cope well when there is a high power transponder right next to a low power one (like the 28ºE north beams here).

Missing from the Duo, and present on the Manhattan is blind search. If you want a box that is rated as highly as the Vu+, performs almost the same, has good image support, and has a very customisable blind search, consider the Clarke-Tech ET9000.

 

[moonbase]

....Missing from the Duo, and present on the Manhattan is blind search. If you want a box that is rated as highly as the Vu+, performs almost the same, has good image support, and has a very customisable blind search, consider the Clarke-Tech ET9000.

Huevos,

Thank you for the reply.

Would you know what the tuner sensitivity is like on the Clarke-Tech ET9000. Also, is the blind search definitely working as I read elsewhere that it had some bugs that were supposed to be fixed soon with some type of upgrade. Finally, is the blind search hardware based or software based?


Regards
moonbase

 

[Huevos]

Finally, is the blind search hardware based or software based?

Hardware, but up until a few days ago it didn't have drivers to control it. Now it has.

I personally don't own one so take my comments with a pinch of salt, but from what I've read people who already owned a Vu+ Duo and have bought an ET9000 are very pleased with it and say the tuner is on par.

I've done a post on the Vix board about blind search to try to get a bit more info.