Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

[holmesju]

Hi everyone
I'm quite new to this forum and need a bit of advice. I'm currently using a SKYBOX F5 which I am quite impressed with but I seriously miss the abillity to record and watch different programs and the EPG is absolutely rubbish. Could anybody recommend a good high end decoder with dual tuner and a decent EPG that will run cccam and mgcamd lines. many thanks

[bokkie]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

Look no further than the Vu+ Solo2.
Currently, In my opinion, the best stb currently on the market.
Twin tuner, 1300 mhz processor, Gigabit ethernet, Transcoding on the fly and the brilliant vix image supporting it.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

I agree with bokkie, definitely go for a box supported by the Vix Team image. The image itself and the support is excellent.

The new Vu+ Solo2 is a great box, however, I would also consider a Technomate TM-2T. It is around £100 cheaper than the Solo2, and probably the cheapest twin tuner supported by Vix Team.

Ok, it only has a 405 MHz dual core processor and 10/100 Mbps ethernet compared to the Solo2, but that spec was pretty standard for years. Those specs are more than capable of doing everything you've specified you'd want the box to do.

[lotuselite]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

I agree with Bokkie that the new solo2 is the best value for money high end receiver available at the moment. I wish I had waited for it to be released.

If you want something cheaper and uglier I would highly recommend the Vu+ Duo, which is what I bought. It works just great.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

If you do decide to go down the Vix Team image route in order to get the better EPG you're after, these are the boxes currently supported by them:

Clarke Tech/Xtrend ET-4x00
Clarke Tech/Xtrend ET-5x00
Clarke Tech/Xtrend ET-6x00
Clarke Tech/Xtrend ET-9x00
GiGaBlue HD800 SE
GiGaBlue HD800 SOLO
GiGaBlue HD800 UE
GiGaBlue HD QUAD
Mara/Odin M9
MaxDigital XP1000
Technomate TM-2T
Technomate TM-Single
Technomate TM-Twin-OE
Venton Unibox HDx
Vu+ Duo
Vu+ Solo
Vu+ Solo2
Vu+ Ultimo
Vu+ Uno

Some of these aren't twin tuner, some are singles others are more than twin. There are a few that aren't available new anymore, but that is of course another option, trying to pick one of the above up second hand.

[bokkie]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

I had a Vu+ Duo before my Solo2, and it was a great box.
But for not much more, the Solo2 is just so much better, You won't be disappointed.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

the Solo2 is just so much better

Is the Solo2 extremely quick by comparison? Approximately how long does it take to boot from fully shutdown?

[m404]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

don't think i'm allowed to post the link here, but just ******* search for "Solo2 Boot Speed", and you'll see for yourself ...

with the current Black Hole image, it's about 35 seconds boottime ... compared to the (already) great 1.5 mins it takes a Vu+ Ultimo to boot, this is insane ...

trust us ... if you have the budget to spend around 300 EUR on an STB, the Solo2 is (currently) the one you want, hands down.

[bokkie]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

I'd say it takes around 30 seconds to boot from deep standby. But it's also much quicker at most other tasks such as epg parsing, zapping, loading plugins, basically anything that requires processor speed.
I also find it quieter than the duo as it has an external power supply, producing less internal heat.
I never even hear the fan.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

I also find it quieter than the duo as it has an external power supply, producing less internal heat. I never even hear the fan.

A good point, I must admit I chose my ET-9x00 because it has no fan at all and a large heat sink instead. A silent running box is quite a nice bonus.

[bokkie]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

But the transcoding feature really sets it apart. Being able to watch and control your stb from your phone, tablet or remote pc from anywhere with a 3g or wifi connection is great.
Watching the rugby on my tablet whilst kids play in the park, happy days.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

Being able to watch and control your stb from your phone, tablet or remote pc from anywhere with a 3g or wifi connection is great.

I thought all Enigma 2 boxes could do this with the correct apps and settings? I use my ET-9x00 with the Dreamote and Dreambox Live apps to control and view on my iPhone and iPad. You can also use a remote PC. The box and both apps work very well from my experience, I'd be interested to see a Solo2 in live streaming action to see if it is better. I'm not saying its not, I'd just be interested to see how much better it is.

[bokkie]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

The solo2 transcodes the stream to a lower bit rate, meaning you don't need a fast upload or download speed to stream remotely.
With my Vu+ duo I couldn't as I only have a 1 meg upload, but can with solo2.

[purenirvana]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

The solo2 transcodes the stream to a lower bit rate, meaning you don't need a fast upload or download speed to stream remotely.
With my Vu+ duo I couldn't as I only have a 1 meg upload, but can with solo2.

Ahh, ok. So as it's a lower bit rate, the trade off is presumably a slight drop in picture quality? You say you watch rugby on it so I'm assuming the quality is still good enough to enjoy watching games with a ball? I hate watching football on low quality streams as if the ball moves quickly, the stream really struggles to keep up.

[holmesju]

Re: Dual tuner & good EPG decoders

Thanks every one for the input, got a little bit techy towards the end for me but you all seem to be on the same page regarding the Vu+ Solo2. thanks again