Best twin tuner for a newbie to this.

[Hotchef]

I am looking to replace my sky hd box.
I don't have a motorised dish.

I am presuming the motorised dish is for only non uk channels ?

If I am wrong and there is more good English speaking channels out there please let me know and this maybe a new option I look at

I was interested in alien 2 , because it is cheap, but it looks like unless you know what you are doing it maybe hard with a lack of support


So then I move up a bracket to 2 more models

Vu+ duo
Or
Technomate twin

Which is the best here?

I have a large family, 7 day epg is important, easy use for the kids.
Easy modification if needed

Good support if I run into problems

[basilyoung]

For myself, I would go with the duo,

but thats only because I have no direct experiance with thr technomate
the xtrend units are worth looking at as well

[Hotchef]

I see you own a few boxes , thanks for the advice I look at the xtrend too

[alba1978]

I have had Xtrend ET9200 for 7 months and it works a treat on Vix

[Hotchef]

The xtrend is another£100, what does the extra £100 offer over the over 2 units?

[bassethound]

I would highly recommend the duo great box with great support added bonus of running Vix

check out are site sponsor for a great deal


http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/index.php?route=common/home

[Hotchef]

I thinking vu+ duo is the most popular one and best supported but does the newer technomate bring anything new which puts it head of the vu+


I also see some boxes have loop, does that mean from the same feed into the box I can feed straight out of the box to a second box on one dish?

[Stanman]

The DUO has been the best box in the market in term of image support and Big user base.

The TM is new to the scene and has better hardware spec.

Whichever box you go for is supporter by vix and stocked by the sponsor, don't forget member discount that he offers.

[Hotchef]

So the technomate and cheaper alien 2 are potentially better boxes for the future, but right now the vu+ is the best,

Is that a fair statement.?

If so would it make sense to buy a cheap single tuner wait a couple of months then buy a better unit in December? Is progress on software and support normally quick or is in long in developing of previous units?

[Larry-G]

up until very recently i would have advised that you avoid the TM as it was very patchy to say the least, now however TM have gotten their act together and released a very good set of stable hardware drivers ( the ones we are currently using in our image ), and as such i would have to say that the TM-Twin is on par with the Duo.

The Duo has a long and proven track record and has performed very well for the past 2 years or so of it's life but it is soon to be replaced by the Duo2, although that should not sway you from considering it because support for it will not cease. Both boxes are supported by the ViX team and as such will offer pretty much the same from a user standpoint.

so the end decision is do you want to go for the TM which technically has a higher spec than the duo and now with support by the ViX team, easily rivals the Duo. or do you want to go with the tried and tested Duo, which while still one of the best receivers to buy, is starting to show it's age a little when compared to newer boxes that have more memory etc.

Personally I can say that i have both the Duo and Twin and both work very well for my needs.

[Larry-G]

So the technomate and cheaper alien 2 are potentially better boxes for the future, but right now the vu+ is the best,

Is that a fair statement.?

If so would it make sense to buy a cheap single tuner wait a couple of months then buy a better unit in December? Is progress on software and support normally quick or is in long in developing of previous units?

I would avoid the Alien all together to be honest. while the technical specs may look impressive and the price is a nice fit too, it does not have a broadcom CPU and that means that the Enigma2 side of things is very lacking and likely not to improve, I can also say with total certainty that ViX will never support the alien with it's current processor.

[twol]

I am looking to replace my sky hd box.
I don't have a motorised dish.

I am presuming the motorised dish is for only non uk channels ?

If I am wrong and there is more good English speaking channels out there please let me know and this maybe a new option I look at

I was interested in alien 2 , because it is cheap, but it looks like unless you know what you are doing it maybe hard with a lack of support


So then I move up a bracket to 2 more models

Vu+ duo
Or
Technomate twin

Which is the best here?

I have a large family, 7 day epg is important, easy use for the kids.
Easy modification if needed

Good support if I run into problems
I think that any of the common enigma2 boxes (VU, Xtrend) preferable with twin tuners (a la Sky HD, so you can watch and record, or watch and stream) would meet your needs depending on your budget.
Critically is how you want to handle your family viewing habits and also the learning curve with the new box (how steep will depend on you:)) ... you need to learn how to set up the epg, install cams and channel bouquets for example .... not that difficult, but then you read these forums and ........ :confused:)

So I would upgrade your dish, add a quad lnb (maybe long term you will have a quad box!), so that you can initially at least run both receivers in parallel, and sort out everything.
You can either keep the Sky box as fta for the kids perhaps, or if you want just one box and you have an IPAD, you can let the children watch on IPAD via streaming, while you watch the sport on the main TV (or visa versa!)

[BadBoy]

I would go with something with better hardware instead of just going for a duo, I have an xtrend et9k.

[basilyoung]

on the dish side of things, if you have a family, you need to concider a quad lnb, or octigon lnb, as its likely, you might need more than one unit

as to the choice of unit, as others have said, its down to three or four units

[Hotchef]

I have 2 useable sky dishes 1 , double feed which is my sky had line and my old single cable dish.
So I can get 2 going. As will need to invest in server too.

When people talk about vu+ and new twin openbox

I think in one hand I should wait, but I want to get started with my own box

[Hotchef]

With extrend they are harder to find.
I can not see the one you have
On the world of satellite the twin is out of stock


Xtrend ET9200 FULL HD Enigma 2 Linux Twin Tuner High Definition Satellite Receiver

Does offer more than the vu duo and technomate

For a non motorised user

[constant]

I was a newbie as well so my choice for my twin tuner was based on Processor and flash memory so my obvious choice during my research for price/specs was the ET9500HD. First day I got it did some reading around, installed ViX and never been happier :D

[75mak]

giga blue quad at £339 looks good, but needs to be seen in the wild

[Hotchef]

The giga blue quad has a big visual wow. It looks stunning. Don't really want to spend that much.

But is it worth that money.

What do you get for money, I see an14 day epg

Is the money for speed?

[Sicilian]

I'd 100% defo consider the Giga Quad, its the most powerful Linux box out there right now also the only one that is 1080p.

[twol]

I'd 100% defo consider the Giga Quad, its the most powerful Linux box out there right now also the only one that is 1080p.
ET9200 has 1080p/30 :)

[twol]

The giga blue quad has a big visual wow. It looks stunning. Don't really want to spend that much.

But is it worth that money.

What do you get for money, I see an14 day epg

Is the money for speed?
Being cynical, it is a new box so obviously costs more... and being a new box there will always be a technical differentiator or pricing advantage.

So decide what you can afford and then look at those boxes in that price range.

There will always be a new, faster. more functionality box either just arrived or coming, and if it has just arrived then it may have technical problems that will affect a newbie (both VU and ET boxes have had early on glitches), and you need to decide if you like the latest - whatever.
All the recommended Enigma2 boxes run with the VIX image, have a great EPG, with channel bouquets that you can set up (unlike a Sky box), have many add-ons and can provide an extended in-house media functionality e.g my ET9200 is upstairs in my office, so I can watch what I like, when I like, but can also stream to my IPAD anywhere in the house or downstairs to my Lounge Plasma TV,allow record and watch, play movies from my NAS boxes... I am still finding out things that I can do.

It can be great fun, or just another boring box that just delivers great TV access, but you need to jump in now :)

[Sicilian]

ET9200 has 1080p/30 :)

Only for media playback.

[Rob van der Does]

ET9200 has 1080p/30 :)
Same as the VU's have from the beginning.

[Rob van der Does]

Only for media playback.
Nope, try using the Autoresolution plugin.

But indeed: for satellite this is no use, as there are no1080p transmission.

[twol]

Nope, try using the Autoresolution plugin.

But indeed: for satellite this is no use, as there are no1080p transmission.

BBC uses 1080i/1080p on BBC HD apparently but otherwise the p gives little difference :)

[Rob van der Does]

BBC uses 1080i/1080p on BBC HD apparently but otherwise the p gives little difference :)
Nope, there are no 1080p transmissions nor tuners that could handle that.

[Sicilian]

Giga Quad supports 1080p natively in the chip/drivers. @ £339 its a no brainer imo for the spec you get.

[twol]

Nope, there are no 1080p transmissions nor tuners that could handle that.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/04/software-upgrade-for-bbc-hd-on.shtml

[Sicilian]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/04/software-upgrade-for-bbc-hd-on.shtml

Thats Freeview (Terrestral) not Freesat.

[Rob van der Does]

Giga Quad supports 1080p natively in the chip/drivers.
That applies to the other boxes as well.

[Sicilian]

That applies to the other boxes as well.

It does not, hence why VU+ or Xtrend have never had a native 1080p setting only the new range of BCM chips acually natively support 1080p.

[Rob van der Does]

See e.g. the attached datasheet of the chipset used for the UNO & Ultimo; it supports H.264/AVC Main and High Profile to Level 4.1, which means 1080p.

[Sicilian]

See e.g. the attached datasheet of the chipset used for the UNO & Ultimo; it supports H.264/AVC Main and High Profile to Level 4.1, which means 1080p.

Its only for media playback, not HDTV. Speak to VU+ engineers, they will explain in full tech terms :trustme: If they did dont you think they would have implemented 1080p in the drivers?

[Rob van der Does]

Its only for media playback, not HDTV.
Mediaplayback uses the same chipset as for TV-playback.
And the setting isn't there because there is no 1080p HDTV-transmission. And even if there was, there's no tuner that can handle that. So as there's no 1080p input, there's no reason whatsoever to have 1080p output: any TV is perfectly capable of handling that.
And on mediaplayback you may have 1080p material, so than it is nice to output that as well.

[Sicilian]

Mediaplayback uses the same chipset as for TV-playback.
And the setting isn't there because there is no 1080p HDTV-transmission. And even if there was, there's no tuner that can handle that. So as there's no 1080p input, there's no reason whatsoever to have 1080p output: any TV is perfectly capable of handling that.
And on mediaplayback you may have 1080p material, so than it is nice to output that as well.

Like I said, contact VU+ drivers engineer's, they will explain. For now we will agree to disagree.


root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video# cat videomode_50hz_choices
pal ntsc 480i 576i 480p 576p 720p50 720p 1080i 1080i50
root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video# cat videomode_60hz_choices
pal ntsc 480i 576i 480p 576p 720p50 720p 1080i 1080i50
root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video#

[Sicilian]

root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video# cat videomode_choices
pal ntsc 480i 576i 1080i 1080p 720p 480p 1080i50 1080p24 1080p25 1080p30 1250i50 720p24 720p50 576p 1440x240 1440x288_50 1366x768 1366x768_50 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x768 1280x720_50 1280x720 1280x720_ReducedBlank

1080p 24/25/30 for media playback.

Giga Quad is 1080p 50/60 ;)

[Rob van der Does]

root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video# cat videomode_choices
pal ntsc 480i 576i 1080i 1080p 720p 480p 1080i50 1080p24 1080p25 1080p30 1250i50 720p24 720p50 576p 1440x240 1440x288_50 1366x768 1366x768_50 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x768 1280x720_50 1280x720 1280x720_ReducedBlank
1080p 24/25/30 for media playback.
Ahh, see?



[CODE]root@vuultimo:/proc/stb/video# cat videomode_choices
Giga Quad is 1080p 50/60 ;)
Yep, OK. And how much material is available in 1080P 50/60?

[Sicilian]

Ahh, see?



Yep, OK. And how much material is available in 1080P 50/60?

None, it upscales, hopefully has good an some 1080p non-linux boxes currently available.

[Rob van der Does]

None, it upscales, hopefully has good an some 1080p non-linux boxes currently available.
That will have to be seen. So far the best upscalers are TV's, but who knows?

Anyway; IMHO letting a box do video contents upscaling (especially to those values) seems not done to me. Why would you want to do that? The result can't possibly be better than when set input = output (after all that's why Autoresolution has been made).

[Hotchef]

I have the cash for the giga blue quad.


But so much money to handle if I can not get my head around Linux

I can't find much info in, was hoping for a quick you tube video to show it in action

Just seen on eBay a fully operation vu+ duo with subs which is tempting too

A Unconfident way out.

[judge]

I have the cash for the giga blue quad.


But so much money to handle if I can not get my head around Linux

I can't find much info in, was hoping for a quick you tube video to show it in action

Just seen on eBay a fully operation vu+ duo with subs which is tempting too

A Unconfident way out.

I'd never buy a box with 'subs' unless it's an official box from an official provider like Sky.
If you do, you won't get any help with those extras here.

[Hotchef]

Not relevant here , on this thread maybe,but mentioned alot. Vic image? I see you can choose your image. Where can I see how they are different

[Stanman]

If you are confident around a PC, than you will be able to handle Linux on a STB box and I would not worry too much about it.

[Rob van der Does]

Giga Quad supports 1080p natively in the chip/drivers. @ £339 its a no brainer imo for the spec you get.

I'd 100% defo consider the Giga Quad, its the most powerful Linux box out there right now also the only one that is 1080p.

ET9200 has 1080p/30 :)

Only for media playback.

Same as the VU's have from the beginning.

That applies to the other boxes as well.

It does not, hence why VU+ or Xtrend have never had a native 1080p setting only the new range of BCM chips acually natively support 1080p.

Its only for media playback, not HDTV. Speak to VU+ engineers, they will explain in full tech terms :trustme: If they did dont you think they would have implemented 1080p in the drivers?
I presume you checked the latest ViX-builds and seen that 1080p24/25/30 is indeed 'natively' supported by the chipsets used by VU & Xtrend?

[Sicilian]

I presume you checked the latest ViX-builds and seen that 1080p24/25/30 is indeed 'natively' supported by the chipsets used by VU & Xtrend?

Thats is still for media playback only. HDTV is 50/60 Hz.

@ 24/25/30 HDTV is not smooth, just stuttery. Test for yourself and see.

[Rob van der Does]

Thats is still for media playback only. HDTV is 50/60 Hz.

@ 24/25/30 HDTV is not smooth, just stuttery. Test for yourself and see.
LOL, there is no such thing as HDTV 1080p 50/60; it's 1080i50/60.

As I explained before:

1- there is no HDTV in 1080p@x; it simply doesn't exist (and even if it did, there's no tuner that can handle that);

2- whatever the source, the same chipset is used for the output; so there's no difference in handling TV or recordings. So if output is set to say 1080p30 this resolution is always outputted, whatever the source;

3- indeed: upscaling is never a good idea.


But that's not the point. Point is that you suggested the Quad to be the first STB using a 1080p capable chipset. And that's not the case: the chipsets (SoC's) of all VU's and Xtrend's (and probably many more) are perfectly capable of handling 1080p.


The autoresoultion is still very useful to adjust the output to be the same as the input.

[Sicilian]

LOL, there is no such thing as HDTV 1080p 50/60; it's 1080i50/60.

As I explained before:

1- there is no HDTV in 1080p@x; it simply doesn't exist (and even if it did, there's no tuner that can handle that);

2- whatever the source, the same chipset is used for the output; so there's no difference in handling TV or recordings. So if output is set to say 1080p30 this resolution is always outputted, whatever the source;

3- indeed: upscaling is never a good idea.


But that's not the point. Point is that you suggested the Quad to be the first STB using a 1080p capable chipset. And that's not the case: the chipsets (SoC's) of all VU's and Xtrend's (and probably many more) are perfectly capable of handling 1080p.


The autoresoultion is still very useful to adjust the output to be the same as the input.

The GB Quad upscales HDTV 1080p 50/60 hz, no Xtrend (apart from ET4000) or VU+ can do this. Try using a Xtrend or VU+ set at 1080p 24/25/30 hz, view live TV then comeback and post :rolleyes:


YES all can use 24/25/30 hz, I didn't say they couldn't, but only for media playback.

[andyblac]

LOL, there is no such thing as HDTV 1080p 50/60; it's 1080i50/60.

As I explained before:

1- there is no HDTV in 1080p@x; it simply doesn't exist (and even if it did, there's no tuner that can handle that);

2- whatever the source, the same chipset is used for the output; so there's no difference in handling TV or recordings. So if output is set to say 1080p30 this resolution is always outputted, whatever the source;

3- indeed: upscaling is never a good idea.


But that's not the point. Point is that you suggested the Quad to be the first STB using a 1080p capable chipset. And that's not the case: the chipsets (SoC's) of all VU's and Xtrend's (and probably many more) are perfectly capable of handling 1080p.


The autoresoultion is still very useful to adjust the output to be the same as the input.

@Rob, i think what Scillian is referring to is, the chipset is capable of handling 1080p @ 50/60Hz whether it being for Media or live tv, i know that the live steam is only 1080i, but with the new UHDTV in testing (2160p http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-definition_television) downscaling to 1080p 50/60 would be good. also now that most TV shows can be bought via WEB and are at 1080p 50/60 Hz this res is needed for smooth play back.

@Sciilian

1080p 24/25/30 Hz is only good for BluRay rips, and you TV has to support the res natively, most TV do not, but instead acept the 24 Hz signal and convert back to 50/60Hz this is why your play is not smooth, my plasma does support 24Hz (23.967 Hz) and i use it all the time on my Ultimo and is really smooth.

hope this info helps.

[Sicilian]

@Sciilian

1080p 24/25/30 Hz is only good for BluRay rips, and you TV has to support the res natively, most TV do not, but instead acept the 24 Hz signal and convert back to 50/60Hz this is why your play is not smooth, my plasma does support 24Hz (23.967 Hz) and i use it all the time on my Ultimo and is really smooth.

hope this info helps.

Both my TV's support 24/25/30 Hz, media playback @ 1080p at any of those settings is smooth, live TV is not unless 50/60hz.

[Rob van der Does]

The GB Quad upscales HDTV 1080p 50/60 hz, no Xtrend (apart from ET4000) or VU+ can do this. Try using a Xtrend or VU+ set at 1080p 24/25/30 hz, view live TV then comeback and post :rolleyes:

Of course I have done that before even thinking of posting anything at all :rolleyes:
On the very cheap TV I'm using atm, picture quality of my Ultimo/UNO/ET9200 when set to 1080p30 is very good (but not better than it was on 1808i), even though internally the TV is probably downscaling that again: very smooth and no stuttering at all. So if you experience that, it must be down to the TV used, and not to the video-output of the box.


YES all can use 24/25/30 hz, I didn't say they couldn't, but only for media playback.
Again: there's no such thing as a setting for media playback only.


@Rob, i think what Scillian is referring to is, the chipset is capable of handling 1080p @ 50/60Hz whether it being for Media or live tv, i know that the live steam is only 1080i, but with the new UHDTV in testing (2160p http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-definition_television) downscaling to 1080p 50/60 would be good. also now that most TV shows can be bought via WEB and are at 1080p 50/60 Hz this res is needed for smooth play back.
Again: even if there were transmissions with a higher resolution than 1080i, there's no tuner (yet available) that can handle that. So on the present and near future STB's 1080i-services is the best that can be received.

But anyway: upscaling can never ever provide a better picture than the source is, so all these specs are mainly for showing off. The best available material atm is 1080p24/25/and sometimes 30, so that can be handled excellent by all STB's.

[twol]

Of course I have done that before even thinking of posting anything at all :rolleyes:
.
To a large extent all the talk about 1080i/p is largely irrelevant...the weakest link in this chain is the TV setup and the owner :) Many people even if they have a THX specification option on their TV, do not use it because either they do not know its there or because they prefer a brighter/more colourful picture.............. so you can transmit the most wonderful picture, and have idiots destroy it by not setting up their TV's accordingly.

[Rob van der Does]

To a large extent all the talk about 1080i/p is largely irrelevant...the weakest link in this chain is the TV setup and the owner :) Many people even if they have a THX specification option on their TV, do not use it because either they do not know its there or because they prefer a brighter/more colourful picture.............. so you can transmit the most wonderful picture, and have idiots destroy it by not setting up their TV's accordingly.
Good you mention that: indeed I think some 50% (maybe even more) of TV's (and STB's or whatever the source is) have all kinds of settings very wrong. So called 'video enhancers' for sure do the opposite of what the name suggests.
And indeed brightness and saturation are far too high most of the time.
Add to that the number of TV's using overscan, and no surprise hardly anybody at all watches HD...... :eek:

[mickyblueys]

Good you mention that: indeed I think some 50% (maybe even more) of TV's (and STB's or whatever the source is) have all kinds of settings very wrong. So called 'video enhancers' for sure do the opposite of what the name suggests.
And indeed brightness and saturation are far too high most of the time.
Add to that the number of TV's using overscan, and no surprise hardly anybody at all watches HD...... :eek:

I've been reading this thread with interest and find all of your points intriguing. But in my humble opinion people have their equipment set up to their personal taste in brightness and saturation etc.... Every bodies vision is different, and it comes down to personal choice.....so I think it's harsh to say peoples set-ups are wrong.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[judge]

I'd guess most people use the default settings on the TV they just bought.
Doesn't always suit a more complex STB video outputs...
Saying that, If I buy the latest Sony TV, i'd love if it worked perfectly with my latest VU, but sadly it doesn't.
Settings need to be adjusted for optimal performance at times.

[Rob van der Does]

I've been reading this thread with interest and find all of your points intriguing. But in my humble opinion people have their equipment set up to their personal taste in brightness and saturation etc.... Every bodies vision is different, and it comes down to personal choice.....so I think it's harsh to say peoples set-ups are wrong.

I do stand behind what I stated. But maybe I should have elaborated a bit more.

The default setings of literally every TV are very wrong. They are made to impress, to show off, to stand out on a shop shelve amongst dozens of other TV's i brought day or, even worse, TL light. All TV's are set to use overscan, brightness and saturation have the showroom-setting, video 'enhancers' are all active.

Now tell me: which of the above settings is correct when connected to an STB at people's home? I' ll give away the answer: none. None of the settings is correct.

And now tell me: how many people change any of the settings for all the inputs and devices used by them? Again I'll give away the answer: only a very small percentage.

Now why do you think most people don't change any settings at all? Again my answer: because they have no idea. No idea at all. And can we blame them?
No.
No, because most people have no clue about the importance and even about the meaning of those settings. And most manuals are not much helping in that area either. The making of some settings is explained, but not the real meaning of a setting, not the fact that all settings must be made per input. And of course that can be explained as well: most advertisement is about what the TV has in the area of picture quality compared to other brands; now would it be logical for the same manufacturer to tell their clients in the manual that you'd better turn off all the expensive enhancers? No of course not. Do you think manufacturers advise their clients to turn overscan off? No of course not; due to several poor-contents-providers they might get questions about the half-dotted-white-line at the top left of their newly and dearly bought TV. So overcan is hidden in the manual under all kind of fancy names. Or it is even impossible to turn it off.

Don't get me wrong: if people really make choices and make settings to their likings, there would be no problem at all. And of course, I would 100% respect that. But that's not the case. A glimpse in our forum about the number of people claiming that 'the ViX-menu's don't fit on the screen' already proves that my statement is correct.
And not the users are to blame, but TV-producers and their retailers. A good advise, also in the after-sales circuit, could do wonders in the area of customer education.

[mickyblueys]

I take what you say on board you make a fair point. I think that relates to almost every product you could buy. The manufacturers and the Sellers are basically after the revenue and their profit margins. Plus the the majority of "Joe public"think they've got a good deal just because the sales man tells him so......naivety and ignorance.

But less of that...I'll get off my soap box now.;)

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[twol]

A THX calibrated TV has a display option that has been calibrated to criteria to best reproduce a film as originally recorded by the studio, unfortunately as Rob van der Does indicates these settings can be at first sight a bit of a shock, as often the picture appears less bright and colour rich, so people (even if they know that the option exists) either modify the calibrated settings or go back to a colour setting option that is chosen to overcome the difficulties of displaying in a shop............ but people are people and it is their choice and decision............. most of us accept the sound quality imposed by the MP3 format, it may not be the best quality available but we still pay good money for all those downloads!

[Rob van der Does]

There are not thaT MANY THX-calibrated TV's around. And if people spend a lot of money to have one, you might expect them to be conscious about settings.

And about choices: as I tried to explain: as long as people are aware, know what they do: of course, please be my guest and make any choice you want. But than again: don complain about picture quality.
But my guess is that most people have no clue about the above named settings, and in that case they don't really make choices.

[Hotchef]

I would avoid the Alien all together to be honest. while the technical specs may look impressive and the price is a nice fit too, it does not have a broadcom CPU and that means that the Enigma2 side of things is very lacking and likely not to improve, I can also say with total certainty that ViX will never support the alien with it's current processor.

I am still to buy my twin tuner, but I see the sponsor now has the Alien units.
Does this mean it's development is moving forward and the box is showing potential?

[Sicilian]

I am still to buy my twin tuner, but I see the sponsor now has the Alien units.
Does this mean it's development is moving forward and the box is showing potential?

Not for Enigma 2 no. We cant support it because it does not have broadcom CPU. Spark OS is pretty good though, has many features.

[Larry-G]

Not for Enigma 2 no. We cant support it because it does not have broadcom CPU. Spark OS is pretty good though, has many features.

I will agree to that, the default spark OS is not bad at all and the E2 side is very slowly coming along but it wont ever be a patch on a dedicated Broadcom based E2 box in my opinion.

for a receiver to watch TV on with little fuss and little cost then go for the spark, if you want a dedicated E2 box with the full support of ViX and the major Image teams look towards a Gigablue, Vu, Xtrend etc etc etc.

[75mak]

There are not thaT MANY THX-calibrated TV's around. And if people spend a lot of money to have one, you might expect them to be conscious about settings.

And about choices: as I tried to explain: as long as people are aware, know what they do: of course, please be my guest and make any choice you want. But than again: don complain about picture quality.
But my guess is that most people have no clue about the above named settings, and in that case they don't really make choices.

I know many of the panasonic (plasmas at least) were THX certified for the last few years, the higher end models anyway.

[Rob van der Does]

the higher end models anyway.
Hehe, that's what I mean by 'not many'..........

[twol]

Hehe, that's what I mean by 'not many'..........

Correct, its usually only the high end models from LG and Panasonic...... And if Panasonic carry on losing money there will be one less, and if that happens I will instantly buy one of their last Plasma,s before they disappear.

[thedoc11]

I was wondering which stb has 1080p picture quality but has all the functionality of an ext9000. As I have recently purchased a full 1080p tv but getting a mediocre picture quality through my panasonic
TX-L47DT50 please help thank you in advance

[Rob van der Does]

You don't need a 1080p output at all: all transmissions are 1080i at the best and there's nothing 'mediocre' about that.

[twol]

I was wondering which stb has 1080p picture quality but has all the functionality of an ext9000. As I have recently purchased a full 1080p tv but getting a mediocre picture quality through my panasonic
TX-L47DT50 please help thank you in advance
Out of curiosity which viewing Mode are you using?