Newbie - Which Box?

[JeanReno]

Hello all,

New to the forum, so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place . . . also apologies for what is no doubt another 'what box' thread :whistle:

I've been scouring the forum for help and advice on which box to purchase and hopefully you can help.

A little background:
I'm in Kent, UK, currently with Sky (have a Sky+ HD box) but am looking to move to Freesat instead to save money with the arrival of a new baby, which in itself reduces our TV watching time :D Well, means that we currently have BabyTV on more often (I realise this isn't available on Freesat).

My dish was newly installed by Sky about 2 years ago, so I assume it'll be fairly recent. Quad LNB as I understand (I haven't looked). There's a white twin cable that runs to my box.

So, I'd like a new box. I'm an IT manager who runs two Rasp Pi's (web server and NAS) so I'm no stranger to tinkering with Linux and IT in general.

My requirements:

Twin Tuner - would like to record one channel whilst watching another
Easy to playback recordings
Ability to 'series link' or as close as possible
Skinable - I want it to look nice. MetrixHD looks like my kind of thing.
Tweakable - I like to tinker and get the most from my equipment.
Ethernet - I have an small switch behind the TV
Fast to start - even if that's just from standby
Good quality - I'd rather pay more for a nice box and remote
Tech integration - the more it can talk to my Samsung TV, NAS, tablet, phones etc the better.
Can I run Freeview & Freesat together? Not important, but could he handy.
Most Importantly - must be wife proof in daily use

Cost isn't overly important (£250 max), but the cheaper the better if I can get away with it.

Current main contender is the VU+ Solo 2 since it seems to fit the bill, but does it offer enough over the likes of the Xpeed LX2, Cloud iBox, Technomate or other offerings for less money?

Any advice on where to start would be very welcome.

[Larry-G]

The Vu+ duo2 is a excellent receiver and you won't go far wrong with one of these, the Technomate TM nano 3 combo is also a excellent receiver that will allow you more options as it also has a terrestrial / cable combo tuner allowing frees at as well as free view. I don't have any experience with the lx2 personally but I would very strongly advise against a cloud box, they are very poorly built counterfeit receivers with no safety checks carried out prior to shipping nor any thing in the way of official support or warranty.

If you have a young child on the way do your self a massive favour and steer clear of clones, the last thing you want is one of those malfunctioning in the small hours causing a fire or worse.


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[JeanReno]

Thank you :) Is the Duo worth the extra over the Solo?

I certainly want a well made box, for robustness, reliability and indeed safety. The VU boxes seem to rate very highly from what I've read so far.

[Larry-G]

The duo2 would allow more options over the solo2 as it has more tuner options etc but I personally believe it to be overpriced and the LCD on the front is a gimmick. I have heard a lot of very good things about the Mut@nt from people on here who own one but it's not a receiver I have ever used so can't comment further.


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[joysleep1]

Thank you :) Is the Duo worth the extra over the Solo?

I certainly want a well made box, for robustness, reliability and indeed safety. The VU boxes seem to rate very highly from what I've read so far.

The solo2 is an excellent receiver. Very well built, mini in design and looks nice.
Go for that

[mann]

VU+solo2 great bit of kit,super fast,nice size,plenty of power,great price

[JeanReno]

Thanks chaps. I think it's between the VU+ units and the Mut@nt HD2400 now.

[Andy_Hazza]

Hello all,

New to the forum, so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place . . . also apologies for what is no doubt another 'what box' thread :whistle:

I've been scouring the forum for help and advice on which box to purchase and hopefully you can help.

A little background:
I'm in Kent, UK, currently with Sky (have a Sky+ HD box) but am looking to move to Freesat instead to save money with the arrival of a new baby, which in itself reduces our TV watching time :D Well, means that we currently have BabyTV on more often (I realise this isn't available on Freesat).

My dish was newly installed by Sky about 2 years ago, so I assume it'll be fairly recent. Quad LNB as I understand (I haven't looked). There's a white twin cable that runs to my box.

So, I'd like a new box. I'm an IT manager who runs two Rasp Pi's (web server and NAS) so I'm no stranger to tinkering with Linux and IT in general.

My requirements:

Twin Tuner - would like to record one channel whilst watching another
Easy to playback recordings
Ability to 'series link' or as close as possible
Skinable - I want it to look nice. MetrixHD looks like my kind of thing.
Tweakable - I like to tinker and get the most from my equipment.
Ethernet - I have an small switch behind the TV
Fast to start - even if that's just from standby
Good quality - I'd rather pay more for a nice box and remote
Tech integration - the more it can talk to my Samsung TV, NAS, tablet, phones etc the better.
Can I run Freeview & Freesat together? Not important, but could he handy.
Most Importantly - must be wife proof in daily use

Cost isn't overly important (£250 max), but the cheaper the better if I can get away with it.

Current main contender is the VU+ Solo 2 since it seems to fit the bill, but does it offer enough over the likes of the Xpeed LX2, Cloud iBox, Technomate or other offerings for less money?

Any advice on where to start would be very welcome.

I'd go with the Vu+ Solo2. [emoji106]

[JeanReno]

I'd go with the Vu+ Solo2. [emoji106]

Thank you. Even over the HD2400?

[nsw9154]

Hello :wave: last year I moved up from a Blade Combo 7000s that I had for 4 years to a Solo2 and I have never looked back, the Solo2 is a great receiver and I really liked it but I needed more tuners so I sold it and bought the Duo2, then I got bitten by the bug and bought a LX3 then a Mut@nt and lastly a Gigablue Quad + :eek: they are all very capable receivers and any one of them including the Solo2 should do every thing that you need, but I have to say that my favorite has got to be the Mut@nt I love it and tend to use it more than my others I even like the remote control - the LX3 is another great receiver but they seem to be getting difficult to find which is a shame as I rate it almost as much as the Mut@nt - the Duo2 is a nice receiver but like pheonix stated probably a little overpriced although in it's defense it is built like a tank and very well made - the Quad + is a another good contender although I do not like it's remote control it is priced the same as the Solo2 and has the option of adding another 2 tuners when you need to upgrade and I probably do not use it as much as it deserves because of the remote but investing in say a Harmony 650 remote will solve the problem, so their you have my little bit of input but at the end of the day it is all down to personal preference and requirements :D

[Andy_Hazza]

I'm just looking at your needs. If only wanting twin feed n small n sexy the the Vu+ Solo2 is an excellent receiver. I have one which was my main box n now I have that in my bedroom.
I have just recently upgraded to a Mut@nt HD2400 for my entertainment room and this is an exceptional receiver. I have 3 feeds into that room and going to add another couple more in the next few weeks as I went with the quad satellite option so I can max my options on the Mut@nt n add one to my Panny TV for freesat n got a good variety of options then.
Both are superb boxes, and I only said the Vu+ Solo2 as you stated the twin feed and the Vu+ remote is to die for.

[JeanReno]

Thanks again, great info :thumbsup:

[JeanReno]

Whilst the Vu+ Solo2 meets my current needs, I can't help but feel it's future upgrade ability is lacking? I assume in this case the Mut@nt HD2400 would be better, but I'm still a little torn.

[Andy_Hazza]

Yeah the Mut@nt has bags of flash n memory so defo future proof for a few years and you could always go for this option >> http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/Digital-Satellite-Receivers/Mutant-Linux-HD-Receivers/Mutant-HD2400-HD-Quad-Tuner-Digital-Receiver-2x-DVB-S-S2 then later down the line you could get extra tuners. [emoji106]🏼

[JeanReno]

Thanks. It's looking like the sensible option. One more little thing, does it have overly bright lights on the front? Or is it quite discrete? I can'd find many pics with it switched on.

[cactikid]

there was a time when one was needed then two and now more cables:eek: life aint fair when you aint got enough cables fitted,if adding more cables for sat or cable or freeview why are they all black and mixed up so label them:thumbsup:
also got a solo2 but future proofing is best as thinking ahead:thumbsup:

[Sicilian]

Guys, another very good receiver the Miraclebox Ultra, for those that 3 tuners are enough its great too. Similar spec to HD2400, but with 3 tuners.

[Larry-G]

there was a time when one was needed then two and now more cables:eek: life aint fair when you aint got enough cables fitted,if adding more cables for sat or cable or freeview why are they all black and mixed up so label them:thumbsup:
also got a solo2 but future proofing is best as thinking ahead:thumbsup:

LAMO I know the feeling, I have 18 different feeds coming in from three dishes and I still find I need more.

[JeanReno]

Thanks for all the input chaps. I've ordered the Mut@nt HD2400 with 2x DVB-S2 tuners from WOS. Just waiting for stock of the tuners :thumbsup:

Hopefully it'll arrive in time for some configuration at the weekend.

I like the look of the Miraclebox, but feel that RAM is more important than flash memory for the forthcoming XBMC/Kodi release.

Looking forward to getting the box up and running.