View Full Version : Recommendations for receivers appreciated ;-)
Hi all,
newbie to E2 boxes but have been reading various threads to gen up. Need some recommendations and a sanity check :)
Ok, so I require two types of receiver:
Quad tuner with 2 x DVB-S/S2 for sat and 2 x DVB-C/Hybrid for cable, Internal HDD - Up to £450
Dual tuner 1 x DVB-S/S2 for sat and 1 x DVB-C/Hybrid for cable, nice to have an option of a HDD internal or USB for later - Up to £140
So I'm thinking with the Quad I would be able to watch one channel and record using the other available tuners and with the dual just watch either and record the other when/if I add a HDD later.
Some likely candidates:
GiGaBlue HD QUAD+
Mut@nt HD2400
Xtrend ET10000
VU+ Duo 2
Edision OS Mini for the dual receiver
Am I on the right track? Also please provide recommendations for either those listed above or others with Pro's and Con's. Things I'm interested in are performance, support, stability, reliability, flexibility and features looks would be last to all of those but help :D
Oh and I will probably start out with OpenVix image if that helps.
Apologies for the long post, thanks :thumbsup:
Problem is not many people own all those boxes so most are going to give you biased info.
Truth is, apart from the odd quirk here and there, you won't notice the difference between them.
Thanks for the reply Huevos.
I don't mind biased views, it's good to know what people think of their boxes, both good and bad.
I have Google'd and apart from a German review about the Xtrend I couldn't really find much. Has anyone benchmarked these receivers (I'm from an IT background) or is that not possible with receivers?
I'm new to this so need a sanity check as well, ie have I got the spec right for what I need.
If you want Kodi, go for the Duo2.
Apart from that they are all pretty similar.
Huevos is correct , I own a Mutant 2400 and I love it. I cannot comment on any other box has for reliability , stability and performance of the Mutant is in my eyes out of this world. The support on this forum is second to none and the issues I have had caused by myself I might add have all been solved with the support from mods and members. The only downside is the remote but you get use to it after a while but saying that I have a Harmony 650 remote which covers all my device's.I ain't no whizz kid with technology but I found the Mutant easy to set up and I would recommend it too anyone. Have a chat with the sponsors they will go out of there way to advise you. Good luck with your choice .:thumbsup:
That is another point, I'm currently running Kodi on a couple of Amazon firesticks and got fed up with the poor quality of some live streams.
But it has it's place and is great for catching up on TV series etc, I understand the Xtrend has a dedicated nic for IPTV, isn't it possible to run Kodi on it with OpenVix?
Is it just the Duo2 that supports Kodi? Is it also still not available on the Mut@nt?
Sorry I just realised there is a whole other forum section for all things Kodi!
Thanks Bazzer.
I must say I really like the sound of the Mut@nt it looks like a beast!
With the remote, is it correct that it is a radio remote? So it is dedicated to that box and won't serve as a multi.
So the Harmony works fine with the Mut@nt? Is it possible to use any of the other remotes from say Vu+ or Xtrend with your box?
No the remote will not work has a universal but it ain't that bad to be fair it has a usb rechargeable but I have had it nearly a year and charged it up once. The Harmony works great with box with no issues.When I first got the Mutant I tried a Vu remote and could not get it to work and I believe a few others have tried and failed.
Andy_Hazza
07-04-16, 07:05
I can also recommend the Mut@nt HD2400, lovely box and to be fair I soon got used to the remote. I've also had the Vu+ Duo2 which is an excellent receiver which has got more appeal now the new Kodi plugin will soon get a release. I tried the Xtrend ET10K and didn't like it, but that was purely my choice.
A big plus with the Vu+ Duo2 is how quick it is at reading and parsing CrossEPG data. Also the Vu+ Universal remote is awesome, unfortunately the Duo2 comes with a different version remote, I much prefer the Vu+ Universal one. The buttons on the Duo2 remote do tend to degrade in time, apart from that a superb receiver. [emoji4]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Xtrend has been more popular in Continental Europe, and overall good receivers.
However with 4 tuners, I would go with the Mut@nt ... never hear complaints and seems solid with the 4 tuners.
Thanks for recommendation Andy.
So the Mut@nt with either the Vu+ Universal or with something like a Harmony would be the complete package :cool:
twol, that rings a bell I read something on I think it was a Finnish site that you cannot run 4 x DVB-C tuners. Is that what you are referring to, does the Xtrend struggle with 4 tuners even if mixed and matched?
I've found it, the same site actually had the following comment below their listing for the Xtrend ET10000:
"Because of too many faulty Xtrend products, technical problems and lack of technical support from Xtrend, we recommend Vu+ Duo2 instead. Xtrend ET10000 does not support 4 x internal DVB-C tuners. So if you are in cable network, only select maximum 3 pcs internal tuners for DVB-C use. If you want to have more than 3 DVB-C tuners, select external ones as 4th and 5th tuner."
Obviously, I don't know how true this is unless they were trying to push Duo sales. Don't think I'm breaking any rules mentioning this as no link to said site :)
Also I wouldn't be running four DVB-C tuners anyway, but the first line put me off a bit if it is true. It would be a shame as I love the fact that you have two ethernet interfaces and the support for either 2.5"/3.5" drives was appealing, also the remote looks quite nice :(
Thanks for recommendation Andy.
So the Mut@nt with either the Vu+ Universal or with something like a Harmony would be the complete package :cool:
Yep I would say so , quite a few members have some kind of Harmony remote I think I read somewhere that the Harmony 650 has been discontinued not sure. Amazon is the place to look to see what Harmony do now. I honestly believe you will be happy with the Mutant , has for Kodi I use the Firestick I believe OpenAtv use a Mutant kodi plugin but I believe there is issues with certain skins. I just let my Mutant do what it is built for a STB.:thumbsup:
Xtrend has been more popular in Continental Europe, and overall good receivers.
However with 4 tuners, I would go with the Mut@nt ... never hear complaints and seems solid with the 4 tuners.
Btw twol, I notice you have the Xtrend ET8500, that looks like a nice receiver and there don't seem to be that many around. Just out of curiosity how do you get on with them and is that display as nice as it looks?
Yep I would say so , quite a few members have some kind of Harmony remote I think I read somewhere that the Harmony 650 has been discontinued not sure. Amazon is the place to look to see what Harmony do now. I honestly believe you will be happy with the Mutant , has for Kodi I use the Firestick I believe OpenAtv use a Mutant kodi plugin but I believe there is issues with certain skins. I just let my Mutant do what it is built for a STB.:thumbsup:
I am definitely leaning towards the Mut@nt and was before I saw the Xtrend which then turned my head:)
It looks like most folk on here that haven't gone the VU+ Duo2 root have gone for the Mut@nt, based on comments received at least.
I have also invested in a couple of Firesticks and with Firestarter and Kodi they do a brilliant job given the modest price :thumbsup:
Btw twol, I notice you have the Xtrend ET8500, that looks like a nice receiver and there don't seem to be that many around. Just out of curiosity how do you get on with them and is that display as nice as it looks?
So OK, I have had both ET8000 & ET10000 .... I would recommend the ET8000 to anyone - great solid no frills box.
The "issue" with the ET10000 is that there are some people that have had problems with the 4th tuner (C/T) and some appear fine .... But I can think of 2 posters that are very aggressive negative posters:) ... 4 x dvb-s2 is fine.
I ditched both for the ET8500 :) Its more fun, great LCD (can be skinned), supports multiboot on boot up (great for people like me that build their own images .... I can flip flop between test and "live" easily and flash a new image to either boot image).... Supports slip in 2.5 disk ... very nice (not surprised Vu copied) :)
..... However to many people it doesn,t look like a sat receiver!
But I would choose the ET8500 any time .... :)
Having owned the gb and duo 2 I decided on the xtrend I have not bought another since, I do like my xtrend and will only upgrade if I need 4k right now that's not a problem, I have 3cable and one sat tuner all works great and I'd recommend it, vu duo2 is solid only reason I don't use it is the lack of tuner slots but it's a real good box and sits in the room gathering dust, gigs blue quad+ was great for the price but lack of or slow driver support was an issue for me, if never owed a mutant but hear good things from them to, but any of the last 3 mentioned in the first post you will be more than happy with
twol it does look very nice, I agree it doesn't look like a receiver at all more like a smart HTPC with a slick screen on the front :cool:
So the difference in specs between the ET10k and the ET8500 is the screen, less flash, less RAM and supports 2.5" only rather than 2.5" & 3.5"? Is the processor the same and does it have GB ethernet adapter?
Could you therefore potentially use two different Images e.g OpenViX and OpenPli for example and dual boot?
Also I take it the ET8500 is not affected by the slot 3/4 issue that the ET10k suffers from? Looking at some other threads did this only affect DVB-C tuners rather than the Hybrid tuners?
Are the Xtrend tuners for sale at WOS for the ET10k & ET8000 also compatible with the ET8500 do you know?
So not knowing much about these is this an older model than the ET10k or simply different. I am tempted by this receiver and it looks like they are still available just not from WOS.
Just when I thought I had decided on the Mut@nt!!! :rofl:
Having owned the gb and duo 2 I decided on the xtrend I have not bought another since, I do like my xtrend and will only upgrade if I need 4k right now that's not a problem, I have 3cable and one sat tuner all works great and I'd recommend it, vu duo2 is solid only reason I don't use it is the lack of tuner slots but it's a real good box and sits in the room gathering dust, gigs blue quad+ was great for the price but lack of or slow driver support was an issue for me, if never owed a mutant but hear good things from them to, but any of the last 3 mentioned in the first post you will be more than happy with
casuk you have the ET10k right? Do you use both of the ethernet interfaces ie is the Gb dedicated to IPTV only?
Did you have any problems with slots 3/4 and is the cable tuner DVB-C or the Hybrid? Think I saw your name on that thread where someone was having those problems?
1. It does look very nice, I agree it doesn't look like a receiver at all more like a smart HTPC with a slick screen on the front :cool:
2. So the difference in specs between the ET10k and the ET8500 is the screen, less flash, less RAM and supports 2.5" only rather than 2.5" & 3.5"? Is the processor the same and does it have GB ethernet adapter?
3. Could you therefore potentially use two different Images e.g OpenViX and OpenPli for example and dual boot?
4. Also I take it the ET8500 is not affected by the slot 3/4 issue that the ET10k suffers from? Looking at some other threads did this only affect DVB-C tuners rather than the Hybrid tuners?
5. Are the Xtrend tuners for sale at WOS for the ET10k & ET8000 also compatible with the ET8500 do you know?
6.So not knowing much about these is this an older model than the ET10k or simply different. I am tempted by this receiver and it looks like they are still available just not from WOS.
Just when I thought I had decided on the Mut@nt!!! :rofl:
So answers:
1. Yep, sexy :) Also if you need to get inside its 2 simple knurled nuts at the rear ... 5 secs to get in! great Engineering
2. + 6. The ET8500 is actually the latest model (Xtrend never do numbering nicely!), so different chip, GB ethernet according to the spec ..... but never needed to check!
3. Yes, you can stick whatever images you want and flip flop between them (restart) .. I would have to ask ViX to add some code to ImageManager to flash both images slots by couch flash :)
However, there is a normal one image boot or a multiboot ... you can flash either ... I just use multiboot
4. Haven't seen any slot issues . With the ET10000 4th slot .. could be a power issue? 4 x DVB-S2 is OK, but the tuner card sequence is important for the other types.
5. Tuners are Samsung on both but not the same! ET8000/ET10000 same ET7500(plugin tuner)/ET8500 same.
I am aware of somebody in the UK who might sell his ET8500 (I think its 4 dvb-s2) if you are interested and PM me
casuk you have the ET10k right? Do you use both of the ethernet interfaces ie is the Gb dedicated to IPTV only?
Did you have any problems with slots 3/4 and is the cable tuner DVB-C or the Hybrid? Think I saw your name on that thread where someone was having those problems?
No I only use one Ethernet not sure if it 1gb or 100mb I have used both with no problems it works with kodi, tsmedia and streaming about the house, I did have some tuner issue at first but mover sat tuner to slot d and cable slot in abc and it's all good recording ect, cable tuners are dvb t2 hybrid, I used dvb-c at first but had some issues untill I swapped for the dvb/t2
twol, looks like you've hit your PM quota :)
twol, looks like you've hit your PM quota :)
Yep, cleared:)
Hey guys,
I know I started this thread a few weeks ago now, but thought I should add a conclusion.
I ended up buying an Xtrend ET10k and Edision OS Mini's from the sponsor.
I was really struggling to choose between the Mut@nt and the ET10K and in the end it was the support for a 3.5" drive (got a 2TB WD Purple) and the remote that just swayed it. But ideally I would have liked to buy both of them! :p
I'm very happy with the Xtrend, the build quality is very good and the finish on the remote feels premium, although not sure how well it will wear!
Thanks to everyone for your input :thumbsup:
Good choice mate, i have the xtrend 10000 and i can not fault it one bit. I do not see any advantage that the mut@nt has over the xtrend so it is a no brainer really. Love the remote too. I currently have it with 2 satellite and 2 cable tuners. No problems
Good choice mate, i have the xtrend 10000 and i can not fault it one bit. I do not see any advantage that the mut@nt has over the xtrend so it is a no brainer really. Love the remote too. I currently have it with 2 satellite and 2 cable tuners. No problems
I'm running with the same setup too mate :thumbsup:
I'm assuming you used a pass through cable with the DVB-C/T/T2 tuners. Did you just fashion one yourself from coax or buy a pre-made one? Think I'm going to make one as don't want it being too long!
I bought a 0.5m cable loop thro from eBay. Works perfectly
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