View Full Version : Reciever Recommendations at the lower end
Looking at a few options to use my IPTV and FTA Satellite/Terrestrial together - currently using a quite old Foxsat HD combined with my TV's tuner and a Fire Stick so time to move to something better.
I've found quite a few boxes under £100 but I don't really know how to differentiate them as they all have pretty much identical specs:
Maxytec Multibox
Zgemma H9.2H
Zgemma H9 Combo
Amiko Viper 4K
OCTAGON SF8008
I was pretty set on the Maxytec as it can run both Engima2 OSes and Android but then realised this probably doesn't have much practical use, and other boxes might be more supported?
Would be using OpenVix initially, would like a combo of DVB-S2 and T2.
Any advise appreciated!
You won't go far wrong with any of them. Android on the Multibox at the moment is first beta test release.
Amiko Viper 4K is same as SF8008 combo, but without built in Wifi, great little box.
My view ignoring price! ->>> SF8008 (excellent features, good support), H9Combo (good) H9.2H (good when running from SD card), Multibox (amazingly small box with h9combo features - drawback currently has Stalker issues but should be fixed).
All support 4K, although probably the SF8008 provides best 4K support on my 4K monitor.
Most of them have some form of front display panel (Multibox doesn‘t) - but they all display minimal information.
SF8008, Multibox and h9combo are all multiboot receivers so you can have multiple images installed and flip between the images (good for testing, backup and trying different images)
Cannot comment on Viper4K as I don‘t have the box but looks good.
Amiko Viper 4K is same as SF8008 combo, but without built in Wifi, great little box.
Almost but not quite. I have been searching the web to see what is the difference between the two boxes (beacause I am looking for a DVB-s2x multistream plus DVB-t2 tuner + 1000 Mbit/s ethernet + USB 3.0 + faster DDR-4 memory) and came upon this thread.
For both, the CPU is the same (ARM Hisilicon Hi3798MV200 Huawei Quad Core 64Bit @ 1.6GHz), memory is 1 Gb DDR-4 (so better than others still on DDR-3), 8 Gb eMMC (supposedly cheaper and not as good as NAND on older models), and ethernet is 1000 Mbits/s whereas other current models are 100 Mbit/s maximum, as well as a USB 3.0 socket (unlike other models which are still on USB 2.0 only).
The Octagon SF8008 has Wi-Fi which is described as 300 Mbits/s. I have not been able to find the exact designation but since this is the only description and also from the antenna design, I can only conclude that the WiFi is 802.11 "bgn" 2.4 GHz only, so anything that needs to communicate with it via WiFi must also be set to 2.4 GHz "bgn" (and not the more efficient 5.0 GHz frequency).
The Amiko Viper 4 lacks Wi-Fi (but you could always buy a suitable USB adapter, if you must have direct Wi-Fi rather than ethernet cable which could always go to a wireless bridge) but, unlike the Octagon SF8008, it has a CI card slot (but not CI+).
Because of these different features there is a minor difference to the layout of the backs of the boxes with the Octagon SF8008 have the on/off power switch easier to access on the top right edge.
If the photographs of the back of the boxes are true, then the Amiko appears to have a 'gold" coated antenna socket unlike the plain steel socket on the Octagon.
The remote control for each box clearly came from the same Chinese factory (user comments about this remote model frequently complain about the poor quality of the buttons) but there are some small differences. There is (in my opinion) better labeling (not just a tiny pictogram) on the remote for the Octagon.
The Octagon has a single button to flip between TV and Radio modes whereas the Amiko has (two) separate buttons, which (in my opinion) is not necessary and therefore the Octagon has one more facility on the remote than the Amiko, namely turning sub-titles on or off (which is very much easier that going into the Enigma2 interface menu to do that).
So the choice between the two is, are you ever going to use a CI slot, or do you prefer the convenience of the in-built rather now old Wi-Fi.
(2.4 GHz gives better coverage but the band in urban/suburban settings is much more crowded and is slower than newer 5.0 GHz 802.11 "ac".)
Hope the above information will help anybody trying to decide between the two boxes.
I lean towards the Octagon (particularly because of the better remote control layout and labeling and almost zero probablity of ever buying a CI card) and would suggest that because Octagon are actively maintaining software support for the box (with an official presence on various other satellite forums), they should be rewarded with a purchase. As always your mileage and preferences are likely to vary ...
OCTAGON SF8008. I find its a great receiver, as good/better than my Gigablue UHD Quad 4K, plus its neater so fits in my den better.
As the first few posts in the thread date back to August last year then I would hazard a guess the original purchase has already chosen something by now but just to clear up a few things in the later posts for sake of confusion, what the boss said "Amiko Viper 4K is same as SF8008 combo, but without built in Wifi" is effectively exactly as it is, there are very slight differences in the rear/side layout of the hardware because of this but otherwise they are the same.
Both receivers come with CA slot (card reader / slot), on the Amiko Viper 4K this is placed on the rear of the receiver, on the SF8008 this is on the side of the receiver - I would stress that there is NO CI (or CI+) reader / slot on EITHER receiver.
Both come with 1 x USB2 and 1 x USB3 , on the Amiko Viper 4K these are both placed on the rear of the receiver, on the SF8008 USB2 is on the rear and USB3 on the side (by the card reader).
Remote controls including all button layout are EXACTLY the same on both makes/models, unless it's been changed on the Octagon version and I'm not aware, OE-A branding doesn't suggest this though.
I've just quickly taken a couple of picture of both remote controls and rear of receivers side by side so you can see, a picture speaks a thousand words and all that, see attached pictures.... Bottom line just as originally said, one comes with Wi-Fi and one does not (but USB dongle can of course be added), otherwise both very nice receivers, I personally use both and with Multiboot on an SD card which I find works great, for the enthusiast it's a great feature, granted probably not something everyone will ever bother using though!. On my own receiver I then use the spare space on the Multiboot SD card for recordings (as an HDD replacement), works great for me but must admit I make very little to no recordings these days!
A USB port at the front or side is a must for me, would prefer 3. I do not need the wifi antenna on the SF8008 but not sure if they are removable.
Sure, I can understand why some might want a front or side USB port, personally I prefer all rear because anything I personally would want to use (and I can only thing of USB HDD / Flash drive and/or Wi-Fi dongle maybe for me) I would tend to leave permanently connected anyway and it's much more easily hidden when it's 'round the back' where as can be a bit ugly looking on the side or especially the front with something sticking out if it's there as a permanent addition, but yep if you make firmware flashes by USB that you want to plug in and then remove afterwards then can see why front or side might be considered as more of a bonus, each to their own in this respect I think, he who uses, chooses!
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