Octagon SF8008. Thinking of purchasing this box.

[CarworldHQ]

I am looking to buy a satellite set top box. I used to have a Technomate system but that died long ago. I now want to get back into having my own satellite setup. I am leaning towards a SF8008.

This is what I would like to do.

I have a 120 cm steerable dish. not sure what LNB I have, but that is not an issue I can change that if necessary.
I would like the STB to be capable of recording one channel while watching another. Tuners can be a mixture of satellite and terrestrial. I would also like to explore IPTV.`
Prefarbaly able to fit an internal HDD.
Able to drive the dish motor.
Blind search. I am interested in feed hunting.
On my current set up I have an RF modulator which I use to feed 3 other TVs in the house. I will need some method to feed other TVs
Capable of unscrambling using whatever method.
An STB that is expandable so I can learn as I go along
And above all a unit where I can obtain support in case, I get stuck.
I don’t have a budget as such. I am looking for value for my money.
Will this box cover what I want to do as an entry level.
Only thing that puts me off is the two antennas as I have a dedicated internet cable. However I guess I can live with that.

Thank you for reading.

[twol]

Depends on your priorities.
Internal HDD then probably Zgemma h7 (otherwise powered external HDD)
Blindscan then probably EDISION OS-mio 4K+ (Talk to Huevos) … my understanding is that it is pretty good.
Rest of requirements can be met by most receivers.

Sf8008 will do all but internal HDD (forget the sim card), but to be honest not my favourite box (history!). Picture wise not the best out of my boxes (but then see previous statement!)

[johnhoe]

I have recently bought a SF8008 and I would say I am very pleased but I have noticed:- The default picture is not as "sharp" compared to other boxes. This is easily remedied by using extra sharpness on your TV setup for that HDMI channel then the picture looks very good. The colour on this box looks different from my other boxes (Edision OSMEGA - non 4K and Zgemma H9s - 4K) in that the colours look different. This effect is rather like looking at HDR being switched on when no extra HDR information is present. Both of these factors could either be used as a criticism or (as in my case) with a modern 4K TV like mine (LG 65" OLED) you can simply create a profile that "melds" with the slightly different "look" of the SF8008's picture detail and colour. Once you do this the picture is very good. It has a very fast processor and produces very little heat (no fan) and it is truly a small dimensioned box. The wifi aerials do stick out a little at the back and it would have been better imo if they could be detatchable. The 8g EMMC flash has a multiboot facility where you can very easily manage 4 seperate satellite images for the 1g memory and easily download the latest images (all the well known Open images plus some I've never heard of) via network or usb. There is a AV output that works with a standard lead from Ebay. It works alongside the HDMI to run a parallel output. As with all the Hisilicon processors the picture momentarily "stutters" when you change channel - but this is livable with. The tuners (I have the DBSX x2 version of SF8008) have been criticised for being less sensitive but I can still easily pick up Nilesat on 7W from London, so it cant be that bad. Also the small card slot at the side (I have my old sky card here), works well. There is no provision for CI. There is a Gigabyte LAN port and 2 usb ports (one 2.0 one 3.0) and a WLAN card with antennas built in (don't ever recommend or use this anyway)
Given these provisos I am happy to recommend the box. As Twol says there is no facility for an internal hard disk but you can easily record to an SD card (slot provided) or in my case a network drive. This makes the box less bulky and cooler imo.

[CarworldHQ]

Dear Twol.
Thank you for your reply. After doing more reading in other areas I am now not so keen on the SF8008. All I want to do is buy a decent box. I would prefer a box that incorporates an internal hard disk. That reason alone rules out the SF8008.

[CarworldHQ]

Dear Johnhoe.
Thanks for your reply. For the moment I have decided against the SF8008. I am looking at Boxes that have internal hard Disks.

[ja5]

OCTAGON SF8008 now also with an internally built-in hard disk

https://octagon-forum.eu/threads/octagon-sf8008-jetzt-auch-mit-intern-eingebauter-festplatte.13824/

[CarworldHQ]

Thank you for the link. I wonder if WOS will be supplying these?