Does the receiver of my dreams exist? Can I even get close?

[anik]

I am still using a Diamond 9000HD receiver that I purchased many months ago, and it does about half of what I want. I keep watching for something better to come along that would give me the capabilities I have now, but also some others on my "wish list." This is what I'm looking for in a receiver:

Able to receive AND RECORD both FTA signals and OTA signals from local stations (using an antenna!).
Able to receive most/all available DVB-S and DVB-S2 formats
Excellent BLIND SCAN that detects signals on all formats.
1080p (or failing that, at least 1080i) HDMI output
Control of satellite dishes using DiSEqC, 22KHz, USALS, etc.
LAN Network connection.

Now, here is what I REALLY want. Saving programs to an external drive via the USB port works okay but limits you to playback only via that receiver. What I'd REALLY like to do is to be able to save anything I am recording in a standard format (such as MP4, though it doesn't necessarily have to be MP4 as long as it's a format that just about any home PC can play), and save it to a remote share out on my local network. The reason being, I want to be able to watch my recorded shows from any computer connected to my home network, not just from the receiver that recorded it. I mean, it's nice that I can time shift shows and all, but still with my Diamond I have to be in front of my main TV to watch what I have recorded, and that's not always convenient. If I could save the recordings to a server (or even access a connected USB drive from another computer over the local network) it opens up the possibility of another family member watching a show on a PC while I am watching a different show (whether live or recorded) using the receiver.

Seems like a few receiver manufacturers are putting LAN ports on their receivers, but as far as I can tell, they only use them to get content from the Internet, not to save recordings to the local network. When I saw the front page info on the microHD and saw that it was designed by hobbyists, I had a brief moment of hope, only to have that hope dashed when I saw it has no way to connect to a local network at all. So I am asking, is there ANY receiver out there that can do what I want, ESPECIALLY the part about saving recorded shows to a shared folder somewhere out on the LAN (presumably accessible via Windows networking/SAMBA?). I wouldn't even care if there was an intermediate step or two to the process (for example, if it had to save the recordings to a drive connected to the USB port first, then after the recordings are finished, convert them to a format that a home PC can play).

One thing I really don't want to lose is the ability to record OTA signals, since most of the networks do not appear to be available in HD on FTA satellite.

 

[Jim S.]

The Optibox line allows LAN access to your files, but see my comments in the other thread! (On both the LAN access AND the blind scan.)

The Amiko Alien line is supposed to have LAN access. I haven't heard yet how well it works.

Both of the above can be booted into Enigma2, which presumably allows LAN access, but the Enigma2 implementations for the Optibox don't have blind scan, and I don't know about the ones for the Alien because the original Alien doesn't have blind scan anyway and the Alien2 just came out.

None of the above have OTA capability in North America. Blame the idiots who thought it was a good move to replace an incompatible standard with another incompatible standard! Then build a PC-based DVR, although the state of blind scan for PC cards is something I know very little about.

 

[Martyn]

How about a NAS (network attached storage) unit?

I haven't checked them all out, but maybe there is one with a USB connection for local disk access? You could hook it up to the STB that way and use the Wireless access point in the NAS unit to connect from your home network.

 

[ZandarKoad]

Isn't there some kind of USB device that would give the MicroSD network access?

 

[rv1pop]

I record from my geosat DVR on an USB stick, plug it into my computer and can play it directly there. OTA records from my "free" digital tv converter box composite output. Son-in-law set that up. Did work with a timer, but I messed that up. POne box ? NO. All 12 V DC with microHD will be. On LAN, I think that's what it was.

 

[Xizer]

The receiver of your dreams does exist and it's called a PC.

Get a satellite tuner like the Prof 7500 and a HDHomeRun for OTA and you're golden. Plus since your PC is the receiver you can record directly to a share right from it.

All this would cost less than a dedicated box and perform better.

 

[cyberham]

...I keep watching for something better to come along that would give me the capabilities I have now, but also some others on my "wish list."...

You are reading my mind. Your wish list is so common sensical that I too don't understand why it must be a wish list. Perhaps I need to rethink and consider a PC instead of a dedicated box as I want. For me, a home network with everything talking on it is no different than having AC power at outlets in every room, or a telephone jack in every room (if you don't use cordless phones). I am always looking for an excuse to buy a PC anyway; I just thought I could simplify things by staying away from a PC in my living room too.

 

[toucan-man]

PC prices seem mighty attractive these days...

 

[Corrado]

Even though I have a MicroHD coming I still plan on using my Diamond 9000HD as well. It's a great receiver, in it's own ways. I plan on using the Micro for what it doesn't do.

Over the years I found I have recorded so much I wondered if I would ever have time to watch it all. Seems like the formats change before I get around to it.

 

[pwrsurge]

I am still using a Diamond 9000HD receiver that I purchased many months ago, and it does about half of what I want. I keep watching for something better to come along that would give me the capabilities I have now, but also some others on my "wish list." This is what I'm looking for in a receiver:

Able to receive AND RECORD both FTA signals and OTA signals from local stations (using an antenna!).
Able to receive most/all available DVB-S and DVB-S2 formats
Excellent BLIND SCAN that detects signals on all formats.
1080p (or failing that, at least 1080i) HDMI output
Control of satellite dishes using DiSEqC, 22KHz, USALS, etc.
LAN Network connection.

The AzBox Premium HD+ or the AzBox Me currently supports all of this except OTA. However, OTA support might be coming in the near future

 

[guacharaca]

The receiver of your dreams does exist and it's called a PC.

My system does everything you request in the original post and more. I can even analysis the signals to see such things as if they are encrypted or the type of video or audio compression they use. I hit pause and I can mow the lawn and resume watching when I return. I hit F4 and it is automatically records to a net drive which can be seen by four of my neighbors through a one gig connection. The system has no problem handling 1080i signals through the Lan. 1080p signals need to go to a local hard-drive first but satellites do not send 1080p signals. It also streams HD movies from the net drive, the neighbors´ servers, as well as the internet. As stated above, it is a PC.

 

[anik]

The receiver of your dreams does exist and it's called a PC.

Get a satellite tuner like the Prof 7500 and a HDHomeRun for OTA and you're golden. Plus since your PC is the receiver you can record directly to a share right from it.

All this would cost less than a dedicated box and perform better.

Well, maybe. I already have a small HTPC but it runs Linux and as far as I can tell, the Prof 7500 requires Windows (seriously, I am not going to buy a Windows computer just so I can run a satellite tuner). Also, when you start getting into this type of setup, it tends to require computer skills that I don't really have. Even getting the HTPC box working was a major undertaking and it's mostly standard stuff (Ubuntu Linux + XBMC, still there were several pitfalls that took hours to resolve). To me, the attractiveness of having the type of receiver I envisioned would be that it would be "plug 'n' play", without requiring me to be a genius at computers. I can handle plugging in a network cable, but not things like trying to resolve unmet dependencies, etc.

I an guessing that there are other plug-in satellite tuners similar to the Prof 7500; I wonder if there is a comparison chart or comparative review anywhere?

One receiver that I've not seen reviewed on this site (if it is then I missed it) is the Amiko Alien that Jim S. mentioned, of which there appears to be more than one model. Again, I wish I could find a good comparative review of that somewhere; it might do what I want but I honestly can't tell for sure from what I've read.

Anyway, thanks to those who have responded; I may just keep using my Diamond for another year or two and see if anything closer to my "dream machine" come along.

In the back of my mind, I keep wondering, if the MicroHD is based on Linux, could it be made to network with other computers (and maybe share video) if it had a USB to Lan RJ45 Network Card Adapter attached? I guess I should ask that in one of the MicroHD related threads. I'm just really surprised they didn't include that capability from the beginning. The problem for me is that even if it could be made to work, I do not have the skills to do it, unless it could be made to work automatically in the firmware (whenever an adapter of that type is connected to the USB port).

Thank you again to everyone who has responded so far. I am taking everything into consideration but so far nothing has impressed me as something I could make work the way I want it to.

NOTE: The eBay link above is just the first item I found on eBay that looked like it might work for the purpose. I am not saying that it is either the best or the least expensive device for this purpose, and I am definitely not saying it would work with a MicroHD out of the box — I simply have no way of knowing. EDIT: Replaced original link with 10/100/1000 device per guacharaca's suggestion below.

 

[guacharaca]

The eBay link above is just the first item I found on eBay that looked like it might work for the purpose

If you buy network card for video, it should say: 10/100/1000 Mbps, not 10/100 Mbps. (10/100 Mbps is called a fast Ethernet card, but it is now considered slow).

 

[wallyhts]

Enigma2 implementations for the Optibox don't have blind scan,

Where did u find a Enigma2 firmware for the open box?

 

[Jim S.]

There isn't an Enigma2 for the Openbox, unless you mean the European Openbox that's like the Optibox/Octagon/whatever instead of the Asian Openbox that we've all been using.

 

[wallyhts]

There isn't an Enigma2 for the Openbox, unless you mean the European Openbox that's like the Optibox/Octagon/whatever instead of the Asian Openbox that we've all been using.

Lol opps. I miss read your post "optibox"

Well time to try Enigma2 on the Linux box this weekend.

 

[rv1pop]

That receiver plus ++ has been assembled. However, getting it down to "consumer level" may take some time. It is running on a Cray server....

This rumor has been brought to you by "Too Much Coffee"!

However, the rumor is that it is a receiver! Not that it exists. It is a dream machine, in some ways, but it has been made to work. Licensing issues - costs may prevent it from going public. There are others on this forum who know far more than I do --- So keep dreaming. Make you wish list, and consider what you would be willing to pay for it... MONEY does talk.