Good FTA HD channels & receiver

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I am hard-of-hearing and I rely on closed captioning to watch HDTV and DVDs. One important feature I am looking for in an FTA receiver is closed captioning. Does anyone know of any FTA receivers with closed captioning, blind scanning, and PVR capability?
 
actually i think their return policy is in conflict with itself

on one page it says ( and yes this is just a "most asked Questions" )

"We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, because happy customers tell their friends about our products & services. Once your product arrives, you have 7 days to make the decision if you love it or not. Please click here for more information on returning an item."

now when you click on that link it basically says information about a defective item

so i do feel like GOsatellite has dropped the ball here and has guaranteed they will not be receiving my business with a policy like this.
 
"We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, because happy customers tell their friends about our products & services. Once your product arrives, you have 7 days to make the decision if you love it or not. Please click here for more information on returning an item."
At first glance it really does sound like a good, friendly return policy. Before I ordered I just read that 'completely satisfied - happy' part and figured there was no need to read the details and fine print. Wow, was I wrong -- it seems self-contradictory if you read the whole thing.

The other thing that surprises me is that Viewsat included the 'blind scan' function even though it doesn't work. Is it there just to frustrate users?

For PBS HD on AMC-21 I finally resorted to manual entry of the transponder, VPID, APID and PCR and then the channel finally appeared in all its HD glory on my 52 inch Sony Bravia.

I wonder if Viewsat will ever fix 'blind scan' or if its a hardware issue that will never work? Searching for random HD news feeds is quite challenging now!

I emailed their support group about this issue, and hope for attention from somebody with authority.

Thanks, I'll be interested in hearing their response.
 
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I am hard-of-hearing and I rely on closed captioning to watch HDTV and DVDs. One important feature I am looking for in an FTA receiver is closed captioning. Does anyone know of any FTA receivers with closed captioning, blind scanning, and PVR capability?

You should start your own thread asking this question. You will get alot better help that way.
 
At first glance it really does sound like a good, friendly return policy. Before I ordered I just read that 'completely satisfied - happy' part and figured there was no need to read the details and fine print. Wow, was I wrong -- it seems self-contradictory if you read the whole thing.

The other thing that surprises me is that Viewsat included the 'blind scan' function even though it doesn't work. Is it there just to frustrate users?

For PBS HD on AMC-21 I finally resorted to manual entry of the transponder, VPID, APID and PCR and then the channel finally appeared in all its HD glory on my 52 inch Sony Bravia.

I wonder if Viewsat will ever fix 'blind scan' or if its a hardware issue that will never work? Searching for random HD news feeds is quite challenging now!



Thanks, I'll be interested in hearing their response.

Brettbolt, I really wish you'd asked here before buying the viewsat max. I have the viewsat 9000 which is basically the same thing. It's blind scan is garbage also. It doesn't work at all. I now have a pansat 9200. Blindscan works great.

If you can't manage to send back your max and are stuck with it then I recommend saving face for blindscan and buying something like the Traxxis 3500 for blind scanning. You will still have to transfer HD feeds to your viewsat to see what they are but, the Traxxis will only set you back about $75. You might even find a cheaper box on ebay but, be sure to ask here before buying. Surely someone knows how good the blind scans are.
 
Brettbolt, I really wish you'd asked here before buying the viewsat max. I have the viewsat 9000 which is basically the same thing. It's blind scan is garbage also. It doesn't work at all. I now have a pansat 9200. Blindscan works great.

If you can't manage to send back your max and are stuck with it then I recommend saving face for blindscan and buying something like the Traxxis 3500 for blind scanning. You will still have to transfer HD feeds to your viewsat to see what they are but, the Traxxis will only set you back about $75. You might even find a cheaper box on ebay but, be sure to ask here before buying. Surely someone knows how good the blind scans are.
I have a standard definition FTA receiver that is good for blind scanning. But it wont display HD news feeds. I thought the Max would scan for HD news feeds.

Tonight I tried to transfer some transponder/channel info from the SatCoDX database into the Max. No luck. The program 'Channel Master' reads SatCoDX data, but doesn't support Max yet. And Viewsat makes a program called 'VSHD Edit 1.7', but it wont import SatCoDX data. Also, VSHD Edit crashes frequently on my PC.

There has got to be a way to get SatCoDx data into the Max without manually entering it with the remote. Maybe I'll see if Viewsat has published the specifications for their '.cha' files. I'm a computer programmer and I should be able to write a program to convert from SatCoDX (.sdx) to .cha

I had considered getting a PanSat 9200, but I'd have to buy an expensive card to get DVB-S2 and the total (receiver+card) would be over $500.
 
There really is NO one HD receiver that is satisfactory (in that it will receive S2, HD and will blindscan). The Pansat 9200 will blindscan (DVB-S only, not S2), and S2 reception requires an expensive optional card. PVR function via E-SATA is buggy, and uses a proprietary file system which Windows will not recognize without special software. If I had to pick an HD receiver at this very moment, I'd either go with a Diamond 9000HD or a Coolsat 8100. Both of these do S2 out of the box, but neither has blind scan :(
 
Im here to help! :)

Hello.
Please pm me or call 1-866-942-7186 (toll free) and ask for me specfically. Im here to assist anyone that needs help with Gosatellite and will work with any Gosatellite customer to resolve an issue. Thank you!
Robert
 
Everyone -- here is a copy of the PM I just sent to Robert regarding my GoSatellite order and cancellation/refund attempt. (Order # deleted for security reasons).

Rob,

As you may know, I ordered a Viewsat MaxHD (Order #_____). The next day I called and emailed to cancel my order because I read reviews that the Viewsat MaxHD does not blind scan, even though VS claims it does.

Instead of cancelling my order, I got a tracking number a few hours later. My cancellation request was ignored.

Friday I received the unit and tested the blind scan. Just like the reviews said, blind scan does nothing when I tried it on Galaxy 19 (97W). But if I use the factory stored channel information I am able to tune to existing channels. So I know that my dish is aimed correctly.

I bought the unit to find HD news feeds. Without blind scan it will not serve my purpose.

So yesterday I entered into a chat with 'Allison' who did not give me any return or exchange options. This seems in contradiction with the first sentence of your return policy which states 'We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, because happy customers tell their friends about our products and services.'. Once I read that, I assumed that I would have no problems if something went wrong. I should have read the entire policy, and if I had I would not have ordered.

Bottom line, are you now going to offer me an option to return the unit for a refund, or exchange for a different model, or either option I prefer?

And if you offer a refund, how much will be deducted for a restocking fee?

I await your reply.

Brett
 
Sounds like Robert at GoSatellite wants to make it right, and that speaks volumes in my book!:)
I may give him a try, but it is way too late, probably for me as the (1)bad report on Ebay has already done the damage, and (2) customs charges and (3) waiting over a month for a receiver delivery, that never came - after telling me it had been shipped -- from Canada, again..:down.. Sadoun and Satellite AV just do too good a job.:up

And my wife says, "haven't you learned after 4 times? Do you want a divorce?" I guess I got a little nasty after the last BATTLE.:(
 
Sounds like Robert at GoSatellite wants to make it right, and that speaks volumes in my book!:)
I just got off the phone with Robert from GoSatellite.

I could return or exchange it but there would be approx. 20% restocking fee and the cost of international shipping. So that would cost me about $100 total.

So I would be better off selling it on eBay.

Did Robert make it right? You be the judge.
 
I just got off the phone with Robert from GoSatellite.

I could return or exchange it but there would be approx. 20% restocking fee and the cost of international shipping. So that would cost me about $100 total.

So I would be better off selling it on eBay.

Did Robert make it right? You be the judge.

If you have all the original packing, box and the rest; and have not spilled beer or cabage soup on or in it; 20% is much too high. Restocking means what? Placing it back on a shelf? :tux:
 
If you have all the original packing, box and the rest; and have not spilled beer or cabage soup on or in it; 20% is much too high. Restocking means what? Placing it back on a shelf? :tux:
Robert said they'd have to sell it at a discount price.

I have the original packaging. It's indistinguishable from new. Want to buy it? :hungry:
 
My guess is their 20% restocking fee isn't nearly enough to cover the business they will have potentially lost as result of this thread.
 
$289.99 price right now at GoSatellite for VSMax. 20% fee= 57.98

Not to mention shipping charges lost.

I guess you've already figured at $100. I agree, be better off on ebay
 
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At least now, you know your options. I once had good results dealing with GoSatellite , they helped me with a warranty replacement. Doesn't look like you're going to get the same satisfaction.
:(
 
$289.99 price right now at GoSatellite for VSMax. 20% fee= 57.98

Not to mention shipping charges lost.
Yes.

Since the $289.99 includes shipping, they would deduct the shipping cost from the refund. Then I would have to pay to ship to Canada. I figure 20 bucks each way plus the restocking fee would bring it to a $100 loss.

I guess I'll keep it and see if I can find a way to enter all the SatCoDx satellite channel data into it.
 
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MT PBS loses funding for satellite services

Need help! Newbie here over his head

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