I'm looking at purchasing an FTA system and need recommendations for the receiver. I have a 39.3 Fortec Star dish and all install hardware. I'm in SW Florida. I'm interested in a "top of the line" HD receiver with PVR if possible. I understand that scanning rate, signal meter, etc are a few of many considerations. Any suggestions?
What FTA Receiver should I purchase?
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What HD are you most interested in? Basically there are short lived feeds and PBS and maybe NBC on Ku in HD.
If you're not as interested in sports or news feeds in HD, you don't really need a blind scan HD receiver. In that case you could got with a Coolsat 8100HD.
More recently people are excited about the Vantage Digital HD1100S because it blindscans DVB-S2 signals. This is particularly useful for sports feeds or other short lived broadcasts.
More information is over at Ricks: ptth://www.gofastmotorsports.com/HD1100SVantage.htm
EDIT: Just noticed a mini review was posted on this receiver: http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpe...ick-review-vantage-1100s-hd-fta-receiver.html
You should really have blindscan in some receiver. I use an old Coolsat 6000 for blindscan and then a Coolsat 8100HD for watching HD or recording HD/SD.
The 8100 is slaved off the 6000 and the combination works pretty well. Of course the Vantage sounds pretty nice since it would be all in one box.
If you're not as interested in sports or news feeds in HD, you don't really need a blind scan HD receiver. In that case you could got with a Coolsat 8100HD.
More recently people are excited about the Vantage Digital HD1100S because it blindscans DVB-S2 signals. This is particularly useful for sports feeds or other short lived broadcasts.
More information is over at Ricks: ptth://www.gofastmotorsports.com/HD1100SVantage.htm
EDIT: Just noticed a mini review was posted on this receiver: http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpe...ick-review-vantage-1100s-hd-fta-receiver.html
You should really have blindscan in some receiver. I use an old Coolsat 6000 for blindscan and then a Coolsat 8100HD for watching HD or recording HD/SD.
The 8100 is slaved off the 6000 and the combination works pretty well. Of course the Vantage sounds pretty nice since it would be all in one box.
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There is no real "top of the line", in my opinion.
There are several expensive boxes, and they all have shortcomings.
Some people can put up with one or another shortcoming, and happily use the box to meet their needs.
Meeting the need to watch PBS in HD is probably the easiest. Many would not settle for just that.
OTA tuners may or may not be necessary to any given user.
Same for a PVR or program recording capability.
Watching feeds in 4:2:2 may be the least supported feature (and unnecessary for many)
As Gillham asked above, what do you want to watch?
I realize ya may not know what's available, so it's sort of a chicken and egg thing.
The Vantage 1100 may or may not be the latest Holy Grail.
You can read Stogie's review-in-progress.
There are several expensive boxes, and they all have shortcomings.
Some people can put up with one or another shortcoming, and happily use the box to meet their needs.
Meeting the need to watch PBS in HD is probably the easiest. Many would not settle for just that.
OTA tuners may or may not be necessary to any given user.
Same for a PVR or program recording capability.
Watching feeds in 4:2:2 may be the least supported feature (and unnecessary for many)
As Gillham asked above, what do you want to watch?
I realize ya may not know what's available, so it's sort of a chicken and egg thing.
The Vantage 1100 may or may not be the latest Holy Grail.
You can read Stogie's review-in-progress.
8PSK is a newer modulation and is needed on most DVB-S2 transponders. The DVB-S2/HD receivers should have 8PSK builtin. The 8PSK addon boards you see in the market are generally for "Turbo 8PSK" for Dish Network piracy and you don't want them.
4:2:2 is a chroma sampling technique, but for FTA purposes you just need to know that there is only one receiver that supports it, the QualiTV, and most people use a computer with PCI card to watch 4:2:2 content.
Personally I would suggest a simple, inexpensive SD receiver like the Coolsat 5000 / 6000, Fortec Mercury II / Dynamic, to get started and make sure you're enjoying the hobby. There is not enough HD content to justify an HD receiver for most people and they all have their idosynchrocies that make them annoying.
One thing to note, do not buy a receiver because you read about it on some other "FTA" site (probably just a pirate site) and they said it is good or the best. That generally means it is not very good for real FTA at all. Search back through this forum for models like Sonicview 360 and Viewsat Ultra lite and you'll see what issues people have with them.
Before buying something, post about it here and get opinions. Otherwise you'll pick something for a whizbang feature (like dual tuners for example) and find out the receiver can't move a motor properly. Better to go with some tried and true receivers for your first FTA receiver and go from there.
There is not much HD content available for free. It shouldn't be your first priority. It is a "nice to have" feature that isn't always worth the money.
Also, if you get PBS in HD locally via OTA, about the only thing left to watch in HD (at least on the small Ku Band Dishes) would be sports feeds.
If you're looking for News / Weather / Movies / "Cable Channels" all in HD, you won't find them on FTA.
Good suggestions. Thanks everyone. I spoke with a tech at GoSat and it seems that Veiwsonic, Coolsat, Nfusion, Sonicview are recommended (cs 8100hd does have 8PSK built in can anyone confirm?). I guess at this point, I’d like to get a really good HD receiver. Suggestions on the above models and recommendations for retailers?
I know I’m new at FTA, but am a pro with gear (musical, cable, audiophile) and would like to learn as much as possible to buy a great first time HD STB. Thanks for everyone help!
I know I’m new at FTA, but am a pro with gear (musical, cable, audiophile) and would like to learn as much as possible to buy a great first time HD STB. Thanks for everyone help!
This is just my PERSONAL opinion, again just my opinion, not based on much other than reading their website, but I would personally avoid that place. They do not appear to cater to the real FTA crowd. Of the ones you mention, the Coolsat 8100HD is good and people like the Pansat 9200HD as well. Search for those models on this site.
Just for clarification, there is a line on the website like this: "HD FTA brings you hundreds of high definition satellite TV channels, including movies and sports..."
This is completely inaccurate for FTA in North America. There may be hundreds of high definition satellite TV channels available via FTA in Europe (which I don't think is their target market), but the only way to get hundreds in the USA was by stealing them from Dish Network. Fortunately Dish Network has been securing their signal and the pirates are almost completely shutdown. Perhaps it is a coincidence that there is an "FTA HD Blowout Sale" going on right now, since Dish HD was secured recently.
This FTA content is pretty much all in SD and an inexpensive ($50-$100) receiver off eBay would do the job. Since you mention you're somewhat of an audiophile, you would probably want to use your own AC3 decoder so just make sure you get TOSlink or S/PDIF Coaxial or both. I recall a few people complaining about different issues with digital out, but I don't remember the specifics. Definitely something to check into if you're going to be pumping the signal into some high end gear.
The VisionSat IV 200 (check the review section) was very favorably reviewed as an SD PVR and is around $90 on eBay. Search for "120351282807" on eBay.
Regarding HD gear, I should mention that with the Dish Network signal being secured recently, the general feeling is there will be a number of used HD units showing up on eBay or Craiglist for cheap. You could get an SD unit now and pickup an HD unit later to augment it. Or even consider just adding a PCI card to a Home Theater PC once you're much more familiar with FTA and dish pointing etc.
Also, scroll through our Equipment Review department, here in the FTA section of the forum.
It's not that long a list, and will give you the story on a number of receivers.
I have to agree with Gill, above.
Unless you -need- PBS, you might be well served by a standard def receiver.
The Visionsat IV-200 is certainly my pick, too.
I have two OTA PBS here, and their subchannels offer up even more!
It's not that long a list, and will give you the story on a number of receivers.
I have to agree with Gill, above.
Unless you -need- PBS, you might be well served by a standard def receiver.
The Visionsat IV-200 is certainly my pick, too.
I have two OTA PBS here, and their subchannels offer up even more!
Thanks. I understand that there are few HD channels, but would like to "future proof" the purchase. Perhaps I should consider gillhams suggestion and buy a true and tried receiver (which could be used in the bedroom if I upgrade to HD after learning a thing or two about this hobby). I have absolutely no interest in stealing anything. I have Comcast. It seems that with FTA and an OTA antenna, I should be covered and can eliminate Comcast. When it comes to movies, I have Blockbuster and a blue-ray.
I'm now leaning towards an SD unit and maybe pickup an HD later. I now understand what to look for and HD is no longer top priority. I want a great receiver...true and tried. I'll check the review section. On another note: does anyone know where to look in regards to HOA rules? I spoke with the FCC and am aware of their policies regarding 39.3" dishes. My HOA is not aware of the FCC ruling...would like to find a forum on this.
You can search here for a recent thread(s) regarding the HOA's. Read the documents you signed when you purchased your home/apt/condo and see if it is mentioned. If not, you can still
put your dish up and if it's within the legal limit, they can't make you take it down. They can, of course , hassle you about it, but you just need to provide them with a copy of that law.
If it's not clear yet, about the digital audio>some fta channels have Dolby Digital audio and the standard def receivers do not decode it, but most will pass the audio thru to an output you can connect to your home theater amp (as long as its dolby-capable) Channels like PBS have Dolby sound, also known as AC-3, really sound great with a good amp.
put your dish up and if it's within the legal limit, they can't make you take it down. They can, of course , hassle you about it, but you just need to provide them with a copy of that law.
If it's not clear yet, about the digital audio>some fta channels have Dolby Digital audio and the standard def receivers do not decode it, but most will pass the audio thru to an output you can connect to your home theater amp (as long as its dolby-capable) Channels like PBS have Dolby sound, also known as AC-3, really sound great with a good amp.
Here's my recommended shopping list for eBay:
Coolsat 5000 or 6000 is my tried and true.
About $50 or less used.
New 6000 "clones" (a.k.a. 2007 edition) can be bought but they may be of poorer quality.
Sonic Voom decoder "headphones".
I paid $15 for each of the 2 I bought.
Some guys have gotten them for $10 bucks or less.
A 36" dish with Universal LNBF from SatelliteAV, if you don't have a dish yet and can't pick any up from around you.
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That's half of the setup
Now you NEED to get and keep a printed out copy of OTARD.
There is restrictions they can place on you, but OTARD is clear where the line is drawn. WHATEVER ANTENNAS under a meter NEEDED FOR GOOD RECEPTION. Where the dishes are located is how the HOA will get you in a bind.
SD's not bad:
If you search the forum here, for "hoa" or for "otard", you will fall into serious discussions of the subject.
Someone will have a link to the FCC web site, where you can download the text of the law.
Print that out, give it a read, and hand it to your ASSociation.
The other thing I wanted to mention is this.
Picture quality varies considerably between sources.
There are some stations you'll find on FTA with really poor looking pictures.
Whitesprings comes to mind, though in their case it is mostly due to bad source material.
There will be some SD programming you may think is HD, due to the beautiful quality.
Certainly better than any OTA TV you ever saw at home.
So, don't sell the standard def receivers short. -
If you search the forum here, for "hoa" or for "otard", you will fall into serious discussions of the subject.
Someone will have a link to the FCC web site, where you can download the text of the law.
Print that out, give it a read, and hand it to your ASSociation.
The other thing I wanted to mention is this.
Picture quality varies considerably between sources.
There are some stations you'll find on FTA with really poor looking pictures.
Whitesprings comes to mind, though in their case it is mostly due to bad source material.
There will be some SD programming you may think is HD, due to the beautiful quality.
Certainly better than any OTA TV you ever saw at home.
So, don't sell the standard def receivers short. -
There will be some SD programming you may think is HD, due to the beautiful quality. Certainly better than any OTA TV you ever saw at home. So, don't sell the standard def receivers short. -
So true about the picture quality.
No OTA available here, so I looked into getting a "locals only" package from one of the pay providers, but no matter what channel was on, in the in-store demo it looked like they had put vaseline on the camera lens when they shot the shows. Perfectly terrible picture quality, but only $9.95 a month, haha.
There will be some SD programming you may think is HD, due to the beautiful quality.
Certainly better than any OTA TV you ever saw at home.
So, don't sell the standard def receivers short. -
Very true, most network feeds put Dish Network and DirecTV picture quality to complete shame. Some 4:2:2 SD NBC feeds on 103w use such a high bitrate that they almost appear to be HD. You have to scrutinize the picture and look at details (fabric texture and hair) to tell that they're only SD feeds.
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