Advice on Freeview HD Receiver to get?

[Cirrus]

Hello all,

I'm sure you get regular posts asking for advice on which receiver to get, so I hope you won't mind me asking as well

I'm coming from a Topfield TF5800PVR which I was first drawn to by the ability to modify it's look and functionality by either TAPS or firmware changes. My second Toppy has finally died and so I'm looking for a new PVR. I already have a YouView box as a temporary replacement, but I hate the slow response, poor EGP, diabolical archive (recordings menu). I was going to get a Panasonic PVR as it looked half decent but then a thread on the toppy.org.uk forum lead me to this website which has opened my eyes to the alternative receives available.

So, what I'm looking for is something with multi Freeview HD tuners, reliable, easy for initial setup but has options to delve deeper as my understanding increases. I also want to be able to copy the recorded files onto another PC/Drive via LAN, set recordings via web/mobile. I don't necessarily need 4K at this time. I realise that some of these will be down to the user interface software and will probably go for OpenVix.
EDIT. Forgot to add that I'd like to have the ability to change what the VFD/LCD front panels show if possible to show the recording/playback status as possibly other things. Not sure if this is down to the box itself or OpenVix though.

I've narrowed my list down to:

• VU+ Duo 2 (SELECT YOUR TUNERS) Enigma2 Linux Receiver Full HD 1080p PVR READY
• OCTAGON SF4008 4K UHD 2160p Linux Enigma 2 Receiver 3x Hybrid DVB-C/T/T2 Tuners

Both about the same price and I've read good reviews on them both as well. Is there anything I should know about either of these that may sway my choice? I'm sort of tempted for the Octogon at the moment.

Appreciate any help you can provide. If there are any guides/FAQs I should look at please let me know, though I've tried to read up on what I can so far.

Cheers

 

[wooders7]

Hi Cirrus

Having just had my Toppy die on me, I have opted for a Mutant HD51. It comes with 2 tuners (DVB-S/S2 or DVB-C/T/T2) and an optional hard drive. It will probably do most of what you want, but I am not sure about the front panel display customisation. It is very well priced and is a 4K box. It might be worth considering.

 

[Andy_Hazza]

The Vu+ Duo2 would be your best bet as you can tinker with the display screens, and the Vu+ Duo2 is a solid receiver and a great remote to go with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ccs]

The Vu+ Duo2 would be your best bet as you can tinker with the display screens, and the Vu+ Duo2 is a solid receiver and a great remote to go with it.

... and if you're only using freeview, you could select 2 twin hybrid DVB-C/T/T2 tuners, giving you 4 terrestrial tuners in total.

 

[Cirrus]

Thanks for the comments so far.

@wooders7
I had forgotten about the Mutant. I did consider it but then discounted it, but I can't remember why. It does look like a good price. How have you found it after moving from the Toppy? Are there any features you miss? How's it been with reliability and setup? I've heard that the remote is a bit on the cheap side.

@Andy_Hazza / @ccs

If I add 2 x twin tuners as well that the needed HDD it's going to push it towards £400, which is more than I really want to pay, but I appreciate the comments and advise so far. It does look like a nice box though.


Do all boxes support on demand services (iPlayer, ITVhub, All4 etc) in OpenVix? It's not essential as I may just get a firestick so I can access Amazon Prime as well.
The one thing that really annoys me with the YouView box is the sluggish EGP and Recordings menus. In the Toppy I had these managed by TAPS which had all the data stored on the HDD, so when you pressed the EPG or archive buttons the info came up instantly. I assume it's the similar on all these boxes as well, with all the data displayed without any delay?

 

[Sicilian]

You won't go far wrong with either of your two choices.

For an overview of the software/firmware see www.openvix.co.uk

Note that Enigma 2 receivers don't support ondemand services such as iplayer, itvhub etc...

 

[Cirrus]

@Sicilian

Thanks for the comment. I'm not too bothered about on-Demand as I will probably use something else for that.

I'm not probably either going to go for the Octagon SF4008 or Mutant HD51. Which of these would you recommend? I'm tempted now by the Mutant

Cheers

 

[Sicilian]

@Sicilian

Thanks for the comment. I'm not too bothered about on-Demand as I will probably use something else for that.

I'm not probably either going to go for the Octagon SF4008 or Mutant HD51. Which of these would you recommend? I'm tempted now by the Mutant

Cheers

Depends how many tuners you require. SF4008 can have 3x tuners, the HD51 2x tuners.

 

[Cirrus]

Depends how many tuners you require. SF4008 can have 3x tuners, the HD51 2x tuners.

Hi.

I was originally thinking 3 would be wise, but I can always use the youview box if there are any serious clashes that can't be resolved. So discounting the number of tuners which would be the better option would you say?

 

[Andy_Hazza]

They are both on a par so down to looks n which remote you prefer the look of etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sicilian]

Hi.

I was originally thinking 3 would be wise, but I can always use the youview box if there are any serious clashes that can't be resolved. So discounting the number of tuners which would be the better option would you say?

Both are good receivers, imho I'd say the SF4008 is a little more versatile with the tuner options.

 

[twol]

HD51 vs SF4008
Looks - both as bad - black tin box
Picture - both excellent in HD and 4K
Chip - same, but HD51 makes better use of the chip features.
Sf4008 has power on/off switch - a big tick vs HD51
Tuners - both do S2/S2x/C/T2 - SF4008 3 tuners vs 2 HD51
Remote SF4008 is slightly better
Features & support - Mutant don't say a lot but deliver, Octagon have promised a lot but are slow to deliver and the recent AC3 issue doesn't help me tick their box... but HD51 also has motorised dish issue!
Mutant has in built multiboot. which for some of us is a real plus

 

[Cirrus]

thanks all for the comments so far. You're not making it easy for me though as it sounds like both the Mutant and Octagon are worth getting

I'm not to bothered about the "black tin box" look. The more anonymous the better
Since it's going to be freeview only the motor dish issue is not a consideration.
I've not really looked at multi-boot but will do some research to see if this is something I would be interested in.

I guess my main requirement is reliability. Is one better than the other in this regard, or is it mainly down to the OpenVix version you use?

Cheers

 

[twol]

I only had the SF4008 for a few months, but it seemed pretty solid.
The HD51 is my „test“ receiver, so gets treated badly, ...... and so far survives, so I would say it is pretty reliable.

I think either receiver would be fine, it comes down to what you are willing to pay ,,, and at the current WoS price, the HD51 is a snip

 

[adm]

and the recent AC3 issue doesn't help me tick their box... but HD51 also has motorised dish issue!

Both are satellite issues - the OP is going to use it for UK Terrestrial which has AAC audio coding doesn't require a motorised dish.
AAC5.1 which is used for a minority of HD programs can be a problem if connecting to an older AV amp if you want the complete surround sound experience - that's why most of my HD viewing is satellite which uses AC3 audio which my AV supports. AAC5.1 can be down-mixed on these boxes so it doesn't seem to be a problem for most users.

 

[Cirrus]

Hi,

Thanks for all your comments. I'm 90% sure I'm going to go for the Mutant HD51 as a) from what I've read it sounds like a nice stable box, and b) the price is really good and will give me a good idea of the whole E2/OpenVix world to know if I want to go to a more expensive box in the future.

Cheers

 

[Cirrus]

Mutant HD51 ordered.

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[wooders7]

Thanks for the comments so far.

@wooders7
I had forgotten about the Mutant. I did consider it but then discounted it, but I can't remember why. It does look like a good price. How have you found it after moving from the Toppy? Are there any features you miss? How's it been with reliability and setup? I've heard that the remote is a bit on the cheap side.

@Andy_Hazza / @ccs

If I add 2 x twin tuners as well that the needed HDD it's going to push it towards £400, which is more than I really want to pay, but I appreciate the comments and advise so far. It does look like a nice box though.

Do all boxes support on demand services (iPlayer, ITVhub, All4 etc) in OpenVix? It's not essential as I may just get a firestick so I can access Amazon Prime as well.
The one thing that really annoys me with the YouView box is the sluggish EGP and Recordings menus. In the Toppy I had these managed by TAPS which had all the data stored on the HDD, so when you pressed the EPG or archive buttons the info came up instantly. I assume it's the similar on all these boxes as well, with all the data displayed without any delay?

My experience to date is that I am generally impressed. I have a fixed sat dish so any motorised dish issues don't affect me.

I haven't noticed any delay in the display of EPG or List of recordings, or anything else for that matter.

The bouquets (favourite channels lists) take a bit of getting used to, and you can only make your own using OpenWebif but it is relatively easy to do. The OpenWebif is really cool because you can watch TV and recordings from it and also browse EPG and set timers.

I have setup my Harmony Remote so I don't really use the Mutant remote, which is not as awful as I had expected - it is a Ford escort rather than a Reliant Robin.

The only thing I am currently having issues with is timeshift, but I think that is more to do with the way I have set up the Harmony; I just need to find the time to dabble a bit deeper.

If you can manage with only two tuners then this is a contender.

For On Demand services I currently use NowTV having been with Netflix for a couple of years.

 

[twol]

You can setup/edit both existing and new Bouquets using something like Echannelizer, Dreamedit from a PC

 

[wooders7]

You can setup/edit both existing and new Bouquets using something like Echannelizer, Dreamedit from a PC

Thanks twol, that is useful to know. I shall investigate further.