The amount of packages that are open because of hacks doesn't change with different receivers. You will open the same channels as you do with your 1500.
The only benefit of the dreambox is that it's linux based (others might not find this a benefit) and has an ethernet port. The ethernet port allows to use card sharing, if you can join a server, which will allow you to view more European channels, but servers usually require you to share a subscription back in return.
The dreambox can also connect to a network storage or PC, allowing you to stream movies and mp3s to your tv through the dreambox. You can also record to the storage or PC from the dreambox. It's a lot more complicated than the 1500 but that's because there's more to it.
