Which box to get?

[DodgyTech]

Hey guys

I'm thinking of coming onto the sat scene but am not sure where I should start.

I know that there are 2 main types of boxes: Technomate and Dreambox.

Is there a definitive guide as to the pro's and cons of each or a thread to the same effect?

Or could anyone reading this thread provide me with some facts or their opinions as to which one is best. I've seen a DM800 here: h**p://www.dvbmonkey.com/catalog/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=36

I have a standard sky minidish at the the moment, but looking to get something that is future proof if i decide to get a motorised set up.

The box should have the ability to pick up freeview as well as cardshare. I want to be able to get as many channels as possible.

I don't have a HD TV and I'm not fussed if it doesn't have a PVR (although I could change my mind! lol)

Also, just as a side note, I was also looking at perhaps buying a box and subscription from another country as I've heard it's cheap that way.

Any tips and pointers would be well received.

roud:

 

[JohnO1234]

Hi m8,

If you aren't bothered about HD, then get either a DM500S or a TM500, they are both fairly similar but there is a lot more support for the dm500 at the moment. You can drive a motorised setup with both.

Getting a subscription from another country is a good idea, but you need to be aware that they can and sometimes do change their encryption methods, meaning you card could become useless.

Cheers,

JohnO

 

[DodgyTech]

Hi m8,

If you aren't bothered about HD, then get either a DM500S or a TM500, they are both fairly similar but there is a lot more support for the dm500 at the moment. You can drive a motorised setup with both.

Getting a subscription from another country is a good idea, but you need to be aware that they can and sometimes do change their encryption methods, meaning you card could become useless.

Cheers,

JohnO

Cheers John

How much should I expect to pick up a good DM or TM 500 for? I don't mind if it's not brand spanking new. As long as it works and has a remote that works! lol. Best way to learn I guess without spending too much.

But if I get a sub from another country, shouldn't my box update itself as it is a legit subscription? In other words, I should get the same treatment as the local subscribers...

 

[gsmtech]

Dm500 clone can be found for 50 quid delivered from china, or around 60ish quid from a UK supplier.
A foreign card is only useful if you want to watch the channels on that particular satellite, you also need a motorised dish to make the best of foreign cards...as you can often join a carshare ring..i.e; you share a card they dont have, and they share cards that you dont have...you end up with thousands of channels..
Auto updates depend on whether your softcam supports auto updates to the card. i.e a sly card will autoupdate fine with CCAM 2.1.4.

 

[DodgyTech]

Dm500 clone can be found for 50 quid delivered from china, or around 60ish quid from a UK supplier.
A foreign card is only useful if you want to watch the channels on that particular satellite, you also need a motorised dish to make the best of foreign cards...as you can often join a carshare ring..i.e; you share a card they dont have, and they share cards that you dont have...you end up with thousands of channels..
Auto updates depend on whether your softcam supports auto updates to the card. i.e a sly card will autoupdate fine with CCAM 2.1.4.

Oh nice. So I can use a foreign card with no probs in a DM? If I decide to get a foreign sub, this will be useful as it would save me money on getting a box from out there. I'm guessing it's not so straightforward - i.e. I woul dhave to set up the right images and cam settings or something along those lines.

Yeah I took a guick look on google shopping and they're coming for £50 etc. Is there any probs with getting a clone? If i remember correctly, the police shutdown DM's HQ so there aren't any originals in the market at the moment...right?

 

[JohnO1234]

Oh nice. So I can use a foreign card with no probs in a DM? If I decide to get a foreign sub, this will be useful as it would save me money on getting a box from out there. I'm guessing it's not so straightforward - i.e. I woul dhave to set up the right images and cam settings or something along those lines.

Yeah I took a guick look on google shopping and they're coming for £50 etc. Is there any probs with getting a clone? If i remember correctly, the police shutdown DM's HQ so there aren't any originals in the market at the moment...right?

you can get them from linuxsat.co.uk for about £55 delivered with a 1yr gaurantee.

JohnO

 

[gsmtech]

Oh nice. So I can use a foreign card with no probs in a DM? If I decide to get a foreign sub, this will be useful as it would save me money on getting a box from out there. I'm guessing it's not so straightforward - i.e. I woul dhave to set up the right images and cam settings or something along those lines.

Yeah I took a guick look on google shopping and they're coming for £50 etc. Is there any probs with getting a clone? If i remember correctly, the police shutdown DM's HQ so there aren't any originals in the market at the moment...right?

There are no new original Dm500 recievers because DM stopped manufacturing them at least 2 years ago. They are no longer a current model in the DM range so all are clones.

There are still original DM600, DM800HD, DM500HD, DM8000HD as these are current models in the DM range. Obviously the originals are double the cost of the clones..

Theres not a lot wrong with DM500 clones theyve been around a long time and have generally matured..they did suffer orignally from weak Power supplies (original clone PSU's ver 1amp they are now 2amp). The only other im a aware of is maybe needing a signal booster due to weak tuners..and issues with moving motorised dishes in some cases.

 

[DodgyTech]

you can get them from linuxsat.co.uk for about £55 delivered with a 1yr gaurantee.

JohnO

Just took a look. Looks promising. Are there any good used ones on fleb@y? Not being a cheapskate or anything, but rather want to learn and then spend the money wisely when I'm more clued up in the sat side of things =]

 

[DodgyTech]

There are no new original Dm500 recievers because DM stopped manufacturing them at least 2 years ago. They are no longer a current model in the DM range so all are clones.

There are still original DM600, DM800HD, DM500HD, DM8000HD as these are current models in the DM range. Obviously the originals are double the cost of the clones..

Theres not a lot wrong with DM500 clones theyve been around a long time and have generally matured..they did suffer orignally from weak Power supplies (original clone PSU's ver 1amp they are now 2amp). The only other im a aware of is maybe needing a signal booster due to weak tuners..and issues with moving motorised dishes in some cases.

That's very informative and reassuring. Hopefully I'll get one soon. I wasn't in any hurry to get any but might as well get one if I can find a good deal and I know I got a wealth of knowledge available here =]

 

[CrazyFool]

DM500 clone - £50-60

pros
slightly cheaper than its competitor
more image support
small in size

cons
poor picture and audio
sometimes will struggle to move a motor.
inferior quality components, is a clone
will semi-brick if you accidently load the wrong image.
no usb ports
no hdd


DM600 (clone) £80-100

pros
internal hdd
32 mb more ram
swappable tuner
more image support
small size

cons
poor picture and audio
sometimes will struggle to move a motor.
inferior quality components, is a clone
will semi-brick if you accidently load the wrong image.
no usb ports
only 2.5" hdd


TM500 - £70

pros
high quality box
very cheap for a genuine box
superb video and audio quality

cons
not as much image support
no usb ports
no hdd


TM600 - £85


pros
high quality box
cheap for a genuine box
superb video and audio quality
internal/external/sata/ide/2.5"/3.5" hdd
3 x usb ports

cons
not as much image support

You choose what is important for you. for example, if you need a motorised setup you might want to think twice about getting a clone.
of course, there are some people who own clones and it turns their motor fine but this is a flaw in itself that i didn't bother putting up in the list - the clones are inconsistent:
some will work beautifully and will even make you a cup of tea after a hard long day. others will stab you in your sleep.
i have however noticed this inconsistency to be greater with the dm600 clones

Hope this helps,
CrazyFool

 

[witchy]

The only clone I've ever had which had problems turning a motor was the DM800, I've never had a DM500 with any proplems like that.

Also, what's this about poor picture quality? I've had clone DM500's for years and I've never realised I was watching a poor quality picture.

 

[CrazyFool]

read digidudes comparison of the tm500 and dm500
hes not the only one either.

and its like i said mate, most will work perfectly, its just some that will give you problems. but those some cannot be ignored.

 

[witchy]

So you're not talking from personal experience?

 

[CrazyFool]

nope. but even if i was, i would only be able to give my experience of one box that i would own or even two if i decided i needed two.

This is a collation of information that i have taken from many owners who posted their experience over several threads over several forums, for the benefit of the op.

theres an individual on here who posted not more than 2 days ago who had trouble moving a motor with the dm600.

I'm not trying to step on any toes, and i dont know why dm owners get emotional every time i say anything about the box, i'm just laying out the facts. it is for that reason why i closed my review with the statement that the box's vary.
your clones have worked well. others haven't been so lucky.
just like your dm800 that failed miserably although there are people who are still using them perfectly with an inline amp after well over a year.

that in itself is a huge deterrent for me. the clones are extremely inconsistent and is why i wouldnt buy one as the sole provider of my televeison.

 

[witchy]

So you've never owned a Dreambox?

 

[DodgyTech]

CrazyFool - Thanks for the comparison post - a really useful guide!! We should have a sticky along those lines for other newbies like myself. I'm sure TM and DM owners will pitch in their points and we could have a definitive guide...

Witchy - DM500S clone seems like the likely candidate for me so far. What is your advice to me mate? Is that a good bit of kit to start with?




Also guys, I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but is it possible to run more than one box off the same sky minidish? If i recall correctly, I would need more than one LNB thing right?

 

[CrazyFool]

one dish will do but you will need an lnb with multi output.

SKY/FREESAT QUAD LNB + legacy adaptor on eBay (end time 20-Apr-10 21:30:33 BST)

get this sky lnb.
four outputs with a rating of 0.2db
it also comes with an adaptor to fit onto an old sky minidish from before june 2009 i think. (someone please confirm)
there are some brilliant guides on youtube.

could somebody please also tell me what is wrong with that lnb to make it so damn cheap?

dont get me wrong mate. the dm500s is a decent box.
if i was uber skint i would go for that one (£49 delivered from dealextreme).
but witch.... cant look past the fact that just because he is happy with his and he has always been doesnt mean that there arent any rotten eggs. there are just too many rotten eggs for my liking though.

i myself will be getting one as a cheap backup incase one of my tm's go down or cccam stops reading the white card with a future update etc. as they do have brillinat support but nothing more than that.

It's like i always say, you choose what is right for you, you can get all the facts and opinions but you have to make the final decision.
i'm a bit paranoid really and can see myself forking out for a new box in the future if/when my clone breaks but i'm just like that. best pay a tenner extra and get it right the first time me thinks.

Regards,
CrazyFool.

 

[DodgyTech]

Thanks for the link mate. What's the name of the gizmo that allows me to line up my satellite precisely?

I think I have plenty of info here now, time for me to do some reading and purchase a box.

Will a wireless bridge suffice for CS btw?

 

[gsmtech]

You need to take into account the Dm500 have been around for about 5 years it's end of life in the Dream range, clones have been around for 3 maybe 4 years.

Hence issues are well known with early clones having crap power supplies, weak tuners etc..Other failures are down to wear and tear over time. You get the same with original STB's pace stb's on the cable side which are over a year or two old.

TM's by comparsion are relatively new boxes, been around maybe 1 year for the 500 and 600. A bit early to know how long term reliable they are. There is a lot of unrealistic TM "bigging up" going on i've noticed. Similar to Satkings who always used to big up the ITgate cable boxes..even though there was nothing much special about them,..the images and support were still poor then in comparison to dreams..not to mention the boxes are damm ugly ! Tne only plus point was 2 year hardware warranty.

I personally have never had any major issues on my own clone 500's which I have owned for nearly 3 years..I have had 1 faulty PSU from a friends box, and 1 dead 3 year old box.

It will be intresting to take an average of how many clones are out there, and what percentage have issues, you'll probably find that the majority are fine..especially the newer ones with 2amp PSU's and improved tuners.

Personally im familiar with Dream functionality, tools, and images etc..and like tinkering/swapping images etc. TM600 looks like a decent Dream alternative PVR option cheap as well..but I dont want to be stuck with UR Team/ITgate image...I might still buy a TM600 just to see what it's like..but with a clone DM600 at around the same price I dont see the point..

 

[DodgyTech]

Nice one mate, didn't realise TM's were relatively new.

If possible, I'll try my best to find a cheap (but not so cheap that it's useless) DM600 as it has a swappable tuner in case I run into problems plus it has a hard drive (optional, but useful for me).

Where's the best place to get one from?

So far I have:

dvbmonkey
linuxsat
satstore
dealextreme

any more or which one of these I should deffo go for?

Really appreciate the assistance here people