OpenBox HD

[Mikey11]

anybody have any experience with this receiver?

going by the specs it seems like a pretty good receiver for the price....

DVB-S2....blind scan....only thing it seems to be missing is 4:2:2

 

[brentb636]

And it doesn't seem to have any heat problems , either. I think, for the money, you can't do better. An HD receiver is such a nice thing to have these days, even on SD feeds with AC-3 audio. It's a very useable receiver. I'm currently using mine to control both my motorized 1.0M dish ( using USALS) and a Gbox ( using Diseqc 1.2) for my 6 footer. Works just fine.

 

[Lak7]

It does shutter a bit on some H.264 feeds.

 

[brentb636]

I once bought a Merc II for $150 + shipping, and amazingly, it didn't stutter on h.264 feeds at all. Of course, it couldn't decode them, so no stuttering. The Openbox has many flaws, and I doubt they will ever be fixed, but the price is so low, that it's a bargain.

Pros:
1. Fast and effective blindscan.
2. Good looking display
3. Cheap price
4. 64 Diseqc 1.2 positions. User selectable.
5. Good USALS implementation.
6. Much less confusing than Azbox to operate ( far fewer functions ! ) .
7. No overheating issues, it stays cool 24/7 , so far.

Cons:
1. No 4:2:2 video
2. Inability to tell whether a particular feed is DVB-S or DVB-S2 or FEC value ( simply too automatic for my liking ).
3. No manual PID entry ( but that can be done with a channel editor).
4. Ethernet port is pretty much useless, apparently used for "key-swapping" in Europe.
5. All video ports are not always useable. If you select 1080i output for example, the composite video doesn't work because it can't display that format. There is no conversion. Azbox ports ALL seem to work ALL the time.

You'll get a better receiver, if you buy an Azbox HD . Got the money ? If the Pansat 9200 HD didn't overheat ( according to reports) so often, it would also be better than the Openbox . Got the money ? You see a pattern here, it's bang for the buck. If you must have 4:2:2 video, get an Azbox and make your life easy ( or use a PCI solution, like I currently do) . If money is tight, and you need an HD receiver, the Openbox HD is the choice.

 

[PopcornNMore]

I really like the Openbox S9 receiver and highly recommend you buy one.

 

[updatelee]

anyone ever done a portscan on the ethernet to see if anything is open by chance ?

unsure what the open in openbox stands for, but its not opensrc. too bad, imo they could have had a real winner on their hands. Insted like many cheap asian box's kept the src closed and take upto 6m to fix simple things like diseqc switching.

 

[Jim S.]

I've scanned it, nothing is open.

 

[brentb636]

anyone ever done a portscan on the ethernet to see if anything is open by chance ?

unsure what the open in openbox stands for, but its not opensrc. too bad, imo they could have had a real winner on their hands. Insted like many cheap asian box's kept the src closed and take upto 6m to fix simple things like diseqc switching.

I certainly concur with that. With open source support, they could a much better market penetration, too, I suspect.

 

[AmericanZ28]

Cons:
1. No 4:2:2 video

Fridge Fta.com claims to have proprietary software that would allow you to record 4:2:2 video on the Openbox for viewing on your computer. PVR Tool/Suite | OpenBox S9 HD PVR DVB-S2 Receiver, lowest price & best support in N. America They also have the unit for $169 Shipped with this software and an HDMI cable. I so wish I had the cash....

 

[brentb636]

Fridge Fta.com claims to have proprietary software that would allow you to record 4:2:2 video on the Openbox for viewing on your computer. PVR Tool/Suite | OpenBox S9 HD PVR DVB-S2 Receiver, lowest price & best support in N. America They also have the unit for $169 Shipped with this software and an HDMI cable. I so wish I had the cash....

Any PVR that can record a stream is likely to be able to record the 4:2:2 feed. Then is is generally converted to another format and played on a computer. There's nothing special about the Fridge.com software, I suspect. People have been recording 4:2:2 on standard PVR's ( like Visionsat IV200, and Viewsat 7000) for years, and watching the stream on a pc. Don't get me wrong, I think the OpenBox is a great buy at the price. But , unlike the Azbox ( more expensive) the Openbox cannot display 4:2:2 video streams.

 

[Tron]

True Brent... I even use my Visionsats to record HD, and since they don't have to decode the stream, they can record super high bitrates without stuttering. Unfortunately, they don't tune DVB-S2.