Sorta new at this .. have lots of questions and need advice

[chanesaw]

Hi all !

I've been lurking here for weeks but this is my first official post

I've read A LOT of posts / stickies and FAQ's but I have some pretty specific questions that aren't covered.

Let me preface this by saying I'm pretty tech savvy but I'm also pretty lazy - LOL !

A few years ago I met Dave, through a friend of a friend of a friend .. needless to say, our relationship eventually ended. Game over.

At that point I kinda gave up on it, and hadn't heard anything like it until a few weeks ago and I discovered FTA

So first of all, I would like some recommendations on hardware .. I hear good things about Coolsat and Sonicview but I still have a few questions since it's hard to get any details on most of the sites. I thought I would ask if what I am looking for even exists. Hopefully someone knows.

My perfect STB would have the following features:

HD (duh!)

PVR - I know most of them offer it via external drive.

Network capability - This is the part that I am unsure of .. In a perfect world, it would be nice to plug them into my network (NOT for auto updates) but so that I can access and stream anything recorded on the PVR. Basically I would like to have 1 box on my main TV and be able to stream content via Media extender, (Wii, PS3, Xbox) to the TV in my bedroom. Is this a current feature ? Is it even possible?

If not, how would you set up a single box to multiple TVs? I see that a multitude of them have dual recievers, but it doesn't seem like they have RF remotes.

Updates - I've read about Jtags, though I don't know how they specifically work, I have a pretty good idea..Remember when I said I was lazy? Yeah. I don't want to mess with that ****.

Is there a better way? Are there any STB's that are easier to update? Say like USB, or over the network? I vaguely think I read somewhere that a STB had the ability to update itself over the web - While I would never allow it to connect and update all by itself - I would like to update it via an IP or web interface... The less hassle the better as the wife needs to be able to fix it when I'm not home.

Finally ... in my quest for FTA, what do I need to do about a dish? I still have the one from when I was friends with Dave, but will that work? Obviously I know that I need something different if I want HD - but at the moment, I'd like to initially invest as little as possible, just to make sure it's going to work, etc etc. w/o spending cash on something I can't use if for some reason it doesn't work out.

Thanks in advance !

[doinghomework]

I'm kinda at the same place you are, and I have been looking at the Nfusion Nova, however the more I read, the more problems I see that people are having. The Nfusion STB will update via the internet, and the manufacturers force the files out to the STB's via their s.u.n.s. servers. There is a lot of great help here, so read and heed. Have you ever considered a STB with a USB interface? That way you can get what you need, put it on a flash drive and take it to the STB. With a VIP membership here, you can get whatever you will need.

Good Luck and enjoy testing!

[chanesaw]

Originally Posted by doinghomework

I'm kinda at the same place you are, and I have been looking at the Nfusion Nova, however the more I read, the more problems I see that people are having. The Nfusion STB will update via the internet, and the manufacturers force the files out to the STB's via their s.u.n.s. servers. There is a lot of great help here, so read and heed. Have you ever considered a STB with a USB interface? That way you can get what you need, put it on a flash drive and take it to the STB. With a VIP membership here, you can get whatever you will need.

Good Luck and enjoy testing!

USB would be totally fine for updates .. it's just hard to know which ones have what as far as update interfaces go.

[chill dawg]

Originally Posted by chanesaw

USB would be totally fine for updates .. it's just hard to know which ones have what as far as update interfaces go.

Viewsat ultra lite is inexpensive and takes usb updates, viewsat has very strong support as well!

[ricknsusan]

welcome to aba. this site rocks!!!

[Laser2008]

Originally Posted by chanesaw

Hi all !

I've been lurking here for weeks but this is my first official post

I've read A LOT of posts / stickies and FAQ's but I have some pretty specific questions that aren't covered.

Let me preface this by saying I'm pretty tech savvy but I'm also pretty lazy - LOL !

A few years ago I met Dave, through a friend of a friend of a friend .. needless to say, our relationship eventually ended. Game over.

At that point I kinda gave up on it, and hadn't heard anything like it until a few weeks ago and I discovered FTA

So first of all, I would like some recommendations on hardware .. I hear good things about Coolsat and Sonicview but I still have a few questions since it's hard to get any details on most of the sites. I thought I would ask if what I am looking for even exists. Hopefully someone knows.

My perfect STB would have the following features:

HD (duh!)

PVR - I know most of them offer it via external drive.

Network capability - This is the part that I am unsure of .. In a perfect world, it would be nice to plug them into my network (NOT for auto updates) but so that I can access and stream anything recorded on the PVR. Basically I would like to have 1 box on my main TV and be able to stream content via Media extender, (Wii, PS3, Xbox) to the TV in my bedroom. Is this a current feature ? Is it even possible?

If not, how would you set up a single box to multiple TVs? I see that a multitude of them have dual recievers, but it doesn't seem like they have RF remotes.

Updates - I've read about Jtags, though I don't know how they specifically work, I have a pretty good idea..Remember when I said I was lazy? Yeah. I don't want to mess with that ****.

Is there a better way? Are there any STB's that are easier to update? Say like USB, or over the network? I vaguely think I read somewhere that a STB had the ability to update itself over the web - While I would never allow it to connect and update all by itself - I would like to update it via an IP or web interface... The less hassle the better as the wife needs to be able to fix it when I'm not home.

Finally ... in my quest for FTA, what do I need to do about a dish? I still have the one from when I was friends with Dave, but will that work? Obviously I know that I need something different if I want HD - but at the moment, I'd like to initially invest as little as possible, just to make sure it's going to work, etc etc. w/o spending cash on something I can't use if for some reason it doesn't work out.

Thanks in advance !

hello and welcome to aba. check out the SV8000 for hd or the SV360 if you don't want to spend the $ on hd right now.

[wayne5222]

At this moment Sonicview8000 or Viewsat9000 are close to what you what, they don not have a network connection yet, but all the other things that you R looking 4. Nfusion with HD is coming out very soon if not already so I hear, may have everything that you are looking 4, but need to what and see, Nfusion nova is great but picture quality is lacking. The Dave dish and LNB are ok 4 DN orB3v

[fossil112]

Originally Posted by chanesaw

Hi all !

I've been lurking here for weeks but this is my first official post

I've read A LOT of posts / stickies and FAQ's but I have some pretty specific questions that aren't covered.

Let me preface this by saying I'm pretty tech savvy but I'm also pretty lazy - LOL !

A few years ago I met Dave, through a friend of a friend of a friend .. needless to say, our relationship eventually ended. Game over.

At that point I kinda gave up on it, and hadn't heard anything like it until a few weeks ago and I discovered FTA

So first of all, I would like some recommendations on hardware .. I hear good things about Coolsat and Sonicview but I still have a few questions since it's hard to get any details on most of the sites. I thought I would ask if what I am looking for even exists. Hopefully someone knows.

My perfect STB would have the following features:

HD (duh!)

PVR - I know most of them offer it via external drive.

Network capability - This is the part that I am unsure of .. In a perfect world, it would be nice to plug them into my network (NOT for auto updates) but so that I can access and stream anything recorded on the PVR. Basically I would like to have 1 box on my main TV and be able to stream content via Media extender, (Wii, PS3, Xbox) to the TV in my bedroom. Is this a current feature ? Is it even possible?

If not, how would you set up a single box to multiple TVs? I see that a multitude of them have dual recievers, but it doesn't seem like they have RF remotes.

Updates - I've read about Jtags, though I don't know how they specifically work, I have a pretty good idea..Remember when I said I was lazy? Yeah. I don't want to mess with that ****.

Is there a better way? Are there any STB's that are easier to update? Say like USB, or over the network? I vaguely think I read somewhere that a STB had the ability to update itself over the web - While I would never allow it to connect and update all by itself - I would like to update it via an IP or web interface... The less hassle the better as the wife needs to be able to fix it when I'm not home.

Finally ... in my quest for FTA, what do I need to do about a dish? I still have the one from when I was friends with Dave, but will that work? Obviously I know that I need something different if I want HD - but at the moment, I'd like to initially invest as little as possible, just to make sure it's going to work, etc etc. w/o spending cash on something I can't use if for some reason it doesn't work out.

Thanks in advance !

ABA is the best on the net...HANDS DOWN!
With that said...
It looks like everyone else has touched on what STB you should purchase, so I'll guide you as to which dish you should pickup. Since you want HD, the Dish 1000.2. This will set you up with three birds...110, 119 and 129 (129 being your HD channels). Those are your typical birds, unless your location prohibits you from viewing them. setup is a breeze once you have the dish mounted correctly.
Good luck and welcome!

[Landscapeman]

I will tell you the dish 1000.2 is your best bet. The only way you wouldn't want to do that is if you live in the south eastern part of the U.S. In that case you would use a dish 500 and your dave single lnb to get 61.5w(HD) You would need a DP34 switch to take care of four tvs but for one you can use the switch supplied with your receiver. The Sonicview and Viewsat has great support and once you get used to it extremely easy. All you do is go to the specific download page and select it, download, unpack and put on a usb drive. Plug it in and upload it. IKS looks nice but there is a drawback that when you log on to update it leaves your IP address. Potential problem maker, but still very convenient . Good Luck