[emsudos]

A.System and Memory:

this is the heart of the stb.
If these specs are not average or above,you may want to continue looking!!

1.Main Processor:
this is very important.this is the speed the stb can run at.simply put,the faster the better!
many stbs will read the speed in 2 ways,a.MHz OR b.MIPS
look for MHz ratings,this is most common,and is lower than the MIPS will be.
(don't compare mhz of one brand to another's MIPS rating find out how many mhz each has)

as of this date,150+ mhz would want to be the lowest you would want to go with.(most commonly liked stbs will be a bit/even allot higher!)

this speed (mhz) will determine how fast channels change,how fast the epg loads,how fast channels scan etc,etc, and also how smooth the stb will run in general.this is the POWER of the stb,its engine.
by way of an example comparison here to help you decide:
100 mhz or lower= a 4 cylinder 100-130 mhz= 6 cylinder 130-190 mhz =8 cylinder 190+ mhz = a decked out 8 cylinder

2.SDRAM: this is the stb's memory,also the more the better!!

as of this date,look for an stb with at least 32+ mbs,lower you may want to keep on looking.

the more memory the stb has the more information it can hold,such as the epg (electronic program guide) 32 mbs will provide about 7 days worth of epg on dish AND the max bev streams at a time,2 days.
with more ram you could get the full 9 days dish streams out along with bevs full 2 days.
channels use this ram space also,as does favs/saved list in stb if capable etc.

3.Flash Memory: this is the size .bin file the stb can hold.

as of this date,if flash mem is lower than 4mb's,you may want to keep looking!!look for 4+ mbs

this is important,as time goes by,the providers continue to add things needed in the .bin files.
4mbs is more than needed at this time.and should provide years of use before the files no longer can fit on the unit.