The DStv HD PVR decoder and alternatives (dreambox?)

YellowRandolf

YellowRandolf

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My 4-year-old dstv-decoder went belly-up recently and I wanted to upgrade to a PVR now, but the seller asked me if I had a dual satellite dish with two cables, which I had to deny. As I'm too lazy to now upgrade my dish and I hate the sluggish interface of the dstv-decoders (worst usability I've seen in any piece of electronic!) I'd love to hear any suggestion for a comfortable dstv-compatible satellite receiver. I heard of dreamboxes, but I'm not 100% sure if they all support my existing DStv-irdeto-smartcard and if I look for alternatives I don't find much at all - official stores always pretend that only the official DStv-decoders work, which can't be true.

Help me - what decoder is the best on the market and where to get it without importing from overseas?
 
afaik it is illegal to use anything other than a DSTV decoder and DSTV smartcard to watch DSTV.

Your option is this: DSTV decoder or TopTV or SABC.

Note: not that I'm holding my breath, but according to DSTV forums they are working on another fix due to the bugfest they called a release earlier: Specifically aimed at the remote control buffer, and some audio stuff.
 
gulli said:
My 4-year-old dstv-decoder went belly-up recently and I wanted to upgrade to a PVR now, but the seller asked me if I had a dual satellite dish with two cables, which I had to deny. As I'm too lazy to now upgrade my dish and I hate the sluggish interface of the dstv-decoders (worst usability I've seen in any piece of electronic!) I'd love to hear any suggestion for a comfortable dstv-compatible satellite receiver. I heard of dreamboxes, but I'm not 100% sure if they all support my existing DStv-irdeto-smartcard and if I look for alternatives I don't find much at all - official stores always pretend that only the official DStv-decoders work, which can't be true.

Help me - what decoder is the best on the market and where to get it without importing from overseas?
Click to expand...

No need to replace the dish or run an extra cable.
just buy a satcr LNB and replace your existing one.

Then you only need the one cable.
 
Word Twisters

bin3 said:
afaik it is illegal to use anything other than a DSTV decoder and DSTV smartcard to watch DSTV.
Your option is this: DSTV decoder or TopTV or SABC.
Click to expand...
There is no need to wonder why people think that it is "Capitalism" that has failed them.
HOW can capitalism even function when you have LEGAL barriers to entry.
HOW can capitalism be seen to be able to function in a CLOSED market.

Capitalism struggles not because there is anything wrong with it , but because the "State" and it's monopoly on the use of force prevents it from working !

This legislation needs to be challenged in the courts -- it's ONLY function is to protect a monopoly -- which is probably advantageous to the "state"

Bloodsuckers !
 
bin3 said:
afaik it is illegal to use anything other than a DSTV decoder and DSTV smartcard to watch DSTV.
Click to expand...
Why should it be illegal to use my subscription-paid smartcard in a third party decoder??

Please define 'legal'. Is it part of my contract with DStv that I'm now allowed to use any other device or is it part of some regulatory law, that only decoders that are officially licensed by the network providers are to be used in SA?

Blame me - neither did I really read the fine print of my DStv contract, nor all available electronic-licensing laws, but I really doubt that there's any 'legal' ground to the non-availability of competing decoders in SA.

Are you sure you don't mistake the crackdown on companies that sold hacked(!!!) dreamboxes?
 
gulli said:
Why should it be illegal to use my subscription-paid smartcard in a third party decoder??

Please define 'legal'. Is it part of my contract with DStv that I'm now allowed to use any other device or is it part of some regulatory law, that only decoders that are officially licensed by the network providers are to be used in SA?

Blame me - neither did I really read the fine print of my DStv contract, nor all available electronic-licensing laws, but I really doubt that there's any 'legal' ground to the non-availability of competing decoders in SA.

Are you sure you don't mistake the crackdown on companies that sold hacked(!!!) dreamboxes?
Click to expand...

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/50005-dstv-piracy-arrests-update.html

MultiChoice would not say whether they consider Dreamboxes to be legal in South Africa, instead saying that “when used for illegal card sharing, Dreamboxes are not legal”.

MultiChoice added that Dreamboxes may never be used to watch DStv (not even when using it with a legal smart card).

“The DStv service is designed to operate with DStv decoders and SIM cards. The SIM cards and decoders are paired to each other and the DStv service only operates when both these are present,” explained MultiChoice.
Click to expand...
 
What you can quote so far, is FUD from MultiChoice, but no laws affected, so please refrain from telling anything I asked for being 'illegal'.

MultiChoice said:
MultiChoice added that Dreamboxes may never be used to watch DStv (not even when using it with a legal smart card).

“The DStv service is designed to operate with DStv decoders and SIM cards. The SIM cards and decoders are paired to each other and the DStv service only operates when both these are present,” explained MultiChoice
Click to expand...

I'm happy to see MultiChoice suing me for using their Smartcards (that they or MyBB incorrectly declared 'SIM cards' in this article) in a Dreambox or any other box. I just wonder, if they really 'pair' device + smart cards with the new smartcard generation. My existing one is still from pre-2010, but I think I read somewhere on MyBB, that they started distributing a new generation (Irdeto II maybe???) to HD subscribers.
 
Is it part of my contract with DStv that I'm not allowed to use any other device o
Click to expand...

It's in your contract: they are sneaky that way ;-)
 
gulli said:
What you can quote so far, is FUD from MultiChoice, but no laws affected, so please refrain from telling anything I asked for being 'illegal'.



I'm happy to see MultiChoice suing me for using their Smartcards (that they or MyBB incorrectly declared 'SIM cards' in this article) in a Dreambox or any other box. I just wonder, if they really 'pair' device + smart cards with the new smartcard generation. My existing one is still from pre-2010, but I think I read somewhere on MyBB, that they started distributing a new generation (Irdeto II maybe???) to HD subscribers.
Click to expand...

I dont think they will sue you or take legal action if you use your DSTV smartcard with a dreambox, It just wont work - the whole smartcard maried to decoder thing - since they wont have the serial number of the dreamnox on their system they wont marry it and you will get no picture(unless you hack it somehow which in that case they might take action)
 
Brown Fox said:
No need to replace the dish or run an extra cable.
just buy a satcr LNB and replace your existing one.

Then you only need the one cable.
Click to expand...

My situation is that I have an existing decoder 1110 or whatever it is and I have now just bought a HD PVR P2 I think it is called which required dual LNB.
Will the satcr LNB cover the dual cables for the new PVR as well as the old decoder for xtraview? 3 connections??

Looking forward to your response.
Thanks
Bruce
 
bruceswd said:
My situation is that I have an existing decoder 1110 or whatever it is and I have now just bought a HD PVR P2 I think it is called which required dual LNB.
Will the satcr LNB cover the dual cables for the new PVR as well as the old decoder for xtraview? 3 connections??

Looking forward to your response.
Thanks
Bruce
Click to expand...

yes and no :)
depending on which SATCR LNB you buy, if you get one with just the SATCR port then you will only be able to use it on the hd pvr (I could be wrong on this but AFAIK you cant split the SATCR with a multiswitch), if you get one with a SATCR port and a legacy port then yes the SATCR to the PVR and the legacy to the dsd 1110.

Maybe check what the cost is for a SATCR (with legacy) as aposed to a dual LNB and a multiswitch they both do the same thing just the diference is the SATCR will have one cable in to the PVR and one into dsd1110 (and you will have to change the lnb setting on the pvr to SATCR) and the dual way will have both cables into multiswitch and 2 out of there into the pr and one out to the dsd or buy a quad lnb and run 3 cables out of them 2 go to pvr and one to dsd1110

And dont forget a heartbeat cable still needs to run from the pvr to the dsd1110 in all configarations

this diagram explains what you want to do with a SATCR
http://www.justelectronics.co.za/elsat-satcr-lnb-41-p-120.html
 
Last edited:
isie said:
yes and no :)
depending on which SATCR LNB you buy, if you get one with just the SATCR port then you will only be able to use it on the hd pvr (I could be wrong on this but AFAIK you cant split the SATCR with a multiswitch), if you get one with a SATCR port and a legacy port then yes the SATCR to the PVR and the legacy to the dsd 1110.

Maybe check what the cost is for a SATCR (with legacy) as aposed to a dual LNB and a multiswitch they both do the same thing just the diference is the SATCR will have one cable in to the PVR and one into dsd1110 (and you will have to change the lnb setting on the pvr to SATCR) and the dual way will have both cables into multiswitch and 2 out of there into the pr and one out to the dsd or buy a quad lnb and run 3 cables out of them 2 go to pvr and one to dsd1110

And dont forget a heartbeat cable still needs to run from the pvr to the dsd1110 in all configarations

this diagram explains what you want to do with a SATCR
http://www.justelectronics.co.za/elsat-satcr-lnb-41-p-120.html
Click to expand...

Thanks Isie
Ok. I was also flogged a dual LNB when I bought the PVR so am I right that I should be able to use that with a multiswitch to split three ways? One to 1110 and two to PVR?
SO I will only have to cough up for the multiswitch?
 
No worries. Hearbeat cable is there already.:D
Getting back to the 2x4 multiswitch.
If I use a 2x4 mutiswitch do I still need to change the LNB? Does the 2x4 need both 2 to be populated?
Or can it be one in and 3 out?
 
bruceswd said:
No worries. Hearbeat cable is there already.:D
Getting back to the 2x4 multiswitch.
If I use a 2x4 mutiswitch do I still need to change the LNB? Does the 2x4 need both 2 to be populated?
Or can it be one in and 3 out?
Click to expand...

Both has to be popluated (like the way you put that ), basically what the switch does it sends the required signals between the lnb and decoders. depending on the signals requred (horizontal and vertical) if you only had 1 in it would only be able to comunicate 1 signal through so on a dual 1 cable operates H and the other V, so say 1 decoder is on supersport ( asume is on H) and you change to cartoon network (asume V) 1 decoder will lose signal as you only have acess to the one signal.
 
isie said:
Both has to be popluated (like the way you put that ), basically what the switch does it sends the required signals between the lnb and decoders. depending on the signals requred (horizontal and vertical) if you only had 1 in it would only be able to comunicate 1 signal through so on a dual 1 cable operates H and the other V, so say 1 decoder is on supersport ( asume is on H) and you change to cartoon network (asume V) 1 decoder will lose signal as you only have acess to the one signal.
Click to expand...
As isie says: Each cable will carry a different polarity. Some channels are on V and some on H. So the bottom line is you'd only be able to watch channels which are on V or H, not both at the same time if you were to only attach one cable from the LNB
 
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