Replacing SpiderBox

[gooner18]

Hi, I am looking to replace my spiderbox 9000hd which has served me well for a few years ,it has now given up on me so I need to replace it with a receiver that is as easy to use & not to complicated to get my head round ,it needs to have facilities to use Ncamd, Mcamd , cccam & may be a twin tuner & not to expensive:respect-048: any help would be appreciated.
thanks.
gooner18

[echelon]

well, most boxes that arent linux wont allow mgcamd afaik

and most twin tuner boxes tend to be linux, like the duo and solo 2

so although its more to learn a solo2 or duo is probably the best around, and has the best support too

[gooner18]

Thanks echelon,look quite complicated to use,not just a plug & play type of receiver then! looks like they take a lot of setting up! I`m a silver surfer so I don`t need anything to complicated LOL, I tried a Eagle 800hd but its not very good ,audio is rubbish on HD channels with sat box volume set to max & then have to turn tv volume right up to get decent sound.
gooner18

[echelon]

the problem is, when you start asking for stuff that a standard box hasnt got like mgcamd and twin tuners , you enter the realm of the pvr and usually its a linux pvr

so the reason for more than one tuner is to record 2 channels or more at the same time, or to watch one channel and record another
this means adding a hdd into the mix and so you are better with an internal hdd, these are all things your spiderbox never had

so my recommendations were based on your stated requirements, and as epg will also play a factor in your twin tuner scenario (something you never mentioned but will definitely require), as well as a hdd, then a linux pvr fits the bill

the problem is its a learning curve and not everyone wants to spend the time learning, but if you wanted to fly a plane you have to learn to be a pilot, as there are no easy ways around it

the problem with the many clone boxes or imitations is they always seem to have "issues" and thats why I would not recommend them as I too have had several boxes before getting a vu, so know exactly where you are coming from seeing as I still have a spiderbox and a dm800 too

if you wanted cheap and easy setup then those black panthers sold by goldwafers seem to take up where the spiderbox left off

but to install cccam and mgcamd and oscam and an internal hdd and have twin tuners and a good 24/7 epg too, then you dont require a simple box like the spiderbox as it does not fit the criteria, and neither did your eagle either

[mikie8]

im saving up myself for a new sat box , i also have an eagle hd800 sat in a cupboard .

the only thing i know of with twin tuners like a spiderbox on the market is the protek .

there are some other closed source boxes with cccam but like the eagle hd800 they are single tuners .

if you managed to flash and update your spider im sure you could do the same to a linux box .

this forum has great support and a sponsor who sells are great prices .

check out the tutorials on some of the linux boxes on this forum , this will show you how easy it is to setup and also how well that box is supported .

a well supported enigma 2 box is going to be my choice .

good luck

[gooner18]

Ok ,thanks guy`s for your input.
gooner18

[Mardavia40]

Hi, I am looking to replace my spiderbox 9000hd which has served me well for a few years ,it has now given up on me so I need to replace it with a receiver that is as easy to use & not to complicated to get my head round ,it needs to have facilities to use Ncamd, Mcamd , cccam & may be a twin tuner & not to expensive:respect-048: any help would be appreciated.
thanks.
gooner18

Hi gooner

I also have a Spiderbox 9000HD and it's still serving me very well with no problems.

Have also been looking at another receiver as back-up to my Spiderbox which is as
easy to set up ex (plug and away) and the receiver i have been looking at is the Skybox
F3 or F5 these receivers are very cheap but have all the facilities you described including
mgcamd which the Spiderbox cannot get.

[gooner18]

Hi Mardavia40, thanks for that info
do you know if there is much support for these boxes,
gooner18

[mikie8]

i got an openbox /skybox to replace the eagle hd800 .

its just what i wanted from the hd800 , single tuner and cccam support straight out the box .

youtube and prontube are avalible with new firmwares i think for some models , wifi usb compatible for some newer models too although only one usb port .

some reliability problems with the psu reported online .

great bedroom box .

[mister-t]

after many years of spiderbox use,i sold it and invested in a vuuno+,never used a linux receiver in my life,but trust me the things i can now do with this box,i have surprised myself,changed image like i have been doing it for years,can do a complete install in 35mins and trust me i have a lot of things to install,had receiver about 6months,plenty of help on here,if you look or ask.and i aint a youngun either,i mean how easy is it to copy and paste Ncamd, Mcamd , cccam lines straight into a file and drag and drop that file straight into your receiver via ftp,at first it will be daunting and you will mess up so many times,but once you get the basics it is pretty straight forward

mister-t

[kmc]

what about the optibox spider,twin tuners and also 3rd party support.
regards
kmc

[dOOds]

If u want simple at a good price then get a skybox F3..got all you need...Good picture quality also..Personally a spiderbox was my stepping stone and now im creating my own backup images on Dreambox..Would never go back..Take that giant leap man..lol

[philips]

Have you looked at the Amiko Alien? I have the Alien 1 which has excellent picture and sound and is very easy to use. It has several Cams but I don't know which ones. The Alien 2 is a more recent box with twin tuners and a better spec - costs about £150. Buy from an authorised dealer as there are clones of the Alien 1 around. Golden Media do the same boxes under their badge.

[echelon]

personally I wouldnt have a skybox or openbox (same thing) as they are cheap and dont do everything he asked for, but as a cheap bedroom box to do the basics they would be fine, as is an eagle or clone box

for a decent box you get what you pay for , and you get the support too

as far as an alien or goldenmedia goes, I believe they have trouble with enigma 2 and dont run mipsel but use sh4 which means the standard plugins and stuff dont work and need tweaking or drivers or both, my point being you may have to do more work to get stuff to work on those boxes due to not running on standard unleaded petrol but need a 4* additive and a limited slip diff and different spark plugs. and speaking of spark plugs the spark os isnt supposed to be up to scratch as yet either. it also seems to require an external usb hdd to use as a pvr, not internal like the vu

so whilst some enthusiastic hobbyists may have a good time with them, I would still look at a good box, with decent reputation that gets the job done and using standard and easy to use extras like plugins and good help and advice from forums - this tends to be the VU range at the moment of which I have had experience of 2 of those boxes from goldwafers, never mind all the others I have tried over the last 10 years from goldwafers, andy at ast*at*ch and a few other "sources"

would recommend goldwafers very highly, good sales, good after sales service , and sponsor of satpimps (dont bite the hand that feeds you , LOL)

[Lavaman]

as far as an alien or goldenmedia goes, I believe they have trouble with enigma 2 and dont run mipsel but use sh4 which means the standard plugins and stuff dont work and need tweaking or drivers or both

Don't believe the hype as there has been a lot of misinformation posted on this from some quarters, it's simply not true standard plugins don't work, sure the need to be for the SH4 chipset but there are literally hundreds of them available and all your usual popular ones are available.

I have the Amiko Alien 2 here running an E2 backup image which I had flashed in 5 mins, AutoBouquets on 28.2E, CrossEPG, record one pay channel while watching another and streaming to my phone (don't particularly use this but tried it and it works) and as with other SH4 receivers it gives a noticeable better picture quality than ANY Broadcom based E2 receiver, some statement I know but genuinely true.

I really can't think what these won't do (and more in some respects) of E2 receivers twice the price, they do need external USB drive for the moment though, to me no issue though.

[gray198]

I've just bought an Alien2 to replace my Spiderbox 9000, which still works perfectly. Just fancied a change. Picture on Alien is great and I am still coming to terms with using Enigma. I did want the new VU box but couldn't justify the extra cost, however the Alien seems to be a very versatile box and does what OP wants except for the fact that it is nowhere near as easy to use as the Spiderbox. Having the Alien has highlighted to me what a great easy to use box the Spider is, and just for viewing TV will take some beating.

[gooner18]

Don't believe the hype as there has been a lot of misinformation posted on this from some quarters, it's simply not true standard plugins don't work, sure the need to be for the SH4 chipset but there are literally hundreds of them available and all your usual popular ones are available.

I have the Amiko Alien 2 here running an E2 backup image which I had flashed in 5 mins, AutoBouquets on 28.2E, CrossEPG, record one pay channel while watching another and streaming to my phone (don't particularly use this but tried it and it works) and as with other SH4 receivers it gives a noticeable better picture quality than ANY Broadcom based E2 receiver, some statement I know but genuinely true.

I really can't think what these won't do (and more in some respects) of E2 receivers twice the price, they do need external USB drive for the moment though, to me no issue though.

Hi Lavaman,I have just bought Amiko Alien2 triple tuner which will be delivered on Monday, could you give me any info on what order things need to be done when setting up this receiver for the first time.
I am only going to use 28.2e so will be connecting it to my sly dish & replacing my sly+box with the AA2. I will also be using a WD my passport 500gb ext hdd. I know there are tutorials on how to Install the different things that need to be put on these boxes to get certain things to work etc but there
doesn`t seem to be a step buy step guide as to what order you have to do these things.If yourself or anyone else on the forum could help I would be most grateful.

Thanks gooner18

[flight14]

Hi gooner18,
Been following your thread with some interest as I am in a similar situation i.e not young, looking for effective but simple to use upgrade etc....
How have you been getting on with your purchase? I am torn between a Protek or Amiko.

Regards,
flight14

[Aldo]

The setup procedure for the Protek receivers is quite simple, here is the info I copied from the Protek Forum:

How to load firmware on to 97xx HD IP receivers

97xx HD series (9700/9710/9720HD - 9750/9760/9770HD) firmware is loaded using a USB memory stick. A USB stick is not supplied in the box, so make sure you have one to hand before trying to upgrade your receiver.

1. Format the USB stick to the FAT32 file system
2. Download the 97xx HD IP firmware as appropriate for your receiver
3. If the firmware is in the zip archive format, unarchive using the likes of winzip, winrar, 7zip, etc - this should leave a file with a gnx extension
4. Transfer file to the root folder of the USB stick *** This must be in the root and not in a subfolder ***
5. Put USB stick in the USB slot (at the back of the receiver)
6. Using the remote control select Menu > System Info > Firmware Upgrade, then select file and press OK
7. The receiver will reboot
8. Once you have scanned for channels and have networking enabled, you will be able to access bouquets by pressing OK and then the Blue button
9. You can now remove the USB stick from the back of the receiver

If you were to decide on the Protek this should be of some help to you.