Sonicview 8000 HD FTA - happy with it?

[Rockstead]

It's tough to find professional reviews on hardware like this, or even user reviews from the audio/video community are rare for these units, I would love to see some feedback on AVS.

I'm looking for some opinions on this unit from someone who is keen on picture quality (meaning you know it is good, not that you think it is), I'm getting my Samsung 58" Plasma PN58A650 in September and was thinking of purchasing this unit, i just wanted to know how the picture quality compares to an authentic Bell or Dishnet receiver.

Also, does anyone know if this unit upconverts SD material? I think I read somewhere that it didn't but It could be an older review and it could have been fixed with newer software.

Also is there anything this machine doesn't do that you would expect from an Expressvu/Dishnet receiver? or any know issues, bugs, etc.

Thanks

[Happy13178]

I'd hazard a guess that some people don't want to admit to using one for anything other than fta. I believe this unit is less buggy than the viewsat 9000, but don't quote me on that. You're best off finding an fta forum and looking through the messages to see what other people think of it.

[l69norm]

..... was thinking of purchasing this unit,..

It's too late in the game for a high dollar unit. Wait till the Nagra3 swap is completed, else you might have an expensive doorstop in 6 months.

If you must acquire, I would just get the cheapest unit (<$150) available

[teb]

here is another point of view to look at it.

if you were to get an HD pacakge from a provider in canada, it will cost you around $113 a month. thats like 3 months worth of service for the cost of the receiver. and it might even work after N3.

and you can use it for other satellites in the sky

[Rockstead]

The cost and how long it will last are not really concerning me.

Just interested in my questions from the first message in the thread, this stuff is always a gamble.

[ADRiiAN`]

I say you wait, considering Nagra3 is soon and the prices of the HD boxes are skyhigh.

Your spending $300+ on the HD box, and then you need to spend another $150+ on that adapter.

I just say you wait.

[michelb]

For what it does (HD FTA with PVR), it's probably the best available. That being said, it's not a great product and not even close to being as good as the 'real' receivers. The picture quality is probably comparable with what you'd get from Bell or Dish with a real receiver but the receiver is not nearly as polished and it's buggy. Sonicview is really very good for support and do come out with patches quickly but you certainly won't get 100% uptime (you probably have to update once / week on average).

IMO, menu and guide are not as good as some other FTAs, PVR functionality is poor, it often loses the signal, crashes once in a while and occasionaly corrupts the drive.

I kind of agree with others that it might be obsolete in the near future however I don't think that will happen for at least 6 months so I think you'd be ok as far as that goes. I would however be concerned about buying an 'aging' unit that will likely be replaced in the near future (Sonicview have already announced it's replacement and although they say they'll continue supporting both, I suspect that as far as features go (which the HD8000 is lacking), they won't continue improving there).

For much more info, you can look at this forum:
http://www.ftaforall.info/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=127

[avx]

Had my SV8000 for a few months...

Pro:
- HD content (obviously) - you talked about picture quality, and IMO, the worst HD is still better than the best SD. Also, I noted that pic quality has to do with the compression used on the signal. For example, when I was watching CBC with an OTA antenna (pics not compressed as much as say, BEV or Dish), the picture quality is noticably better (less jerky, really smooth).
- PVR - love the PVR function - although finding a compatible hard drive to go with it was a pain in the butt.

Con:
- Remote control - way too sensitive. Press a button once, and sometimes it registers as 2 presses.
- Runs HOT... I have the V2 (better fan), and it still runs really hot. I have to leave it in open space (vs. in a cabinet type enclosure with the front open.

Would I buy it again? Definitely - we don't have too many options in HD boxes, and the SV8000 is definitely a solid choice.

[duckdown]

I've got both the SonicView 8000 and the ViewSat 9000 (the two top HD set top boxes) and both are great.

Sv8000 remote is utter GARBAGE, as someone above alluded to, but the PVR is much better on the 8000 vs. the Viewsat.

That said though, the new GUI for the VS9000 looks *WAY* slicker than the SV8000 interface.

Can't go wrong with either..

Check out the FTA chatroom in my signature if you have any questions, its a pretty big channel and there is almost always someone there.

Cheers

[digdoug]

It's too late in the game for a high dollar unit. Wait till the Nagra3 swap is completed, else you might have an expensive doorstop in 6 months.

If you must acquire, I would just get the cheapest unit (<$150) available

I've heard the current gen boxes would be obsolete so I held off getting one. when is this nagra3 thing coming and how much would a HD version cost?

[trick91]

I've heard the current gen boxes would be obsolete so I held off getting one. when is this nagra3 thing coming and how much would a HD version cost?

nagra3 is new encryption coming soon. bell are swapping all their customers cards with new ones that can decrypt it. so once the swap is complete, they will shut down the current nagra2 system. once that happens, who knows what will happen to FTA. its all a guessing game

[Rockstead]

Hi guys,

I was a big Tivo person, how many schedules can I setup on the Sonicview 8000?

I need to setup at least 12 Shows on a weekly basis, is this possible and are you guys happy with the PVR functionality? would be nice to hear an opinion from someone that is also familiar with using Tivo.

[lindmar]

wait...
not a good time to buy.

[AzN_RiverdaleCI]

wait...
not a good time to buy.

+1, not a good time at all.

Anywho, I have had my SV8000HD for well over a year and its been great, I have never been happier.

edit: just realized the op spelt sonicview wrong.

[Rockstead]

+1, not a good time at all.

Anywho, I have had my SV8000HD for well over a year and its been great, I have never been happier.

edit: just realized the op spelt sonicview wrong.

Damn this card swap, I can get the 8000HD + 8pSK module for $460 tax in locally. I so need HDTV content for my new Plasma, I'm so tired of downloading .mkv files and then converting them for tversity to stream to my PS3,.

Regarding the 8000HD

1. How many schedules can it setup?
2. Does it automatically record live TV well?
3. Can I setup a Watch list that will automatically record a show containing a certain name.

Regarding the card swap, didn't they already crack nagra3 in Europe? The Vendors don't sem to be worried, you don't see the prices on units coming down.

[lindmar]

Damn this card swap, I can get the 8000HD + 8pSK module for $460 tax in locally. I so need HDTV content for my new Plasma, I'm so tired of downloading .mkv files and then converting them for tversity to stream to my PS3,.

Regarding the 8000HD

1. How many schedules can it setup?
2. Does it automatically record live TV well?
3. Can I setup a Watch list that will automatically record a show containing a certain name.

Regarding the card swap, didn't they already crack nagra3 in Europe? The Vendors don't sem to be worried, you don't see the prices on units coming down.

That's a great price.
Make sure it's not a clone.

I am waiting, as soon as we know for sure I want to jump on FTA HD. For now, I'll stick with my Viewsat Ultra!

[Rockstead]

There is now the new Nfusion HD with PVR functionality, but fromw hat i understand you have to manually record as the PVR functionality is not mature yet.

Although I think it is about $100 more expensive than the 8000HD, but I love the fact that it updates automatically, I hate updating bins.


Regaridng the Sonicview 8000HD, supposedly the remote response is terrible, although I've heard that remote can be replaced by another universal remote (maybe something like a harmony) and supposedly it fixes the response probelms with the remote.

I'm still leaning towards the Sonicview based on the PVR functionality, but the NfusionHD is so tempting with automatic bin udpated through the internet.


Any thoughts? care to share your experience with the remote on the 8000HD.

[trick91]

this is a huge business for FTA, vendors wont say they are worried or they will lose buisness. and all this hacking in europe thing is just a rumor right now

[john widow]

Theres a lot of buttons on the remote, so I can't just feel where everything is and know exactly where it is. I usually have to look for it in the dark.

It's a little slow, but there others that are worse. It doesn't bother me too much.

When it says you can record and watch at the same time. That means you can record one thing, and then watch something else, but it has to be on the same transponder. ON HD that might be like 1 or 2 other channels, which might not be what you want to watch. I believe it's like that for all HD FTA receivers at the moment.

Usually you need to pick the right channel to update the EPG which doesn't take too long once u know what channel it is. Then you just scroll through the time and pick what you record. Then I just shut off the tv and leave the fta running. You can put it on standby and have it record as well. But sometimes I have problems, like since it's not updating exactly, it'll record but might be off a bit when the programs stars so it might be better to leave it on.

The fan is loud.

[Rockstead]

I didn't realize you were able to watch stuff on the same transponder while recording.

How about when recording something, can you watch a previously recorded show at the same time?

I'm really hoping to hear from someone that has had a Tivo for a comparison of the PVR.

Another thing that I like about what I read on the Nfusion HD is that it tells you what the type of resolution the channel is outputting, i.e 720P. 1080i, etc, that's pretty cool.

[sonick]

Auuugh, I wish they would just get this swap over and done with.

Looking at getting another box, but with a HDTV, might be a waste of money to spend $150 on an SD box only to upgrade to a new HD box once the swap is over.

Then again, if I get an expensive HD box, and they do the swap, it'll just be an SD box overpriced by $200.

[Rockstead]

Theres a lot of buttons on the remote, so I can't just feel where everything is and know exactly where it is. I usually have to look for it in the dark.

It's a little slow, but there others that are worse. It doesn't bother me too much.

When it says you can record and watch at the same time. That means you can record one thing, and then watch something else, but it has to be on the same transponder. ON HD that might be like 1 or 2 other channels, which might not be what you want to watch. I believe it's like that for all HD FTA receivers at the moment.

Usually you need to pick the right channel to update the EPG which doesn't take too long once u know what channel it is. Then you just scroll through the time and pick what you record. Then I just shut off the tv and leave the fta running. You can put it on standby and have it record as well. But sometimes I have problems, like since it's not updating exactly, it'll record but might be off a bit when the programs stars so it might be better to leave it on.

The fan is loud.

John,

1. Can you record something and watch something that has alreay been recorded at the same time?

2. Can you pause live TV?, if so, how far back can you rewind? or is that a setting you can configure?

[sonick]

Well i bit the bullet and picked up the SV8000HD. So far so good!

It's been said that 'it' has been 'fixed' and running over in Europe already, so when it does happen here it should't be too long of a downtime.

Guy at the store said that they were confident it's not going to be a problem for the next few years down the line. Yeah he's biased but I was gonna buy a box from him either way; and the price he was selling the 8000hd for ($380) doesn't seem like he's making much margin on it. Here's hoping he's right.

[teb]

today from what i read the nfusion HD has the bell nfl sunday ticket working which is using the N3 encryption. FYI for anyone that is interested in this kinda stuff

[trick91]

today from what i read the nfusion HD has the bell nfl sunday ticket working which is using the N3 encryption. FYI for anyone that is interested in this kinda stuff

thats cause they are using IKS (internet Card Sharing or whatever). Basically they got a card which someone subscribed to the NFL Sunday Ticket and are now sharing it. Wouldnt suprise me if its busted relatively quickly, has nothing to do with an actual real hack for N3

[teb]

yes i knew that, i just didn't want to get into details. even the release note said only to use it for a couple hours lol

thats cause they are using IKS (internet Card Sharing or whatever). Basically they got a card which someone subscribed to the NFL Sunday Ticket and are now sharing it. Wouldnt suprise me if its busted relatively quickly, has nothing to do with an actual real hack for N3

[Rockstead]

Hi,


I just purchased a Sonicview 8000 v2 + A1-8PSK module. I also have a new Samsung Pn58A650 1080P Plasma TV. I have the Sonicview hooked up via HDMI.

- I have to say I'm a little dissapointed so far, is it just me or does the non HD stuff look just terrible on your Plasma?

- I'm also having trouble trying to figure out the right away to watch non HDTV stuff, My Plasma is setup to Auto Scan for Aspect ratio, what settings do you set for the SOnicview 8000 in video settings to watch 16x9 vx 4x3 content, i've tried a bunch of settings and it doesn't seem to switch to the right aspect ratio anymore, is this something you have to do manually each time on the SV8K when swithing between 4x3 and 16x9 material? Please tell me how to do this correctly.

- I don't think you can sort channels by HDTV feeds only, did you guys setup favourites with just HDTV content, I'd love to know how you did it.

- SO far on Dishnet, the channels come in as 1080i and on Expressvu they appear to be 720P (from the channels I've found so far), and nothing I've watched so far has been that impressive, mind you I've gotten used to watching Blu-rays, but even so I don't see anything that looks as good as the 720P .mkv files, now is this just because the content I selected was crappy, even the HD PPV didn't look so hot.


- The remote is horrible, it really is as bad as some of the threads I read said it was, the way it responds really bugs me, but supposedly using a programmable Harmony type remote solves this problem, I'd love someone to confirm.


- Do you guys leave yours on 24/7, is there any reason to do a soft power off even?

Thank you for any feedback you can provide.

[sonick]

Non-HD stuff will terrible on a flatscreen HDTV for any box, not just the SV.

I'd leave the SV on 16x9. Different TV's do the stretching/zooming of 4x3 material slightly differently.

I just made a favourites list with all HDTV channels.

Though it's HD, HD from satellite/cable is still compressed MPEG2 (MPEG4 on DN I believe) and so will not look as good as BR.

Yes, my remote is horrible too. I hear the harmony remote does the same thing.

I turn it off simply for power savings.

[Rockstead]

I'd leave the SV on 16x9. Different TV's do the stretching/zooming of 4x3 material slightly differently.

And then there is another setting right under it, for Pan & Scan, Full screen, latterbox, what do you put there?

I tried most of those options, I was finding the 4x3 material to be really distorted.

I just made a favourites list with all HDTV channels.

I got a reply on another forum that there is now a way to sort by HD channels on the latest .bin, something about pressing the OK buttona dn then the blue button, I'm not at home at the moment to try.

Though it's HD, HD from satellite/cable is still compressed MPEG2 (MPEG4 on DN I believe) and so will not look as good as BR.

It's just that I was finding the channels I looked at so far (just a few) didn't look so good even compared downloaded x264 shows.

So I thought maybe I'm doing something wrong on my end.


Are you using the full screen OSD?

[zoolander]

Rockstead, do you have SD cable to compare it to the Sonicview? Alternatively, do you have a CRT to hook up the Sonicview to see if it improves?
People are always surprised how crappy SD looks on even the best flatpanels (I apologize if I am underestimating your AV knowledge).

I can only stand watching SD cable on our old Sony CRT in the bedroom, and its one of the reasons we're keeping it (the big fat bastard hides in an armoire).

HD on our flatpanels look amazing, SD on them looks like I'm watching through light fog.

[Rockstead]

Rockstead, do you have SD cable to compare it to the Sonicview? Alternatively, do you have a CRT to hook up the Sonicview to see if it improves?
People are always surprised how crappy SD looks on even the best flatpanels (I apologize if I am underestimating your AV knowledge).

I can only stand watching SD cable on our old Sony CRT in the bedroom, and its one of the reasons we're keeping it (the big fat bastard hides in an armoire).

HD on our flatpanels look amazing, SD on them looks like I'm watching through light fog.

You know it's funny, I've been following HDTV for years and I've read over and over again how crappy SD looks on them, but I guess I was just in denial, it's a tough thing to accept that SD looks terrbile on a large Plasma (even though it is top of the line) when compared to my old 36" CRT.

Although I'm still dissapointed wiht what I saw of the HD feeds so far, but even that I remember reading that depending on the channel, it could be compressed to hell, bad source quality, etc, but I still want to find a channel and show that will really impress me on both Expressvu and Dishnet, suggestions please!

And you really described the experience I have with SD, it's hazy.

[sonick]

I leave it on letterbox to maintain the aspect ratio and full image of full-screen 4:3 content. If it is a widescreen program in 4:3, I use Pan and Scan. My TV doesn't do Zoom/Stretch, so if yours does I would keep it at Letter-box, and let your TV do the zoom/stretch.

I am using the full-screen OSD; haven't tried the other option.