Sanyo Betamax VTC-5150. Help!!!!!!!!!!!

[good2talk]

Originally Posted by jontydog

Are the fortec star receivers any good m8? Just got one on watching on ebay.

The answer is NO.

[nanochickin]

Originally Posted by good2talk

The answer is NO.

Thats a matter of opinion i think that not everyone shares :? My Fortec Star Lifetime classic is not the quickest of boxes i must admit but i have had no problems with mine whatso ever. As a free to air receiver i dont think its that bad if you on a tight budget. I have found the tuner picks up fairly week signals with my setup which incidentally only cost me £140.00 for an 80cm Dish, Multi feed arm, 3x 0.3dB LNBs, switchbox, receiver and coax.

It definately pics up the FTA stuff on Astra 2 using the Sky mini dish better than my Grundig Digibox ever did. Definately less problems with pixilation.

Granted its not quite as good as the Technomate CI 1000 but then again i only paid £25.00 for mine brand new which i dont think was that bad.

If you have the money go for a minimum of a Technomate i would say but if your trying to get it done on the cheap the Fortec Star is not that bad. The only downfall that i found with it is that it has no card or cam slots which is why i am looking to upgrade mine very soon.

I would like a dreambox but to be honest linux scares the hell out of me at the best of times so that does put me off a little bit, but like stick has said in the past they are fairly future proof.

[BGonaSTICK]

I think every satellite purchase has got to be put into perspective. Everything must be viewed in terms of the funds you have available.

I've had times before where I've had to make do with some right old rubbish, and would have been overjoyed with anything that gave me a satellite picture.

Right now I'm fortunate enough to own a Dreambox, but I never want to lose sight of what it's like to scrape by on the bare minimum. Besides, it's fun to do things on the cheap sometimes.

Just know what you're buying, and set your expectation levels before you splash the cash.

As for running a Linux box, it's really not that bad. It can be a bit daunting on the face of it, and I have seen a very few people fall on their face trying to drive one (if I can be honest here, they just weren't bright enough to tackle it) but I must quickly add that the failure rate is very low, maybe less than 2%.

We all need help sometimes. The smart folks are the ones that can find the right place to get it, and who aren't too proud to ask for it.

Sorry, that wasn't meant to sound like a sermon, but if there are any vicars out there who are a bit short for Sunday, a small donation will secure the rights to these well intentioned thoughts... :roflmao:

STICK

[jontydog]

its a fortec star ultimate I have been looking at which has 2 CI slots and conax embedded.

[BGonaSTICK]

I wouldn't bother personally. Save your pennies and get something more recent. Even the Technomate 1000D would be better than that, because it has current patches available.

If you're planning on buying a card and/or a CAM to go with the Fortec (expensive in the long run...) I'd just spend the same amount on a 1500CI+ up front.

[diapason]

My little Fortec Lifetime Classic works a treat - good pictures on TV and great sound on digital radio. I watched Thai International Television the other night with their squeaky voices and no news whatever about the coup! It's simple to understand once you throw away the instruction book and I'm now receiving signals from three satellites via a two dishes and a switch box. My criterion wasn't cost but simplicity, and, I think, much better than a Freeview box (although subtitles for the hard of hearing on ITV seem to be a problem).

[BGonaSTICK]

Yep, don't get me wrong - I wasn't rubbishing it. As an FTA box, it's as good as any other sub-£100 FTA receiver.

If you want to be able to watch pay TV without paying as it were, then it's more cost effective to get something that can do it using non-commercial software, like a patch or emulator.

If we're still talking about stand-alone boxes (as opposed to networked boxes) CAMs and cards will open the most channels, but this is also the most expensive option.

[jontydog]

I know what you mean stick gonna badger the mrs more for the 1500 CI + super My problem is I keep trawling ebay lol

[good2talk]

I agree with Stick.

[$ly]

1500 CI + super

Skystar man me
But might give in and get one of these eventually just for the tuner sensitivity.

Might have a handle on a CM horn for the Gibbi now though


L.