Vantage HD 8000s review

[teebird]

I'm interested in buying one of these beasties and I've come across a review
which others may find useful.

Vantage HD-8000S review from TechRadar's expert reviews of Digital TV recorders

Hope this doesn't break any rules.

[Billet]

I have read the report and what it says is all true. What it doesn't say is that the receiver gets very hot and lots of users have installed a cooling fan. The firmware has been a cause for concern although it now seems to be stable. I do like it but it has been relegated to number 2 behind my Dreambox 7025+.

Regards

[teebird]

OK, Thanks for that. Always nice to hear the facts from an actual user.

[slick]

Vantage are now supplying fans,I recieved one a week ago included with the full accesories provided.
Just as an afterthought, vantage recomends Hard Drive:-)ST31000533CS. it also works well, price around £95 on average.
Hope this is of help.

[thecaretaker]

Hi, first post...

I'm thinking of buying a Vantage 8000 HD and the information here is very helpful.

I've had 2 Technomate 6000HD Combo's, first an original had a power capacitor problem which made it very difficult to get channels with high 'H' polorisation.

I then bought a second SUPER version and now it is starting to show signs of having issues (pink spots in lines) with upscaling SD pictures to 1080i via the hdmi

I've come to the conclusion that either I am just very unlucky or TM sources very poor quality componants to fit in their recievers.

I'm hoping that the vantage 8000 will be a more high end up-market reciever made with 'quality' in mind. For the cost, I would certainly hope so.

I'm attracted to the comment in the report about having better than usual upscaling of SD pictures.

Can any owners tell me their experience with regards to picture quality?

I've done as much reading as possible and I'm undecided between the vantage 8000 or a Dreambox 8000. I've never had a Linux box, so I'm leaning toward the Vantage which sounds a little simpler to update firmware etc.

Final couple of questions:

Do all Vantage HD 8000's come with fans now?
Heat has always been an issue for me and both TM6900's I've had to install fans myself. I actually want a reciever that I don't have to spend my life modifying it to work the way I want it to.

Does a Diabl0 CAM work OK in it?

Many thanks in advance.

[SAT-WORLD]

You could try contacting Vantage directly for answers.
Vantage - Connected to quality

[SAT-WORLD]

Originally Posted by slick

Vantage are now supplying fans,I recieved one a week ago included with the full accesories provided.
Just as an afterthought, vantage recomends Hard Drive:-)ST31000533CS. it also works well, price around £95 on average.
Hope this is of help.

Did you purchase your Vantage from the official distributor of Vantage Digital directly,so as to receive a fan?

[Billet]

I find all this very interesting especially the heat problem. I don't use my 8000 now as I bought a DM 8000. The Vantage does get hot, but if you only have the HDD on as you require it then there isn't a problem. Now I know that sounds stupid as you may use the HDD a hell of a lot so therefore heat may be a concern. I bought a fan for mine but never fitted it. The picture quality is excellent and the Diablo cam does work in it. As for the Vantage Vs. the DM, well if you can afford the DM then why not, but the Vantage is an excellent HD receiver. I can lend you mine to test if you are anywhere near me.

Regards

[thecaretaker]

Originally Posted by Billet

I find all this very interesting especially the heat problem. I don't use my 8000 now as I bought a DM 8000. The Vantage does get hot, but if you only have the HDD on as you require it then there isn't a problem. Now I know that sounds stupid as you may use the HDD a hell of a lot so therefore heat may be a concern. I bought a fan for mine but never fitted it. The picture quality is excellent and the Diablo cam does work in it. As for the Vantage Vs. the DM, well if you can afford the DM then why not, but the Vantage is an excellent HD receiver. I can lend you mine to test if you are anywhere near me.

Regards

Thank you so much Billet for your reply. It's much appreciated.
Unfortunately, with 2 kids, it will be on for long periods, so the heat issue might be a problem. Especially with a Diablo CAM, I cooked one in my first Passion HD box. Thankfully the shop replaced it for me.

I'm using the passion now and have put a fan in that. The TM6900 is showing really blocky pictures on any resolution. Guess it is dieing a death.

If the vantage comes with a fan or a proper fan kit is provided, it would put my mind at rest. Spending that sort of money, I don't want to superglue a fan to the lid (break any warranty) and externally power it by wires poking out the lid. I've had enough of that nonsense.

May I ask another question?

How easy is the vantage to navigate the menus?
Only I've just spent 4+ hours scanning and setting up the Passion to tide me over until I can order something to replace the TM. I'm amazed at the quality of picture on the PassionHD considering it is a budget box, but the menu I find a nightmare to use (slow and not very logical) and I can't record anything.

I could stretch to the Dreambox (I'll not tell the wife how much it cost), but Linux puts the fear of god into me. I'm used to updating, patching and playing with channel lists on the PassionHD and TM6900's, I'm pretty good with computers but I've never used Linux or even seen it.
Can I download files and update using a Windows PC?

How much of a learning curve would it be?

Decisions decisions....

[Billet]

You sound very sensible.

The menu system on the vantage is good, logical and easy to use. You can use a windows PC as you can with a Dreambox to download files from the box. The DM has the ability to update via the net. Don't be afraid of the dreambox, I am a novice and took the plunge, I now have two, you will get loads of help here and on other sites.

Go for the DM.

Regards