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.