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First Impressions: AZ Box Premium Plus vs Pansat 9500

3K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  PrinceLH 
#1 ·
I recently purchased an AZ Premium Plus box and a Pansat 9500, a few months previous. I was looking to find an edge, on my 6' C/Ku dish, so I decided on first the Pansat 9500.

The Pansat worked very well, but didn't have the ability to edit channels very will. You could put in the PID's, but you couldn't flag the hidden channels, primarily on the G16 bird, at 99w. I found the setup and menu's quite appealing and easy to use. Nice large fonts to read, while doing the programming. This machine also has a polar-rotor output on the back. All in all, a very good working machine.

More recently, I picked up an AZ Premium+ box and started working with the menu's in that one. I found the fonts and the menu's a bit more complicated. This machine also allowed for internet streaming, but there are issues with YouTube. They've fixed the issue's with YouTube a few times, the last couple of years, but changes in the way YouTube filters, cause the need for patches on the firmware. With the AZ Box, you can change the HD flags and find those hidden channels. It also allows you to receiver 4:2:2 video and to my recollection, it's the only company out there, that lets you do that, free to air. There are only a few stations using 4:2:2, but there seems to be a few more, from time to time. It's blind scan, however, is much slower than the Pansat. All in all, it's a very good box to work with.

Bottom line, is the $130 dollar price difference when purchasing the AZ. The AZ seems to have a little better filtering of adjacent channel interference. Both boxes are very good at signal pull, especially when using a 6' dish. The AZ seemed to be better, in regards to signal pull on the Ku side. Bottom line, the AZ can do more for you, but the Pansat is easier to use and operate. I give both boxes a thumbs up.
 
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#2 ·
"I give both boxes a thumbs up. "
I have to agree, Pansat has had some really good products that support big dish feeds like polarotors. Wish other manufacturers would include that feature. GUI is usually easy to navigate and very few glitches.

I have had two AzBox units (Ultras) that have worked very well too. Nice to have the 4:2:2, I use that feature every day I have to admit.

The MicroHD is also a great basic receiver, well supported and fairly simple to use, and quite inexpensive.

IMHO of course!
 
#5 ·
I haven't got much of a list of 4:2:2 stations, outside of the feeds on Anik, a couple of CBS feeds and one religious station on AMC 15. I wish that there was some kind of master list of these stations, so we could hunt them down. Maybe we can get them to send us a QSL card, if we can find them....;)
 
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