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new receiver needed, S10 failing

4K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  skild1 
#1 ·
Thanks to everyone in this forum for the great information they have shared. I have been visiting here as a "guest" for sometime and have read so many threads that have helped me. I haven't had to sign up until now.

I'm looking for a new receiver, my S10 is starting to get glitchy and it's time for an upgrade. I've read through several forums and have narrowed down things considerably. I'm seriously looking at the Amiko receivers and am curious if anyone here has any experience with them. I've been in contact with their Canadian distributor and he is very helpful and friendly. I won't post their website as I don't want to overstep any boundaries. I appreciate that Dr Sat helps this forum as much as he does and sponsors it. I know that the Amiko distributor has said he's in discussions with a few other Canadian stores for them to start selling Amiko products but won't say who. I have to ask, is Dr. Sat one of them? Id so when will he have them in stock?

I could go into detail about why I'm considering Amiko instead of Manahattan (garbage IMO), Geosat micro (same category as S10 I think), AzBox (waaayyy too costly and glitchy) etc. And I do not want another Ali 3602 Openbox.

I appreciate any info or experiences anyone has with Amiko and which model (Alien 8900, Alien 2 or HD 8240) that would be worth getting?
 
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#3 ·
Never heard of Amiko until your post. Word on ths street (or forums) is the GeoSat Micro HD is the popular unit at the moment. Dr Sat's has it at its standard price (125$). Apparently its tuner is very good going an excellent job picking up harder to get signals.

I'll be getting the Mirco HD if/when my S10 dies assuming a newer/better model isnt released from now until then.

Cheers, K
 
#5 ·
The Alien and Alien 2 dual boot linux boxes. E2 and their own linux called "Spark" whatever that is. I like some of the advanced features like streaming, IPTV, web browser to go online etc. If I'm gonna cough up some cash to get a new box I want it to be a lot better than my S10 is. Pretty much got my mind set on one of those 2 receivers. I don't blindscan so either one will do it for me. I just have to decide if I want a single tuner or dual tuner model.

I haven't seen Dr Sat respond whether he's planning on selling these receivers or not. Going to wait until next week and see if he answers, would like to buy it from him. I really enjoy coming to read this forum and he helps make that possible. :D
 
#6 ·
Decided to bite the bullet and ordered myself an Amiko Alien 2 today with the Wifi adapter and the mini keyboard from the Canadian distributor. VERY anxious to get it in. Wife finally gave the go-ahead after she had some more issues with the S10. I was surprised she let me spend what I did, but I guess being able to use the browser online and stream content from the server to the big screen was a help. Wonder how much time she'll spend on Facebook playing song pop with this. I also think that the dual tuner and PVR capabilities didn't hurt. It seems that the new fall schedule for the CW starts this week.

I appreciate the input that was posted. Now I just have to fix a LCD tv that went dead on me.:mad:
 
#7 ·
Just to follow up. I received the unit yesterday, and all I can say is WOW, no amount of preparation could have prepared me for this receiver. This unit is amazing. The wireless keyboard is just a tiny thing but seems to work well. I haven't even set up connecting the second tuner to my system yet. There is so many features I don't know where to start. I can see this being a great weekend. Recorded the Wife's CW shows last night straight onto my server. Wife likes it so much she told me to order the new mini receiver they just released for the bedroom and once that shows up the S10 is GONE! no more headaches with it :D

I'll be keeping an eye on Dr.Sats site to see if he starts to stock these. I loved dealing with Jalan but both my brother and my dad are now looking to upgrade and I'd like to buy at least one receiver from him if possible.

Have a fantastic weekend people!
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
I did order that Amiko Mini and received it a couple of days ago. What a purdy little thing, I have yet to see something so small! It blindscans very well and
very quick also. It puts the S10 to shame. The media player has yet to not play anything. recording onto a hard drive with the PVR function also works
extremely well. The Youtube player is a great bonus and gets used a lot more than I would've thought. I haven't connected the IR extender yet because I still have it out in the open but the Wife is talking about cleaning up the equipment in the bedroom so I may end up "hiding" the receiver behind the TV, who knows.

My brother decided to hold out and save for the Alien 2 because he wants to be able to browse the net from his living room TV.
All I can say is that since I've found these great Amiko products I don't think I'll be buying anything else from another manufacturer if I can help it!

In all honesty I haven't connected the second tuner on the Alien2, and don't know if I ever will, don't really need it. If there would be a single tuner model with
blindscan I would probably get another one. The Alien 8900 is pretty much the same unit with the all the same features except no blindscan and a single tuner
and a lower cost of course but I like having the blindscan feature so I doubt I'll buy this one. I think in time I'll probably end up buying a second Alien 2 just to
have the IPTV and browser available on my TV in the bedroom. I have really gotten to enjoy having those available and also the fact that I can play all my
media through my home network onto the big screens. Discovering these Amiko products with advanced features has opened up a whole new world for me
that I'm getting excited to explore. Just thought I'd share my experiences.
 
#10 ·
a better comparison would be to disassemble them all, lay out the main boards next to each other.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Seems like the Alien 1 and Alien 2 have new software being released! A1 got blindscan!! also seems that they'll both stream satellite to the network so that I can watch satellite from any tv (have HTPC's set up at all my tv's) in my house. Looks like they'll also be able to stream from one stb to another!! Another bonus. I'm installing VLC on my pc's now also because it looks like it'll stream 4:2:2 to VLC and restream in back in 4:2:0 through the network to my pc's or another stb!!

Ordered the A1 to try it out when it gets here.Bonus is that the A1 was on sale with a free wifi module included also. Seems I bought one of the last units. Wife is happy she's going to have her own Alien set up with her own keyboard. That means she'll leave mine alone. Technically it's my Xmas gift, but really for her.

Will update after I receive my new unit. Gonna be a great Xmas!!!
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello everyone.

Received my new Amiko Alien 8900 yesterday and have been having a lot of fun!

Basically the same unit as my Alien 2 but with only 1 tuner and the same physical size as my old S10.

New features in the last Spark update have added some great things that I've been playing with.

1- Software blindscan. Considering it's a software blindscan and not a hardware blindscan I'm impressed. Most sats scan in under 10 minutes and is really very accurate.

2- Live streaming to network!! I can stream the satellite feeds back to my computers over my home Network! I can change sats, channels etc. The bast part about all this is that it was supper easy to do and if there's a 4:2:2 feed on that I want to watch I can now!In real time. As I mentioned, I have PC's set up at every TV, I set up that streaming feature (called webserver) at every one of them and since it uses VLC which plays back 4:2:2 I can now watch those feeds in real time!

My brother decided to get the Alien 8900 instead of the A2 because he didn't need the second tuner.

Sold my Amiko MiniHD on kijiji now that I didn't need it and my brother wanted the extra features. Anxious to see what more they'll add to these units!

Have a Happy Holidays everyone!
 
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