What are the latest models like compared to the 4000

[Gaza]

İ have just about enough of the back up or lack off it on the 4000 just like some feed back on some of the range its time to move on even the plug ins arent all they are cracked up to be even my server asked me to remove my 4000 as the bandwidth it was using was causing problems for others as it was not hand shaking properly

so is there a good model out there or do i need to look else where

[geoffh]

Hi Gaza,
I guess its down to your requirements, experience and expectations. Reading the forum the 4000 does seem to test the patience of some owners but as I don't not own one I cannot comment on that box. I do own a 6000 so can comment on that.
I chose the 6000 for the following reasons;
1) Mix and match of the tuners, I opted for the freeview HD T2 and one sat S2 tuner, this choice gave a lot of flexibility for my main stream viewing in HD
2) Use of foreign official card for footy viewing
3) Linux based software for flexibility, upgradability and third party plugins, this area I had little experienc in but wanted to learn.
4) I have found the support from the importers first rate and helpful for somebody of my limited knowledge of the technology.
5) Record multiple HD channels simultaneously
6) Good blind search
7) Ex PQ
The 6000 box is reliable, flexible and upgradable with new features being added with every software release i.e DNLA, auto download for new Fw and plugins, YOU TUBE, Internet TV and Radio and web access.
There is much to learn about this box and I believe there is a lot more to come from future Fw updates.
Any way these are my reasons for choosing the 6000 and so far for me its hit the mark every time. True there have been some bugs along the way but nothing to get ****y about just part of product development and improvement.
At the end of the day its down to what you want to do with the box as this will ultimately drive your decisions.
Would like to hear your thoughts on my views.
Cheers Geoff

[echelon]

İ have just about enough of the back up or lack off it on the 4000 just like some feed back on some of the range its time to move on even the plug ins arent all they are cracked up to be even my server asked me to remove my 4000 as the bandwidth it was using was causing problems for others as it was not hand shaking properly




exactly how I feel about mine

I posted the problems I wanted fixing last year and nothing was done about it

I still get the failures on HD channels which start to pixellate badly and then the video fails leaving sound only - never fixed - while SD works fine
the box can also lock up for no apparent reason too, needing a full reboot from the mains to fix it

I have been told to turn off the pvr recording and various other tweaks with no solution as yet, so I can only use this HD box for SD channels

the 7 day epg has never worked properly either and is laborious to implement compared to a blade 7000s which takes a minute or so on a portal channel
even a spiderbox is easier to update the epg using the rytek download principle from the internet, as is the dm800 using a plugin

I also asked for a soft reboot option to be added into the menu itself (a hard reset on my dm800) , never implemented

I cannot understand why these software writers cannot just follow the leads of the other popular boxes

if a tm5402 or bm7000s can do the epg from a portal channel on 28e then surely all the other boxes could do the same ?
or at least have a system like crossepg which downloads properly from the net like the dream or vu use

it reminds me of the technomate tm9100 which was long on promises and short on software delivery, where the software had bugs in it that were never corrected by the patch makers who ditched it in favour of E2 boxes, yet it was a great box if the basics had been fixed , and so is the icecrypt 4000 too

its about time the software engineers concentrated their efforts on making a stable and fully working box

as an SD box it seems to work better and I can ftp divx to its internal hdd and watch them easily using the play function, which is the reason I still use mine a lot

[ColdAsICE]

In spite of what the Ech has said, the big difference between the Icecrypt and Technomate products is that firmware development on the Icecrypts is filtered backwardly to older products such as the S4000.

It might be frustrating as a S4000 owner to see extra features and long awaited improvements happen on the newer products such as the STC6000 and the S3500 but with time they do generally appear on the older models(hardware allowing of course) unlike Technomates who leave the older products for dead and in fact they regularly change the suppliers and operating systems so the newer products have nothing to do with the older stuff apart from the name on the front panel.

The latest firmware for the newer Icecrypt models has a working 7 day EPG which doesn't depend on unstable online servers or third party patched software.
It seems a step in the right direction. It addresses a long time issue with Icecrypt products and only time will tell how stable it is.

I do agree with Ech that this drive towards using E2 in every box is only a cop out by the manufacturers as its always easier to copy someone else's operating system than to develop your own.
This clone operating system attitude hinders any real development as they all depend on third party patches to fix various operating failures and issues.
Only problem with developing your own operating system is that it is slow and a very expensive task especially when you consider the world wide market with its many different demands from the operating system even huge companies like Apple takes years to get it right and then Microsoft just clone it.

Rant over.......need to calm down and allow blood pressure to settle.

[echelon]

I believe one of my points was that the technomate models like the 6000 now seem to use the epg download system that the tm5402 and blade bm7000s use on a portal channel using transponder 11778V 27500 and its quick and easy to use and in most cases populates the channels with a 7 day epg in about 1 minute with no fuss

in comparison I find the e2 plugin download solutions , the spiderbox rytek download solution and the icecrypt 4000s solutions laborious and time consuming with a poorer epg than the one on a blade or technomate, so it seems that the technomate patchmakers have updated some of the old patches to include this feature and I can assure you it is better than the alternatives that I have seen or used

as for the tm9100 , that relied on 3rd party E1 images and plugins and my point was a stable and working operating system was never forthcoming from nabilo or ur-uk or dsteam etc , which made a potentially excellent box bad due to stability issues and the stopping of the firmware development

now back to my icecrypt s4000 , I have never ever had a stable system on the HD channels , only on SD channels , so forgetting about epg downloading completely, all I have ever really asked for is a stable and working operating system that gives me stable HD channels as well as SD channels
ie:- what I paid for when I bought it

the bells and whistles are ok too , but why we cannot have a stable OS is beyond me , when you consider it is sold as a HD receiver - it should do what it says on the tin !! nothing more and nothing less

my dm800 is stable on HD and on SD channels , my spiderboxes are stable , my sky plus box is stable , my tm1500 SD is stable , even my eagle 8000 HD is stable

but my icecrypt 4000 is not stable on HD channels , leading to picture breakup and then to picture loss with a frozen screen and audio only

never been fixed - FACT

I asked for a reboot option in the menu , similar to what many other boxes have , never implemented - FACT

my icecrypt is great on SD channels , great playing divx files , ok using a white card internally ok using newcamd but not so good with cccam , even using a freesat card in my dm800 to feed it locally over my lan still gives troubles on cccam in xcam , whereas newcamd works fine. its worse on external lines as mentioned in post 1

this is not a rant , these are observed facts and I have many boxes to compare it with, and I fully agree with the comments in post 1

if the problems I have can be rectified then great , I would be happy with the box using its original firmware (not E2, I have never changed it to E2)

I dont ask for all the features on the newer boxes , I just ask that the operating system on this box actually produce the basic requirements it was supposed to have when sold , and HD stability is the main gripe here

just to be clear , even fta channels like bbc1HD , bbcHD , itv1HD , c4HD etc all gradually fail with pixellation leading to frozen screen with picture loss and audio only

fix it - PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JaapS]

Echelon, to be honest my 4000 is very satis factional with Dutch Canal Digitaal card and oscam.
HD viewing and recording works fine, even recording 2 HD channels and viewing a third one (all scrambled) does work and 7 days EPG for dutch works fine to.
It does however have a hanging picture with time shift followed by a/v sync trouble sometimes (solved by back/forward) and refuses to delete some recordings ones in a while, no other problems...

[dizz]

For the 30 minutes that it takes to put on, I would try e2 now because the later images are stable and address most of these problems. Crossepg is reliable and you don't need to scan your channel lists/bouquets.

[ColdAsICE]

Ech you have thrown this stability issue at me many times before and I can assure you that HD issue you are suffering is not generic to the S4000.
This machine is stable on HD, I use my S4000 everyday on HD and it is very stable. In fact I watched the match last perfectly uninterrupted even with me throwing the remote around the room but I don't dispute your claim either I think your might have a hardware issue which you have lived with, blaming the firmware and lack of upgrade fixes etc.
Can I recommend returning it for a sanity check. It will prove this issue once and for all and maybe, just maybe you will get your plea to fix it at last.

[echelon]

Can I recommend returning it for a sanity check. It will prove this issue once and for all and maybe, just maybe you will get your plea to fix it at last.

not possible as its out of warranty etc

yes I have thrown that problem onto the forum , as have others too , but its never been fixed , so its not just me , and as we know manikm raised it some time ago , went to E2 and eventually sold his receiver in favour of a clarketech

I tend to use it on SD in the bedroom , and for divx playback , which as I clearly stated it has no problems with

I am resigned to the fact that it will never be sorted out , same situation as with the tm9100 SD software issues

but as I also said I agree with those in this thread and in other threads who complain about the issues that they have with the 4000 , they are not issues unique to my box , and I did not even start this thread , but I agree with the observations posted within it about issues with the software updates and some underlying issues never being fixed over the last couple of years despite several posts about them on here

in the meantime I have to avoid using HD channels due to the pixellisation and lockups that I get , and to reiterate my point to dizz and manikm , I am NOT changing the firmware to E2 , this is not the icecrypt E2 forum and I have no intention of making it into an E2 receiver , this is the icecrypt forum where we should be able to get advice on using original firmware only and its what this thread was about

it is my opinion that the official operating system software is to blame and my point is that there should be an OS , official preferably , that makes this item work in the manner it was intended which is the law here in the uk. I should be able to install that software and test it under a manufacturers OS and see if it works correctly using official firmware , just the same as on my sony 40 inch lcd tv or my sony hxd 870 dvd recorder

in the meantime I reserve the right to put forward my views on the icecrypt 4000 operating system and its problems here in the icecrypt forum as I see them due to the fact it has never been addressed,. I am not interested in any "additions" or bells and whistles that you say cascade down to this machine , I just want it to work properly on HD channels using official firmware the same as it works ok on SD , nothing more, nothing less

therefore I will make this claim over and over again as I see fit until such time as the fix is implemented

[geoffh]

So, back to the main point of the thread, Any recomendations for an alternative or suitable replacement box?
My vote is for the 6000, any other views/suggestions

[ColdAsICE]

Ech I still think you are wrong, why don't you give Turbosat a call and ask them to have a look at your box!
Out of warranty or not.
If you really want "it to work properly on HD channels using official firmware the same as it works ok on SD , nothing more, nothing less" as you say then I'm sure they will sort it, even if its just to prove you wrong!
If you don't want it fixed then don't send it and stop complaining about firmware etc. Many things can cause your issue and most of them are HDD or Hardware.

Geoff sorry the thread went off course as Ech and me had our usual run in over his S4000.
Its strange that Gaza is reporting that his server is kicking him off because the S4000 is consuming bandwidth?
I have never heard of this?
I find it a little difficult to understand as commercial servers like Nascam have thousands of Icecrypt clients, maybe its a server/client configuration issue and simple replacing the receiver might not fix it unless of course your server provider wants to sell you a pre-configured receiver.
If that is the case then any receiver not supplied by him will have issues.

[echelon]

Ech I still think you are wrong give Turbosat a call and ask them to have a look at your box!
Out of warranty or not.
If you really want "it to work properly on HD channels using official firmware the same as it works ok on SD , nothing more, nothing less" as you say then I'm sure they will sort it, just to prove you wrong!
If you don't want it fixed then don't send it and stop complaining about firmware etc many things can cause your issue and most of them are HDD or Hardware.
Geoff and Gaza sorry the thread went off course as Ech and me had our usual run in over his S4000.
I would recommend a STC6000 but I am biased so maybe my vote don't count. It will of course depend what Gaza would like from his replacement receiver and what he likes and dislikes on his present S4000.
G

errm, do not tell me what I can or cannot post on this forum m8

I tell it as I see it , and the law in this country states a product should work as advertised

but after 6 months a buyer has to prove the fault is inherent , look it up under the sales of goods act !!

I have no idea if the fault is inherent or not as it all depends on the software installed , same as it does on laptops or tv,s or dvd recorders or xboxes

and as software is a grey area its not always apparent if a fault is present or not

you were told about my problems last year when manikm was also compaining about similar troubles before he went over to E2, and a few others complained as well, at that time you said you would report back to the patchmakers to get a few solutions for the basic issues raised back then

seems to me you have now changed your tune and wish to wash your hands of it and have consistently dissed me in this thread in person, something I have not done to you, and now you think you can tell me what I can or cannot report on

I think not my fileguy friend !! I have every right as a consumer to report on the issues that affect me and my box on here and elsewhere too

if you did not want a runin you should not have provoked one , I was merely pointing out the same issues I have done on previous occasions , and you had told me the issues would be looked into 12 months ago when you told me to turn off the pvr functions, well its my contention that they were not looked into at all , nothing was implemented and things have not moved forward at all since then

maybe my box or hdd is faulty , maybe it isnt , but you should have the decency to report back on here courteously and not "have a go" at members just because you do not agree with their viewpoint or perceptions

mine comes from using this box , and is my perception of it , you have a different view that doesnt agree with mine , ok I can live with that but I am entitled as is anybody on here to post what they think about boxes in the appropriate sections

what I cannot agree with is you trolling my posts and getting stuck into me using my name and then dissing me out - UNACCEPTABLE - fileguy or not you overstep the mark there no matter who you talk to


İ have just about enough of the back up or lack off it on the 4000 just like some feed back on some of the range its time to move on even the plug ins arent all they are cracked up to be even my server asked me to remove my 4000 as the bandwidth it was using was causing problems for others as it was not hand shaking properly

so is there a good model out there or do i need to look else where

so to answer post 1 above

yes I do believe the support is sadly lacking despite it being a good box

yes there are problems with the plugins and cccam causing issues like you describe above

if I was paying the same money out now I would not buy another icecrypt , or a technomate , as I feel "let down" by those who support the box softwares and extras with both boxes as can be seen in this thread alone where I was dissed for agreeing with you

so I would look elsewhere , to paraphrase post 1 , a vu+ duo or ultimo, or a clarke 9200 silverline or 9500 ET or something similar like the dreambox 7020HD, where they get good reviews and the backup and development seems to deliver the basics and then improve matters with the extras and no backbiting from the patchmakers or fileguys etc

and I would contact goldwafers for the box I decide to buy too

[ColdAsICE]

Sorry Echelon, I'm not dissing you and I really do think you have a Hardware issue which no firmware can cure.
You are taking this far too personally.
I know that my tune has changed from previous threads regarding this issue but time has shed light on some of these Hardware issues.
I'm only trying to help you and others who might be suffering the same issue.....not washing my hands of it.
Please take a chill pill and I apologies if you think I have over stepped the mark.

[echelon]

Sorry Echelon, I'm not dissing you and I really do think you have a Hardware issue which no firmware can cure.
You are taking this far too personally.
I know that my tune has changed from previous threads regarding this issue but time has shed light on some of these Hardware issues.
I'm only trying to help you and others who might be suffering the same issue.....not washing my hands of it.
Please take a chill pill and I apologies if I have over stepped the mark.

in that case start a thread that states what affected owners can do about testing their boxes , short of sending them back which costs money in both directions and may or may not resolve the issue

like full factory resets , reloading of firmwares etc , starting from scratch , testing with manufacturers firmwares that are known to be stable with HD

and include details of what is being worked on as regards the improvements to clear the issues already raised in the last 2 years , not about how future developments will filter down to our boxes whether we want them or not, whilst that may be a good thing to do I might add, all I have ever asked for is the basics to be fixed same as I used to do in the tm9100 forum, without success

and dont tell me the epg system is better than the one on the blade or tm5402 or tm6000 as clearly downloading from a portal transponder in one minute is hard to beat by any system apart from sly or freesat boxes themselves, and I have seen it in action and it works very, very well indeed

I havent seen a 6000 and so I cannot comment on that one for epg use , but up to now the 4000 one has been appalling compared to my dm800 or a blade bm7000s, even my spiderboxes do a better job of it downloading the rytek epg from the menu over the net

my point is that I like this box but have never had one issue addressed in 2 years that I have owned it, and I havent asked for anything superhero, just a few basic changes and fixes

if I have a hardware fault then fair enough, but I am not the only one affected , and those affected have the right to complain about it.
never in all that time has it ever been mentioned to return them to t*rbos*t

ie:- myself , gaza , manikm , and anyone else that isnt getting the basics working properly, and who live in the hope a new firmware will put things right.
both manikm and dizz have also stated that running E2 firmware solves the problems, which is another reason I have always believed its a firmware issue and not a hardware issue

ie:- I am not an isolated incident , I am not the only voice , and all these members have ever asked for is closure, and that lack of closure is what raised this thread by gaza as he mentions in post #1. I understand those frustrations only too well and I would probably buy a vu+duo !

as for a 6000 , I would have to try before I buy as my ice4000s and tm9100 have made me very cautious about buying any further boxes

[Midnight R]

Just for the record my S4000 also stutters on SkynewsHD and ITVHD, its fine though on other HD channels.

[echelon]

I have just done a factory reset after saving my channel list and config file , and then used the loader tool porter express with the factory reset file flash v3 to clear the flash by null modem method, and formatted the data user area to clear the plugins too

I then factory reset the box, loaded the new april 2012 1.10.32 flash file and factory reset yet again , then reloaded the saved channel list and the latest plugins from usb and restarted xcam client

at the moment the HD channels are working so I tried using the open tv epg download and it was fairly quick in page mode but did not populate all channels, but better and quicker than before, with save to hdd as the preferred option

I am going to give the HD channels a good test tomorrow, check divx playback and see how the epg performs

if it stayed working like it is now I wouldnt have any real issues with it , the epg would be better if it did a full population etc , and the xcam is using cccam from my dm800 using a local IP

I am hoping that a full factory reset and flash , plus formatting the data user area and reinstalling the latest plugins will help, and I really do want this box to work properly using icecrypt firmware and plugins

[ColdAsICE]

Echelon your overhaul procedure is the recommended firmware recovery method.
I have my fingers crossed it fully cures your issues.
I've still suffering the third degree burns from your flaming.

The S4000 had many firmware teething troubles of which most have been ironed out. I totally agree that it has been far too slow but I do think it has nearly got there.
The 7 day EPG is still an issue but as it has been fixed in other models lets hope it will be in the S4000 also.

Over the two and half years that the S4000 has been in production some Hardware problems have been detected mainly they have been with the Hard Drives causing the receiver to either freeze(lock up) which can be proven by disconnecting the HDD and running the receiver without it If then behaves itself replace the HDD.
Other HDD faults can cause failed recordings or failure to playback correctly.

A few other Hardware faults have also appeared but this are fortunately few and far between.
The odd tuner and a couple of unstable mainboard(processor) faults which is what I thought you might be suffering.
I hope I am wrong and that I deserved your flaming.
Peace brother!

[buck401]

The s4000 must be due a new f/w soon to address some bugs together with the EPG upgrade, hopefully in the near future as loading the EPG manually is becoming tedious.

[echelon]

I wish I had been told all this info last year when I was looking into this , or at least to have been given some idea as to what to do and what to look for

at least we seem to have the details required in posts 16 and 17 now ;)

I have not had a problem today as yet on the HD fta channels on 28e like bbc1HD and itvHD1 so fingers crossed (hdd still connected)

[dizz]

Just a suggestion for cold. I think you should make a sticky for the approved firmware reset method., preferably attaching the usb cleaners because it is clear that porter and serial ports cause major problems for a lot of users. This would save new users trolling the German forums and relying on google translate. You'll probably save yourself a whole lot of hassle as well.

[ManikM]

i gave up with my s4000 in the end and sold it - i did switch to the E2 OS in the latter days as most of you know, which was ok, but it was only due to the problems with original OS that made me do this.

the main reasons for me giving up on this box was random lock ups, xcam performed very badly with sealions and only cleared one channel at a time (couldnt record one, and watch another) - the EPG drove me nuts having to download a "Page at a time" and then it was all lost after a reboot (why not save to HDD?) - another problem was that sometimes Channel searching locked up 3/4 through - and the only fix was a reboot.

on a positive point - i never had the HD channel problem echelon mentioned.

it wasnt a bad box i guess, looking back....but it may have been that this box gave me my first insight into E2 - and i got used to that, prompting me to sell the ice, and go for a dedicated E2 box (XTrend 9200) - which i am very happy with.

come to think about it, i dont think i'll ever buy a NON E2 box again, as the feature set is too great.

[fatboy7]

Wow, I love the passion this box can command.

Found a cheap Qbox Mini HD, its an E2 box, no real issues (getting a bit board with it as I don't have to keep playing with it).

Still have S4000 with most of the current issues, but must admit later FW's have cured most, but odd HD freezing and poor EPG, but the word on the street is that Icecrypt are near to a final release of FW for the S4000 and will have the recent fixes and 7day EPG the 3500 and the 6000 enjoy. Fingers crossed its soon.

[echelon]

Wow, I love the passion this box can command.

Found a cheap Qbox Mini HD, its an E2 box, no real issues (getting a bit board with it as I don't have to keep playing with it).

Still have S4000 with most of the current issues, but must admit later FW's have cured most, but odd HD freezing and poor EPG, but the word on the street is that Icecrypt are near to a final release of FW for the S4000 and will have the recent fixes and 7day EPG the 3500 and the 6000 enjoy. Fingers crossed its soon.

basically that is what I am getting now

a few glitches on c4HD and c5HD , and on the odd SD channel , and it locked up after viewing a divx file after going back to satellite

and yet bbc1HD and itvHD1and some others have been fine since I reflashed it and started again. !

I too look forward to full stability and an epg that works properly , as I like what I am getting until the problems start (but less problems since my start from scratch approach)

[JaapS]

Since this afternoon I have astra 28 and you guys are right, some HD channels do "stutter" or whatever (sky-sportsHD), not all but some channels are problematic although they have the same encryption as the non-problematic channels.
But again the box works splendid on Dutch and Belgium channels/cards so it's a bummer that a box I bought in the UK gives trouble with UK channels... (and using oscam isn't gonna solve it)