Amiko Alien SHD 8900 review

[FoneFreak]

Hi Friends,
This is a review from me I have had almost all boxes so this is a fair and honest user review/comparison.

In my view the spark is okay but not great, if you are used to E2 or decent boxes then i doubt you will grow to use spark although it is 100% better then openbox etc

It is NOT worth ?100 as the company making the boxes should at LEAST support emus!!, this box will run oscam for CCCAM users and mgcamd also works but ONLY mgcamd 1.33, no 1.35 or 1.38.
Certain builds support cccam but it is not as standard as better supported boxes, ie MOST boxes support at least cccam and mgcamd off the shelf!

The remote look great when your first see it BUT it is cheaply made and once you start using it you will notice the build quality by the horrible cheap clicking sounds, ANOTHER thing to note especially for E2 users is that the colour buttons are located in the wrong place (ie blue button for favorites etc), it is too low. (nothing major but potential buyers should know the pros & cons)

E2 images are simple to install but are all in alpha state at the minute, in saying that the PKT v3 image seems to work great on this box.

1 channel plugin also works fine in e2.

Spark OS works well but most of the online functions do not work in europe.

In short the box is 100% an openbox killer and is a very good alternative to openbox and other similar boxes (100% times better than openbox models), BUT it is not as slick as a vu solo/duo or dreambox dm800.

It is not worth ?100 rrp due to limited support from the manufacturs and VERY limited Emu support and also the low build quality. If you can get the box for ?70/80 then it is worth it over openbox etc, but seeing as a dm800hd is now ?100 (from china), i would stick with that as it is tried and tested.

PS: blade is good box but way overpriced at ?149, this box is similar to the blade and much cheaper althought the blade build is much better and the support for blade is also better then amiko alien. But dm800hd is still the safest bet!

Any questions please feel free to ask.

[Fano]

Good post M8,very informative ,its nice to get a comprehensive review of the receiver .

I was tempted to get one of these instead of a Dm800.
There is always a risk buying a Dm800 from China of it being faulty and returning it is a nightmare .Also have the possibility of customs charges.

How stable is the PKT v3 image ?
Is the unit fast at opening channels when you zap ?

From what I have read ,Crossepg and Cool epg work well on the Enigma 2 side,what about Autobouquets plugin ?

From what I can see the unit only has one usb port ,a bit of a drawback ,2 would be handy ,one for a usb wifi stick ( I believe it supports wifi ) and one for a hard drive .

Thanks

[FoneFreak]

it is quite stable but because of poor remote and the (direct pointing you have to do), also the whole feel of the box feels cheap (maybe just because of the remote).

It takes away the viewing pleasure, also it is too buggy with cams gets confused if yiu have more then 1 cam etc.

I would steer clear for now,

Although its a MUCH better option if you have an openbox (but not for ?99, i would pay about ?75 max (idealy lower)

nothing near the feel and use of a vu solo or dm800hd and rumours are the alien 2 (?149) is even worse then the shd 8900

[seamouse]

i just spent 3 hrs on teamviewer and can get cccam to work on it with spark..

[FoneFreak]

this is why i think people shouldn't buy this box, BECAUSE THE manufacturers SHOULD support it better!!

But toget c lines working you have to use oscam (i know! pain in the rear) or use mgcamd 1.33 (other versions dont seem to work) and put your cline in cccam.list (var/keys)

But due to the headace and time wasting I dont think others should buy or support this box with their money yet!

[Fano]

this is why i think people shouldn't buy this box, BECAUSE THE manufacturers SHOULD support it better!!

But toget c lines working you have to use oscam (i know! pain in the rear) or use mgcamd 1.33 (other versions dont seem to work) and put your cline in cccam.list (var/keys)

But due to the headace and time wasting I dont think others should buy or support this box with their money yet!

The support isnt great for the dual boot Spark and Enigma 2 boxes in general.
The Alien 2 enigma 2 images are buggy but there is growing support for it ,a few forums are developing images for it.
Capability wise these boxes tick all the boxes its just the limited software development thats holding them back.

Not having CCCam on the E2 side is a big drawback as Oscam has a learning curve.

If you just run the box as a simple client using Oscam for CCCam,is it ok ?
I mean most people just want a box with a 7 day epg (Crossepg) ,a reliable emu ,Cool Tv guide and a reliable pvr .
Does the 8900 deliver this Fonefreak ?

[FoneFreak]

The support isnt great for the dual boot Spark and Enigma 2 boxes in general.
The Alien 2 enigma 2 images are buggy but there is growing support for it ,a few forums are developing images for it.
Capability wise these boxes tick all the boxes its just the limited software development thats holding them back.

Not having CCCam on the E2 side is a big drawback as Oscam has a learning curve.

If you just run the box as a simple client using Oscam for CCCam,is it ok ?
I mean most people just want a box with a 7 day epg (Crossepg) ,a reliable emu ,Cool Tv guide and a reliable pvr .
Does the 8900 deliver this Fonefreak ?

Oscam for c lines works fine but you need to use a stable version and get past the learning curve, spark is okay BUT none of the so called net service work in uk other then youtube etc.

for tv guide and 7day epg you will HAVE TO use an e2 image, as spark is very limited at the minute especially for epg etc

[rikksow]

I think you must have a duff box mate. I have had a 8900 for about 6 months now and think its a great box. I have been running Mgcamd 1.35 on both spark & e2 and also cccam2.14 on both. On e2 you can run dreamedit so do the same bouquets as e2. Crossepg works on both spark & enigma also. You do have to do a bit more work to get it sorted but once you have its worth it. Also i have to disagree with you about the remote. I have not had a slightest problem with that either.

[FoneFreak]

I think you must have a duff box mate. I have had a 8900 for about 6 months now and think its a great box. I have been running Mgcamd 1.35 on both spark & e2 and also cccam2.14 on both. On e2 you can run dreamedit so do the same bouquets as e2. Crossepg works on both spark & enigma also. You do have to do a bit more work to get it sorted but once you have its worth it. Also i have to disagree with you about the remote. I have not had a slightest problem with that either. Thats abit misleading, I understand most things might work BUT this is a review regarding the product compared to decent and below par boxes, this box is nowhere near the quality of dm800hd or vu solo etc, but is MUCH better the openbox ALL models.

Also its is for potential buyers to see how hard and troublesome it can be to setup the basic on this box due to limited support and alpha e2 images etc

Crossepg for spark may work but spark does NOT have 7 day epg yet (so sort of defeats the purpose)

Also it would be great if you could do a write up on how to install the mgcamd 1.35 and cccam 2.14 on spark and e2 images and also what images you recommend etc, it will be great to read

thanks

[ajax2061]

a good guide would be great as this sounds like a useful cheap box as we anit all loaded ;)
I wouldn't touch it till I was pretty sure I could set it up but could be tempted as my next box....

just looked on fleabay and seeing them for 85 notes with free postage, seams like a lot of box for the money

[FoneFreak]

its misleading mate, 100% NOT alot of box for the money, thats why i'm trying to warn people dont pay too much for this, alien 2 is even worse!

I will 100% NOT buy this box again, but feel free to buy and post your view/s on this box so that it can help others

good luck

[the man]

I think you must have a duff box mate. I have had a 8900 for about 6 months now and think its a great box. I have been running Mgcamd 1.35 on both spark & e2 and also cccam2.14 on both. On e2 you can run dreamedit so do the same bouquets as e2. Crossepg works on both spark & enigma also. You do have to do a bit more work to get it sorted but once you have its worth it. Also i have to disagree with you about the remote. I have not had a slightest problem with that either.


really
Crossepg works on both spark & enigma also.
???????????

[FoneFreak]

really
Crossepg works on both spark & enigma also.
???????????

not realy crossepg works but on spark you do not get 7 day epg (so sort of defeats the purpose)

I for one, am never buying an alien again but good luck to all who have.

[scott-ayling]

I have had my alien 8900 now for a couple of weeks and i love the box i even prefer it to my dm800se and it miles better than my noisyn dm800, took a wee bit to get it setup like i want it but once i did its fantastic and i only paid ?75 for one and when i got my old one price was ?85 but still well worth the squandoolies

[FoneFreak]

I have had my alien 8900 now for a couple of weeks and i love the box i even prefer it to my dm800se and it miles better than my noisyn dm800, took a wee bit to get it setup like i want it but once i did its fantastic and i only paid ?75 for one and when i got my old one price was ?85 but still well worth the squandoolies LOL, thousands will disagree, not much is better then a dm800se.

Would be great if you could post a guide and also what images you prefer to use etc?

are you using any e2 images?, do you use the amazing 1channel plugin/airplay etc or are you just using spark?

What is you emu setup etc

Enjoy

[Manciniout]

I have had 2 spark boxes and for people who like to mess around with boxes new images trying to get things to work they are good fun a little quirky but you can grow to like them IF you just want to watch tv get something else

[scott-ayling]

Im using nebula v3 with crossepg working and use 1 channel and stream to xbmc on my pc, I tried spark and hated it felt cheap but supposedly you get some cracking plugins on spark

[hallo18]

Here is a professional review of the Amiko Alien. It is done by
Tele-Satellite Magazine. Hope this helps anyone and everyone.

http://www.tele-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1207/eng/amiko.pdf

[hallo18]

I have posted this earlier but in the wrong forum. Sorry Guys.

[Fano]

Im using nebula v3 with crossepg working and use 1 channel and stream to xbmc on my pc, I tried spark and hated it felt cheap but supposedly you get some cracking plugins on spark

Does TSPanel work on the Enigma 2 side ?

[masifa]

Hi Peeps,

I have recently purchased a 8900HD for ?70, I am used to the Openbox/Skybox's which are definitely easier to set-up etc especially the favourites!

I have set-up the 8900 with dual boot spark and E2, however I do not like the channel list/favourites on E2 and also I have found that the remote control is less responsive on E2, whereas on Spark it works perfectly.

Also I can't find any wifi dongle set-up/support on E2?

My problem is I can get my N line to work with E2 but I am unable to get it to work with Spark.

I have followed instructions on a number of sites but can not get it to work.

I have also tried using oscam.

I have also tried to get the channel list editor "dreamseteditor" to work with E2 but no luck, can not get a connection even when I use a crossover cable. However DCC works fine with the box on E2.

I am not concerned with epg or any apps such as youtube etc as I have a smart TV that does that.

I just want my n-line to work with Spark, would someone please pm me with step by step instructions from scratch on how to get my n-line to work with Spark please?

My n-line looks something like this:

N: 2013.dummy.org 18227 masif password 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14

Thanks



Oscam for c lines works fine but you need to use a stable version and get past the learning curve, spark is okay BUT none of the so called net service work in uk other then youtube etc.

for tv guide and 7day epg you will HAVE TO use an e2 image, as spark is very limited at the minute especially for epg etc

[Dub12Dave]

Did you download the plug in pack for the box if not do so and then you will need to turn on some of the plugins, not to sure which ones as I am not at home at the minute, then you can press the red button on these and there you will see a new screen which you can then enter your details. Will look back in tomorrow and see if your sorted if not then I will walk you through it.

[rmyers]

hello all i have an alien 2 it works on spark and when i tried enigma 2 it is still booting it has been like that for a half hour im now going t switch back to spark any ideas on how i can get enigma 2 working thanking all in antisipation

[kianniamh]

If its the same as the gm, only spark comes pre-installed, you have to install e2 yourself because it's a personal choice to which image you use (nebula etc).

[wo66]

In same boat - have Spark image, works fine (CCamm) all channels, strong and fast signals on all I need.
Bouquets and channels grouping/selection only thing better on DM800HD - need to try E2 firwmare on dual boot but have been holding back.

Lots of conflicting reviews and feedback on various forums.

Which img works best please?

:ridinghorse:

[dirtydonki]

Thanks to this thread I saved myself time and money buying another pile of junk. Just one look at the Spark Channel Editor was enough to tell me to run away! I guess it's nice to be able to dual boot OS's but Spark & E2? If one is going to end up using E2 then why on earth not just go and get a decent E2 box in the first place and YES, there are some around that are not DM's or VU+'s for a similar price.

The only people I can see who would appreciate such a box are XOpenpox users or complete noobs. Sorry in advance if my honesty offends anyone.

I guess my quest to find an all-in-one STB/Media Player/Web Applications box will continue........................until the Duo2 is finally release and I will end up paying far too much money for it. LOL

[wezlyons]

Thanks to this thread I saved myself time and money buying another pile of junk. Just one look at the Spark Channel Editor was enough to tell me to run away! I guess it's nice to be able to dual boot OS's but Spark & E2? If one is going to end up using E2 then why on earth not just go and get a decent E2 box in the first place and YES, there are some around that are not DM's or VU+'s for a similar price.

The only people I can see who would appreciate such a box are XOpenpox users or complete noobs. Sorry in advance if my honesty offends anyone.

I guess my quest to find an all-in-one STB/Media Player/Web Applications box will continue........................until the Duo2 is finally release and I will end up paying far too much money for it. LOL
Disagree.

I have owned various sat boxes over the years and currently have a VU Solo2 as my main box and a Alien 8900 for the back room.
It took a bit of effort to get running but now it's all sorted and I have to say I think it's a great little box.

I have installed the HDMU image, have cross epg running and Autobouquets, the box runs perfect.

I don't think it's a box openbox users and complete noobs would appreciate, I think it's a box that experienced sat box users who don't mind tinkering about would appreciate.

Well worth the ?90 I paid for it.

[Evilbert]

I've had this box for a couple of weeks now, and have to say im not terribly impressed. The spark side is very much openbox/skybox type menus and the limitations that they bring. The E2 side seems quite unstable on the images i have tried, in fact one image wouldnt even move my motor. Everything seems like such hard work to get anything to work, whereas E2 on the DM800 just worked. Which is what ive decided to go back to. This thing can go on ebay.

[seunogundip20]

I bought the box, and I do not know what to do add ??????????. I am not even sure if it runs spark or enigma2 this is a nightmare for me. I will appreciate any help that can help use the box in a meaningful way.