To dbox2 or not dbox2

[mickd2]

Hi Guys,

First of all apologies for the email as I appreciate you probably get asked these types of questions all the time from newbs like myself. I'm just looking for some advice.

A bit of background about myself. I was given an ntl box about a year ago from someone which I have been using fine with the autoupdate funcard. However now that the keys have rolled and with still no fix on the horizon I was thinking about getting one of these dbox2 thingamajiggies.

Is this the way to go guys? i.e. are these dbox's about the best things around?

Also, I was looking on ebay and the going rate seems to be about ?119 for one, is that the normal price?

And finally I'm no technical genius in fact I even struggle to spell the word technical. I haven't even looked at any of the tuts for reprogramming the dbox for fear of it putting me off buying one. For a spanner like myself, is it straightforward enough for numpties like myself to reprogram the box or would you recommend I stay well clear for fear of high blood pressure trying to suss the thing out?

Lots of questions, sorry, just want to make sure I do the right thing before blowing ?120.

Thanks in advance.

M.

[C64]

The Dbox2 is a great machine mate, but they've not been produced for about 6 years, so each and everyone of them is an antique!

You would be much better off buying a Dreambox 500, this is very similar to the Dbox2 and is much more up to date, official production of the dreambox 500 stopped a year ago due to piracy but you can still get a clone dreambox very easily, you can get a Dreambox 500 delivered to your door for ?60!

They are not the simplest of boxes to use but it's not exactly rocket science either, they are also capable of much more things than the other types of boxes like streaming over the internet and stuff like that.

Personally I can't see beyond the Dreamboxes or Dbox2 but there are lots of other simpler alternatives around, if all you really want is free cable television then I'd recommend buying a Kryptview, with these you simply plug them in, tell it to scan and watch tv

[alec]

And finally I'm no technical genius in fact I even struggle to spell the word technical. I haven't even looked at any of the tuts for reprogramming the dbox for fear of it putting me off buying one. For a spanner like myself, is it straightforward enough for numpties like myself to reprogram the box or would you recommend I stay well clear for fear of high blood pressure trying to suss the thing out?

Only you can answer that by reading the tutorials.
Also checkout German ebay. I think it is( ebay.de).
Someone bought one for ?30 a few years ago. I haven't looked recently.

[hawking1973]

hi witchy is the kryptview box also called starview 3 box or something like that ?

[C64]

No mate, Starview is yet another different machine.

Most common boxes are...

Dreambox
Dbox2
Eurovox
Starview
Replaybox
ITgate
Kryptview
FTA101
Digivox
DDigital STB

Most of the above boxes have various models available.

The you have the original cable provided boxes which require a smartcard, PAce, Samsung etc.

[thommo]

all down to personal choice but i would say go dreambox myself...you only have to read about on the forums to see what you can do with them.


click the link at the bottom of the forum think theres an add for a place that sells them for 80 something quid.


read up on each box and make your choice but id say you wont go far wrong with a 500c.

[mickd2]

The Dbox2 is a great machine mate, but they've not been produced for about 6 years, so each and everyone of them is an antique!

You would be much better off buying a Dreambox 500, this is very similar to the Dbox2 and is much more up to date, official production of the dreambox 500 stopped a year ago due to piracy but you can still get a clone dreambox very easily, you can get a Dreambox 500 delivered to your door for ?60!

They are not the simplest of boxes to use but it's not exactly rocket science either, they are also capable of much more things than the other types of boxes like streaming over the internet and stuff like that.

Personally I can't see beyond the Dreamboxes or Dbox2 but there are lots of other simpler alternatives around, if all you really want is free cable television then I'd recommend buying a Kryptview, with these you simply plug them in, tell it to scan and watch tv

Thanks for all that info witchy, that's been really useful.

I actually bought a dreambox last year but had mega problems with it and eventually gave up on it.

As you suspected I'm not really looking for a box that does all the fancy things, I just want to watch the tv, so your recommendation of the Kryptview is spot on. I had never heard of that before but sounds exactly what I'm after.

Do the channels ever get scrambled, i.e. do the keys ever roll and if they did is all I do just rescan again?

Thankfully I've got some time to see what the best option is as a mate emailed me the fix for the funcard autoupdte last night so at least I can get the tv back on again.

Again, thanks for all your advice.

Cheers
M

ps Good luck for tomorow night, I think we are going to need it

[mickd2]

Only you can answer that by reading the tutorials.
Also checkout German ebay. I think it is( ebay.de).
Someone bought one for ?30 a few years ago. I haven't looked recently.

Honestly, I dont need to check out the tuts to know I would be completely lost, these things are always a desperate last resort for me. I'm still struggling to set my alarm clock to summertime from a few weeks ago!

[mickd2]

aread up on each box and make your choice but id say you wont go far wrong with a 500c.

Believe me thommo, I'm the very man to prove your last statement wrong! but thanks for info mate.

I do have one and had mega problems with it last year, and put in the loft before I launched it through the living room window. The box does have dent in it from when I volleyed it last year, not one of my finest moments

The screen kept freezing and then it would take me at least 20 minutes to rescan for channels. Someone on a fotum told me it might actually be the ntl cable that comes into the house from the street, I dunno seems plausible I guess. The thing is the ntl box with the funcard seems to work fine.

[C64]

Only you can answer that by reading the tutorials.
Also checkout German ebay. I think it is( ebay.de).
Someone bought one for ?30 a few years ago. I haven't looked recently.

In the good old days, I got a Nokia Dbox2 for ?12 from Germany

[smirnoff_rules]

sounds like u need a eurovox max m8 . plug and play , if u get one make sure to get a null cable with it

[C64]

Kryptview is spot on.

I had never heard of that before but sounds exactly what I'm after.

Do the channels ever get scrambled, i.e. do the keys ever roll and if they did is all I do just rescan again?

The only box that will not get scrambled is a REAL box from Virgin that you've got a subscription for! (even then, they can still go down, )

All the pirate boxes available use the same method of decryption so all the boxes can go down, the sole reason i recommend the Kryptview over all the other boxes (except Dbox2 and Dreambox) is that they have a team of British hackers fully behind it, the machine is built abroad but it designed for use in the UK unlike other boxes which are for general release and are sold all over europe and in some cases all over the world! The Kryptviews tuner is also chosen for it's compatibility with UK cable.

All the other boxes are fine I suppose, but if I were forced to chose one that wasn't Linux based then I'd personally opt for the Kryptview.

BTW, the Kryptview was the 1st box to be fixed, they all had the fix about 5 days before everyone else!

[deegnm]

Probably a bit late to advise you now mate but for simplicity and i think thats what your after, look no further than the itgate (babypearl or blackpearl) i have more boxes in my collection than you can shake a stick at and the itgate is by far and away the simplest, or bestest as you put it, box on the market. Now it might not be the best(thats up for debate) but for simplicity and a powerful machine no other box comes close, the support team will contact you as soon as you receive your box and will even phone you if you e-mail them your number and bring you through any problems you may have which i can assure you wont be many . The Kryptview is also a quality box as is the 500(not a clone) but the itgate has everything they have and in the case of the black pearl more, but everything is just straight forward. Plug in the power lead, scart lead and cable supply turn it on and scan for all channels, thats it.