Skybox F6

[Costactc]

Just checking out some Chinese sites and I came across the Skybox F6 receiver selling for $43. Just wondering if anybody has heard anything about this stb?


1. Sunplus1512A Processor;
2. Full HD PVR 1080P, with 2 USB;
3. Support 3G Modem, USB Wifi



specification

High-performance 667MHz 32-bit MIPS 24KEc Processor
Supports MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-2) MPHL and MPML for HD and SD decoding
Supports MPEG-4 (ISO/IEC 14496-2) extended ASP
Supports H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC, ISO/IEC 14496-10) MP/HP L4.1 for SD and HD decoding
Supports RealVideo(RealPlayer v8,9,10), DivX 3.11/4.12/5/6/HD, and Xvid,Dolby
Supports WMA and WMA-pro, Dolby MS10 option, RealAudio
Supports various bit rates for MPEG-1 Layer I/II, AC-3 and E-AC-3
Supports HDMI 1.3 transmitter with HDCP, 1080i/p, 720p,576i/p and 480i/p outputs
Supports dual USB2.0 EHCI host controllers with PHY embedded
Supports 1-bit or 2-bit SPI flash memory
Supports USB WIFI
IR receiver/transmitter
VFD driver interface
Supports dual Smart card controller interfaces
Supports PCMCIA controller interface for CI/CI+ applications
MHEG5 HD middleware UK DTG Certified
10/100 MAC with PHY
Automatic and manual channel scan options;
Automatic service scan
Channel-change time < 1 second
OSD in many languages and skin-support
Multilingual support on screen menu (OSD): English, French, Deutsch, Italian, Spanish,
Swedish, Danish, Greece, Portuguese, Finland, Holland, Turkish, Czech, selectable
LED Display
Analog audio output: stereo(L+R);
YCbCr available;
1 x Scart (RGB, FBAS or S-Video)
Screen format: auto, 4:3, and 16:9;
Upgrade software through USB2.0 port;
Powerful program management function, parent lock;
Directly bouquet-lists


5386

[eastof111]

I've seen it advertised off/on a few months ago, but no reviews yet. For the price, it can't hurt to try one out.

[Costactc]

Just ordered one. If it's anything like the F3 it'll be well worth it.

[eastof111]

Great.. Can't wait to read your review!

[Costactc]

Unfortunately, donkey express from china can take up to 25 days.

[easily confused]

Might be that this might be another receiver we could sell here. Affordable accurate receivers are what everyone needs and wants.

[cpr43]

RealVideo RMVB video play is great not to many play them:thumbup:

[eastof111]

Here's a picture of the inside of the F6. Looks like they are really getting better in construction and materials, considering the inexpensive price of the unit.

[ViP3R]

X2 tells me they will have a couple of new models in the next month or two as well, I don't have any specs as yet, but might be something to look forward to as well.

[eastof111]

Here's a comparison of the F series... Maybe we should start a db for future and easy comparisons of some popular receivers?

[rrob311]

that looks like an X5 to me. What other options does it have on top of the x5? Different operating system? Seems to have the same processor and case.

[eastof111]

I guess we'll have to wait till Costactc tests it.

[Costactc]

Just got an e-mail confirming that the receiver has been shipped.

[Costactc]

Well it took 17 days to get here, not bad. The F6 comes equipped with a NA power cord, no adapter needed, hdmi cable, remote and an X5 users manual. It's identical, on the outside to my openbox X5. I haven't powered it up yet to see if there are any differences. The remote looks user friendly and is not the same as the X5 remote. Some pics:


5521552255235524

[cpr43]

Send me the link to order. I might order one for my porch in the resting area outside the house:agree:

[eastof111]

Hey Costactc, looks like they put it on a fast boat for you! The remote looks like a twin of the X7. Hope to see the screen shots soon!

[Costactc]

Send me the link to order. I might order one for my porch in the resting area outside the house:agree:

Let me test it out first Carlos.


Hey Costactc, looks like they put it on a fast boat for you! The remote looks like a twin of the X7. Hope to see the screen shots soon!

Not quite sure as I have never seen the X7 remote. One thing I can see is that the guts of this receiver are not identical to the X5. Screenshots are a coming folks.

[cpr43]

[QUOTE=Costactc;59041]Let me test it out first Carlos.



Sure!!! I will be interesting in the IPTV section. Skybox is pretty easy to load the TVlist in text *.txt format. Easy to create your own list and load it. As usual there are some features to look for:

Clock- Time
manual pids
Channel Editor
blindscaning acuracy and speed


Thanks!!

[Costactc]

Menu is identical to the X5. Sorry about the pics, this receiver doesn't seem to be camera friendly. It's loaded with a European satellite list but does have several of the Atlantic sats in its list. Guess I'll start at 11w as I usually do with most of these receivers.

55255526

[cpr43]

Strange, I dont see the Network Setup menu???? what are the options at SW update??

By the way I see you on the background!!

[Costactc]

The only options are s/w upgrade by usb or network. Just checked out iptv and it loaded immediately. Scanned in the 2 Russian channels at 11w in no time at all. I haven't touched the clock but I did notice that the date was 1 day ahead. This really reminds me of the X5 but seems more stable. More to come folks:


55275528

[Costactc]

Network setup can be found in the system setup menu. Pictures just do not come out clear enough in the menu:

Network Setup- Ethernet- Wifi- 3G.

[eastof111]

Later, when you get a chance, would you do a full backup of your firmware and post. Thanks.

[Costactc]

Later, when you get a chance, would you do a full backup of your firmware and post. Thanks.

No problem East, fw is dated March 21/13.

[Costactc]

Well, I've scanned up to 40.5w and I'm quite impressed with the stability of the F6 in comparison to the X5. Blind scan speed is extremely fast but I will not compare to the X2 until I get to the American side. You tube doesn't seem to work as I get data error on every attempt that I've tried. I have noticed one thing that bothers me a bit, upon channel change the next channel has a slight mini freeze before it actually shows- not really that bad. More to come folks:

5530

[eastof111]

Costactc, it will be interesting to see if it goes past the 32 sat limitation when you hit the sat button.

[Costactc]

If it's like the X5, there will be no issues with exceeding 32 satellites.

[eastof111]

Good to hear about the sat limitation. When you upload your full backup, I want to see if it's compatible with the X7.
Thanks.

[Costactc]

Good to hear about the sat limitation. When you upload your full backup, I want to see if it's compatible with the X7.
Thanks.

I'll do the backup tomorrow. Already at 23 sats and I'm at SES 2 at 89w. This box is a keeper but its blind scan is just slightly slower then the x2 and its tuner is not as sensitive.

[Costactc]

Later, when you get a chance, would you do a full backup of your firmware and post. Thanks.

Sorry for the delay East. I keep getting invalid file when I try to upload it, any ideas?

[cpr43]

Try using *.zip instead of *.rar

[eastof111]

Sometimes when uploading in the manage attachments menu, it gives an error message no matter what. Best thing for me has been to close the session and start all over. This usually works for me.

[Costactc]

Still a no go. I know I had this problem before but I can't remember how I got around it. Hopefully Viper tuners into this thread as he was the one that helped me out before.

[Costactc]

Let's try this again:


5577

[cpr43]

Everything Ok now!! I download it w/out problems. rename mine as f6 factory Firmware

[eastof111]

Thanks Costactc, just downloaded and tried to open it. It says damaged file, unrecognized format. I believe the file you uploaded is the database file for your sat list, not the actual firmware for the receiver. The size should be anywhere from 5000 to 6800 kb in size, not the 800 kb you uploaded.

When you do a backup to your usb stick, does your menu show a backup for ALL rather than just database? It's the full backup that I need.

Thanks again.

[Costactc]

I'll give it another shot East.

[Costactc]

I don't see anywhere in the menu for this except save db.

[cpr43]

Yep, I download it without open the file. Something is wrong on the zip file. Problem is within the compressed file

[Costactc]

Just pulled a newbie and erased everything, back to the Atlantic side and back to the drawing board.

[eastof111]

Sorry to hear that, can't you just use your backup to reload?

[eastof111]

Here's some pixs of my X7 which I was hoping to load your firmware for testing. The pixs are in sorted by order to get to the backup menu. The last pix shows the menu for the usb stick to confirm a good backup was made.

I was hoping your receiver had basically the same setup.

Well, hope you get yours going again.

[Costactc]

The menu is not like the F6 at all. All I see is upgrade and the choice is by usb or network. I will wait to slap on my esx421 lnbf as my side feed with dilectric plate before I start scanning again.

[Costactc]

The X5 menu is identical, I'll ask Rob if he's aware of doing a backup.

[eastof111]

Thanks Costactc. All I am trying to do is solve the 32 sat limitation which still exists with this receiver's firmware. If the X5 has the same menu, I would guess he has that problem too. But, heck, if Rob's X5 doesn't have that problem, I will try it and test it.

[Costactc]

32 sat limitation isn't an issue with the f6 or x5.

[eastof111]

Cool, good to know.

[rrob311]

Did you get any further with this one Costa? Did you find a firmware source? I am running 9/22 firmware on X5 and it works pretty good. I uploaded a new satellite file for that particular firmware.

[Costactc]

I wasn't to impressed with the receiver Rob, I sold it to my neighbour Lex before sending it to my receiver grave yard- that happens to be where my x5 is also.