My Review of the VU+ Duo2 FTA Receiver

VU+ Is a new line of fta receiver for me. The VU+ Duo2 has a list of specs that I really liked so I decided to try one. The Duo2 that I purchased has 4 DVB-S2 tuners installed. I got the 4 tuner option so I could eliminate some switches and increase recording capabilities. In this first post, I will explain a little bit of what I have discovered about this receiver, then follow up later with some pictures and comments.

VU+ Duo2 Price as Tested: About $750.00 U.S.
This price includes 4 DVB-S2 tuners, plus 1 ATSC USB Experimental tuner.
There will be additional cost later as I add a decent internal hard drive.

First Impression: I love It!
The speed and overall performance of this receiver meets or exceeds my expectations.

BlindScan: Poor or None
BlindScan does not mean that much to me, but it is a feature that I want and need.
The Duo2 BlindScan operates from a plugin that is almost identical to the AZBox Premium Plus in E2.
There is no C band BlindScan. BlindScan only works for tuner 1.

Picture: No complaints from me for HD or SD formats.

Firmware: Enigma2 (E2)

Overall Performance: Excellent!
The speed and smoothness of the tested E2 images is far above any other receiver that I have.


There are a ton of features in the Duo2, so it will probably take me at least a couple of months to fully understand this receiver's capabilities. I am also involved in a project to get ATSC (OTA) working so i can use this receiver to view the local tv stations. More on this as it develops.

As for the BlindScan, I just do not know. The plugin for this feature appears to be table dependent, and this would explain why there is no C band BlindScan. This is old technology that I hope gets updated.

Feel free to ask any questions that you may have about this receiver. I will do my best to answer them and I will post more information as time permits. EB

Edit: Blindscan works on C band using Firmware openatv-3.0-vuduo2-20131018
Two tuner blindscan is not currently available for tuners A&B. Blindscan does work for two tuners using tuner A and tuner C

The Duo2 is packaged exceptionally well.
The giftbox is not fancy. Just a box with some writing on it.
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The Duo2 is Made in Korea
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A couple more box pictures.
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On my scales, the Duo2 weighs 6 pounds & 3 ounces
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The Remote (RCU) is an exceptional piece.
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The Duo2 was shipped with an unknown E2 image.
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This image was quickly replaced with BlackHole 2.0.6




The Weather is impressive!
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The 139W Radio Channels scan in nicely.
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Lol

Powerful Dual Core CPU
No more interrupted moment when using DUO2
With the Powerful Dual Core CPU 1.3 GHz (MIPS based), the speed of operating functions is faster than you ever imagined. You will be satisfied with the system loading speed of functions such as booting, using plug-ins, or channel tuning.

Dual Display
Double viewing screens provide double amount of convenience
The front panel of Duo2 is equipped with both LCD and VFD. (TFT LCD 3.2" / 262,000 Color / 16bit) VFD provides basic information such as channels and time, while LCD screen provides more interesting information or use the LCD screen as a digital picture frame by putting your personal photo slides and so on. Dual display can increase both text and graphic content of multiple presentations. through LCD4Linux Plug-in. For example, you can have frequently updated weather, With the dual display option, viewing experience comfort level will be intensified.

1080p FULL HD
Make your TV screen more realistic than ever before with DUO2
The strong performance is ideal for 1080p Full High Definition decode and display. You will enjoy every second of watching TV due to the sharp and vivid images on your TV screen.


Double & Double Tuner
Experience up to 4 tuners with only twin plug-able tuners.
Double & Double tuner in Duo2 indicates twin plug-able tuner system with the availability of using dual tuner. You can experience to have up to 4 tuners with only 2 tuners inserted in DUO2. Moreover, as its tuner system is for DVB-S2 or DVB-T/C, your choice of watching TV will be even more fulfilling.


Built-in Wi-FI
Easy and Simple Internet Connection with Built-in Wi-Fi
Duo 2 features built-in Wi-Fi that connects to the Internet without any additional devices or wires. With the built-in Wi-Fi, you can fully enjoy high-definition streaming or web browsing. Built-in Wi-Fi allows enhanced multimedia applications with the easy access to the Internet.


Transcoding
Enjoy TV contents on your personal mobile devices.
Duo2 is the only box with the transcoding feature, which enables watching TV or other contents in different rooms via streaming. It provides the new level of convenience by providing transcoding system. Make your watching TV moment extra interactive with your personal electronic devices such as iPad or smart phones by down converting.


Recording up to 16 channels
DUO2 makes it impossible to miss any of your favorite channel.
You can record up to 16 Live channels simultaneously. There may be moments when you had to miss one for the other channels due to the lack of recording ability of previous STB. However, with DUO2, it is literally impossible for you to leave out any LIVE channels. With HDD (3.5 inch) internally equipped, you can play the recorded files whenever you want from Archive.



HbbTV
Enjoy interactive services on your own living room.
Duo 2 is the "HbbTV" supported set-top box. "HbbTV", Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV, is a major new pan-European initiative aimed at harmonizing the broadcast and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and Set-Top Boxes. In other words, HbbTV enables you to experience web browsing while watching the Live channel interactively at the same time. Main applications include TV Guide, Catch-up service, web video, VOD, or portal service. Additionally, you can check the weather, sports, news and etc,.



HD Picture in Picture
More satisfactory experience of watching main & supplementary screens in HD quality.
PiP(Picture in Picture) is displayed in High-Definition. There are no such thing as less important screen in DUO2 as it makes every viewing moment in HD quality.


Plug-Ins
Double up your entertainment choices with various Plug-Ins.
Various plug-ins developed by independent developers makes the whole experience of using DUO2 simple and incredibly fun. You can enjoy all those plug-ins with just simple click of downloading. There are Plug-ins made just for DUO2. For example, Vu+ AirPlay Plug-in provides easy content streaming of audio, video and photos from your personal electronic devices such as iPhones or iPads. You can view any contents from your TV screen to your mobile devices anywhere you want as long as you are in the same network. Not only do Plug-ins provide entertainment, but they also enable you to customize your own DUO2. It can have daily weather check frequently updated or even slide show of your favorite pictures.

how is the tuner sensitivity compared to the x2?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by solrackm [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

how is the tuner sensitivity compared to the x2?

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My friend, It will be better to ask how is the price compared to the X2?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by solrackm [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

how is the tuner sensitivity compared to the x2?

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My tests so far show the Duo2 to be at least equal to the X2. I have not had the opportunity yet to test the 78W Brazil satellite and see if one receiver will open a DX channel while the other will not. This test will have to wait for the right opportunity.
Also, the picture quality on the Duo2 is noticeably better than the X2 in both HD & SD. Some would argue that it takes more information to open a channel if the X2 opened a very weak channel and the Duo2 did not. Anyway, I will try to test this at some point.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carlospr43 [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

My friend, It will be better to ask how is the price compared to the X2?

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While you are comparing price, you might want to compare features.

I have been looking closely at the vuo2 with all its features and the price. Being that you have both the x2 and the vuo2, what do you think in your opinion about tuner sensitivity? I have the x2 and so far I have not seen any other sat receiver that has the x2 tuner strength in my opinion.

p.s I missed post#7 you answered the tuner part for me. I read all the features. I also have the optibox raptor and love the features it has. price not much of a problem as long the receiver can kick ass.

Sorry, I thought you were thinking they were both in the same range.

There are several people on this forum that can and would buy a receiver such as the Duo2 if it does what they need or want it to do. The reason I started this thread is to provide information so an informed decision can be made before buying.

At the moment, I am focused on what is happening with the USB ATSC tuner that I have attached to this receiver. This is tuner E(#5), and I have seen it wake up due to coding changes and efforts. The ATSC tuner was not being recognized when I first bought the box. Attached are a few pictures of the ATSC tuner progress. (Note: DVB-s2 Tuners C and D are not configured yet because they are not connected to a dish antenna.)

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More information will be posted as this project develops. EB

Will the receiver do 16apsk signals like the Triplex and the Openbox S10?

I do not know where any 16apsk are to test that are string enough for me to get a signal on. What is the strongest 16apsk signal for you?

The only ones I have tuned in have been the horse racing feeds on 95w cband with the 1035 SR. They are marginal with my 10 foot dish but a couple lock consistently. I am not sure where any others are.

Those are too weak for my C band system to lock. You will have to find something stronger than those for me to test, preferably on the KU band.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by solrackm [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

how is the tuner sensitivity compared to the x2?

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A quick test this morning shows the tuner sensitivity of these receivers to be about equal. MSNBC at 15W has a habit of "tearing" or "glitching" in the early AM. The cause of this is unknown, but the signal is poor on this transponder right now. I connected the X2 and the "tearing" or "glitching" is about equal to the Duo2. This test is far from scientific or controlled, but I can conclude that if you are having weak signal problems with one of these receivers, you will have the same problem on the other receiver.

The SD picture is much better on the Duo2 than the X2. IMO, this is an unfair comparison due to the price difference of the two receivers. EB

EB, can you store and use more than one image currently?

I do not have a hard drive connected so I do not know about storing an image. You can use only one image at a time, and there are several different groups to choose from. Right now, I am only focusing on the Black Hole images.

EB, ON MY AZBOX, I can store another Enigma Image to usb, it has to be the same kernal for both Images.
Regards.
Chewie

The Duo2 Black Hole image allows for backup.

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Cool... just like the option in software management in E2.

The Duo2 is a very sensitive receiver. It seems to be performing a bit better than the X2 on weak channels. My X2 has been able to open some weak channels that my other receivers could not open due to a weak signal.

Attached are pictures of my weakest Ku channels. These two channels are found on Simón Bolívar at 78W, and on Galaxy 11 at 55.5W


Simón Bolívar (Ku)
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Galaxy 11 (Ku)
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Nice pics EB, what are you using to upload them?

E2 Web Interface.

I have a 6ft. Ku dish on tuner A. I am driving this dish using a positioner and Diseqc 1.2 commands. The E2 firmware for this receiver does an excellent job in this area for me. Diseqc 1.2 positions may be assigned in any Legal order. there is an option in the menu to enter the Diseqc 1.2 position you desire or need for a particular satellite.

There are 3 digits available for Diseqc 1.2. I do not know of any positioners that will store past 99, but it looks like this firmware is ready just in case your positioner can store 100 positions or more.

If the Diseqc 1.2 command is broken for some reason while the dish is being moved, the command is resent and the dish starts to move again. For example, let's say I am on a satellite at 125 West. Then I tell the dish to move to 30 West, the dish will briefly stop on its journey to 30 West if I press a button on the receiver's remote. But the dish will start moving again to 30 West shortly after the remote control button was pressed. Not all receivers will do this. Some receivers will stop the dish dead in its track if you send another command while the dish is moving.

Bottom Line: I cannot find any bugs or flaws in the Diseqc 1.2 system of the Duo2 using the Black Hole Image. EB

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what brand of tuner is inside the duo? I am interested in any receiver that has a good tuner since I have so many trees in the way.

I do not know the name of the tuner. Did not see anything written on it. But I can tell you the tuner is not strong enough to go through a tree.

If it is more sensitive than the x2, I will see an improvement along my arc.

The best tuner is a chain saw...:smiley14:

A sensitive tuner may help to open a weak channel or it may allow a channel to open that is in a lot of noise.
A sensitive tuner will not automatically improve the performance of a receiver over an entire arc.

Some would say the X2 has a very sensitive tuner because it will find weak transponders and it will open weak channels that other receivers will not.
Others would say that the X2 does not have the high quality picture of some other receivers, and the reason it can open weak channels is because less information is needed to form a picture.

My experience with the Duo2 so far is it has a very good tuner that is about as sensitive as it needs to be. the Duo2 has a very good HD and SD picture. Very high picture qualities with this receiver!
You can only do a certain amount of signal acquisition with a tuner. The dish antenna system has to do its part too!

I loaded Openatv-3.0 firmware today. I think this operating system would be better suited for most people in North America. Blind scan works for both C and Ku bands with this firmware. I also noticed that tuners A and C would both support blindscan. In my earlier tests using tuners A & B, blindscan only worked in tuner A

The double tuners in the Duo2 are set up on 2pc boards or two cards. So tuner A is above tuner B, and Tuner C is located directly across from tuner A. Tuner A and C are also on different pc boards so that may explain why blindscan works for these two tuners.

"The double tuners in the Duo2 are set up on 2pc boards or two cards. So tuner A is above tuner B, and Tuner C is located directly across from tuner A. Tuner A and C are also on different pc boards so that may explain why blindscan works for these two tuners."

EB, glad to hear that blindscan is working. If I remember, you mentioned Ku blindscan worked with BH, but not C and now C and Ku works with Openatv. I am slightly confused... don't understand why the physical tuner setup would have any correlation on blind scan working. Also, I am guessing Openatv is more advanced in blindscan development than BH or any other image at this point? How does it compared to a reference receiver of your choice?

You are slightly confused? Try it from this end.
Blackhole images run blindscan from a plugin.
Openatv Images have blindscan in the menu. (See Attached.)
Openatv has more settings for blindscan than the Blackhole plugin does.
A version of Openatv is available for AzBox Premium Plus.

About the tuners:
I currently have 3 dishes, so I ordered a tuner for each dish, plus one extra tuner (4 DVB-S2 tuners total).
Tuners are available as single tuners(1pc board per tuner) or as double tuners(1 pc board for 2 tuners).

There are only two slots for tuners in the Duo2. My guess is the firmware for blindscan only recognizes 1 slot. Maybe having the two tuners in one slot is confusing the blindscan firmware? Anyway, this was my line of thinking when I moved C band from tuner B to tuner C.

Another thing:
All 4 DVB-S2 tuners can share the same orbit position in the satellite file. So instead of having separate C and Ku satellite orbits, you may use one satellite orbit location for both. Each individual tuner allows for separate or unique switch settings, including separate USALS or Diseqc 1.2 settings. This is typical for most E2 firmwares.
When C band was assigned to tuner B, I noticed that blindscan had Ku Ghz parameters defined, and I could not change these to blindscan C band. I had already blindscanned the ku channels before I tried the C band blindscan on tuner B.
But when I moved the C band coax to tuner C, I got C band Ghz parameters for the blindscan. With Ku on tuner A, and C band on tuner C, I can blindscan the same satellite orbit location and I will get the correct Ghz parameters for either band. Not So when the two bands are assigned to tuners A & B!
I would expect some of this to be fixed soon, but with a fta receiver, you never know!.

Blindscan on both bands is poor, but it is better than nothing. The blindscans seem to take less than 5 minutes. I may actually time some later just to see how long they really take.

In the past, I have ran different E2 images on several different brands of receivers. I like E2 because of the freedom(s) it gives the operator to change and customize things. E2 is a natural choice for those that have large switches or big dish farms. E2 does not have some things the average fta user might expect such as an on-board channel editor.

As far as comparisons, I expect the Duo2 to replace my Raptor. The Raptor does about everything I need in a fta receiver. What the Raptor lacks in factory firmware can be made up if you load an E2 image.
As an example, the Raptor has problems opening channels with symbol rates below about 1800 with factory firmwares. This low symbol rate problem does not exist in E2 firmwares for the Raptor!
So the Duo2 should replace the Raptor as my main receiver at some point in time, but two things need to happen.
(1) I need to understand the limits of the Duo2 and how most of its features work, and (2) The firmware for the Duo2 needs to mature a bit. My guess for this to happen will be early 2014.

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I can see where this can get confusing until they clean up their code. I am surprised the images have gotten this far so quickly, considering blindscan is not a very popular item across the pond. I can see this box having a lot of potential as they develop its capabilities.

This Openatv image works very well.

I can configure some of the remote buttons to do certain tasks. I configured the "Help" button to show the signal (SNR) in db when the help button is pressed. This pop-up will stay on the screen until the exit button is pressed.
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A pop-up that shows video content can also be configured. This pop-up will appear when video content changes during a channel change. the pop-up will time out and disappear after about 30 seconds, or by pressing "Exit" on the remote.
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Openatv will also fine tune your positioner. on the remote, Press Menu--->SetUp--->Service searching--->Positioner setup. Then press the green remote button for Auto focus. The receiver will move the dish back and forth until maximum signal is obtained.
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Looks like a very versatile image. I like the part about moving/tuning the dish back and forth similar to the GI/4dtv receivers.

I posted a query regarding blindscan back in August on one of the Euro sites. I just checked and a few days ago another poster was requesting the same info. I always assumed blindscan was not that popular over there, but I have to believe there's some people using it. I see many views listed, but no response. How's your atsc project going?

ATSC is supposed to be developed in a future firmware. We will see.
And on blindscan, I see the same. It is not just a North American feature.

The Duo2 is a Recording Monster with an internal hard drive installed.
As a test, I recorded several channels on the Luken C band mux at 87W, Plus the entire LPB mux on 87Ku at the same time. This was a total of 14 video recordings at one time!
I have no idea what the record because I stopped at 14 to verify that they all recorded and that they all could be watched. Everything checked out OK.

One reason I bought 4 tuners was to have extra record capability. This receiver will be a Recording Monster once all four tuners are connected. There will be 5 tuners when or if ATSC USB support is finished.

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A decent sized Hard Drive is a must if you plan to record like this. I settled on a 3 terabyte internal hard drive and purchased it locally so I could return it if the receiver did not recognize it.
The Duo2 recognized the drive when it was installed but it would not write anything to it. The 3TB drive was installed right out of the box, without any kind of formatting. I played around with it and tried to record on the new drive and got nothing. I tried to upload some files to the new drive with no success. Then I did a full E2 back-up. For some reason, doing the back-up also set the 3TB drive up. Live & Learn I guess.



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