Xtrend ET8500

[eastof111]

This news is about a month old, but I thought I would post it due to the new form factor design of the receiver.

The slide-in HDD Mount System is quite interesting and I wouldn't be surprised others adopting something similar. The display may be a gimmick to some or a useful item to others. As usual, I am pretty sure it will retail in the high 300's or more (Euro) as the trend seems to continue in that direction.

[Pixl]

The drop in Hdd is nice improvement to FTA gear. It's been done in lap tops for years.
The 4.3" display might be useful for certain commercial applications where there are multiple receivers in service. I don't see it needed for hobbiest.

[mengram]

Should be good for tweaking a dish, no need to drag a tv out to the dish

mengram

[el bandido]

Enigma 2 is very good for dish alignment because you can use apps for your smart phone to make dish adjustments. The only requirement is you need a wireless network that can be seen by the receiver and the smart phone when it is beside the dish. This is a much better system than dragging the receiver out to the dish for most minor adjustments.

[easily confused]

The drop in Hdd is nice improvement to FTA gear. It's been done in lap tops for years.
The 4.3" display might be useful for certain commercial applications where there are multiple receivers in service. I don't see it needed for hobbiest.

I really wish my receivers had a small display. That would save repeated trips back and forth 150 feet because I don't have a small tv to use. On the other hand, I can't afford receivers in the 300 to 400 Euro range.

[eastof111]

Taking the small tv out to the dishes can be a real hassle after a while. So, I bought two Sat Hero meters, models 200 and 500 about three years ago. The 500 has a tv display and the 200 has an audio tone. I use both to tune in multi lnbs on the same dish. The 200 is always connected to the stronger sat lnb and the 500 is connected to the weaker sat lnb. It really makes re-tuning a breeze. The plus side is not having to drag out the tv, receiver and power cord. This setup might be overkill, but it definitely makes life easier.

[Pixl]

You guys make alignment too tekie. Just have your wife shout the numbers out the window.

[eastof111]

Tried that and the wifey did more then yelling out numbers.