I really like usb tuners because they may be used on different fta receivers or computers. Sundtek has ATSC usb tuners for North America, and also a DVB-S/S2 usb tuner with Blindscan. Receivers like the VU+ Zero offer many media and network features, but the satellite side of the VU+ Zero is difficult for us in North America because we need blindscan.

I purchased a Sundtek SkyTV Ultimate 5 usb tuner earlier this year because I knew it was blindscan capable. Enigma2 fta receivers appeal to me because most of the firmware or image is open source and is easy to customize or modify. The only bad thing I see about enigma2 receivers in North America is most of them do not offer blindscan.

External usb tuners will not run in every enigma2 receiver. The SH4 receivers do not normally support usb tuners. If you are wanting to purchase an enigma2 receiver, make sure it will support usb tuners before buying it.

The blindscan feature of the Sundtek SkyTV Ultimate 5 is in developmental stage at present. It can be expected to take a while for the blindscan to be refined, and for plugins to support it. I am currently testing the blindscan feature on the Vu+ Zero receiver, and will try to test other receivers in the future.

I would like to personally Thank Sundtek for providing us with a blindscan capable usb external tuner. It should also be noted that this tuner seems to work with 16APSK signals. I do not know of any other usb tuner developer or manufacturer that supports ATSC and DVB blindscan in enigma2 operating systems. I really appreciate Sundtek providing support for the features that we need in North America. EB