Best satellite and digital receivers

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Not all TVs are capable of recognizing digital TV signals. Some of them are tailored only for terrestrial and cable television, while others do not have a digital TV tuner at all. In particular, many Russians still have CRT televisions, which were created before the onset of the digital TV era. Fortunately, even such devices can be used to view pictures encoded in DVB-T2, DVB-C or DVB-S2 standards – this requires a relatively inexpensive digital or satellite receiver. It is about the best devices of this kind that will be discussed in this material.

Rating of the best satellite receivers

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Best satellite receivers	1	Openbox SX6 HD	RUB 3,050
	2	AX (Opticum) HD51 4K	RUB 13 800
	3	Gi S-8120	RUB 4,050
	4	Tricolor GS U510	RUB 4,990
Best digital receivers	1	BBK SMP240HDT2	RUB 1,045
	2	Oriel 963 (DVB-T2)	RUB 1,300
	3	World Vision Premium	1 314 rub.

Best satellite receivers

Openbox SX6 HD

Rating: 4.9

This receiver is designed for watching satellite and IPTV. The device was created on the basis of the STiH237 processor, the clock frequency of which reaches 650 MHz. This power is quite enough for basic tasks. It also has 512 MB of RAM and 256 MB of permanent memory.

The chipset embedded in the satellite receiver emits a minimum amount of heat. This allowed the creators to abandon the use of a cooler, making their creation as quiet as possible. On the body of the receiver, you can find many ventilation holes – it is thanks to them that the device does not overheat even in the hottest weather.

Openbox SX6 HD uses a slightly modified version Linux as the software platform. The firmware is open source, which allows any developer to write their own application for this receiver, or at least a plug-in. By default, the most important applications are already installed on this model – YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps, Torrent Player and many others. A 100 Mbit Ethernet port is used to connect to the Internet. It is possible to use wireless networks, but in this case, you will need to purchase an appropriate USB adapter. The device also includes two CI slots (with support for CI + modules), which are necessary for stable operation with many Russian satellite TV operators. In a word, this is the leader of our rating!

Advantages

• It is possible to control the receiver from a smartphone;

• Three USB ports are built in;

• USB adapters for Wi-Fi and 4G are supported;

• A large number of applications installed;

• Good performance;

• There are two slots for CI + access cards;

• You can install additional plugins and programs.

disadvantages

• No built-in wireless modules;

• Not the most convenient remote control;

• It costs around 7 thousand rubles.

AX (Opticum) HD51 4K

Rating: 4.8

One of the most expensive satellite receivers. The high cost, reaching 14 thousand rubles, is explained by powerful components. In particular, the Broadcom BSM7251S dual-core processor installed here is capable of operating at clock speeds up to 1.7 GHz. The device also includes 4 GB of permanent and 1 GB of RAM. This is enough for the stable functioning of any application. It uses Linux as the operating system, so there is no shortage of available programs and plugins.

Nothing bad can be said about the Opticum HD51 4K with the built-in connectors. Two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 are more than enough to connect all kinds of peripherals and external drives. The high-speed port will be the most useful when watching movies with 4K-resolution. The receiver also has an internal compartment for installing a 2.5-inch hard drive with a SATA interface. The device is able to connect via a local network and to a NAS storage. In a word, this is no longer a satellite receiver, but some kind of media center!

The device uses a universal card reader, thanks to which you can connect to any satellite operator – even to MTS TV, even to Tricolor TV, or to NTV Plus. It supports the device and cardsharing, but it is illegal in the Russian Federation. The receiver is connected to the TV via an HDMI 2.0 connector that supports 4K resolution at up to 60 frames / s.

Advantages

• The firmware is based on the operating system Linux;

• There is support for 4K-resolution;

• USB Wi-Fi adapters are supported;

• There are two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0;

• Decent components are built in;

• There is a place for HDD installation;

• There is a universal card reader.

disadvantages

• No built-in wireless modules;

• The price tag may seem astronomical to some people.

Gi S-8120

Rating: 4.7

A fairly popular receiver designed for watching satellite TV. Like the devices discussed a little higher in this rating, it comes with the installed firmware based on the operating system Linux. By default, the receiver already has clients for YouTube, Picasa and some other online services. The missing applications can be easily installed by yourself.

Gi S-8120 is on sale for about 4000 rubles. In this regard, one should not expect exorbitant characteristics from the device. The device turned out to be compact, and only one USB 2.0 port is used to connect an external drive. Under the body of the satellite receiver there is an STi7111 processor, the clock frequency of which does not exceed 450 MHz. It also uses 256 MB of RAM and 512 MB of permanent memory. Such characteristics may not be enough for some specialized applications, and there is definitely no need to expect high performance from this model.

The receiver has a built-in Conax conditional access module. The connection to the Internet is via a network cable. The manufacturer also announced support for some USB Wi-Fi adapters. But do not forget that when connecting one you will have to forget about the USB flash drive. In a word, the Gi S-8120 is a good budget option for the owner of a satellite dish for the first time, but nothing more.

Advantages

• Linux allows you to install additional plugins;

• Minimum dimensions;

• Quite good remote control;

• There is an optical audio output;

• Low cost.

disadvantages

• The minimum amount of memory;

• There are no wireless modules;

• The performance is far from ideal.

Tricolor GS U510

Rating: 4.7

A very large but very light satellite receiver. Produced specifically for the Russian operator Tricolor TV. Sharpened for the DVB-S2 standard, and the maximum supported resolution here is 1920 x 1080 pixels. The device has a very low cost, in fact, the buyer gets it complete with a satellite dish and a subscription for free. In this regard, the product does not have any special functions.

The main problem of the receiver is the closed software. It uses proprietary firmware that can be updated via USB stick or satellite. It will not allow you to install any specialized applications, you will have to be content with the functions available here. Moreover, the receiver does not allow Internet access. The most that you can get from it is viewing media files contained on a USB flash drive. Also, the device has three simple games, one of which is the well-known 'Minesweeper'.

Advantages

• Very low cost;

• Easy reading of files from a flash drive;

• Stable work with the Tricolor TV signal;

• There are a number of games;

• There is an optical audio output for speakers.

disadvantages

• It is extremely rare to be sold separately from a satellite dish;

• No support for online functions;

• Large enough size.

Best digital receivers

BBK SMP240HDT2

Rating: 4.9

Moving on to budget receivers designed to receive a signal in the DVB-T2 standard, one cannot but recall the products of the Chinese company BBK. It must be that she is the most popular in our country, selling even in very distant corners of the homeland. The BBK SMP240HDT2 receiver got into our rating, although the range of this manufacturer consists of approximately the same devices. All of them are capable of boasting support for 1080p resolution, as they all have a USB connector designed exclusively for connecting a flash drive or external hard drive.

This receiver is used to watch digital TV on TVs that do not have a built-in digital tuner. Connection to LCD TV is via HDMI cable. If you have a CRT TV, you can use the composite outputs. Despite the low cost, not exceeding 1100 rubles, the device is able to write air to an external drive, including doing it on a schedule. Otherwise, this is a typical digital receiver, which is impossible to surprise anyone.

Advantages

• There is a USB connector;

• Teletext viewing is possible;

• TV recording is available;

• Convenient enough remote control;

• Simplified setup;

• Low cost.

disadvantages

• High requirements for signal quality;

• It gets hot enough;

• Does not understand all video and audio formats.

Oriel 963 (DVB-T2)

Rating: 4.8

Another relatively inexpensive TV box. Like the previous model, it serves exclusively for receiving terrestrial digital TV – the device is not familiar with cable and satellite standards. That is why the device costs only 1,500 rubles. It’s easier to spend that kind of money than saving up a large amount to buy a new LCD TV.

The unit easily copes with the playback of movies saved on a USB storage device. It supports the maximum resolution of 1080p. However, you need to understand that the built-in media player here cannot be called omnivorous – some video and sound formats may be unfamiliar to him. But this is a typical problem for inexpensive digital receivers based on proprietary firmware.

The main feature of Oriel 963 (DVB-T2) is the presence of a SCART connector. This allows you to easily switch to this TV box from your VCR. Also on the back of the device are the composite output and the now familiar HDMI connector. You can connect speakers using the coaxial digital output. The sound promises to be excellent, because the product supports the DOLBY DIGITAL codec. Also, the device can write TV broadcast to an external drive.

Advantages

• A large number of connectors;

• There is a USB 2.0 port;

• Teletext viewing is possible;

• You can write TV broadcast, including on a schedule;

• Relatively low cost;

• Understands most video and audio formats;

• Stable signal reception.

disadvantages

• No cable included.

World Vision Premium

Rating: 4.7

The most advanced digital receiver designed to receive digital TV signals. Unlike the two models discussed above, this device understands not only DVB-T2, but also the DVB-C cable standard. At the same time, the receiver costs the same 1,500 rubles, which is why it got into this rating.

Of course, the device turned out to be larger than ordinary black 'boxes', working only with the terrestrial digital TV standard. But the manufacturer managed to place a large number of buttons on the case. This allows you to control the device even if the remote control is lost somewhere. The rear panel of the device contains a standard set of connectors. In particular, to connect to a TV, either an antenna output, or a composite with audio, or HDMI is used. Also here you can find a coaxial digital audio output, which is usually used to connect speakers. Finally, there is also a USB port. And this is the main drawback of a digital receiver, it would be much more convenient to connect a flash drive in front.

Otherwise, this is a typical set-top box that allows you to watch various TV channels or content stored on an external drive. Also available here is TV recording. The pre-installed YouTube app could also be noted, but forget about it for three reasons. First, you need a USB Wi-Fi adapter to access the Internet. Secondly, the program does not know how to remember account settings. Thirdly, the processor power is not enough for stable video viewing through this client.

Advantages

• Supports not only DVB-T2 but also DVB-C;

• The set includes two different connection cables;

• Convenient remote control;

• All necessary connectors are present;

• Connection of external storage is possible;

• High reliability;

• Scheduled TV recording is possible;

• Teletext viewing is available;

• Optimal price tag.

disadvantages

• Internet options are extremely difficult to use;

• Not the most stable firmware.

Conclusion

As you already understood, true generalists in the world of receivers are very rare. Usually the device is tailored either for terrestrial digital TV (DVB-T2 standard), or for satellite (DVB-S2 standard). There are also options exclusively for the cable standard, but it is much more difficult to find them in stores – usually such devices are sold by the operators themselves. Now you just have to decide what kind of TV you want to watch, as well as the necessary functionality. After that, you can safely go to the shopping center or, which is much easier, place an order in the online store.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.