Only good for friggin landfill


Five years my Altech (DSR 4639) lasted and the whole time it gave nothing but trouble till it finally gave out last week.

They should only be sold in Reject stores, because that's where they belong, and the price should be $2.50 like many of their other goods


Now, to replace it, I bought the latest Altech (4921) and you might wonder why, it's because there's nothing else but an Altech that will pick up the Government sponsored VAST satellite signals - there's no competition, there's no other choice but to put up with another piece of Altech junk

When I received the new 4921 and connected it up, I thought it couldn't get any worse. While the box works ok so far, it's new, but you can hardly see the lit up displays on the front panel, they're that bloody small you need binoculars to make out what they are

The TV guide is a mass of lines and show names all the same colour and the way it's set up, scrolling through becomes a nightmare

Recording (with external hard drive) requires pressing multiple buttons and by the time you get it all done, you've missed the beginning of the show

I believe the Government gave the monopoly to Altech to make receivers for the VAST satellite system, therefore it seems, Altech doesn't care how good or bad their boxes are, and they probably have built-in obsolescence anyway

At times I swear the Soviet Union came to Australia, crap goods, take it or leave it - Did someone say China?

I have a Satking Vast decoder. No problems. Humax and UEC also make one.

lee wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2021 at 3:38pm:

I have a Satking Vast decoder. No problems. Humax and UEC also make one.

I researched other brands but there was things that didn't tie in with what I needed. Some didn't have smart cards, and some weren't VAST supported

What I didn't research was the latest models in those brands, so now that I know about those, it broadens my choice, thanks.

However, I've bought this new Altech and it will have to do for a while. One consolation is I got it at a reduced price, and then ebay had their discount which made the price even lower

It's got a terribly TV guide though, and you need a pilots license to work the rest, it'll take weeks to figure everything out

I went through two topview ones back in the day. They are a dying technology, on account of no-one watching free to air TV any more.

freediver wrote on Apr 29^th, 2021 at 6:06pm:

I went through two topview ones back in the day. They are a dying technology, on account of no-one watching free to air TV any more.

I'm glad you said that.

When I saw this thread, I thought it must be from 2002 or something.

I didn't know set-top boxes still existed.

VAST decoders do. It is used by those in remote areas or caravanners.

lee wrote on Apr 29^th, 2021 at 7:05pm:

VAST decoders do. It is used by those in remote areas or caravanners.

Ah, ok.

Never heard of them.

Off to Google ...