The Cube

[Trailer Trash 2]

Anybody hear anything bad about the portable sattelite cube, other than it being so portable it can be unpluged and carried off, We saw it at the RV show in Q-Site, we also did like the remote function to accuire the signal ie. Dish Network two different signals 110 & 119.

[DONnANNIE]

I haven't heard anything bad about the Vu Qube, but I'm interested in it. How does it work with a dual input HD DVR like Dish Net or DirecTV? It looks like the Vu Qube only has one output.

I like the automatic setup, but I would have to find a way to secure it from walking away.

[William H. Collier]

Most of the Direct TV HD channels are on the 103 sat.
Bill

[4 beader]

My understanding is that with dual LNB's like on a Dish Network 500 system, you have to tune to one satillite, and then if you need a channel that resides on the other, you push a button on the remote and it goes to that one (that you have previously inputed the location for.) A little cumbersome, but beats the manual tri-pod set-up to me. Still, for $700 seems that you should be able to get a little more automatic operation. Maybe in future enhancements; along with some way to secure it??

[bsmeaton]

Dish Network is 110, 119, and now 129 if you want full HD service.

[DHenry]

My understanding of the cube is that it does not do HD.

[bsmeaton]

I always thought the reciever is what determined HD reception, not the antenna, but I may be wrong.

[brenkco]

I was doing some research yesterday on the cube as well. According to their website, the change between 110 & 119 is a little slow although it is automatic. They are working on the speed. My experience with Wineguard is that sometimes it was slow as well. (I think it might have to do with the slight movement of the coach after setup.)

The website says it picks up HD on Dish only, (I called a retailer this morning and after checking, they said it picks up the 129 sat but I didn't trust their answer). They recommend the 311 receiver which is not an HD receiver. They also said it did not currently support HD on Direct, but that was in the works...

I would be interested in knowing for sure if it picks up the 129s sat.
On edit, that's correct...you can only watch on one sat at a time. If you use 2 receivers they can only pickup one sat unlike your home systems. YOu can watch 2 different channels but they must come from the same sat.
Brad, you're right you need an HD receiver but some older dishes can't pickup the HD sat. That's why I was interested if the cube picks up the 129 sat where most of Dish's HD is sent....

[bsmeaton]

That makes sense then Ken. I had forgotten that Direct TV uses a different format for HD. Winegard later came out with an additional module for the rooftop units to get Direct TV HD.

BTW - our rooftop has to toggle between satellites, and I never spent the $100 for the Satellite 129 upgrade module, so I don't miss it. Sounds like the Cube has all the same advantages as the basic rooftop, at least for Dish folks.

[Waynem]

The VuCube (http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Vu_Cube/vu_qube_v10.htm)

The above link states one output and that it can received DISH HD but not Direct TV HD but they are working on it.

If you look at the thread, in "Let Us Entertain You," you will see several references of how systems are hooked up.

I have 2 Sat receivers with dual input here at the stick house. I have dish network. I have one dish antenna. One lead feeds the dual inputs on one receiver, and the other lead feeds the dual inputs on the other receiver. (722 and 322 models but I'll check for sure if you are interested) Dish provides the splitters and combiners for the single lead into the dual inputs. I have 4 televisions in the stick house and all four receive independently their own channel to view. (Remember, only two receivers)

When we travel, I take the 722 with me. It is a DVR and I'll record some movies before we depart for those rainy nights. You will loose signal when it is raining. With the DVR in the Hanna, I watch TV in the living room, OR a different channel in the bedroom. See the article in "Let Us Entertain You," on this subject. I'm to lazy to search for the link. :)

Based on the article in the link above, the antenna does matter in viewing HDTV. Based in an article that I posted in another link, if your outside antenna can received UHF channels, you can receive DIGITAL TV SIGNALS.(That is not HD) So the VuCube will receive digital tv and HD for DISH signals, but not HD for Direct TV. Most likely it has to do with the band pass/stop filters in the VuCube.