Cheap DVB-S2 tuner for Coreelec

Please give me a hint which tuner to choose for DVB-S2 and Coreelec. I used Mecool KII pro tuners. However, I don’t see them on sale. The kIII model is clearly more expensive. Would you recommend a cheap, stable tuner? Does Mecool k5 work with DVB-S2?

Hint: invest in a SAT>IP system. Then you can use any client you want to.

Thank you, I want one aesthetic device without additional USB heads or more accessories.

It’s on you but be warned! :shushing_face:
CE does not have official support for Mecool devices and Mecool does not support CE. Also there is no DVB dtb existing on newer platforms like S905X2/3 or S922X.

I use the Magicsee C400 Plus, it works perfect with their satellite and terrestrial tuners CoreELEC. This brand is not official support by CoreELEC either, but once it is installed in its internal memory the device works very well by CoreELEC.

Second vote for SAT > IP. Can be mounted in the loft and a LAN cable ran down to your router. Literally the only future proof solution to DVB - all the rest will somehow let you down as the software support becomes stale and you are left stranded on a version of Kodi where all the addons eventually stop working.
Not much more expensive than buying a few USB DVB tuners.

X-box USB tuner can take care of terrestrial reception for just €10.00
Shoog

Two devices from the SAT-> IP category are a good solution, but not for a small apartment. Plus higher power consumption when the server has to run all the time.
The KII Pro worked very well and was cheap, but I don’t see it on sale on Aliexpress anymore. The KIII Pro works fine too, but is clearly more expensive.
I don’t see the C400 on sale anymore.

When I lived with just the VIM2 dTV board for my TV I used to think that one tuner was enough. Its amazing how many desirable programs are on at the same peak times and the only way to get them is with a backup tuner for recording. Would never willingly go back to one tuner and often dream of having three.

Shoog

But for me, television is a bedtime story. Channel reruns only, I didn’t want to watch two shows at the same time. I want a cheap device that I can give to my family and will not need many power adapters and cables. The kII Pro was perfect.

If you are convinced by multiple devices, why Coreelec?

Server: OrangePi (Armbian + TVHeadEnd) + USB DVB.
Client: Android client devices with Kodi Autostart and everything runs smoothly with full support of 4K graphics acceleration and always the latest KODI with manufacturer support.

I like CoreElec for the fact that it can be crammed into one device. I liked DreamBox but the technology is very old. I want everything in one, cheap and aesthetic.

My server runs my TVHeadend server, my openmediavault server, my pihole server and my comskip. It frees up my clients to do what they do best. I had no end of stability issues when all these services and a client ran on my vim2.

My server is a low power x86 atomic pi which uses about 5 watts most of the time. My satip box is standard compliant which means software support is baked in to whatever dvb software I choose. I am not beholden to some genius porting propriatory drivers into Linux and maintains them in perpetuity. I have previously had at least two USB dvb sticks simply stopped working when kernel support was dropped.

And personally I have never seen Android kodi perform as well as native Linux kodi.

Shoog

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Still, it’s all an escape from the subject. Cheap device compatible with CoreELEC and DVB S2.

MECOOL KII Pro - $ 62.00 (not available for a month)

Someone will recommend a stable product for $ 60?

If this is the way that you insist on going then you will not do better than the KIII which now sells for €92.00. Nothing will come close. However this box uses the now redundant S912 which has very flakey CE support. I think fundamentally MeCool is abandoning this line of products, otherwise they would already rolled out an s905x3 or S922x based version.
Check for CE support first though, the CE team is plagued by keeping support for these devices going with no support from the manufacturer. The team member who cracked the last driver has been awal for over a year and there is no one on board who has the skills to fix these drivers when they inevitably break. You have been warned.

Shoog

The KIII works fine with DVB S2, but as you mentioned I’m afraid it will disappear from the market like the KII. That’s why I’m looking for replacements. K5 and K7 do not work properly - no DVB S2 support.
Can you recommend a product other than KIII, if it also goes out of production.

I have the Mecool KIII Pro only to transmit IP satellite signal and the X96 Air Amlogic S905x3-4Ram / 64GB Rom used for CoreELEC in its internal memory. Works great without micro SD or Android.

I am sorry to say that the standard response from all the CE team at this stage is SAT > IP. As far as I know they have all moved to that setup.

Shoog

I think the brands that have official support on CoreELEC should make new Amlogic box models with tuners built into the box.

That would be really nice. I am wondering why they do not already.
The Sat/Ip approach for me also sound not so appealing, because of the extra box running and so having more power consumption, maybe 24h if you install it in the loft.

The cheapest SAT > IP box is about €130.00 which works out cost comparable to any of the USB SAT tuners since it has two SAT feeds. I have to say that if you think there is a major cost penalty in terms of energy - I very much doubt it since the USB Tuner uses electricity itself which is likely to be comparable to any SAT>IP tuner. It can be used as a two box solution - Android Box running CE with TVH server and client and your SAT > IP box.

Shoog

My Wetek Play 2 Kodi Box runs only some hours in the evening. Compared to an additional sat/ip Server installed in the loft, or near my router, which than would run 24h there should be substantial more power consumption. This is a drawback, for me at least. This is not so much a cost issue but unnecessary energy waste.

Nonetheless, maybe we must go this way. Is there a sat/Ip box you would recomment?