Lately there has been a lot of interest in FTA (free-to-air) receivers. These boxes allow users to use standard dishes (similar to those used for Dishnet and DirectTV) and get hundreds of freely broadcasted channels from a host of nations without any monthly fees. Some hobbyists also modify the software on their FTA receiver to view encrypted channels. Such usage is illegal but fta receiver files can be easily found on many forums online.

Even with just FTA channels, getting an FTA receiver is definitely worth it. However, with several manufacturers and more getting into the game everyday, how do you choose between them? Some of the more common manufacturers including Coolsat, Viewsat, Pansal and SonicView have been around for many years and provide good product support which is very important when dealing with these fickle devices.

Coolsat receivers tend to be the most user friendly. The remote controls are well thought out and make common tasks very simple. However, the coolsat file support generally lags behind Viewsat by up to 2 weeks. Coolsat receivers can be updated with new software via serial cable.

Although not as user friendly as Coolsat receivers, Viewsat receivers are very stable and the support is top notch. Viewsat programmers tend to release updated files before all other FTA receiver manufacturers. The remote is a little awkward to use but the support makes Viewsat receivers our top choice. In particular, the Viewsat Xtreme 2000 provides the best value for money. Like Coolsats, Viewsat receivers are updated via serial cable.

Sonicview receivers seem to be a cheaper Viewsat line and also provide good value for money. The remote is better designed but the support seems to lag Viewsat a bit although it doesn’t seem to be as bad as Coolsat. The Sonicview receivers also have a front USB port so that file updates can be conveniently applied with a USB memory stick instead of via serial port like the others. As a cheaper secondary receiver, Sonicview is definitely a good choice although we have had slight issues scanning channels at higher frequencies.

When choosing an FTA receiver, go with Sonicview if price is your most important consideration, with Coolsat if you’re after ease of use and Viewsat if you want quick bin updates.