Castreon and Astra (Cesbo)
Astra is built for DVB reception and for distributing streams as they come in. Castreon receives and transcodes: it takes in the channel, encodes it on the CPU or the GPU and delivers it in the formats you need.
Public information verified on October 23, 2026.
In short
- Astra does not transcode: it delivers the content without changing the original video and audio streams; for transcoding, the vendor recommends other software (FFmpeg, or its own separate product, Senta).
- In DVB reception, both take DVB-S/S2, T/T2 and C, T2-MI, SAT>IP and BISS; Astra also documents CI/CAM and Simulcrypt.
- Astra's Lifetime license does not include updates — it works with the versions released before the purchase.
- Castreon adds transcoding, LL-HLS, DASH, WebRTC, RIST and stream protection in the same product.
Features, side by side
| Feature | Castreon | Astra |
|---|---|---|
| Video transcoding | yes — CPU, NVIDIA, Intel Quick Sync, VA-API | no — other software (FFmpeg or Senta) |
| AV1 encoding | yes | not applicable (no transcoding) |
| DVB reception (cards, SAT>IP) | DVB-C, DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, plus SAT>IP, T2-MI and BISS | DVB-C, DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, plus T2-MI, SAT>IP and BISS |
| 24/7 channels from files (playout) | yes — library, playlists, EPG (Pro); day-and-time schedule, live takeover, SCTE-35 (Enterprise) | not publicly documented |
| RIST | input and output | not publicly documented |
| LL-HLS (low latency) | yes | not publicly documented |
| MPEG-DASH | yes | not publicly documented |
| WebRTC (playback) | yes (Enterprise) | not publicly documented |
| AES-128 encrypted HLS | yes, with a key server included, in all plans | not publicly documented |
| DRM Widevine · PlayReady · FairPlay | yes, through your DRM provider (Enterprise) | not publicly documented |
| SCTE-35 (ad breaks) | from live sources into HLS (Enterprise) | passed through in HLS |
| Backup source (failover) | yes, in all plans | yes — input backup (active or passive) |
| Several servers from one panel | yes — servers and channels from one panel, channel taken from another server (Enterprise) | not publicly documented |
| Two-factor authentication in the panel | yes | not publicly documented |
| Audit log (who changed what) | yes | not publicly documented |
Prices, from the public price lists
Astra (Cesbo)
- Subscription: €22 per month or €220 per year, per server — with updates and support.
- Lifetime: €540, one-time payment — no updates after the purchase date.
- Free 30-day demo; VAT according to the customer's EU country; no refunds.
Castreon
Starter €25 · Pro €49 · Enterprise €99 — per server per month, plus VAT; 50 / 150 / unlimited channels; free 14-day trial, no card needed.
Pricing →Cost example: 1 server, 20 channels transcoded on the GPU, one month
- Castreon
- €49 (Pro: 150 channels, GPU transcoding)
- Astra
- cannot be calculated from public prices: Astra does not transcode, and the price of the transcoding product (Senta) is not published
Our calculation, from the list prices published by each vendor, without discounts and excluding VAT. Check the current price with the vendor before you decide.
When Astra is the better choice
- You need CI/CAM or Simulcrypt in DVB reception.
- You distribute streams as they come in, without transcoding, and want a cheap per-server license.
- You build cable networks with MPTS and direct output to modulators.
When Castreon is the better fit
- You want reception and transcoding (CPU or GPU, H.264, HEVC, AV1) in the same product.
- You deliver to modern apps and players: HLS, LL-HLS, DASH, WebRTC, with AES-128 or DRM protection.
- You also take in signals over the network — SRT, RIST, RTMP, IP cameras — not just from cards.
Sources
Public information verified on October 23, 2026.
- astra.cesbo.com astra.cesbo.com
- HLS segmenter astra.cesbo.com
- Terms of Use astra.cesbo.com
- Astra Pricing app.cesbo.com
- DVB-S / S2 help.cesbo.com
- Backup settings astra.cesbo.com
- T2-MI astra.cesbo.com
- SAT>IP astra.cesbo.com
- CAS & Simulcrypt help.cesbo.com
- Decrypt BISS help.cesbo.com
- Changelog help.cesbo.com
Comparison made by Web Tools IT, which develops Castreon, based on information published by the vendors and verified on October 23, 2026. Prices and features may change — check them with the vendor. “Not publicly documented” means we did not find the feature in the vendor's public documentation on the verification date, not that it is missing. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners; Castreon is not affiliated with them. If something is no longer correct, write to us at [email protected] and we will correct it.