I would say that first of all the 4K Vu+ series are still among the absolut best Set-Top-Boxes on the marked.
Reason there is no new Vu+ yet is because of the need to find a good replacement for the Broadcom chip that they have been using.
They need to go through 2 steps before there will be anything better I would say, Instead of new.
Step one they need to move from python 2.7 to python 3.10
Step two they need to find a new chipset to build around
This takes time and look at the competition from other brands.
And you will see that they are no better then Vu+
Yes some of them have made the move to other hardware, But can not say that any of them works better just because of that.
So to buy a 4K series Vu+ is still a good buy.
Then of cause I would say that a Team like Blackhole who have over many years spoile us with 2 amazing images.
With all the work that has been. Have done the most logic solution and put more effort into the OBH image.
That is just common sense.
The Blackhole Image has been the biggest and best image for a decade and are still working just fine.
But now when the OBH image is evolving I see no reason why that image could not be the next big flagship for the next decade
And your current 4K Vu+ will work just fine long after there might be a new generation Vu+
cu
From your words it seems like VU+ boxes live only with VU+ software. Well, it's not so. It'd be like a PC lived and worked only with the shameless windows: but there are real and effective operative systems in the world apart from this ridiculous one.
Luckily enough we VU+ users have no need of VU+ operative system, id est their image: we, in this forum, for instance, have not only the vuplus-based BH but also OBH, OpenBlackHole, and many of us have been using it with huge satisfaction for years.
Many others are moving to OBH in this last period.
So, saying you bought an expensive product like you wasted your money doesn't make any sense.
Nobody, almost, has ever used vuplus original image because too basic; and the many BH users are becoming, day by day, OBH users.
But the kernel drivers and libraries are closed-source blobs still old as hell. Therefore newer kernel and related software can't be used in any new modern image regardless of community. Only the upper layer i.e. Python(E2) or Ruby or C/C++ utilities are upgraded. The UI/UX may look modern, but underneath are laying deep levels of buggy, unmaintained mud :-/
Most Vu+ products are fta receivers. You don't need the latest and greatest kernel to power a fta receiver. The kernel in the fta receiver is a lot smaller than what would normally be installed in Ubuntu or other versions of Linux. But you don't need the latest and greatest kernel to watch tv.
Edision is the only receiver I know of that somewhat follows the kernel. While this is nice, and will possibly help with receiver upgrades in the future, having a recent kernel does not make the tv picture any better or any worse. Any fta receiver that provides constant kernel updates can be a pain in the ass for image builders because kernel patches and perhaps a few other items need to be changed or updated every time the kernel changes.
Most enigma2 fta receivers that are on the market now have a kernel that was released in 2015 or 2016. While it would be nice to see more recent kernel versions, it will not make the tv picture any better or any worse. Older enigma fta receivers may have a 3 or even a 2 kernel version. These receivers still work on the fta channels they were designed to receive. Upgrading the kernel on these old receivers would not help much because their hardware is out of date.