Is the combo box/Irish DTT/Freesat solution mature enough yet to replace Sky/UPC?

emaherx

I think the PC/Media Centre option gets a fair bit of mention here.
But not that relevant to this thread as it is not a mature consumer replacement for a single STB.

I use a Windows 7 PC with Media Centre and Sat/DTT tuners for recording TV.
I then watch the content on a DNLA enabled Sony Telly or on Games consoles connected to the other tellys.

The PC is an important piece of my TV setup. But runs away in a diffrent room and then connected to every tv in the house via network cables. I like this setup as there is no noisy PC in the room and the same PC serves every Telly/DNLA device.

Also handy as it not only handles TV recordings but holds all of my media and can stream content direct from the internet. All of which can be selected from the TV's own remote (except setting up of the recordings. ).

The PC option is nice, very cofigurable, can be very easy to use......... but sadly not for every one. Alot of people do not want a pc running all day while watching TV (possibly not a very green option) Requires high end graphics card for true hdmi output, even DNLA option loses quaility via transcoding and can require high end processor/ lots of memory to serve more than one TV (So More Power and even less green). And for a lot of people the idea of so much hardware/software for TV just plain scares them!!

Gerry Wicklow

emaherx wrote: »

...it is not a mature consumer replacement for a single STB.

I agree it's not for everyone. I'm sure there are many people who still run a mile at the mention of PCs. I merely threw in my tuppence worth when you compare to €1000 Dreamboxes etc. I offer it simply as another option.
As for efficiency and fan noise, many existing HDD/DVD recorders would be comparable.

emaherx

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

I agree it's not for everyone. I'm sure there are many people who still run a mile at the mention of PCs. I merely threw in my tuppence worth when you compare to €1000 Dreamboxes etc. I offer it simply as another option.
As for efficiency and fan noise, many existing HDD/DVD recorders would be comparable.

As I said I'm all for the PC option myself and I'm not knocking it.
Its just as a Sky/UPC replacement for the genral public its never going to be the option. (its for us Teckies/Geeks and those unfortunate enough to live with us. )

Personely I consider the Dreambox option to be the same as the PC option. (small linux based PC, not going to appeal to everyone unless it comes preconfigured out of the box.)

Efficiency of a PC is always going to be lower, even than the linux based receivers that are essentially lightweight PC's with lightweight custom Os's. Any home built PC setup will consume alot more power just loading the OS.

Turbulent Bill

emaherx wrote: »

As I said I'm all for the PC option myself and I'm not knocking it.
Its just as a Sky/UPC replacement for the genral public its never going to be the option. (its for us Teckies/Geeks and those unfortunate enough to live with us. )

Personely I consider the Dreambox option to be the same as the PC option. (small linux based PC, not going to appeal to everyone unless it comes preconfigured out of the box.)

Efficiency of a PC is always going to be lower, even than the linux based receivers that are essentially lightweight PC's with lightweight custom Os's. Any home built PC setup will consume alot more power just loading the OS.

Agreed, the PC option is very flexible but not suitable as a standard Sky/UPC replacement. People aren't willing to turn their sittingrooms into server rooms (though I know media PCs can be discreet!). Might make sense for a heavy multiroom user though.

There's a cost issue too for PC and high-end Dreambox setups. €1000 spent on hardware represents 2-3 years Sky/UPC subscriptions, which is a big punt on relatively niche equipment.

Tony

No mention of the ferguson combo box? This can record terrestrial while watching satrellite and vice versa

Apogee

Tony wrote: »

No mention of the ferguson combo box? This can record terrestrial while watching satrellite and vice versa

If only there was someone in Ireland selling them mail order ...

Receiver: Dreambox DM8000
Tuners: 2x DVB-S2 + optional DVB-T (x2) plugin
7-day EPG for satellite: Yes
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: Internal
Price: €1000


Receiver: AzBox Premium Plus
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: Yes
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: Internal
Price: €449


Receiver: QBox HD
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T + optional plugin DVB-S2
7-day EPG for satellite: Yes
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: No
Price: €449


Receiver: Vu+ Duo
Tuners: 2x DVB-S2 + optional USB DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: Yes
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: External
Price: €499


Receiver: Technomate TM-7100HD
Tuners: 2x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: Internal
Price: €500


Receiver: Dreambox DM800
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + optional USB DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: Yes
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes???
Hardrive: External
Price: €399


Receiver: Optibox Alligator
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: External
Price: €199


Receiver: Edision Argus mini 2 in 1
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: No
Hardrive: External
Price: €169


Receiver: Edision Argus VIP2
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: External
Price: €199


Receiver: Technomate TM-6900HD Combo Super+
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: External
Price: €300


Receiver: Ferguson HD Ariva Combo Box
Tuners: 1x DVB-S2 + 1x DVB-T
7-day EPG for satellite: No
Record from satellite while watching terrestrial: Yes
Hardrive: External
Price: €169

Please post any additional corrections.

Tony

If only Thanks for posting the info

Apogee wrote: »

If only there was someone in Ireland selling them mail order ...

[

STB

Apogee, How about a Line for Linux and one for media formats played (some of those also allow for wifi acces).

Apogee

STB wrote: »

Apogee, How about a Line for Linux and one for media formats played (some of those also allow for wifi acces).

I could but I don't know the boxes to that level of detail, and when you go searching on the web, I often find conflicting claims.

I was, however, considering a line indicating whether they can read Sky videoguard cards - useful for FTV etc.