Aldi Saorview Set Top Box

Sam Russell

I would not use the term knock-off as both of the boxes appear to be made by Vestel, and not an attempt by Akura to copy the Walker, just an oem box which anyone can brand. If the software is faulty in one, it will likely be the same in both.

Gerry Wicklow

It's still annoying to think at €80 for a plain DTT box, everyone jumped on them. At the same time Tescos Ireland are selling similar spec'd FreeView Hd boxes for €84 and the same FreeView box is £30 in Tescos UK. Spend a few Euro more and you can get a combo box with PVR from Poland.
Good old rip-off Ireland is still alive and well.

recyclebin

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

It's still annoying to think at €80 for a plain DTT box, everyone jumped on them. At the same time Tescos Ireland are selling similar spec'd FreeView Hd boxes for €84 and the same FreeView box is £30 in Tescos UK. Spend a few Euro more and you can get a combo box with PVR from Poland.
Good old rip-off Ireland is still alive and well.

The combo box isn't saorview approved.

Saorview has just launched and I am sure prices will come down as the supermarket and other competition kicks in.

Freeview boxes weren't that cheap when they came out first either and the UK is a way bigger market to Ireland so you can't really compare like with like.

STB

recyclebin wrote: »

The combo box isn't saorview approved.

Saorview has just launched and I am sure prices will come down as the supermarket and other competition kicks in.

Freeview boxes weren't that cheap when they came out first either and the UK is a way bigger market to Ireland so you can't really compare like with like.

Saorview boxes will never come down that far in price.

For the very reason in your last paragraph, recyclebin. The UK population is 66m, France 66m. Our spec for certification is neither of these.

Stop buying the Triax Combo. It isnt certified and obviously has problems. It is also unclear how many old models are on the market if it is the case that it wasnt the firmware alone that was changed.

If you want something cheap that will work get the one of the other combo boxes freely available from the likes of Ferguson, Edision, Golden Media or Amiko. All are or should be less than €150. They arent certfied either, dont have MHEG5 middleware, but work fine. Combo boxes can now be bought for less than 100 euro. MHEG5 is the only shortcoming. It has been the same experience in NZ where the Combo box used (Hyundai) doesnt do it either.

What you need to do if there is a problem with these boxes if compose a BUG thread and then bring it to the attention of the brand name - be it Walker or Akura. The OEM is the same in Vestel who will ultimately be responsible for the fixing. I would also suggest that you bring the shortcomings of the Vestel boxes to the likes of Ray Maguire/Mick Kehoe/ Rory Coveney in RTE/NL. same with the Triax certfied box the 112.

haymur

STB wrote: »

Saorview boxes will never come down that far in price.

For the very reason in your last paragraph, recyclebin. The UK population is 66m, France 66m. Our spec for certification is neither of these.

Stop buying the Triax Combo. It isnt certified and obviously has problems. It is also unclear how many old models are on the market if it is the case that it wasnt the firmware alone that was changed.

If you want something cheap that will work get the one of the other combo boxes freely available from the likes of Ferguson, Edision, Golden Media or Amiko. All are or should be less than €150. They arent certfied either, dont have MHEG5 middleware, but work fine. Combo boxes can now be bought for less than 100 euro. MHEG5 is the only shortcoming. It has been the same experience in NZ where the Combo box used (Hyundai) doesnt do it either.

What you need to do if there is a problem with these boxes if compose a BUG thread and then bring it to the attention of the brand name - be it Walker or Akura. The OEM is the same in Vestel who will ultimately be responsible for the fixing. I would also suggest that you bring the shortcomings of the Vestel boxes to the likes of Ray Maguire/Mick Kehoe/ Rory Coveney in RTE/NL. same with the Triax certfied box the 112.

I have a Humax HD foxsat so I dont really need a combo box I do really need a DVB-T with a PVR if possible not worried about Mheg5 just good HD when it comes. I want a HDD of 160 to 500GB and a timer or EPG fitted recording facility. Is there anything out there that is not too expensive

Sam Russell

haymur wrote: »

I have a Humax HD foxsat so I dont really need a combo box I do really need a DVB-T with a PVR if possible not worried about Mheg5 just good HD when it comes. I want a HDD of 160 to 500GB and a timer or EPG fitted recording facility. Is there anything out there that is not too expensive

I could supply you with a STB and HDD (external USB drive) for about €100. PM me if you are interested.

Digital Satellite TV

Sam Russell wrote: »

I would not use the term knock-off as both of the boxes appear to be made by Vestel, and not an attempt by Akura to copy the Walker, just an oem box which anyone can brand. If the software is faulty in one, it will likely be the same in both.

That's what I meant, hense the quotes. Didn't mean, they knocked it off. My bad.

Gagetman

I just picked up a free view box in Spain last week for €25, brought it back and it works a treat. It records on to external memory stick also. If i was sure it was going to work I would have brought back a case full and made a killing!
If anyone is going there and wants to know where to get let me know, I could do with a couple of more for my own house too
Tater an

PressTheButton

Gagetman wrote: »

I just picked up a free view box in Spain last week for €25, brought it back and it works a treat...

Make & model number, please.

mcwhirter

When freeview was released in the uk a long long time ago far away, the boxes were about £99 so the ones here are not too badly priced but then uk viewers had a lot more time to buy one.

Sam Russell

mcwhirter wrote: »

When freeview was released in the uk a long long time ago far away, the boxes were about £99 so the ones here are not too badly priced but then uk viewers had a lot more time to buy one.

The same boxes , give or take,(all manufactured by Vestel) are on sale in the UK for £50 but are €100 here. That is hard to explain except that the certification process is expensive and prohibitive.

I predict that boxes here will be well below €50, possibly €30 by this time next year - not necessarily certified but with full compliance.

Gerry Wicklow

It still doesn't explain why a Tesco FreeView HD box is €84 here and £30 in UK:(

Sam Russell

If you check Tesco prices on most items, the same trend applies. Tesco prices are significantly higher in Ireland compared to the UK. Same applies to Maplin, Argos, Curries, M&S, etc etc. Commonly, they use an exchange rate of £1 = €1.50, but some use £1 = €2. If you look at price labels in some shops, they have different Euro prices for each country in the Euro zone, and guess where we come?

You Know It Makes Sense, and Every Little Helps.

Gagetman

Here are the details of the box I got in Spain: Make: i-joy, Model: TDT Cronus, Receptor-grabador TDT Alta Definicion.
I purchased in a hardware shop called AKI, which would be the Spanish equivalent of B&Q. It is in a distinctive black & pink box.
The price was €24.99, I think there was a fiver off but still a good product for 30 quid.
If anyone is getting one I am looking for 2 more if you can help.
Regards
Gagetman

Trevord

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

It still doesn't explain why a Tesco FreeView HD box is €84 here and £30 in UK:(

I bought one of the Tesco £30 freeview boxes for my parents a few weeks ago when I was in Belfast.

They were for sale along side the full price £70 newer model Tesco freeview HD boxes.

I think they were just clearing the old Vestel made models for £30.

£70 isnt too far off €84 so for once there is no rip off in my view.

Having said thatm, at €84 in no way would I recommend a Tesco freeview box for a Saorview only region. Issues with EPG time and no detailed programme info. Also MHEG5 text is too slow (like in the Finlux tvs Harvey Norman are flogging).

Aslo my Dad tells me that the box I bought for them is inclinded to power off a couple of times per week.

PressTheButton

Gagetman wrote: »

Here are the details of the box I got in Spain: Make: i-joy, Model: TDT Cronus, Receptor-grabador TDT Alta Definicion...
The price was €24.99...
Gagetman

Hi Gagetman, thanks for posting make & model. Couple of quick Q's:

1. Does it have MHEG-5 middleware/can you receive new digital teletext (with images...)?
2. Does it have English language option?

Seems like a very good buy @ €24.99, well spotted.

Sponge Bob

Gagetman wrote: »

If anyone is getting one I am looking for 2 more if you can help.
Regards
Gagetman

Someone here selling them wholesale, is the default menu in spanish but with an english option ??

http://www.solostocks.com/venta-productos/electronica/imagen-sonido/tdt/receptor-grabador-tdt-hd-cronos-i-joy-5993233

Gagetman

I see no reference to MHEG5. It has an English option. All menus epg and info is in English. If you want something which allows you to watch the Irish digital channels, record and set recordings from the epg and you are setup for the infimous 'digital change over' then this is very good value.
It is the exact model as on that website, there is no English option, can anyone tell if they ship to Ireland?

Sponge Bob

http://www.ijoy-europe.com/es/TDTCRONOS.html

wonder who made it?

They have quite a few models

http://www.ijoy-europe.com/es/SP_MENU_VID_TDT.html

PressTheButton

Specification (translated from Spanish):

iJoy TDT Cronos
DVB-T receiver / HD recorder

- Tuner High Definition Digital Terrestrial
- TDT Compact Black Finish
- Recording and playback via USB.
- HDMI Connection

Digital Terrestrial Television Receiver High Definition
HDMI output. Allows recording and playback via USB.
• MEPG-2 / 4 H.264 HD / SD
• Audio Standard ISO / IEC 14496-3, AC3
• Audio mode: Mono / Dual / Stereo
• HDMI (576i/576p/720p/1080i)
• Playback by USB 2.0 port
• USB 2.0 port Recording
• Electronic Program Guide
• Teletext, subtitle and multi-language menu
• Automatic and manual search
• Store up to 1000 programs
• Screen: 4:3, 16:9
• Time shift
• Digital Sound 2.0
• Media Formats:
Image: JPEG, BMP
Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV
Video: MPEG-4, MKV
• Connections: HDMI, USB, TV and VCR SCART
• Dimensions: 220 x 133 x 35 mm


www.ijoy-europe.com

Gagetman

More than likely made by someone in China. At that price I would be surprised if it was made anywhere else

sesna

I like aldi

Korky

I had terrible trouble setting up my Akura STB8010 - bought in ALDI (presumably the STB8030 is the same) to work with my Slingbox. I tried ringing Customer Support for Akura and they assured me that it was NOT a re-badged / cloned box - Yea right!!!
After much trial and error I got it to work by setting it up as a "Digihome STB1000". I hope this helps someone else!

ocuinn

I Akura STB bought in Aldi and works very well on all Saorview stations. Now that that DTT is starting and BBC etc., is also coming in perfectly since 10th October and expect all stations including UTV CH4 CH5 and others will come in from 24/10/12. May not be everywhere, I live in Howth CO, Dublin.

Sponge Bob

The Akura is (IIRC) a Vestel T8010 chassis which will not do the NI HD channels, only southern HD. It will receive Northern SD channels.

ocuinn

Sponge Bob, i shall be well pleased to receive SD from Northern Ireland, it's a bonus for me, Thanks ocuinn.