Will this satellite receiver work in Ireland?

RobitTV

This has brilliant reviews so I'm wondering will this work in Ireland - Humax Foxsat HDR 500GB Freesat HD Satellite Receiver and Digital TV Recorder

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-500GB-Satellite-Receiver-Recorder/dp/tech-data/B0039J42LM/ref=de_a_smtd

I'm thinking of cancelling sky and I already have a dish setup. Will I need to do anything els to make this work?

zg3409

This will not get the Irish channels. You would need a seperate TV aerial and a Saorview box to get any Irish channels.

Yamanoto

RobitTV wrote: »

This has brilliant reviews so I'm wondering will this work in Ireland - Humax Foxsat HDR 500GB Freesat HD Satellite Receiver and Digital TV Recorder

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-500GB-Satellite-Receiver-Recorder/dp/tech-data/B0039J42LM/ref=de_a_smtd

I'm thinking of cancelling sky and I already have a dish setup. Will I need to do anything els to make this work?

Many on this forum use the Humax (myself included).

Its positive reviews are well deserved. Depending on your Sky set-up, you may require an additional coax cable to make use of the dual tuners, if your currently using Sky+, then you're good to go.

RobitTV

Yamanoto wrote: »

Many on this forum use the Humax (myself included).

Its positive reviews are well deserved. Depending on your Sky set-up, you may require an additional coax cable to make use of the dual tuners, if your currently using Sky+, then you're good to go.

Sadly I don't have sky+ in my bedroom only ordinary sky. Why do you need two? Will it still work properly without two? And Is it easy to connect a 2nd one?

Peter Rhea

For full recording flexibility, you need 2 lnb connections to the receiver. The Foxsat HDR will work with a single cable, using a loopthrough to the 2nd input, although tuner 2 will be limited to channels of the same band & polarity as tuner 1.

RobitTV

Peter Rhea wrote: »

For full recording flexibility, you need 2 lnb connections to the receiver. The Foxsat HDR will work with a single cable, using a loopthrough to the 2nd input, although tuner 2 will be limited to channels of the same band & polarity as tuner 1.

So will it work 100% with one single lnb? I know you can only record and watch the same channel at the same time.

It could be a pain Transferring the cable anytime you want to record and watch something else to be honest.

Or do you recommend I go with freesat HD box with no recording?

Peter Rhea

It won't work 100% with a single input, but you're not limited to watching & recording the same channel, only one that is of the same band (high or low) & polarity (horizontal or vertical) as selected by tuner 1.

You can see a list of the main UK channels here: http://www.lyngsat.com/Astra-1N.html. These are all low band channels & you can see the H or V in the 'Freq tp' column. So if you select any of the H channels in this list, to record, you can simultaneously watch or record any of the other H channels. Same goes for the verticals & same principle applies to high band channels.

You don't need to transfer any cables, whichever setup you use.

RobitTV

Peter Rhea wrote: »

It won't work 100% with a single input, but you're not limited to watching & recording the same channel, only one that is of the same band (high or low) & polarity (horizontal or vertical) as selected by tuner 1.

You can see a list of the main UK channels here: http://www.lyngsat.com/Astra-1N.html. These are all low band channels & you can see the H or V in the 'Freq tp' column. So if you select any of the H channels in this list, to record, you can simultaneously watch or record any of the other H channels. Same goes for the verticals & same principle applies to high band channels.

You don't need to transfer any cables, whichever setup you use.

Oh right, do you just go to the menu or something to select either 1 or 2?

Say if I recorded something on bbc1 and wanted to watch bbc2 at the same time and they are on the same frequency so I can watch something else while it stil records on anther channel?

zg3409

It will drive you mad if you do not have 2 cables. It reduces the ability of the box if you do not have 2 cables between the dish and the receiver. It's worth the effort.

excollier

One cable feed to a HDR/Sky+ is like pulling off two ht leads from your car, it will go but it will be less than half it's power and potential.

RobitTV

excollier wrote: »

One cable feed to a HDR/Sky+ is like pulling off two ht leads from your car, it will go but it will be less than half it's power and potential.

The only effect of having one cable is the recording right? Is everything else overall ok?

excollier

Correct. But it negates having the HDR in the first place, you might as well have bought a straight Foxsat HD receiver. Cheaper.

RobitTV

excollier wrote: »

Correct. But it negates having the HDR in the first place, you might as well have bought a straight Foxsat HD receiver. Cheaper.

True, do you recommend I buy the HD one then? Does it have all the same features apart from recording?

excollier

Here are it's specs

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_stb_satellite_foxsathd.aspx

Peter Rhea

excollier wrote: »

. . . it negates having the HDR in the first place

No it doesn't, it limits your recording options, to be sure, but it's downright misleading to say that it renders this feature worthless.

excollier

Peter Rhea wrote: »

No it doesn't, it limits your recording options, to be sure, but it's downright misleading to say that it renders this feature worthless.

My apologies, but having a machine with a big restriction on it is just annoying, and a waste of cash imho, but hey, others know better than me.
I have the HDR, and would highly recommend it, but then I have the twin feed.
Once again, my apologies, no intent to mislead anyone.

Peter Rhea

The OP hasn't actually confirmed if they're able to install a 2nd feed or not, but even if they can't, this mightn't always be the case & it's only fair to point out that the twin tuner/record & watch different channels simultaneously feature will still work to a limited extent in the meantime, rather than steering them towards buying a receiver with no possibility for a future upgrade.

Yamanoto

Peter Rhea wrote: »

The OP hasn't actually confirmed if they're able to install a 2nd feed or not, but even if they can't, this mightn't always be the case & it's only fair to point out that the twin tuner/record & watch different channels simultaneously feature will still work to a limited extent in the meantime, rather than steering them towards buying a receiver with no possibility for a future upgrade.

OP hasn't placed much emphasis on PVR functionality being a deal-breaker. Given the difference in price, a second-hand Foxsat HD may be a judicious solution.

Ronnie Raygun

Or a combo that will get the Irish channels too (subject to signal availability of course) & at least have some kind of recording ability.

RobitTV

I see you can connect the box to the Internet, is their much point of doing that in Ireland?

evilivor

RobitTV wrote: »

I see you can connect the box to the Internet, is their much point of doing that in Ireland?

You can get the ITV player on it.

RobitTV

evilivor wrote: »

You can get the ITV player on it.

Oh does bbc and itv players work in Ireland on the box?

zg3409

Not BBC player.

RobitTV

What would be the best postcode to use in southern Ireland?

I was thinking it would be London, but would that be the best?

evilivor

RobitTV wrote: »

What would be the best postcode to use in southern Ireland?

I was thinking it would be London, but would that be the best?

The postcode only really determines what ITV region you get though there used to be something that the Granada region had the best quality ITV HD.

Using a London postcode will give you the London region ITV - you can customise the BBC regions in the menus afterwards.