Lidl - Silvercrest Digital HD Satellite Receiver for €69.99

trap4

What are people's views on next Thursday's special at Lidl -a Silvercrest Digital HD Satellite Receiver for €69.99

• With HDMI connector and CI bay
• HD satellite receiver for the reception of all free-to-air digital TV and radio programmes via satellite
• Can be connected to LCD/plasma appliances with HDMI – digital transmission for high quality audio & video signal, dependent on signal or coverage
• Size: 26.6 x 4 x 17.4cm
• USB 2.0 port for connection of memory sticks or external hard drives – PVR-ready for direct video recording on to external hard drives
• Access to external USB memory drives for playing digital audio and image formats (MP3, JPEG)
• 3,000 memory spaces for TV and radio programmes and teletext with 500 page memory
• Multiple timer option coupled with EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)
• 3 year guarantee
• Outputs: HDMI interface with HDCP, scart, USB 2.0, YPbPr, S/PDIF (coaxial), audio (R/L), SAT-ZF (loop through)
• Was €79.99 now €69.99 save €10

buppydogs

hi all, I am sorry i am of no help answering your question. i am just wondering if this is the answer to my tv needs.. any information from anyone is appreciated. i see any older post where someone says its a waste of money. can anyway agree or disagree with this? I am in a situation where i have no tv channels at all right now - since i left sky. i have no aerial either and no nothing about zero about tvs and fitting aerials, boxes etc.. .and my husband is as bad. so any feedback on this lidl box would be appreciated. Do i need an aerial to use it also. thanks
Sinead

TheDriver

you need a sat cable, no aerial.
It seems pricey enough to be honest, I would recommend a freesat box instead because it gives the full 7 day guide or a combo box to include the saorview so you get the irish channels

Zardoz

Its a very basic HD box and certainly not worth 70 euro .

John mac

buppydogs wrote: »

? I am in a situation where i have no tv channels at all right now - since i left sky.
Sinead

if you have left sky, the old sky box will give you the same channels as the silvercrest

all the bbc and itv channels. etc..

( No rte but you will not* get them on satellite anyway)



* (for the pedantic you can get saorsat but not using the same satellite dish as sky)

JonathonS

buppydogs wrote: »

hi all, I am sorry i am of no help answering your question. i am just wondering if this is the answer to my tv needs.. any information from anyone is appreciated. i see any older post where someone says its a waste of money. can anyway agree or disagree with this? I am in a situation where i have no tv channels at all right now - since i left sky. i have no aerial either and no nothing about zero about tvs and fitting aerials, boxes etc.. .and my husband is as bad. so any feedback on this lidl box would be appreciated. Do i need an aerial to use it also. thanks
Sinead

Hi Sinead,
I'm no expert on this but there are a few threads with info on what you need to do to receive UK channels free on your Sky box such as this one:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056604647

Getting the Irish channels for free on your Sky box is more complicated, but again there are threads on these Forums covering that too.

If you have a good TV shop locally they should be able to guide you in the right direction.

winston_1

It's not a bad price actually considering it has a CI slot. In the UK it's £69.99 which at the moment is 25% more than the Irish price.

Celsoft

I bought a Silvercrest from Lidl last year. It was great value BUT ..... there were several on sale and every one of them had the HDMI cable removed from the box. Caveat emptor.

Cantona's Collars

This is a proper HD receiver as opposed to the boxes they had before which were SD with a HDMI socket.

Not too bad a price for a HD box plus you can record via USB on it.

marco2068

could you put the setanta ftv card into one of these????

terry78x

can i use my ipod on it. how do i get spanish tv, have spanish tv on my old box but its not hd. can i plug my hard drive to it and watch my movies.i got one today but i am lost, do you have a 2 your old.

winston_1

Celsoft wrote: »

I bought a Silvercrest from Lidl last year. It was great value BUT ..... there were several on sale and every one of them had the HDMI cable removed from the box. Caveat emptor.

It was not removed. HDMI leads were not included. See p.7 of the manual under package contents.

zg3409

A genuine FreeSAT HD box is better value and will never require re-tuning.

The plus (+) versions have recording and work very well with pause and seies link.

http://www.freesat.co.uk

OldRio

Cheapest box on that link is about 87euro for a bog standard.
The +boxes are way more expensive.
The 7 day epg is a bonus but at the end of the day it depends on your budget.

winston_1

zg3409 wrote: »

A genuine FreeSAT HD box is better value and will never require re-tuning.

The plus (+) versions have recording and work very well with pause and seies link.

http://www.freesat.co.uk

This rather misleading statement only applies to the channels on the Freesat EPG. If you want other channels a Freesat box is rather clunky and re-tuning will be required as and when.

Freesat boxes are not officially sold or supposed to be used in the Irish Republic .

watty

There is no prohibition or limitation on use of a Freesat box in Ireland.

The sale of Freesat boxes here is complex, but there is no law against sale of Freesat boxes in Ireland. The Suppliers & distributors are supposed to only supply them to UK retailers. But there is nothing illegal about import or sale of them.

The CI slot needs a CAM for a viewing card. A CAM can costs a significant amount (depending on Pay TV service) and there is no official CAM for any card for any Sky card. Any 3rd party CAM may stop working at any time for Setanta or any other Sky card.

Generally Lidl are very awkward to get to honour the Sale of Goods Act (2 years on something like this). Also generally now their electrical & Electronic products are either no better value than a regular supplier or not as good as they seem.

Most people are better off with a Freesat HD satellite receiver (they ARE available locally and by mail order in Ireland, quite legally).

There is no Sky FTV or Free card. It's a promotional card for a PayTV service that is ready to activate for subscription and is only suitable for a Sky box. It decodes a tiny amount of content for free. This box is also unlikely to work for Dutch, French or Swiss FTV cards without expensive CAM, or in some cases not at all.

Any other Satellite Pay TV service is likely more economically served by a different box.

FTA TV doesn't need a CI slot or CAM

There are a TINY number of Free TV worth watching not on the Freesat EPG, none of which you are likely to record and all can be added to the Freesat box equivalent of "Other Channels". Sky News.

So is it worth spending nearly €70 on this box with zero after sales support and dealing with an unco-operative call centre if it breaks down?

No.

OldRio

Like I said earlier.
It depends on your budget.

winston_1

watty wrote: »

Generally Lidl are very awkward to get to honour the Sale of Goods Act (2 years on something like this).



There are a TINY number of Free TV worth watching not on the Freesat EPG, none of which you are likely to record and all can be added to the Freesat box equivalent of "Other Channels". Sky News.

So is it worth spending nearly €70 on this box with zero after sales support and dealing with an unco-operative call centre if it breaks down?

No.

This box claims to have a 3 year guarantee though I must admit I have not tried to claim on a Lidl guarantee.

There are many free channels on other satellites which this box can get with a diseqc switch or a motorised dish. Only one brand of Freesaat box can manage this as far as I am aware.

At the end of the day it depends what you want. If its the fta channels at 28E than go for Freesat. If you want other satellites than best to get something else.

Cantona's Collars

Despite Watty Poo-Pooing this box,they all sold out in my local Lidl in minutes.I have used another Lidl box with disqec & it works fine.(Hate their stupid dishes though).

Many who bought them I suspect did it to use them as a second box in their house.

Just wondering if the slot could be used for foreign sub cards ala Cyfra+?

watty

You'd need a suitable CAM. A different starting point might be better.

I'm not Poo Pooing. It might be appropriate for some people. But Lidl are very awkward past their instore deadline. Their stuff is frequently not as good as it seems. It's not a bargain.

A Manufacturer's warranty is in addition to your rights under Sale of Goods act. Almost all Retailing chains attempt to deny and obfuscate these rights. Certainly you have at least 2 years -- TO THE RETAILER -- with most electrical / Electronic goods. Do not buy extended warranties at any Retailer. Mostly these are insurance policies that are worth a fraction of the price and often add nothing to your existing rights.

winston_1

zerks wrote: »

Despite Watty Poo-Pooing this box,they all sold out in my local Lidl in minutes.

For some strange reason this sort of stuff in Lidl seems to sell well. The same thing sold elsewhere moves at a much slower rate. Is it good advertising or what?

Cesium Clock

winston_1 wrote: »

For some strange reason this sort of stuff in Lidl seems to sell well. The same thing sold elsewhere moves at a much slower rate. Is it good advertising or what?

Mis perception of value

Cantona's Collars

watty wrote: »

You'd need a suitable CAM. A different starting point might be better.

I'm not Poo Pooing. It might be appropriate for some people. But Lidl are very awkward past their instore deadline. Their stuff is frequently not as good as it seems. It's not a bargain.

A Manufacturer's warranty is in addition to your rights under Sale of Goods act. Almost all Retailing chains attempt to deny and obfuscate these rights. Certainly you have at least 2 years -- TO THE RETAILER -- with most electrical / Electronic goods. Do not buy extended warranties at any Retailer. Mostly these are insurance policies that are worth a fraction of the price and often add nothing to your existing rights.

Wait 'til Aldi have them for sale,they take stuff back no problem.At least my local store does.

FREETV

zerks wrote: »

Wait 'til Aldi have them for sale,they take stuff back no problem.At least my local store does.

I think that 49.99 would be more than enough of a price tag for them. I wouldn't pay anymore than that for one of them. They are really only good for watching other foreign satellites with a disecq switch or as a second alternative box in the kitchen or a bedroom. A Humax Foxsat HD recorder would be much better for Astra 28.2 but a tad overpriced. I have Freesat+ boxes and an old SD SL65 from Lidl which is very basic in comparison. The Now and Next EPG instead of the full 7 to 8 day EPG for the UK stations, retunes every three months or so, no automatic updating of new stations and no series link is very lacking indeed.:)

Cantona's Collars

FREETV wrote: »

I think that 49.99 would be more than enough of a price tag for them. I wouldn't pay anymore than that for one of them. They are really only good for watching other foreign satellites with a disecq switch or as a second alternative box in the kitchen or a bedroom. A Humax Foxsat HD recorder would be much better for Astra 28.2 but a tad overpriced. I have Freesat+ boxes and an old SD SL65 from Lidl which is very basic in comparison. The Now and Next EPG instead of the full 7 to 8 day EPG for the UK stations, retunes every three months or so, no automatic updating of new stations and no series link is very lacking indeed.:)

I stated in my first post that I reckoned they were being bought for use as a 2nd box.
Handy for use with foreign sats as you state,I'm using one of the Lidl SL65's for 19e & it does the job,nothing fancy but a handy little receiver.

Llamallama

Generally Lidl are very awkward to get to honour the Sale of Goods Act (2 years on something like this).



There are a TINY number of Free TV worth watching not on the Freesat EPG, none of which you are likely to record and all can be added to the Freesat box equivalent of "Other Channels". Sky News.

So is it worth spending nearly €70 on this box with zero after sales support and dealing with an unco-operative call centre if it breaks down?

I beg to differ: I bought one of these for an older family member almost three years ago. It was returned to store by a previous buyer (box battered, taped) but I didn't check it until a couple of weeks ago. Missing piece of kit. I called Lidl helpline: very helpful, took my no. At 7am the next morning the German manufacturer called me, took my details and said they would post it to me for free. A few mins later they called back to verify the model no. A week later exactly, the part (with a bag of all screws, fittings, etc) arrived via courier. I challenge any Irish supplier to provide equivalent service. Or if they do, please tell me, because I've not had it.

Whether it's worth the money or not, I really don't know. Deeply impressed by the service, though.

Celsoft

winston_1 wrote: »

It was not removed. HDMI leads were not included. See p.7 of the manual under package contents.

It was removed.
The model I bought was/is "SL 45 HDMI" - HDMI actually part of the name.
p7 (or any other page) of the manual mentions nothing about contents.
When I realised the cable was missing it was then obvious to me that the box had been opened. I returned to the Lidl store to find that ALL others on display had been similarly tampered with.

Ronnie Raygun

Those receivers don't come with a HDMI cable, as already stated. Look in the "scope of supply" section of the manual.

winston_1

Celsoft wrote: »

It was removed.
The model I bought was/is "SL 45 HDMI" - HDMI actually part of the name.
p7 (or any other page) of the manual mentions nothing about contents.
When I realised the cable was missing it was then obvious to me that the box had been opened. I returned to the Lidl store to find that ALL others on display had been similarly tampered with.

I did assume you were talking about the HD receiver that this thread was about.

But the SL45HDMI does not come with an HDMI lead either. Page 11 of the manual in this case.