Best cheapest freesat box

irelandspurs

Looking to get 3 or 4 freesat boxes,one i need to be hd but the others don't.What's the cheapest but reliable boxes i should be looking to buy.Thanks

homer911

First of all, you could try http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/ for box reviews

Secondly, if you are looking to save money, and you like the Humax box, you could try Humax Direct: http://humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10071

irelandspurs

homer911 wrote: »

First of all, you could try http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/ for box reviews

Secondly, if you are looking to save money, and you like the Humax box, you could try Humax Direct: http://humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10071

Thanks,i have sky boxes at the moment but its just a pain skipping through to find the channels.

paultf

homer911 wrote: »

Secondly, if you are looking to save money, and you like the Humax box, you could try Humax Direct: http://humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10071

I am not sure in Ireland we can order from humaxdirect?

Another option would be amazon. Very good customer service - I ordered a different freesat box from them and you can return within 60 days (I think) - no quibbles. Also they cover the 1 year gaurantee - replace with a new box if there is a problem. They always have a sale on a particular box.

Isn't the next generation of freesat suppose to be coming soon? So there might be a newer version of the humax later in the year.

irelandspurs

Are the manhattan boxes any good?

mike65

Next gen boxes are due in the Autumn but the additional features are of scant interest outside UK IP address' I think.

Manhattans new PVR box has got very good reviews so far and is about 40-50 euro cheaper than Humax FOXSAT albeit with a smaller HD.

Cesium Clock

irelandspurs wrote: »

Are the manhattan boxes any good?

Manhattan boxes are reliable fitted a good few, also benefit from 2 scart outputs,

irelandspurs

Cesium Clock wrote: »

Manhattan boxes are reliable fitted a good few, also benefit from 2 scart outputs,

Yeah think i'll try out manhattan box. I have sky hd box at min,is it a case of just swapping round same cables etc?

irelandspurs

what's peoples recommendations on these 3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manhattan-Plaza-HD-S-Freesat-Digital/dp/B005UYR2B6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1345900576&sr=8-12

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-Digital-Satellite-Set-Top/dp/B00264GX40/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345900576&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sagemcom-Satellite-Digital-Receiver-freesat/dp/B002XSKSHM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1345900576&sr=8-6

Cesium Clock

irelandspurs wrote: »

Yeah think i'll try out manhattan box. I have sky hd box at min,is it a case of just swapping round same cables etc?

Yes and enter a postcode for your choice of regional bbcs etc,

BT80 8AH will get you NÍ bbcs or SW1 3AA for London bbcs

The box will scan and organise the Freesat channels for you, 7 EPG , text on BBC, red button interactive,

Video guides here for grundig box but similar set up for manhattan

http://www.tvtrade.ie/freesat-receiver-sd-grundig.html

ei9go

irelandspurs wrote: »

Thanks,i have sky boxes at the moment but its just a pain skipping through to find the channels.

If you wnat to save money, use the Sky boxes. Add all the FTA channels to your favourites and when you go to the guide, press the blue button and you will get an epg with only your favourites.

Otherwise, don't buy the cheapest get the Humax Freesat boxes.

snaps

Argos in the UK are selling Bush SD freesat boxes for 18.99£ i think. nothing wrong with them, they dont record, but they do the job.

t c

You could get a good Freesat box and the others could be Free to Air, which are a lot cheaper.

I have one Humax HDR+ and two Technomates which work great for me.

Cheers,

TC

NIMAN

FTA boxes are not as good, try to stretch to a Humax recorder if you can. Got one and I have not had a failed recording in 2 yrs use. I bought mine 2nd hand for £130. Great buy.

I also think the Samsung recorder is sorted now and is getting good reviews. It was littered with bugs when it was released and got terrible press about it.

The likes of Humax, Samsung will be better in terms of quality than the Rosses, Bushes, Goodmans of the Freesat world.

Cesium Clock

NIMAN wrote: »

FTA boxes are not as good, try to stretch to a Humax recorder if you can. Got one and I have not had a failed recording in 2 yrs use. I bought mine 2nd hand for £130. Great buy.

I also think the Samsung recorder is sorted now and is getting good reviews. It was littered with bugs when it was released and got terrible press about it.

The likes of Humax, Samsung will be better in terms of quality than the Rosses, Bushes, Goodmans of the Freesat world.

Ross are not freesat, they are FTA receivers from china,

NIMAN

I know, I happened to mention FTA at the very start. Quite a few people buy the likes of a Ross box to get the 'Freesat' channels though (or FTA, whatever way you want to call it).

I was basically saying I'd avoid a Ross box!

STB

irelandspurs wrote: »

Looking to get 3 or 4 freesat boxes,one i need to be hd but the others don't.What's the cheapest but reliable boxes i should be looking to buy.Thanks

Bear in mind that you wont receive Saorview channels (RTE/RTE2 HD/TV3/3e/RTE News Now) on a Freesat branded box.

If that is what your expectation in addition to the Freesat/UK channels you are better off looking at a HD combo box.

Cesium Clock

STB wrote: »

Bear in mind that you wont receive Saorview channels (RTE/RTE2 HD/TV3/3e/RTE News Now) on a Freesat branded box.

If that is what your expectation in addition to the Freesat/UK channels you are better off looking at a HD combo box.

Op is using sky boxes as FTA and wants freesat boxes for ease of use, and reliability

The freesat channels that have a 7 day EPG , retune and carry text , red button etc are not available on a combo box

Best solution is saorview tv and HD freesat branded box,

STB

Cesium Clock wrote: »

Op is using sky boxes as FTA and wants freesat boxes for ease of use, and reliability

The freesat channels that have a 7 day EPG , retune and carry text , red button etc are not available on a combo box

Best solution is saorview tv and HD freesat branded box,

Best solution for whom ? People who have wads of cash and/or love having 2 boxes and 3 remote controls for every TV ? !!

Ease of use for Saorview & Freesat channels is a HD combo box.

• One Box.
• One fully customisable channel List.
• One remote control

• No unnecessary switching between HDMI/Scart sources
• No expensive Saorview TV required.

Cesium Clock

STB wrote: »

Best solution for whom ? People who have wads of cash and/or love having 2 boxes and 3 remote controls for every TV ? !!

Ease of use for Saorview & Freesat channels is a HD combo box.

• One Box.
• One fully customisable channel List.
• One remote control

• No unnecessary switching between HDMI/Scart sources
• No expensive Saorview TV required.

This combo box that has freesat channels where would one buy one?

Freesat channels are only available on a Freesat box on the freesat platform,

You are confused there is no saorview / freesat combo box

There are 2 soon to be 3 saorview approved combo boxes, which have nothing to do with the freesat brand,

It's free to air satellite channels, or FTA, no EPG , no auto RETUNING, no automatic CHANNEL Organisation,

1 years sky subscription = 1 humax foxsat freesat+ hd PVR + saorview tv and one remote for both,

You can't switch the tv on with your beloved ARiva 120 remote.

Skull Murphy

Cesium Clock wrote: »

This combo box that has freesat channels where would one buy one?

Freesat channels are only available on a Freesat box on the freesat platform

Where in the sky is this exclusive Freesat satellite located?

STB

Cesium Clock wrote: »

This combo box that has freesat channels where would one buy one?

Freesat channels are only available on a Freesat box on the freesat platform,

You are confused there is no saorview / freesat combo box

I am not confused. It is you that is attempting (badly) to confuse.

I said a HD Combo box would receive the Saorview channels as well as the Freesat channels.

What part did you not understand ?

I note you dodged the ease of use response you got too. :rolleyes:

To the OP. Combo boxes cost less than €100. They also allow you pick up other satellites should that be your want. They also play MKV/DIVX/AVI/MP4 films from the USB port on the box. They also have Youtube.

Cesium Clock

Skull Murphy wrote: »

Where in the sky is this exclusive Freesat satellite located?

Same place as the sky satellite with the sky channels on the sky platform,

Brand names not satellites,

Cesium Clock

STB wrote: »

I am not confused.

I said a HD Combo box would receive the Saorview channels as well as the Freesat channels.

What part did you not understand ?

I note you dodged the ease of use response you got too. :rolleyes:

To the OP. Combo boxes cost less than €100. They also allow you pick up other satellites should that be your want. They also play MKV/DIVX/AVI/MP4 films from the USB port on the box. They also have Youtube.

You are confused, you mistake brand names for channels, why not call the FTA channels free sky channels while your at it,

Cesium Clock

Skull Murphy wrote: »

Where in the sky is this exclusive Freesat satellite located?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSyxUsgcas4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Look and you can see it,

STB

Cesium Clock wrote: »

Same place as the sky satellite with the sky channels on the sky platform,

Brand names not satellites,

Eutelsat and Astra SES own the satellites.

Brand Names do not broadcast. Channels do.

Freesat is a platform brand for approved boxes that have a proprietary menu system. You do not require a Freesat branded box to receive those same channels which are broadcast in the open, free to air. You most certainly will not receive the Irish stations on a Freesat branded box off 28.2. You will receive both sets of channels (UK Freesat CHANNELS and Saorview channels) on a HD Combo box, which is the important point for the OP.

You are clearly trying to confuse the OP which is a disgrace given that you claim to be an installer.

Cesium Clock wrote: »

You can't switch the tv on with your beloved ARiva 120 remote.

Going back editing your posts now I see..... I have an Ariva HD 250. It controls my TV, AMP, PC and the set top box itself.

Cesium Clock

STB wrote: »

Eutelsat and Astra SES own the satellites.

Brand Names do not broadcast. Channels do.

Freesat is a platform brand for approved boxes that have a proprietary menu system. You do not require a Freesat branded box to receive those same channels which are broadcast in the open, free to air. You most certainly will not receive the Irish stations on a Freesat branded box off 28.2. You will receive both sets of channels (UK Freesat CHANNELS and Saorview channels) on a HD Combo box, which is the important point for the OP.

You are clearly trying to confuse the OP which is a disgrace given that you claim to be an installer

Going back editing your posts now I see..... I have an Ariva HD 250. It controls my TV, AMP, PC and the set top box itself.

You edited your post so what,

The op and title of thread is about freesat boxes
Free to air channels are broadcast from the satellites at 28.2, 28.5
They become freesat channels when viewed via a freesat receiver
They remain free to air satellite channels when viewed on a generic FTA receiver

Cesium Clock

irelandspurs wrote: »

Looking to get 3 or 4 freesat boxes,one i need to be hd but the others don't.What's the cheapest but reliable boxes i should be looking to buy.Thanks

No mention of saorview, combo boxes etc the op of the thread ,

Notice the words freesat boxes,

Skull Murphy

Cesium Clock wrote: »

They become freesat channels when viewed via a freesat receiver

Can I have some?!

STB

I tell you what. You just ignore ALL the inaccuracies I have corrected for you.

I don't know if you do this just to wind people up, but I am strongly suspecting that is the case.

Perhaps its just ignorance but you claim to be an installer, so I really don't know what to think.

Cesium Clock

Skull Murphy wrote: »

Can I have some?!

Fill yer boots mate

Cesium Clock

STB wrote: »

I tell you what. You just ignore ALL the inaccuracies I have corrected for you.

I don't know if you do this just to wind people up, but I am strongly suspecting that is the case.

Perhaps its just ignorance but you claim to be an installer, so I really don't know what to think.

The OP was asking for reliable FREESAT boxes, you have leaped in with your MPEG4 / FTA combo solution which has no relevance in this thread,

The OP made no reference to saorview

It was a discussion about Freesat boxes, if this troubles you or 'winds you up' for some reason I apologise, because I don't know if there is term for fear of Freesat.

Ronnie Raygun

Digital tv of any kind was only made possible by the mass production of processors: why do you think the likes of Sky spend so much on encryption or "brands" like Freesat are launched to woo lazy Brits used to being spoonfed terrestrial tv from a relay site on every bloody streetcorner*.

*Slight exaggeration.

Cesium Clock

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

Digital tv of any kind was only made possible by the mass production of processors: why do you think the likes of Sky spend so much on encryption or "brands" like Freesat are launched to woo lazy Brits used to being spoonfed terrestrial tv from a relay site on every bloody streetcorner*.

*Slight exaggeration.

wow

irelandspurs

STB wrote: »

Bear in mind that you wont receive Saorview channels (RTE/RTE2 HD/TV3/3e/RTE News Now) on a Freesat branded box.

If that is what your expectation in addition to the Freesat/UK channels you are better off looking at a HD combo box.

No not bothered with saorview,think the wife would like it though,ah i'm confused.

Peter Rhea

If your tvs are relatively recent, there's a chance they might work with the Saorview signal. Post the makes & models if you want to look into it.

STB

Cesium Clock wrote: »

The OP was asking for reliable FREESAT boxes, you have leaped in with your MPEG4 / FTA combo solution which has no relevance in this thread,

The OP made no reference to saorview

It was a discussion about Freesat boxes, if this troubles you or 'winds you up' for some reason I apologise, because I don't know if there is term for fear of Freesat.

I didn't leap in with anything, so stop your nonsense talk. I warned the OP that Freesat Boxes do not receive Saorview Channels.

STB wrote:

Bear in mind that you wont receive Saorview channels (RTE/RTE2 HD/TV3/3e/RTE News Now) on a Freesat branded box.

If that is what your expectation in addition to the Freesat/UK channels you are better off looking at a HD combo box.

Many people new to switching this think that a Freesat box is an all in one solution. Of course this is not the case. You knew that. Given that it is a common misassumption, that you are an installer, I can only assume you were being disingenuous with your recommendations. RTE's are the most watched channels across all platforms in Ireland. You cant assume that people dont want the Irish channels. They at least should be warned before they go off and buy Freesat boxes over HD Combo boxes.

irelandspurs wrote: »

No not bothered with saorview,think the wife would like it though,ah i'm confused.

Well you haven't been helped by this thread and particularly one posters responses here, which deliberately sought to confuse. If you want a box that does both Saorview and Freesat channels on the one box you would be better getting a HD Combo Box (>€100). There are plenty discussed in the Terrestrial forum including the Ferguson Ariva series 150 and 250 models.

Extinction

Freesat like Saorview is a brand Name.
Free to air receivers do not give all of the services available from Freesat.
MPE4 receivers do not give all of the services available from Saorview.

In anwser to the op, a Freesat reciever can be bought for as little as €50 for Standard definition and €110 for high definition.

Goodmans have a very reliable Freesat Sd receiver and Sagem have a very reliable HD Freesat receiver, both are available online from Irish retailers.

Extinction

STB 'Well you haven't been helped by this thread and particularly one posters responses here, which deliberately sought to confuse. If you want a box that does both Saorview and Freesat channels on the one box you would be better getting a HD Combo Box (>€100). '


The OP has asked about Freesat, he hasn't asked about combis or Irish channels.

It is the other posters who jumped in about free to air that have derailed the thread away from the question asked.

The Ariva is not a freesat box as you well know. It is an mpeg4 receiver and also has a free to air tuner. The reason people are confused about freesat is because whenever freesat is mentioned you always get some cowboy jumping in and giving misleading information.

Any proffesional installer will point to the difference between the receivers, cowboys confuse the customers by using the name freesat just to make a quick buck.

icdg

Okay guys, stop it now. STB and Celicum Clock consider yourself warned. Ronnie Raygun consider yourself 1 post out of line on any topic away from a five day ban.

Yes we know people confuse "Freesat" and "Free-To-Air". The channels in common between the two are the same channels broadcasting on the same transponders of the same satellites. Freesat is essentially a particular equipment specification for free-to-air receivers and a proprietary EPG.

Thread closed.