tv star 1020

Bob Z

is it any good?

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Saorview-RTE-digital-set-top-box.html

its not saorview approved. does that matter much?

The Cush

Bob Z wrote: »

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Saorview-RTE-digital-set-top-box.html

its not saorview approved. does that matter much?

Works OK with the Saorview channels but no digital text.

AlarmBelle

Bob Z wrote: »

is it any good?

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Saorview-RTE-digital-set-top-box.html

its not saorview approved. does that matter much?

you won't get digital text as it says, if that is important to you? Don't know any more sorry

Bob Z

i suppose not but will there other features missing in the future? could it go out of date or not pick up new channels?

The Cush

Bob Z wrote: »

i suppose not but will there other features missing in the future? could it go out of date or not pick up new channels?

Should be OK for new channels but won't work with any future interactive services as they will use the same software as digital text.

AlarmBelle

The Cush wrote: »

Should be OK for new channels but won't work with any future interactive services as they will use the same software as digital text.

is there any possibility it could be updated to have that software?

The Cush

AlarmBelle wrote: »

is there any possibility it could be updated to have that software?

Don't think so.

winston_1

Why not buy an approved model and have all the facilities and none of the worries?

Bob Z

because i am getting that one a bit cheaper from someone who doesnt need it

Bob Z

will the pricees drop much in a few weeks?

winston_1

Bob Z wrote: »

because i am getting that one a bit cheaper from someone who doesnt need it

A bit cheaper and a lot worse. Are you that short of money, an approved model costs around the same as a tank of petrol?

Bob Z

its smaller too stuck for space but it only has one scart so i cant it up to a dvd recorderand a tv at the same time(my tv doesnt have hdmi)

seanpjs93

I have the TV Star 1010, I got it for about €40 in a Supervalu store, it works great, high picture and sound quality. I only got it so I could record on a pvr, I do have a digital tv, but it wasn't capable of accepting a USB. Apart from not being able to the digital text services it's a good box.

MartyM

Bob Z wrote: »

is it any good?

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Saorview-RTE-digital-set-top-box.html

its not saorview approved. does that matter much?

Hi all, my father in-law was sold a TV Star T1020 from an installer/store in County Wicklow for €64. I really don't understand why installers are selling non approved STBs to an unsuspecting public.

Anyway, rant over.

Now that he has the box, I was wondering could he daisy chain it with a Sky+ box (non sub) and receive both Saorview and Free to Air satelite channels?

He has a relatively old Philips TV, no HDMI connection and only one Scart connection. I was thinking he might be able to run a Scart from the T1020 to the VCR Scart on the Sky box and then another Scart from the TV Scart on the Sky box to the TV?

Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

jonnygee

Yes, you can do that.

MartyM

jonnygee wrote: »

Yes, you can do that.

Cheers, thanks for the reply!

watty

However these are actually only minimal generic boxes that are no bargain.

It's unreasonable to call them "Good". They are just adequate and would never pass certification, being only basic.

St Senan

@ MartyM those Tvstars 1020 receivers are been sold in Tesco for only €39.

Capt'n Midnight

Depends on your needs.

Newer boxes will be out soon so not sure it's worth paying through the nose till then. For those who can get UK signals through an aerial Freeview HD is looking like a good choice (review boxes to see which ones work best for what you want)



Second hand Saorview approved boxes can be got for ~ €40 so no real savings getting a random grey-market MPEG4 box

USB tuner can be got for ~ €6 for watching on laptop/pc - most TV's these days will take VGA or HDMI input (DVI to HDMI adaptor's are v. cheap on Chinese sites) (USB is non-approved, and you'll need a newer computer to watch RTE2 HD because more picture needs to be decoded)


AFAIK We still don't know if any box will support saorview series link, because it isn't being transmitted yet.

Also it appears that the .ts files recorded on the vestel clones are 'watchable' on a PC (no menu yet) where as the files recorded on some generic MPEG4 receivers aren't (don't quote me on this - but check before you buy if it's important to you)

Bob Z

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Depends on your needs.

Newer boxes will be out soon so not sure it's worth paying through the nose till then. For those who can get UK signals through an aerial Freeview HD is looking like a good choice (review boxes to see which ones work best for what you want)



Second hand Saorview approved boxes can be got for ~ €40 so no real savings getting a random grey-market MPEG4 box

USB tuner can be got for ~ €6 for watching on laptop/pc - most TV's these days will take VGA or HDMI input (DVI to HDMI adaptor's are v. cheap on Chinese sites) (USB is non-approved, and you'll need a newer computer to watch RTE2 HD because more picture needs to be decoded)


AFAIK We still don't know if any box will support saorview series link, because it isn't being transmitted yet.

Also it appears that the .ts files recorded on the vestel clones are 'watchable' on a PC (no menu yet) where as the files recorded on some generic MPEG4 receivers aren't (don't quote me on this - but check before you buy if it's important to you)

what one would you recommend?

Capt'n Midnight

Bob Z wrote: »

what one would you recommend?

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Depends on your needs.

all the non-triax set boxes so far are vestel clones so esentially the same so much of a muchness

at this stage some of your family , friends , neighbours have boxes , call round, bring biscuits or sticky buns and see which you like

Bob Z

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

all the non-triax set boxes so far are vestel clones so esentially the same so much of a muchness

at this stage some of your family , friends , neighbours have boxes , call round, bring biscuits or sticky buns and see which you like

i mean the usb tv tuner i havent a clue about them. are they any good?

Capt'n Midnight

Bob Z wrote: »

i mean the usb tv tuner i havent a clue about them. are they any good?

for €6 (including envelope & postage from China) what are you expecting ?

it works on a decent laptop,
I've an old (2006) laptop that will show everything except RTE2
you'll almost certainly have to cut the cable to connect it to a real aerial

LordSutch

Currently selling for €39 in Tesco.

watty

AVOID

It's a mugs game buying partially compatible un-certified boxes. Shame on Tesco selling this without a large warning.

Dunnes, Co-op and many others just as guilty.


This is a violation of consumer rights that there is no warning.

It also is NOT a PVR! It's a recording feature that needs suitable user supplied storage and is unreliable.

LordSutch

I bought one only last week (but I haven't plugged it in yet), but if its as bad as you say it is,
then I will repackage it and get a full refund from Tesco asap!

PS: what exactly should the WARNING say?

Antenna

LordSutch wrote: »

PS: what exactly should the WARNING say?

well the main issue for people is that since a few weeks ago they will not receive a teletext (Aertel) service from RTE, as these boxes only do the EBU/WST teletext - RTE had both teletext systems (EBU/WST and MHEG5) going on Saorview up until a few weeks ago, but are now only transmitting the (much-less used internationally) MHEG5 teletext which the vast majority of non-'Saorview approved' boxes cannot display

They will still receive teletext of non-RTE Irish channels (TG4 TV3 3e).


The lack of Aertel teletext may not be an issue if you:
(a) have little/no interest in it anyway
(b) Don't mind accessing it online instead

Antenna

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Second hand Saorview approved boxes can be got for ~ €40 so no real savings getting a

Where have you seen "second hand Saorview approved boxes for ~ €40" for sale? If in small ads in newspapers they are likely not Saorview approved ... unless a make/model is advertised. Large retailers (not to mind second hand sellers) have in recent months described for example the 'tv star 1020' etc as a Saorview box.

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

random grey-market MPEG4 box

Not sure if 'grey-market' is an approprite description for them?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market
This term would be valid for UK Freesat boxes sold in the Republic of Ireland but I don't think it is appropriate for non-Saorview MPEG4 terrestrial boxes?

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_rights/consumers_and_the_law_in_ireland.html

Under this Act the purchaser of goods has a number of rights - the main ones are

Goods must be of merchantable quality – goods should be of reasonable quality taking into account what they are meant to do, their durability and their price
Goods must be fit for their purpose – they must do what they are reasonably expected to do
Goods must be as described - the buyer must not be mislead into buying something by the description of goods or services given orally by a salesperson or an advertisement.

I think it's reasonable to expect such a box to see the teletext on more than 3 out of 8 channels if it says teletext anywhere on the box or the ad.

Saorview is not just an MPEG4 signal. It's also the EPG and the fancy teletext (and hopefully soon series link). Anything that can't do the extras is not a Saorview receiver nor should it be described as such. If the sales person or the ad or box says it can receiver saorview then misleading.


Had it been advertised as "MPEG4 receiver, limited compatibility with Saorview transmissions" then maybe.


When you go back to Tesco you may be lucky enough to see both the Laurus ~€80 and Technika boxes ~€49 in stock, then you can play spot the difference


Had it said Recorder (via usb) that would be fine

In this part of the world PVR mean something like SKY+ or the UPC boxes that allow you to watch one channel while recording another. They are by far the oldest and most common PVR systems here so anything advertising it's self as more than a recorder would have to be up to scratch.

SKY, UPC, Approved Saorview boxes can record from the EPG, if the 1020 can't then it most definitely is not a PVR by any stretch of the imagination.

excollier

I have the TV Star 1020, sitting alongside my Humax Freesat+ HDR. I only tuned in the Irish channels and excluded the Freeview channels (my tv is a mpeg2 Freeview set), So, for me, it can record one Irish channel, while we watch a different one. It happily records onto a usb flash stick, and compliments the set up perfectly. No complaints from me. Does exactly what I need it to. Very well too.
So regardless of the negative comments on here, it still does the business. As for the second MUX, well that's not a problem for me.

watty

It not that the box is useless or anything, but to the non-technical public it's being mis-sold and in many shops there is no Certified box available and I have seen NO retailer selling them honestly.

STB

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_rights/consumers_and_the_law_in_ireland.html

I think it's reasonable to expect such a box to see the teletext on more than 3 out of 8 channels if it says teletext anywhere on the box or the ad.

Saorview is not just an MPEG4 signal. It's also the EPG and the fancy teletext (and hopefully soon series link). Anything that can't do the extras is not a Saorview receiver nor should it be described as such. If the sales person or the ad or box says it can receiver saorview then misleading.

Had it been advertised as "MPEG4 receiver, limited compatibility with Saorview transmissions" then maybe.

When you go back to Tesco you may be lucky enough to see both the Laurus ~€80 and Technika boxes ~€49 in stock, then you can play spot the difference

Had it said Recorder (via usb) that would be fine

In this part of the world PVR mean something like SKY+ or the UPC boxes that allow you to watch one channel while recording another. They are by far the oldest and most common PVR systems here so anything advertising it's self as more than a recorder would have to be up to scratch.

SKY, UPC, Approved Saorview boxes can record from the EPG, if the 1020 can't then it most definitely is not a PVR by any stretch of the imagination.

There is nothing proprietary or strange in the EPG data that is transmitted by Saorview that these boxes nor unapproved TV's or other unapproved boxes that have a DVB logo would have a problem with. Its called DVB-EIT and its a standard.

PVR is the ability to record. Dual tuner PVR is the ability to watch one station and record another. Even single tuner devices with "PVR" functionality can view one channel and record another as long as its on the same mux. This is only technically possible once the device has been configured to do so. Some are, some aren't.

By the way some of the early Saorview approved boxes (Vestel chassis) whilst having a USB port on the box arent for PVR purposes and arent configured to be. PVR is not a requirement in the specification for Saorview.

LordSutch

Intrerestingly my local D.I.D. electrical store have the 1020 on display with a little perspex coated list of features including MHEG5


OK, so I finnely unpackaged my TV Star 1020 tonight, and my 1st thoughts are . . . . .

Nice small box, light as a feather (too light to be honest). Remote needs to be about two feet away to work properly (so I probably have a dud). Good picture, rubbish remote control, Does not have MHEG5 (please note D.I.D), comes set in US date format MM/DD/YY which is very annoying & it can't be changed. It records in .mts format which is also a pain for me, as my other boxes record in .ts mode, this means that I can record on Ariva 120 or my Technomate and play those files on the TV Star 1020, but . . . . I cannot record something on the TV Star 1020 and play it back on the other two machines! (neither recognise .mts files).

Interesting reading for prospective buyers I hope.

Will get refund or exchange for Technika/Laurus T8030 tomorrow (hopefully it records .ts files).

Tony

Not good at all, it definitely does not have MHEG 5.

LordSutch wrote: »

Intrerestingly my local D.I.D. electrical store have the 1020 on display with a little perspex coated list of features including MHEG5

Capt'n Midnight

STB wrote: »

PVR is the ability to record. Dual tuner PVR is the ability to watch one station and record another.

Again consumer law is based on what a reasonable person would expect.

For yonks SKY and UPC have provided boxes that can record any channel while watching any any other and can do time shift too and series link from the EPG. 49% of households now have them.

A box which doesn't offer the basic features that most television viewers in the country are using isn't really a PVR

BTW I've a satellite receiver where you can record one channel and watch another on the same mux. That feature isn't much use on satellite, (many regional variations / +1) nor would it be up north where there is more than one mux on DTT. That feature is useful here now only because of a lack of channels. Once a second mux goes on line it'll be really annoying. And any sold on the basis that you could record one channel while watching another could be returned.

By the way some of the early Saorview approved boxes (Vestel chassis) whilst having a USB port on the box arent for PVR purposes and arent configured to be. PVR is not a requirement in the specification for Saorview.

Which is why I said the word recorder was used on the box. They should not be sold as PVR's because they aren't.

The word Recorder would set an expectation similar to a video recorder in that you can only do one of play or record or choose channel at a time. Many VCR's could be set using videoplus or scraping teletext, so a PVR would have to do a good bit more.

LordSutch

Can the software be changed so that it records in .ts format instead of .mts?

(with an external hard drive of course).

watty

PVR IS NOT the ability to record. It's always been a class of Digital Recorder.

STB

I am not in disagreement with you Capt.

I agree that Saorview PVR devices need to be branded correctly so that there is no confusion. Will they be a big seller. Not if the current prices are maintained. There are too little stations to justify the price tags.

In terms of generic devices and I use Generic as a term used for items not specifically aimed for Ireland but more a Pan European/DVB-T basis, you must do your homework. A lot of the time compromises must be made once the price point is low enough and for many that is an acceptable trade off.

MHEG5 and Dual tuners will be that compromise until we get a mass market that can drive some competition into our desired STB configurations. Despite the fact that the UK is the most similar technical spec'd market, Combo products have not been a huge marketable item there, so knock on effect here. Unfortunately our dependance on UK TV to bolster Irish DVB-T TV content means that Combo boxes are the main requirement for Irish FTA consumers. But the products that get certification will be priced off the wall and wont be functionality friendly as a Freesat/Freeview HD product which of course dont do both dvb-t and dvb-s2 to our satisfaction.

Capt'n Midnight

STB wrote: »

Despite the fact that the UK is the most similar technical spec'd market, Combo products have not been a huge marketable item there, so knock on effect here. Unfortunately our dependance on UK TV to bolster Irish DVB-T TV content means that Combo boxes are the main requirement for Irish FTA consumers. But the products that get certification will be priced off the wall and wont be functionality friendly as a Freesat/Freeview HD product which of course dont do both dvb-t and dvb-s2 to our satisfaction.

Saorview is closer to the Nordic countries

Freesat/Freeview combo is a niche area. I'd nearly compare it to Saorsat here. It's for people who can't get their channels any other way and enthusiasts.

There is a huge overlap between Freesat and Freeview.
Most of the UK have most of the FTA channels worth watching on DTT - they have more than one MUX
http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=IJ287750


Yes there are extra channels on satellite, but there are a lot of old sky boxes in place too.


SKY and UPC have been offering dual tuner PVR's with a single EPG for a long time. 49% of homes have them, 97% TV ownership so most people with TV's have only seen fully functional PVR's. Anything that offers less can't really be considered a PVR in the Irish context.


At present it looks like the closest to a fully functional PVR is a linux satellite box that get's it's EPG from the internet and Saorview through a USB DTT adaptor. And it's not that cheap. And I don't think it updates it's channels automatically.

Another option is certain Freesat HD recorders with Saorsat (dual diseqc switches etc.) and a bit of dexterity on the remote control

watty

There is really no market for a combo now in UK that the DVB-T2 HD has started. Many people have both satellite (Freesat or Sky) and Freeview, but usually freeview only on other TVs if the main TV has satellite.

STB

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Saorview is closer to the Nordic countries

We will always be closer to UK as long as we maintain using MHEG5 middleware. Its what distinguishes us, the Kiwis and the Brits from the rest of the DVB world. The UK is now more aligned to the Nordic Countries than you think. The main difference is their implementation of HDCP.

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Freesat/Freeview combo is a niche area. I'd nearly compare it to Saorsat here. It's for people who can't get their channels any other way and enthusiasts.

I agree. However there are more and more DVB-T2 tuner modules creeping into Combo Boxes. Technomates **02 ranges (available for some time), and most recently the Amiko 2 Plus range (2xDVB-S2, 1 DVB-T2) and a few others.

watty

CI+ includes MHEG5 so has sort of crept in to all of Europe.
MHP is practically dead
HbbTV can br accessed via extensions to MHEG-IC as it is really about OTT (over the top = Internet content)

STB

watty wrote: »

CI+ includes MHEG5 so has sort of crept in to all of Europe.
MHP is practically dead
HbbTV can br accessed via extensions to MHEG-IC as it is really about OTT (over the top = Internet content)

CI+ is only mandatory unfortunately on TV screens above a certain size. There are far too many cheap CI modules still out there so it wont be standard on STBs for some time. But yes CI+ was developed to actually have a "standard" that the manufacturers adhered too (they all had their own implementations of CI which varied greatly). No coincidence so that Neotion where the main driving force behind CI+. Sky have now accepted it as a secure environment for NDS and have licensed its use for NDS already, which will mean that the days of serious unbundling and the technical hurdles that Sky maintained were obstacles are no longer there. Those that dislike proprietary Sky boxes (and full tied in packages) might be interested in that.



The new Amiko triple tuner range actually have HBBTV via Spark software. I have seen HBBTv in action mainly in that country where all the Irish taxpayers money goes for unsecured bondholders.

PeteFalk78

My parents have two of these. They aren't great boxes but I trying to find updated firmware from them. Typically I can find any firmware on the manufacturers website. Anyway have any recent or even 2013 firmware?

thebo

Anyone still using this box not getting proper EPG from RTE 1 and +1 just recently? Only shows teleshopping. Sometimes full EPG shows for sec then changes stuck on teleshopping.

Rte 2 and channels on that frequency display fine.

Can't seem find any firmware update

MenloPete

Aside from the fact that you shouldn't drag up an old thread, if you looked around you would see that it's not a box issue. Others have the problem on various boxes.