New to FTA Satellite Box buying

mumof2

Anything I should watch out for before buying one? Am currently reviewing a few that I spotted over the weekend, but just don't know which one to get.

I want to get rid of the sky box in the living room and replace it with a Freesat HD box with recording facility (or ability to attach ext harddrive) and run it off the sky dish thats there.

Any tips welcome

paultf

FTA and freesat are different.

Do you want Irish channels? Then a combo box like a Triax TSC114 - one side connected to your aerial - the other to your dish.

Otherwise you need a saorview box + either a FTA/freesat box.

Loads of posts about whether FTA or freesat is better.

Good place to start is www.amazon.co.uk Good support and service.

Humax would be a good choice for a freesat+ box with a hard drive. Others: echostar or manhatton.

Check www.freesat.co.uk www.joinfreesat.co.uk

Or forums www.avforums.co.uk www.digitalspy.co.uk

mike65

Here's my review of the Manhattan Plaza HDR-S

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manhattan-HDR-S-Receiver-Built-In-320GB/dp/B009EO8CW6/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

which I bought here

darkhorse

mumof2 wrote: »

Anything I should watch out for before buying one? Am currently reviewing a few that I spotted over the weekend, but just don't know which one to get.

I want to get rid of the sky box in the living room and replace it with a Freesat HD box with recording facility (or ability to attach ext harddrive) and run it off the sky dish thats there.

Any tips welcome

Hi,
I changed a few months ago. I bought online in tvtrade.ie, and found them very helpfull with advice. I'm happy with my purchase, although I had to forfiet the sky channels.

mumof2

darkhorse wrote: »

Hi,
I changed a few months ago. I bought online in tvtrade.ie, and found them very helpfull with advice. I'm happy with my purchase, although I had to forfiet the sky channels.

Thanks to everyone so far for your advice and links;)

I understand that Im not going to have most of the Sky Channels, but thats not a problem.

I also don't need/want the Irish Channels - I never watch them:rolleyes:

Im a movies person!! I think its Freesat box I need as I don't have an ariel. Nor want to get one:D

mike65

www.joinfreesat.co.uk is full of information and reviews.

Capt'n Midnight

[QUOTE=mumof2;81592749I also don't need/want the Irish Channels - I never watch them:rolleyes:

Im a movies person!! I think its Freesat box I need as I don't have an ariel. Nor want to get one:D[/QUOTE]Don't forget that RTE show movies without ad breaks at christmas, and since RTE2 is HD it would be nice but I won't hold my breath.. The other reason is that they usually have the same films but at different times to the UK channels

Freesat gives you the EPG and series link - kinda important if you want to record.

mumof2

God almighty!! I didn't realise there were so many of those boxes (different brands)....

I just want one that records/has the ability to record onto external drive, and has loads of channels that will come off the sky dish (dont care if its 150 channels of rubbish - can only watch one channel at a time anyhow:D How would I know for sure if any of them are actually capable of doing this??

Spending hours researching the various types, and trying to narrow it down to the right one... should take me a week or so to make a decision:D

darkhorse

mumof2 wrote: »

God almighty!! I didn't realise there were so many of those boxes (different brands)....

I just want one that records/has the ability to record onto external drive, and has loads of channels that will come off the sky dish (dont care if its 150 channels of rubbish - can only watch one channel at a time anyhow:D How would I know for sure if any of them are actually capable of doing this??

Spending hours researching the various types, and trying to narrow it down to the right one... should take me a week or so to make a decision:D

Well, I bought a CX61 Combi, no HD, but I bought an external hard drive, seperate, for recording.

mumof2

When it states USB for recording on to an ext hard drive or usb memory stick, is it then possible to watch back the stuff on the tv using the remote control - is it easy to do or down right complicated?

(thinking back to my mothers DVD recorder, and she trying to find what she recorded:D)


Im still confused as to what I actually should be looking for (despite the brand)

A freesat Combo box gives both satellite and terrestrial, HD is high definition, but what exactly should it say if it has recording/playback facility??

Ronnie Raygun

There are no Freesat combo boxes. Freesat is a brand owned by the BBC & ITV & was conceived as an alternative to Freeview in the UK, so its products don't make provision for terrestrial reception.

For recording capability, look for Freesat+.

paultf

mumof2 wrote: »

When it states USB for recording on to an ext hard drive or usb memory stick, is it then possible to watch back the stuff on the tv using the remote control - is it easy to do or down right complicated?

(thinking back to my mothers DVD recorder, and she trying to find what she recorded:D)


Im still confused as to what I actually should be looking for (despite the brand)

A freesat Combo box gives both satellite and terrestrial, HD is high definition, but what exactly should it say if it has recording/playback facility??

It can be confusing alright!

Are you looking for a box to record to an internal hard drive or a USB/external hard drive?

The freesat+ boxes record to an internal drive with a capacity of say 320GB or 500GB. Someone might correct me on this but I don't think you can record to anything external on a freesat+ box. With a freesat+ box the recordings are accessible via a menu like on a Sky box.

Just as a comparsion, I use a Triax TSC114 combo box for saorview (I don't use the FTA side). I have a external hard drive that I connect to the USB connection. The odd saorview programme I record, I simply choose which one I want to watch from a menu (with the drive still attached). Likewise if I use a USB stick.

For another option: there has been alot of posts on the Ariva 250 recently - it is FTA. You can record externally on this:
www.satellite.ie/acatalog/HD_Ariva_120_Combo_Box.html

mumof2

paultf wrote: »

It can be confusing alright!

Are you looking for a box to record to an internal hard drive or a USB/external hard drive?

The freesat+ boxes record to an internal drive with a capacity of say 320GB or 500GB. Someone might correct me on this but I don't think you can record to anything external on a freesat+ box. With a freesat+ box the recordings are accessible via a menu like on a Sky box.

Just as a comparsion, I use a Triax TSC114 combo box for saorview (I don't use the FTA side). I have a external hard drive that I connect to the USB connection. The odd saorview programme I record, I simply choose which one I want to watch from a menu (with the drive still attached). Likewise if I use a USB stick.

For another option: there has been alot of posts on the Ariva 250 recently - it is FTA. You can record externally on this:
www.satellite.ie/acatalog/HD_Ariva_120_Combo_Box.html

I was looking at this last night. I would prefer the internal hard drive Although this would depend on how easy playback is on television of recordings using the Ariva 250. Will review it and go through older posts too.

Thanks a mil!!:)

brinks_18476

The new Humax G2 Freetime (500gb or 1TB) is now the best Freesat Option on the market IMO. Cost £279-£299. Only available via UK at moment. EPG is best available and integrated catch up looks super IMO. Waiting to buy one myself.

http://humaxdirect.co.uk/specsheets/HDR-1000S0725.pdf

mumof2

Does any one here own the Ariva 250? Is it easy to use the record and playback function?

darkhorse

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

There are no Freesat combo boxes. Freesat is a brand owned by the BBC & ITV & was conceived as an alternative to Freeview in the UK, so its products don't make provision for terrestrial reception.

For recording capability, look for Freesat+.

Ferguson HD DTT (Saorview) / Freesat Combo Box - €106.85 - HUKD

Peter Rhea

Those Ferguson combis have neither Freesat nor Saorview approval. They're just generic DVB-S2/DVB-T receivers that happen to work with the bare bones of each service: no 7 day epg on satellite & no MHEG5 text or interactive (red button) features on either service.

STB

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Those Ferguson combis have neither Freesat nor Saorview approval. They're just generic DVB-S2/DVB-T receivers that happen to work with the bare bones of each service: no 7 day epg on satellite & no MHEG5 text or interactive (red button) features on either service.

They do have aertel.

They may be unapproved, but are a lot better than the approved ones at half the price.

Ronnie Raygun

darkhorse wrote: »

Ferguson HD DTT (Saorview) / Freesat Combo Box - €106.85 - HUKD

As already pointed out, not Freesat. And no excuse for misusing the name, no matter what might appear in advertisements.

mumof2

Ok, back to the drawing board so based on the Ferguson issue -

Im going into my local electronic stores to see what they offer and know.

Otherwise I might just pop in and get Lidl's Silvercrest HD Satellite Reveiver today and be done with it (if there's any left at E69.99. It has USB for connection of memory sticks or external hard drives, PVR ready.

coffee to go

mumof2 wrote: »

Ok, back to the drawing board so based on the Ferguson issue -

Im going into my local electronic stores to see what they offer and know.

Otherwise I might just pop in and get Lidl's Silvercrest HD Satellite Reveiver today and be done with it (if there's any left at E69.99. It has USB for connection of memory sticks or external hard drives, PVR ready.

If you're looking for something for your main TV you'll be using every day, I would avoid the Silvercrest options. The EPG can be a bit clunky and could impact on your overall viewing experience. Yes, they're cheap, but are really better for second TVs. Ease of use would be the key factor for me. Deffo go into the electrical store, but do try and get to use the equipment before making a decision.

mumof2

coffee to go wrote: »

If you're looking for something for your main TV you'll be using every day, I would avoid the Silvercrest options. The EPG can be a bit clunky and could impact on your overall viewing experience. Yes, they're cheap, but are really better for second TVs. Ease of use would be the key factor for me. Deffo go into the electrical store, but do try and get to use the equipment before making a decision.

How do you mean use the equipment before making a decision? Do they let you try it out in the store (if they have them connected up that is?)

Another question, seeing as Ive just tried to bring my sky+ HD box upstairs to bedroom, I now have only one ariel (satellite) connection point as opposed to two (to facilitate the recording side of things)

Is it possible to use a splitter here? Or will I still not be able to record then?

And thank you!! @ Coffee to go;) I appreciate all the help here:o

Scratch that last question!! (sorry don't know how to do strikethrough) I just noticed upstairs isn't getting a signal. It will only take a signal from the other sky box from another room, but shes too old for Mickey Mouse now, so I'll have to call someone out!!!

Im off to town now to check out tv shops!!

Ronnie Raygun

The Sky+ box will lose its recording ability if you cancel your sub.

clarenman

why not get fta sat system??I have a:D ross hd sat receiver,bought it in b+q couple years ago for e99,works great,I have bbc 1,2,3,4.itv 1,2,3,4,ch 4,5,more 4,e4,5 usa,5star,film 4 ,true movies 1.2.movies for men 1.2. sky news.plus 100s of more!!on 28 degrees east.you can record via usb,you also have now and next epg,works with existing sky dish.

coffee to go

mumof2 wrote: »

How do you mean use the equipment before making a decision? Do they let you try it out in the store (if they have them connected up that is?)

A store would ideally have a demo model up an running on the shop floor for you to see how the EPG suits you etc, and for you to gauge how responsive the box is to changing channels an so on - Some more basic boxes can be a bit laggy in this regard. For example, we have a cheap Ross box upstairs that from the guide, you need to press ok on the channel you want, then press exit to see the channel. This may sound trivial, but it would drive me nuts having to do it on the main telly every day.

I'm by no means an expert on these things, just wanted to give you a steer on what to watch out for.

paultf

mumof2 wrote: »

How do you mean use the equipment before making a decision? Do they let you try it out in the store (if they have them connected up that is?)

In my local stores they don't have this setup.

Have you looked at www.tvtrade.ie?

Good selection of satellite boxes. Very good reviews of the products with videos showing how to do different things.

I know it is not the same as being able to see a demo in a local store but the videos on tvtrade do give a good idea what the product is like.

Ronnie Raygun

If it's for satellite-only use, UK channels, get a Freesat branded receiver. That's all the advice anyone needs. Proper epg & automatic retunes (so no channels mysteriously go missing), which you won't get with FTA boxes.

mumof2

Ok went into my local store:

Wanted E400 for a Humax 500gb freesat + box
Wanted E90 for box without built in hard drive.

Another store wanted E90 as well for a similar box Triax model.

I think I'll stick to online shopping

@Ronnie Raygun - I've no intention of getting rid of my sky subscription yet, I just don't want to take a third multiroom subscription from them, plus the price of a new box which was OTT

@ Coffee to go - Thanks, I know exactly what you mean, that would bug me too;) Appreciate the tips!!

@ Paultf - Thanks for the link, will have a look later on:)

mumof2

Finally, had time to sit down behind PC again and do some research - Ive decided on this one, as I prefer to have the built in hard drive, as opposed to having to try and matchmake an external hard drive compatible with another cheaper machine....

http://www.tvtrade.ie/humax-foxsat-hdr.html

If anyone has any last minute bargain offers for a box similar please feel free to mention this;)

Can anyone point me in the right direction so a call out guy wont charge an arm and a leg for simple stuff!

Currently have downstairs: 2 sky boxes both with record function i.e. two satellite feeds coming in to both boxes. Upstairs in the bedroom where one of the boxes are to go - currently only receives signal from whatever is being watched downstairs via the Magic Eye. Satellite dish has quad LNB.

What I want to do:
Move the sky box upstairs, and replace downstairs main room with the Humax box. Im told it should work straight away.
What do I need to organize in order for the sky box to work upstairs with its own signal and be able to record?
(there is a 5 way splitter in the attic).....Im guessing a bigger LNB??

Thanks so much guys:)

Peter Rhea

Are the 'downstairs' boxes SD only? Otherwise, why would you install the Humax at the main tv?


One way or another, you'll need an octo lnb, as the 2 Sky+ boxes will be using all of the quad's outputs.

The Humax can operate in single cable mode, via loop-out from tuner 1, but this will seriously impact on recording flexibility i.e. channels available for recording when you're already watching something, or for 2 channel recording.

mumof2

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Are the 'downstairs' boxes SD only? Otherwise, why would you install the Humax at the main tv?


One way or another, you'll need an octo lnb, as the 2 Sky+ boxes will be using all of the quad's outputs.

The Humax can operate in single cable mode, via loop-out from tuner 1, but this will seriously impact on recording flexibility i.e. channels available for recording when you're already watching something, or for 2 channel recording.

One of the boxes is HD but cancelled the subscription for it, the other is standard plus box.

Reason for moving sky box upstairs is: I'm reclaiming my sitting room that my 12yo has and she has the planner full of her recordings so she can take it with her upstairs. I won't miss it!!
In place of it for myself, I'm happy with the Freesat plus box.

I was thinking I'd need a bigger LNB, however is my sky dish able to cope with that?

Peter Rhea

The box with the cancelled sub. only needs 1 feed from the lnb. Octo lnbs are available specifically for Sky dishes, it's not an unauthorised mod. you'd be carrying out.

Capt'n Midnight

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

If it's for satellite-only use, UK channels, get a Freesat branded receiver. That's all the advice anyone needs. Proper epg & automatic retunes (so no channels mysteriously go missing), which you won't get with FTA boxes.

You can get a freesat box from argos.co.uk for £28
Boxes for HD / recording cost more

if your budget doesn't stretch that far consider a secondhand SKY box ( but not SKY+ )

mumof2

Peter Rhea wrote: »

The box with the cancelled sub. only needs 1 feed from the lnb. Octo lnbs are available specifically for Sky dishes, it's not an unauthorised mod. you'd be carrying out.

It was only the HD part of the subscription that was cancelled, we can still record with it, which is what I really want with the Freesat plus box....When I havn't time to watch tv I record stuff, and enjoy skipping through the adds while putting the feet up:D

Im going to price an Octo LNB so I might have it before the guy calls out (who I must ring on Monday yet for a price).

Thanks for all yer tips!!!;)

mumof2

Would ye trust LNB's bought on Ebay? There are a few which leave me wondering if they last a year??!!

Some priced at 15, 25, and on Tvtrade.ie they cost E50 incl vat....

Opinions appreciated on this

savagecabbages

Without wanting to hijack this thread, I think have fairly similar requirements to OP (and then some more;)) so starting another thread seems counter-productive.. I'm also clueless when it comes to television setups so bear with me:D

Currently in my house we have an unusable cheap FTA box with a piss poor guide picking up the free satellite channels from an old sky dish. tbh it works ok but i hate it... Irish channels used to come through a normal aerial into the back of the tv (now gone since Oct 24th).

What I want to achieve is; 1 the ability to watch the FTA channels, 2 watch saorview channels, 3 have a proper EPG, and 4 record from both.

I'm thinking that buying a freesat (eg Humax HDR-1000S or eqiv with HD and rec) box will allow me to watch + record the FTA channels and have a full EPG. can I somehow hook up a saorview box to this and record programmes?

(Mods if you feel i should start a new thread for this PM please)

corkonion

savagecabbages wrote: »

Without wanting to hijack this thread, I think have fairly similar requirements to OP (and then some more;)) so starting another thread seems counter-productive.. I'm also clueless when it comes to television setups so bear with me:D

Currently in my house we have an unusable cheap FTA box with a piss poor guide picking up the free satellite channels from an old sky dish. tbh it works ok but i hate it... Irish channels used to come through a normal aerial into the back of the tv (now gone since Oct 24th).

What I want to achieve is; 1 the ability to watch the FTA channels, 2 watch saorview channels, 3 have a proper EPG, and 4 record from both.

I'm thinking that buying a freesat (eg Humax HDR-1000S or eqiv with HD and rec) box will allow me to watch + record the FTA channels and have a full EPG. can I somehow hook up a saorview box to this and record programmes?

(Mods if you feel i should start a new thread for this PM please)

I'm looking for the same thing, what I want is to get as close as possible to a sky plus facility without any subscription. The initial set up cost is not important as I know it will pay for itself in a short while, what I don't want is a myriad of boxes, remotes, and cables. Is such a set up out there?

listermint

Bought a Vu Duo + about 7 months ago. its fan bloody tastic.

savagecabbages

listermint wrote: »

Bought a Vu Duo + about 7 months ago. its fan bloody tastic.

Not to be smart, but fan bloody tastic at what? Can it receive both saorview and FTA channels and record both?

mumof2

quick update:

I bought the Humax box (freest +), and will install tomoro or the next day, when I get time.

I have a guy calling out to check out the setup, about moving the sky box upstairs and getting an OCTO LNB. He quoted me a good price:)

Thanks for all the input:D

mumof2

Trying the install right now! Stuck on postcode to use?

Getting conflicting answers On a search so now more confused! What's the best code to use for usage south in Ireland? Thanks:-)

I've used WC11AA and works fine so not sure if anything else is required postcode wise?

paultf

I don't know if it's the best but I use the BBC's postcode:

BBC London, 2nd Floor, Egton Wing, BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA

I am sure you can change this afterwards on a Humax?

evilivor

mumof2 wrote: »

Trying the install right now! Stuck on postcode to use?

Getting conflicting answers On a search so now more confused! What's the best code to use for usage south in Ireland? Thanks:-)

I've used WC11AA and works fine so not sure if anything else is required postcode wise?

You can switch your BBC default region afterwards if you wish in Menu>Edit Channels>Edit Customisable Channels.

mumof2

paultf wrote: »

I don't know if it's the best but I use the BBC's postcode:

BBC London, 2nd Floor, Egton Wing, BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA

I am sure you can change this afterwards on a Humax?

Yes you can change it again at a later stage. Thank you:-)

@evilivor Thank you:)

KathleenMcCabe

wow - a lot of information here.

Mumof2 - i hope you don't mind me hijaking this thread?

I'm looking for help. I never had digital tv and would like to have tv stations to watch.

I want to pay a one off and no monthly subscriptions.

I have no idea what any of the abbreviations mean (except for the HD high def) and am clueless.

I live in dublin and dont care if i have rte stations. I mostly like nature programs, mechanical programmes, comedy, sci fi.

All help appreciated - thank you