VU+ Duo HD PVR

teach nua

I have seen an offer at the minute on this box and I was wondering what people thought about the box. I am thinking of getting it with terrestrial tuner. I already have a saorview approved tv so:

Could I record terrestrial channel whilst watching another terrestrial at same time with this box?

Could I record satellite channel and watch different channel at same time?

Would I be able to get 7 day EPGs and series link?

Would all channels be available through one remote control and on one menu?

I connected a sat/terrestrial combo box to the same tv at one stage and on the terrestrial channels and the people on the tv looked like they were dubbed, like audio and video were out of sync. As usual the supplier said it was the first time he had heard of this...but at least he took the box back. Could this have been due to the fact that the tv already had a terrestrial tuner. Could this possibly happen wit the VU+Duo PVR?

I'm not overly tec savvie so would this box require alot of software/hardware upgrades and what is the usual way of doing this. I only have dongle broadband

Thanks in advance

fbradyirl

I have a Vu Duo, and it works for all of those questions you asked. However it is not for the light hearted and there are some tech skills needed to get it running smoothly for your needs.

Some answers:
Could I record terrestrial channel whilst watching another terrestrial at same time with this box?
- Depends if they are on the same transponder, then yes. They used to be all on the same transponder, but it looks like that is changing soon, if not already.

Could I record satellite channel and watch different channel at same time?
- to watch and record at the same time on satellite, you will need 2 tuners coming from your satellite into the Vu.

Would I be able to get 7 day EPGs and series link?
- EPG, yes, using Cross EPG or XMLTVImporter on your image (such as Black Hole or OpenVIX).
Series link is called AutoTimer on OpenVIX, but this is not available on images like Black Hole as far as I know.

Would all channels be available through one remote control and on one menu?
- Yes, you can arrange then 'bouquets' easily to be in one menu.

Some advice:
- if you haven't yet bought the terrestrial tuner, I recommend you buy one that is compatible with the OpenVIX image. This will give you greater flexibility when choosing your image. Black Hole supports almost all USB DVB-t tuners, so this is not an issue here, but I find OpenVIX has a nicer user interface and is more 'girlfriend' friendly

- Search boards for the Vu Duo thread. Tons of info in there....

Peter Rhea

teach nua wrote: »

. . . I already have a saorview approved tv so:

Could I record terrestrial channel whilst watching another terrestrial at same time with this box?

You can record on the box & watch on the TV.

The video/audio sync. issues experienced with the other combi box are nothing to do with the fact the TV has a terrestrial tuner.

teach nua

thanks for all the info so far, i've been having a look around online in the mean time and it is more confused that I am getting

If I only want to record a satellite or terrestrial channel one at a time and do not really need to be able to watch a different channel at the same time, do the more expensive boxes really have anything extra that I would need?

Combo boxes start at around €80 and can decode sat and terrestrial and record via external hard drive.

Vu boxes and tecnomate boxes go up to €400/500. Is the difference in price down to them having twin satellite tuners, internal hdd, extra slots/ports? what are the advantages over cheaper combo boxes? Are they more reliable in the long term? Is the recording function more user friendly/faster because it is using an internal hdd? I read on another thread here that someone had a walker combo box that was freezing on them. Could this also happen with higher end boxes?

fbradyirl

The more expensive boxes like the Vu are more expensive because of the features you mentioned, plus they can be tinkered with a lot more. E.g. you can install your choice of image such as OpenVIX OpenPLI or Black Hole, etc. Each of these offer different pros and cons. These images offer some great plugins such as OnDemand, which lets you watch RTEPLayer.3Player, BBCiPlayer, etc. There are other plugins for a whole host of things like Airplay, and streaming online.

For me, I was unable to find a decent low cost combo box because they are relatively immature in the market, and they will be slow to develop as not many countries require a combo setup. E.g. in the UK, if you have either FreeView or FreeSat, the channel choice is much the same, whereas in Ireland, you need both (if you are not willing to pay a Sky/UPC subscription....). My point is that when a small market like Ireland needs a good combo, it could take a few years. This is why I bought a Vu Duo and set it up myself to my liking... However, I am a software developer and I know how to work my way around a Linux command line when I need to...

teach nua

okay, when you mention rte player and such, i'm assuming this is via broadband? so i'd need decent broadband speed to make use of this feature of these boxes and not the dongle rubbish I currently have.

As regards VU and Technomate, would the Technomate require less input from myself with regard to the software end of things? are Technomate Linux based as well or are they different? I was thinking of the technomate that comes with twin sat tuner plus terrestrial tuner and 500gb hdd

fbradyirl

teach nua wrote: »

okay, when you mention rte player and such, i'm assuming this is via broadband? so i'd need decent broadband speed to make use of this feature of these boxes and not the dongle rubbish I currently have.

Yes, although I only get 2.4MB download speed where I am and it works well.

teach nua wrote: »

As regards VU and Technomate, would the Technomate require less input from myself with regard to the software end of things? are Technomate Linux based as well or are they different? I was thinking of the technomate that comes with twin sat tuner plus terrestrial tuner and 500gb hdd

I don't know much about Technomate I'm afraid, but I'm guessing it uses it's own OS which can't be modified. Have you got a link to it? It could be perfectly capable for your needs...

teach nua

please see below:

https://www.satellitetv.ie/technomate_tm7102_t2

roadrunnermick

Hi
I might ask a few questions as I am thinking about sending money with sky and just getting the UK free view in combination with Saiorview

Can anyone explain the main difference between the VU solo2 and the VU+Duo 2?

Can I stream media from a NAS ?

Is there any plugin for Eurosport player on any of the images ?

Thanks in advance for advice

fbradyirl

The Duo2 is slightly better than the Solo2, but there is not a hugh benefit. Depends on what you need it to do.

When it comes to streaming from a NAS, both boxes will perform the same, as they both have gigabit ethernet ports, and speedy CPUs.

If you want to stream to outside your LAN, the Duo2 can do better transcoding (as it is done in hardware), whereas the Solo2 does transcoding in software (not as good).

I don't know of any plugin for any sports channel.

Agueroooo

is the Vu+ Duo 2 the Rolls Royce of set-top boxes?

fbradyirl

I would say yes.

Agueroooo

fbradyirl wrote: »

I would say yes.

how long is it out?

like would there be a better one rumoured, or on the horizon?

fbradyirl

Google is your friend. I have no idea to be honest, but you can usually always assume there is always a new box in development.

naturalblue

Hi
I bought a VU+ DUO2 and have BH 2.0.9.1 on it.
I have connected it to my Sky supplied satellite. I plugged it in the 2 tuner connections (LNB has 4 connections/cables).
I set all SAT to be on Astra 28.2.
When I try to record more than 2 things and watch a 3rd it is fine but once I try to start a 3rd recording I get a timer conflict.
I know you can have up to 16 recordings at a time if you buy the second dual tuner but I would have thought I could record up to 8 on the first dual tuner that came with it.
Possibly I have a confguration issue or maybe the LNB is the problem. I'm not sure so if someone could help me I'd appreciate it.

Also does anyone have the setting to get RTE channnels or Saorsat on it. I tried scanning Ka 9.0 E satellite but got no irish channels.
I still have my old sky viewing card (disabled now so only the free channels) if this is of any use.

I have some Linux terminal abilities so I should be ok messing around in the inards

Thanks

fbradyirl

If you are only feeding in 2 inputs, then you will only be able to watch one and record another at the same time. The exception to this is when the recorded or watched channel is on the same transponder as another channel you want to watch or record. So, in theory, you could be watching/recording up to 8 as long as they are on 2 transponders which are shared amongst the original recording on the one feed.

You'll need another dish for Soarsat as it doesn't transmit on 28.2 as far as I know. Probably easier just to get an aerial and a usb tuner like the Sony PlayTV which I use myself on a Duo2 ....

DanielDCarroll

Hi everyone, I have bought a VU+ DUO and have a "LINE". The problem is, it does not get all the channels, it is temperamental. It does not pick up all the sky premier channels or the RTE channels. Well it does pick them up SOMETIMES, the sound or the picture but it has one or the other, not both together. But other times it does not pick them up at all, (frown) (angry), so annoying/frustrating. Sometimes (like tonight) I turn the box off and turned it back on again and it picks up the channels it refused to pick up before the power interruption. But after power shutdown and power-up again it never picks up Sky Premier - FRUSTRATED.

Please someone help me

Thanks