triax pvr hard drive problems

Lacwood

Hi there,
Im the proud owner of a triax tr212 twin tuner saorview box. It works ok as a receiver but ive always had pvr problems. I tried an old 80gig hard drive and then bought a 64gig memory stick, they didnt work great and I was reliably informed it was because the box couldnt power them (7w power supply). I then spent 120euro on a mains powered hard drive and this wouldnt work for more than 10 minutes. I finally brought it back to the shop and he tested it on a hard drive there, it worked fine.
He tells me that regular hard drives have software installed for use with computers and you need special ones for pvr. how come I have never read that after countless hours of googling . Does anyone know if this is true or is there some way of altering my state of the art 2TB seagate to work as a pvr.
Thanks

cerastes

Interested to see an answer here, I got a Triax combi receiver too.
I was going to plug an existing HDD into the USB port.
I have some information backed up on this HDD already, so now Im wondering if this HDD will work or is my other information going to be a problem for recording/live pausing?

JamesTC

I have a Triax TSC 114 and the old 538 combo and have used both with external hard drives no problem, the 538 uses an old powered hard drive and the 114 uses one of these http://www.tvtrade.ie/320gb-external-hard-drive.html
I think you just have to re format your hard drive to FAT 32, now you can do this on your computer but you should have the option in your settings to get the box to format the hard drive for you (note to the second poster when you re format you wipe whatever is on the hard drive)
Hope this helps

greasepalm

i also have the 114 and external hdd and box hdd was setup from within,is it normal to have photo movies and other sections,loads of stuff on mine need to use up first before a new format,ext drive stays lit and spinning.

cerastes

JamesTC wrote: »

I have a Triax TSC 114 and the old 538 combo and have used both with external hard drives no problem, the 538 uses an old powered hard drive and the 114 uses one of these http://www.tvtrade.ie/320gb-external-hard-drive.html
I think you just have to re format your hard drive to FAT 32, now you can do this on your computer but you should have the option in your settings to get the box to format the hard drive for you (note to the second poster when you re format you wipe whatever is on the hard drive)
Hope this helps

edit, scratch this whole request, rtFm , found it under the media button as mentioned in the Fnm

Just looking for an approriate thread thats already running.

I have the Triax TSC114 PVR combi receiver.
Ok, so the EPG isn't as good as Sky, few questions.
The channel information on the EPG is blank, unless I oress enter on a channel space, then information comes up on that channel and on some other channels above it, is this normal? or some issue with the signal?
Is it something I can fix, within the settings?

The other things is, I connected an external HDD, pause,rewind,FF and record work.
Should I be able to play recordings back from the HDD through the receiver?? I can t see how to do this if its possible?


edit, scratch this whole request, rtFm , found it under the media button as mentioned in the Fnm

JamesTC

Just looking for an approriate thread thats already running.

I have the Triax TSC114 PVR combi receiver.
Ok, so the EPG isn't as good as Sky, few questions.
The channel information on the EPG is blank, unless I oress enter on a channel space, then information comes up on that channel and on some other channels above it, is this normal? or some issue with the signal?
Is it something I can fix, within the settings?

While the Saorview part the box is certified the satellite end is just a generic satellite receiver so the best you will get is `now & next` and even than as you have noticed it will just show ``no information`` unless you are watching the channel (so after watching BBC1 HD in the EPG you will see now and next info for all the BBC channels but ITV will show ``no information``)
It can be frustrating when coming from Sky but it is one of the compromises to have all the free channels in one box and unless you are going to be recording a lot of programs you find you don't need the epg as much.

cerastes

JamesTC wrote: »

While the Saorview part the box is certified the satellite end is just a generic satellite receiver so the best you will get is `now & next` and even than as you have noticed it will just show ``no information`` unless you are watching the channel (so after watching BBC1 HD in the EPG you will see now and next info for all the BBC channels but ITV will show ``no information``)
It can be frustrating when coming from Sky but it is one of the compromises to have all the free channels in one box and unless you are going to be recording a lot of programs you find you don't need the epg as much.

I haven't connected up a saorview aerial yet, I assumed the saorview epg is the same style, but are you saying its more frequently updated and shows more programme information.
I have considered getting a different Freesat or freeview/saorview combi box in the future, but this triax receiver is my entry into freeview tv.
I got it cheap, it will do for now.
If I update to a better combi box when Ive had more time to review whats available, I can still use the triax in another room if I change the LNB. edit may not even need to change lnb, its quad and the pause works through the HDD, so frees up the outputs on the LNB, i think.
For the moment its fine, can record,pause, rewind, FF,
it looks like I may be able to set up reminders and preset for recoding, the manual is a bit basic, so just find out along the way when I need a feature. Need to order an aerial for saorview.

JamesTC

You will get a full 7 day EPG with saorview channels much like Sky so recoding will be easier.


When it comes to Combo box's there is no real ideal box as of yet, a triple tuner running linux will get you as close to Sky as you can get but takes a bit of time to set up on the software side (see the massive thread on the Amiko Alien) so you have to compromise something.


You could go for the 2 box solution with a FreeSat box and a saorview box giving you full 7 day EPG across all channels but then you have to change input on the TV to switch between the two, again a compromise.

greasepalm

with all the movement of sat channels may come confusion,does box need a reset/rescan on sat to get the now and next epg working?.
on my panny in bedroom i have a vu solo2 in hdmi 1 and triax combo just using dtt side at the moment and ext hdd for recordings on hd channels not a compromise for me
i just got one of those powered indoor aerials for dtt in my local did store.

JamesTC

No it has always been this way with even with the old 538, only gives you now and next when you select the channel. Being a generic satellite receiver means it gets the minimum EPG.



Systems like Freesat and Sky decode the EPG info from the signal coming from the dish but this is licensed software, generic receivers do not do this (same reason why when channel frequencies change they do not automatically update as they would on a Sky or Freesat)



Your VU Solo 2 is different in that its software is 3rd party so things like cross EPG can be used but comparing the VU with the 114 is apples and oranges

cerastes

JamesTC wrote: »

You will get a full 7 day EPG with saorview channels much like Sky so recoding will be easier.


When it comes to Combo box's there is no real ideal box as of yet, a triple tuner running linux will get you as close to Sky as you can get but takes a bit of time to set up on the software side (see the massive thread on the Amiko Alien) so you have to compromise something.


You could go for the 2 box solution with a FreeSat box and a saorview box giving you full 7 day EPG across all channels but then you have to change input on the TV to switch between the two, again a compromise.

Ive read of and considered the Amiko but, I think they might be pricey (Im not sure how they work, i.e. something to do with connecting off a server, i.e. if its legal or just grey, plus the technical stuff might be too time consuming)Im sure its ok when you've played around with it, but Ive too many other things to do too, and I might be lynched at home in the meantime. From what Ive read, there seems might be a fair bit involved in setting them up (at least more than straightforward, so not plug and play) and managing that to keep the box going, sounds interesting but dont think I have the time, so probably not for meat the moment, Although Im sure I read somewhere of there being some kind of demise regarding that kind of box for some reason? dont qoute me, just thought I read/heard the basis for the operating could be shut down?

I have seen somewhere along the line, something similar, but I'll be happy with a few freeviewing options for the moment.

I am thinking of the two box solution eventually, either replacing my combi box with something approved for saorview that I can connect a HDD to for pause/record features etc but has a better EPG. I know the triax can utilise the EPG for saorview, but it'd be a bit of waste not using it as a combi box, so I could just put it in another room and use as a combi box.
And some kind of licensed Freesat box that has a HDD and can utilise a better EPG.

I dont want receivers in every room, just maybe one other room.

I dont mind switching between HDMI 1 and 2 using the tv remote. To me it seems like the best easy route with good functionality, the amiko is probably the bees knees, but I found it hard to garner much info on it and concerned about paying out for a box that I might not be able to get the access (to a server? dont know where) to use it.

greasepalm

one thing is crucial when buying a sat box is support as without it you may get stuck and the more people that have it the more replies you get.