Lidl - Silvercrest Digital HD Satellite Receiver for €69.99

ryanciara

What are people's views on next Thursday's special at Lidl -a Silvercrest Digital HD Satellite Receiver for €69.99

With HDMI connector and CI bay
HD satellite receiver for the reception of all free-to-air digital TV and radio programmes via satellite
Can be connected to LCD/plasma appliances with HDMI – digital transmission for high quality audio & video signal, dependent on signal or coverage
Size: 26.6 x 4 x 17.4cm
USB 2.0 port for connection of memory sticks or external hard drives – PVR-ready for direct video recording on to external hard drives
Access to external USB memory drives for playing digital audio and image formats (MP3, JPEG)
3,000 memory spaces for TV and radio programmes and teletext with 500 page memory
Multiple timer option coupled with EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)
3 year guarantee
Outputs: HDMI interface with HDCP, scart, USB 2.0, YPbPr, S/PDIF (coaxial), audio (R/L), SAT-ZF (loop through)

St Senan

If it has a Freesat logo on it then i would say its great value. If not then don't waste your money on it as all it is is a Generic FTA receiver that WONT have a 7 day epg and it will need reprogramming ever time a channel changes frequency. Don't get me wrong it would be a decent box to use to receive European channels. But if you want a box to use as a long term solution to receive UK channels then Freesat is the way to go.

ryanciara

Will I need a satellite dish for it?

St Senan

Not been smart, but its a satellite box that requires connection to a satellite dish.

tallaghtmick

ryanciara wrote: »

Will I need a satellite dish for it?

Yes you do, a lot of people install them for a decent price.

mackersdublin

Yes, a Sky dish is needed and it's not a Freesat box. It's just a generic Free to air HD box. You will need to re-scan as channels change frequencies every month or so. You'll get these channels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28%C2%B0E

tallaghtmick

Also I cant find it on their site, is it advertised anywhere?

ryanciara

Its on the Lidl leaflet!

tallaghtmick

ryanciara wrote: »

Its on the Lidl leaflet!

Sound ill have a look later, want to get one for my Dad.

hju6

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Yes you do, a lot of people install them for a decent price.

A decent price for who ? The installer or the customer ?

tallaghtmick

hju6 wrote: »

A decent price for who ? The installer or the customer ?

Really are you asking that?

Do you think that 1. Anyone who installs a Satellite dish is gonna charge a price that will barely cover expenses etc and 2. A customer will pay crazy prices for an hours work.

ryanciara

Thank you

watty

mackersdublin wrote: »

Yes, a Sky dish is needed and it's not a Freesat box. It's just a generic Free to air HD box. You will need to re-scan as channels change frequencies every month or so. You'll get these channels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28%C2%B0E

It's a waste of money. Also if something breaks inside 2 years SOGA period Lidl are painful.

It's not Freesat HD, it's not a PVR, It's not a combo box. It's overpriced for a generic few years old model.

winston_1

mackersdublin wrote: »

Yes, a Sky dish is needed and it's not a Freesat box.

Not necessarily true. A satellite dish is needed, depending on what channels you want to view.

winston_1

watty wrote: »

It's a waste of money. Also if something breaks inside 2 years SOGA period Lidl are painful.

It's not Freeview HD, it's not a PVR, It's not a combo box. It's overpriced for a generic few years old model.

This particular model was first sold about 2 years ago and is actually quite good for a fta HD receiver. It has diseqc and can drive a motor but is not Freesat (which technically is not available in Ireland anyway). Don't know why you even mention Freeview HD which comes via an aerial not a dish.
The channel list will be out of date so it will need updating.

SOGA is there to protect the customer and talk of legal action will take away Lidl's pain.

watty

Freesat isn't marketed in Ireland. It's nonsense to say it's technically not available. It's Free To Air and a better signal than Saorsat.

If you want Diseqc (for mainland European / Atlantic feeds with motorised or for 4 fixed LNBFs) why save a few Euros to have an inferior box?

Antenna

watty wrote: »

Freesat isn't marketed in Ireland. It's nonsense to say it's technically not available.

Winston probably meant to say 'officially' rather than 'technically' intended for UK only. Viewers have to pretend they are in UK (enter a UK postcode) to get Freesat boxes working here. BBC i-player on-demand service with Freesat receivers does not work here.

watty wrote: »

a better signal than Saorsat.

Of course it is, Saorsat's higher frequency band being a lot more prone to rainfade, as well as dish vibrations in high winds, regardless of the intended coverage area.

watty

Saorsat is also probably deliberately less power than possible to save money as it's not intended for a mass audience. The size of dish isn't that important to RTENL 2RN as Saorsat is practically "free" for "public" use, the main reason for it being a cheap way to provide backup feeds to TX sites. Sky was probably charging a lot. Transmitter sites can happily use a big professional dish.

winston_1

watty wrote: »

Saorsat is also probably deliberately less power than possible to save money as it's not intended for a mass audience. The size of dish isn't that important to RTENL 2RN as Saorsat is practically "free" for "public" use, the main reason for it being a cheap way to provide backup feeds to TX sites. Sky was probably charging a lot. Transmitter sites can happily use a big professional dish.

The Astra feed is not suitable as a backup feed as I (believe) it does not have MHEG text. It does have WST which for some reason the transmitters no longer carry.

watty

That's is one reason 2RN don't use Sky/Astra.