Best Combo box to compliment a media streaming box?

BenEadir

Hi all,

I'm looking for some help to choose the right UK FTA satellite and Saorview combo box.

At the moment I have UPC and an Android media streaming box (Minix X7) serving all my tv/video content needs but I want to ditch UPC and replace it with the free to air Irish/UK channels as we're using the media streaming box more and more and the UPC service less and less.

The Minix X7 does all the YouTube type streaming (I have 100mb fibre broadband from UPC) so I really just need standard TV channels from the Combo box, I know some of them can connect to WiFi and stream YouTube etc but I won't need it to do any of that stuff.

I've read a lot of the Ariva 150/250 and Triax TSC114 threads and they all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses/quirks but I honestly cannot suss out which one suits my needs best so I'm hoping if I post my requirement and feature preferences I'll get a good steer!! Here are my preferences in order of importance:-

1. High quality box with well sorted firmware and good user community support

2. Hackable (if that's the right term) to somehow provide a 7 day EPG for the UK FTA channels. Can it connect to the internet (either via WiFi or Ethernet) and somehow continuously auto load a 7 day EPG??

3. Easy to use menu for standard channel surfing etc and a remote control which can learn how to turn the TV on and off and perhaps switch AV source also so the rest of the family have a "one remote" type experience.

4. PVR functionality with EPG driven recording. I understand Combo boxes don't typically come with a built in HDD but do allow one to be connected via USB port so recommendations on what HDD to purchase would also be appreciated. A 500mb or 1TB drive powered directly via the Combo box USB port would be ideal but if powering the HDD separately is a better option that's not an issue, I have plenty of power supply at the TV location.

5. I read that most of these boxes are view Saorview/record Satellite or vice versa but you cannot watch one satellite channel and record another or watch one Saorview channel and record another. Is this true? Is there a workaround for that if double the amount of cables are run to the box?

I hope the above are clear and that you guys can give me a decent steer on this. If my expectations of what these Combo boxes can do is unrealistic please feel free to let me know in no uncertain terms, I can take it!!!

Ben

BenEadir

^^ 35 views and no comments. I must have hit a nerve or something

gordongekko

BenThere wrote: »

^^ 35 views and no comments. I must have hit a nerve or something

You probably need a Linux box.

BenEadir

gordongekko wrote: »

You probably need a Linux box.

A linux Combo box? Can you link to one or PM me if promoting a specific box is against the rules?

Ben

amdaley28

BenThere wrote: »

^^ 35 views and no comments. I must have hit a nerve or something

This might help.
I know nothing about them so its just for information.
http://www.tvtrade.ie/combi-receiver.html

gordongekko

I would not have a clue. I'm sure someone will send you in the right direction. There's a couple of big threads on this forum about them.

fbradyirl

I use a Vu Duo² and it checks all those boxes that you mentioned. I have full 7 day integrated EPG and use it with a Sky dish and a Saorview aerial in the attic. Can record, etc to a 1TB built in hard drive. I use the OpenVix image, which has great community support.

For Saorview, as the box doesn't have a built in DVB-T tuner, I use a cheap Sony PlayTV tuner plugged into the Vu box, and that is a dual tuner, so recording 2 things at once is fine.

For FreeSat, I run 2 cables from the dish directly to the box, so recording 2 sat channels at once is fine.

It's an expensive box, but it rocks compared to all those cheapo closed source combos out there...

Any questions, let me know.

SteelyDanJalapeno

fbradyirl wrote: »

I use a Vu Duo² and it checks all those boxes that you mentioned. I have full 7 day integrated EPG and use it with a Sky dish and a Saorview aerial in the attic. Can record, etc to a 1TB built in hard drive. I use the OpenVix image, which has great community support.

For Saorview, as the box doesn't have a built in DVB-T tuner, I use a cheap Sony PlayTV tuner plugged into the Vu box, and that is a dual tuner, so recording 2 things at once is fine.

For FreeSat, I run 2 cables from the dish directly to the box, so recording 2 sat channels at once is fine.

It's an expensive box, but it rocks compared to all those cheapo closed source combos out there...

Any questions, let me know.

My house is wired for Sky Digital from the previous tenants, dish on the roof an outlet by the TV, is it as simple as plugging in there? Why do you need another aerial in the attic? is this just for Saorview? can the box take 2 aerial feeds at once?

thanks.

fbradyirl

TiltedBrain wrote: »

My house is wired for Sky Digital from the previous tenants, dish on the roof an outlet by the TV, is it as simple as plugging in there?

Yes, the Vu has 2 built in sat tuners, so plug it into one of them, auto-scan for the channels on 28.2e and bobs your uncle.

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Why do you need another aerial in the attic? is this just for Saorview? can the box take 2 aerial feeds at once?

I need the aerial to get the Irish channels. The box doesn't have any aerial tuners, which is why I bought the Sony PlayTV, which has full driver support by the OpenVix team. You only need 1 cable from the aerial, as the PlayTV is dual tuner, and doesn't need 2 aerial feeds.

BenEadir

fbradyirl wrote: »

I use a Vu Duo² and it checks all those boxes that you mentioned. I have full 7 day integrated EPG and use it with a Sky dish and a Saorview aerial in the attic. Can record, etc to a 1TB built in hard drive. I use the OpenVix image, which has great community support.

For Saorview, as the box doesn't have a built in DVB-T tuner, I use a cheap Sony PlayTV tuner plugged into the Vu box, and that is a dual tuner, so recording 2 things at once is fine.

For FreeSat, I run 2 cables from the dish directly to the box, so recording 2 sat channels at once is fine.

It's an expensive box, but it rocks compared to all those cheapo closed source combos out there...

Any questions, let me know.

Thanks FB, that box http://www.vuplus.com/productDuo2.html looks amazing and it seems to be highly customisable/hackable so you can set it up exactly how you want it.

The big (initial) question I have is does it seamlessly integrate the Freesat and Saorview EPG's into one single 7 day EPG and if so can the channels be sorted into your own individual preference e.g. RTE1, RTE2, BBC1, BBC2, TV3 etc etc?

Also, what are the best community sites? I think I should do some homework on this before I make a decision on what kit to invest in.

Cheers,

Ben

fbradyirl

BenThere wrote: »

Thanks FB, that box http://www.vuplus.com/productDuo2.html looks amazing and it seems to be highly customisable/hackable so you can set it up exactly how you want it.

The big (initial) question I have is does it seamlessly integrate the Freesat and Saorview EPG's into one single 7 day EPG and if so can the channels be sorted into your own individual preference e.g. RTE1, RTE2, BBC1, BBC2, TV3 etc etc?

Also, what are the best community sites? I think I should do some homework on this before I make a decision on what kit to invest in.

Cheers,

Ben

Yes, fully customisable and integrated. In the attached screenshot, the Irish channels are Saorview, and the UK channels are from satellite.

For the OpenVix image, the community site is http://world-of-satellite.com

BenEadir

fbradyirl wrote: »

Yes, fully customisable and integrated. In the attached screenshot, the Irish channels are Saorview, and the UK channels are from satellite.

Wow, just wow!!

I am seriously impressed with that and can see the benefit of investing some time and some extra cash to get that sort of set up Vs the slightly clunky combo boxes.

Ben

iba

Benthere,

The Arivas are very good boxes for their price. A drawback about them however for some people is that they do not have a 7 day EPG and you can not series link. Everything else you have said about it is right, eg. portable hard drive for recording. I never record anything but have a 1tb portable drive just in case £50 or so on Amazon (USB 3)

Like fbradyirl says, the Vu with an image like Vix can give you 7 day EPG and can have an internal HD and you can get a terrestrial tuner. Lots of people love this series of boxes.

Another box that is good is a Gigablue which can have sat and terrestrial tuners but I'm not sure if the hard drive can go inside - it can definitely be attached by USB though. The advantage of the Gigablues over the VUs IMO is the price, they are so so much cheaper.

Like fbradyirl, I too just have a terrestrial aerial lying across some rafters in the attic to get the saorview stations - €14 or so from sat planet

Tony, a frequent poster in the Ariva threads sells these boxes and is always willing to part with advice.

As for the Gigablues, one place to buy them is on World of Sat (there are of course other places).

I know the Ariva and Gigablue remotes can control both box and TV (Don't know about the VU one, probably does though) but I would always recommend a Logitech Harmony remote which can control even more.

YouTube is preinstalled on the Ariva and I think can be downloaded from the Vix feeds so you can have it on the Gigablue and the VU.

All 3 boxes can connect to the net. I think for ease of use channel surfing the Ariva would probably beat both the Vix image as you will probably want to get into auto bouquets etc.

Perhaps you might want to start off with an Ariva (it really is cheap) and then when you have got the hang of that progress onto the linux machines. The Ariva wont go to waste though as you could then more that up to a bedroom etc.

Hope that helps a bit, any questions, please ask.

Regards

P.S. I also have UPC but only really wanted them for the broadband, so I told them I was leaving as I did not really want the TV stations so in the end they basically gave me the TV stations for next to nothing.

same ol sh1te

Also check out the Amiko Alien 2, half the price of the Vu. Huge thread about it here
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056707402/518/#post90874497

STB

The Gigablue Quad Plus. Runs @ 1.3ghz. 2 dvb-s2 2xdvb-t, 1 gig lan
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=89534082&postcount=51

Zardoz

same ol sh1te wrote: »

Also check out the Amiko Alien 2, half the price of the Vu. Huge thread about it here
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056707402/518/#post90874497

Its actually less than a third of the price of the VU Duo 2 which is a ridiculous price to be honest.
The Duo 2 is a lovely receiver but not much bang per buck.
The Alien 2 is now a great receiver,and there are alot of excellent images on here setup for Irish tv so most of the work is done for the user.

As you have a streaming media box ,that will handle most of your media/streaming needs so as you said you primarily need a box for watching tv ,you dont really need a flagship model like the Duo 2.

I'd avoid the cheap non linux combo receivers ,they aren't really worth it ,too basic and not really user friendly.

If you want a twin tuner linux combo ,one with one sat and one terrestrial tuner you have a few choices

Gigablue UE800 plus ~220 euro delivered
Gigablue SE800 plus ~200 euro delivered
Xpeed LX 2 ~ 180 euro delivered
Miraclebox Premium Mini HD ~ 190 euro ,recently released

All these receivers do almost all of what the Vu Duo 2 can do ,7 day epg on sat and terrestrial,automatic retuning when channels change frequencies (Autobouquets) ,timeshift,pvr,series link,skins,stream tv around house,loads of plugins.
You also have the Rte player and 1channel movie streaming ,(but you have both of these on your minix which is more reliable than any receiver ever will be .

If you want a triple tuner receiver then you have a choice of

Amiko Alien 2/Golden Media Triplex ~ 150 euro delivered
Gigablue HD Quad plus ~ 350 euro delivered
VU Solo 2 ~ 310 euro delivered but requires an additional usb terrestrial tuner
Xpeed LX3 ~ 400 euro delivered ,recently released

I havent mentioned clone boxes yet ,there are loads of them ,you could look at the Cloud Ibox 3 which is a clone of the Xpeed LX2 and ~100 euro but it has a poor remote control and is tricky to setup due to recent anti clone measures by certain manufacturers.

I'd stick with an original receiver for peace of mind and better support.

There was a guy selling a second hand Gigablue SE800 on adverts.ie last week for 100 euro ,its slower than the newer plus versions but it would be a great starting receiver for a Linux novice.

Anyway hope this helps you and other people get an idea of the great options out there

MrFrisp

fbradyirl wrote: »

Yes, fully customisable and integrated. In the attached screenshot, the Irish channels are Saorview, and the UK channels are from satellite.

For the OpenVix image, the community site is http://world-of-satellite.com

Yup, this is a fantastic set up..

Did it cost much to have all this up and running?
.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Do people buy these Alien boxes for that illegal card sharing craic?

I wouldn't be interested in getting involved in something like that at all.

same ol sh1te

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Do people buy these Alien boxes for that illegal card sharing craic?

I wouldn't be interested in getting involved in something like that at all.

Yes, but you can also put your sky card in them, it's a much more functional box that a sky box, can rearrange and delete channels etc. They also make a very decent fta box.

BenEadir

Zardoz wrote: »

Its actually less than a third of the price of the VU Duo 2 which is a ridiculous price to be honest.
The Duo 2 is a lovely receiver but not much bang per buck.
The Alien 2 is now a great receiver,and there are alot of excellent images on here setup for Irish tv so most of the work is done for the user.

As you have a streaming media box ,that will handle most of your media/streaming needs so as you said you primarily need a box for watching tv ,you dont really need a flagship model like the Duo 2.

I'd avoid the cheap non linux combo receivers ,they aren't really worth it ,too basic and not really user friendly.

If you want a twin tuner linux combo ,one with one sat and one terrestrial tuner you have a few choices

Gigablue UE800 plus ~220 euro delivered
Gigablue SE800 plus ~200 euro delivered
Xpeed LX 2 ~ 180 euro delivered

All these receivers do almost all of what the Vu Duo 2 can do ,7 day epg on sat and terrestrial,timeshift,pvr,series link,skins,stream tv around house,loads of plugins.
You also have the Rte player and 1channel movie streaming ,(but you have both of these on your minix which is more reliable than any receiver ever will be .

If you want a triple tuner receiver then you have a choice of

Amiko Alien 2/Golden Media Triplex ~ 150 euro delivered
Gigablue HD Quad plus ~ 350 euro delivered
VU Solo 2 ~ 310 euro delivered but requires an additional usb terrestrial tuner
Xpeed LX3 ~ 400 euro delivered

I havent mentioned clone boxes yet ,there are loads of them ,you could look at the Cloud Ibox 3 which is a clone of the Xpeed LX2 and ~100 euro but it has a poor remote control and is tricky to setup due to recent anti clone measures by certain manufacturers.

I'd stick with an original receiver for peace of mind and better support.

There was a guy selling a second hand Gigablue SE800 on advert.ie last week for 100 euro ,its slower than the newer plus versions but it would be a great starting receiver for a Linux novice.

Anyway hope this helps you and other people get an idea of the great options out there

Super info Zardoz, really appreciate it.

I'm actually going to need two boxes (replacing two TV's currently served by UPC) which combined with the fact I really do only want them to do TV channels means I'd be looking at over €1,000 for the Vu Duo which is a bit steep.

I do however value quality and reliability so I'd never bother with generic clones, I've been down that road and it rarely ended well.

I'm a bit on an Android geek so I'm happy enough flashing ROM's and installing XBMC plugin's etc. Would setting up one of these boxes to be as slick as possible with as many channels as possible on 7 day EPG etc be relatively straightforward given I have some experience with Android TV boxes or am I getting into a whole new world with steep learning curve?

The problem I have is that whilst I personally am always up for a steep learning curve and would live with a mistake which lost signal for a whole day etc there is no way my family will live with another of my experiments. I really need these boxes to be up and running as UPC replacements first time.

Cheers,

Ben

fbradyirl

For me, I used to have a Vu Duo, but wanted the extra power and speeds, and I stream from outside the house, so I needed a box that transcodes, which the Alien etc do not have. That's why I got the Duo2.

In the second room, I use a Raspberry Pi (€40) running XBMC and it can stream from the Duo2 in the main room. It works brilliantly, and never fails. I think you can do this with any Enigma2 based box, so the Alien might work ok here.

MrFrisp

fbradyirl wrote: »

For me, I used to have a Vu Duo, but wanted the extra power and speeds, and I stream from outside the house, so I needed a box that transcodes, which the Alien etc do not have. That's why I got the Duo2.

In the second room, I use a Raspberry Pi (€40) running XBMC and it can stream from the Duo2 in the main room. It works brilliantly, and never fails. I think you can do this with any Enigma2 based box, so the Alien might work ok here.

That's cool..

May I ask what channels you get with that setup?
.

iba

MrFrisp wrote: »

That's cool..

May I ask what channels you get with that setup?
.

It would depend on what Repos you put on and what sats you tune your dish too.

fbradyirl

MrFrisp wrote: »

That's cool..

May I ask what channels you get with that setup?
.

When you have a valid Sky card, you get all the Sky channels (apart from the HD ones outlined in another thread). Plus, you get all the FreeSat channels. Plus the Saorview ones.

MrFrisp

fbradyirl wrote: »

When you have a valid Sky card, you get all the Sky channels (apart from the HD ones outlined in another thread). Plus, you get all the FreeSat channels. Plus the Saorview ones.

Real nice.

Thank you.. Must start saving.
.

iba

BenThere wrote: »

Super info Zardoz, really appreciate it.

I'm actually going to need two boxes (replacing two TV's currently served by UPC) which combined with the fact I really do only want them to do TV channels means I'd be looking at over €1,000 for the Vu Duo which is a bit steep.

I do however value quality and reliability so I'd never bother with generic clones, I've been down that road and it rarely ended well.

I'm a bit on an Android geek so I'm happy enough flashing ROM's and installing XBMC plugin's etc. Would setting up one of these boxes to be as slick as possible with as many channels as possible on 7 day EPG etc be relatively straightforward given I have some experience with Android TV boxes or am I getting into a whole new world with steep learning curve?

The problem I have is that whilst I personally am always up for a steep learning curve and would live with a mistake which lost signal for a whole day etc there is no way my family will live with another of my experiments. I really need these boxes to be up and running as UPC replacements first time.

Cheers,

Ben

It is not too hard to set up after you install the image. EG using Vix many of the plugins are downloadable straight through the feeds. But to become an expert is a bit/lot harder.

It is however different than setting up XBMC on an android box or raspberry but if you can do that I'm sure you can do this.

The amount of channels you get depends on what sats your tune into or if you get a motorised dish.

For the British stations you need to point at Astra 28.2

iba

A valid Sky card also works in the Arivas but you can only get SD stations

iba

MrFrisp wrote: »

Yup, this is a fantastic set up..

Did it cost much to have all this up and running?
.

After the cost of the box, you can buy a dish, cable, LNB on adverts for around the €30 mark if you choose only to get Astra 28.2

Look at satplanet.ie for the different size dishes and prices (I find them the cheapest after adverts.ie)

MrFrisp

iba wrote: »

After the cost of the box, you can buy a dish, cable, LNB on adverts for around the €30 mark if you choose only to get Astra 28.2

Look at satplanet.ie for the different size dishes and prices (I find them the cheapest after adverts.ie)

I have the dish etc. already setup.

I got rid of the sky sub a few months ago, so looking for options now.

I have an Openbox S9 in the sitting room, and a DM500S in the other room.

Sadly they are not the best when it comes to features, EPG etc..
.

Zardoz

BenThere wrote: »

I'm a bit on an Android geek so I'm happy enough flashing ROM's and installing XBMC plugin's etc. Would setting up one of these boxes to be as slick as possible with as many channels as possible on 7 day EPG etc be relatively straightforward given I have some experience with Android TV boxes or am I getting into a whole new world with steep learning curve?

There is a bit of a learning curve allright with Linux receivers but as you are used to flashing Roms and plugins then it shouldn't be too difficult for you to grab the basics.

Alot of the receivers have custom backups created for them.
What this means is that someone has setup their receiver, installed a base image, (same as a Rom basically) ,added plugins and tweaked it and then made a copy of their exact setup,called a backup so that it can be loaded onto another receiver .
This basically does alot of the hard work for Linux novices .:)

e.g
Here is the info from a backup I uploaded a while back for the Alien 2

It is configured for 28e and Saorview ,all picons are installed as is an up to date channel list .
The following plugins are installed and working well:
AutoTimer : basically a series link
AutoVolumeAdjustment : Levels audio volume
AutoBouquets: Creates automatic channel listings for you like on a Sky box,automatically retunes when channels change frequencies
CacheFlush aka Clearmem : Frees up memory
CrossEPG : Downloads 7 day epg for satellite
CoolTVGuide v7.0 (opens on EPG) : Nice Gui for tv guide ,like on a Sky box
Rats Picons : Downloads channel logos
RTE Player
1channel : Stream movies and tv series
IPTV Loader : Install iptv lists
Virtual Zap,TMDB,TVDB,TS Media 5.9,Oscam status and WebInterface

I have installed alot of stuff and tweaked the image and added a few plugins,then tested it for a few weeks to check stability before uploading it.
You can get backups like this for most receivers,the Vix ,Open Pli, OpenATV images have a big following but there are backups for most receivers,some more common than others.

BenEadir

This is fascinating stuff lads (and lassies if there any lassie geeks on here!!) which I'm trying to digest as quickly as possible.

I had a look on some of the OpenVix websites and forums and I'm sure I'll get to grips with the box and flashing an image etc. What I might do is get cabled up for two boxes but invest in only one and keep UPC for an extra month thus leaving the main TV on UPC whilst I switch the other TV over to one of these Linux boxes and get comfortable with it after which I'll get a 2nd box and ditch UPC all together. Sounds like a plan

BTW, what does softcam or camsoft have to do with Linux boxes? I saw a lot of references to it but couldn't figure out what it's about. Is it an app or plugin of some sort?

Ben

Zardoz

BenThere wrote: »

BTW, what does softcam or camsoft have to do with Linux boxes? I saw a lot of references to it but couldn't figure out what it's about. Is it an app or plugin of some sort?

Its software used to decrypt digital television channels on a receiver, as an alternative for a conditional access module (CAM)

iba

BenThere wrote: »

This is fascinating stuff lads (and lassies if there any lassie geeks on here!!) which I'm trying to digest as quickly as possible.

I had a look on some of the OpenVix websites and forums and I'm sure I'll get to grips with the box and flashing an image etc. What I might do is get cabled up for two boxes but invest in only one and keep UPC for an extra month thus leaving the main TV on UPC whilst I switch the other TV over to one of these Linux boxes and get comfortable with it after which I'll get a 2nd box and ditch UPC all together. Sounds like a plan

BTW, what does softcam or camsoft have to do with Linux boxes? I saw a lot of references to it but couldn't figure out what it's about. Is it an app or plugin of some sort?

Ben

You will need one of these:

http://sat-planet.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=20_59_60&product_id=96

or get a Inverto Black Ultra (they are meant to be the best)

and something like this for Saorview:

http://sat-planet.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_79_81&product_id=102

and 4 f-connectors for the sat set-up

and a splitter for the terrestrial signal to two boxes and 6 more connectors for that (I think that's right)

BenEadir

IBA, thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately DIY is not my thing, I struggle to wire a plug. What I'm hoping is that I'll choose the right Linux box for my needs and then get someone to do the cabling bit. I already have a Freesat setup (a standard dish running two cables to a Sagem DTR 94500 box - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-blu-ray/digital-tv-services/freesat/sagemcom-dtr-94500-freesat-hd-recorder-21410750-pdt.html) which works fine but obviouly doesn't have the Irish channels. I got it to watch the 2010 World Cup in HD and to see if it could be a replacement for UPC. It got used during the 2010 world cup and that was it, I'd say it's been used 2-3 times since if we had a UPC outage.

I therefore need someone to upgrade the LNB on the existing dish so it can serve two new Linux boxes and run cables from the dish to the 2nd TV location. After that I should be able to install the DVB-t2 tuner in each box, hook them up and get going with them.

Does that sound like what I need to do and are there installers who will just do the dish/cabling bit without selling the boxes etc?

Cheers,

Ben

iba

BenThere wrote: »

IBA, thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately DIY is not my thing, I struggle to wire a plug. What I'm hoping is that I'll choose the right Linux box for my needs and then get someone to do the cabling bit. I already have a Freesat setup (a standard dish running two cables to a Sagem DTR 94500 box - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-blu-ray/digital-tv-services/freesat/sagemcom-dtr-94500-freesat-hd-recorder-21410750-pdt.html) which works fine but obviouly doesn't have the Irish channels. I got it to watch the 2010 World Cup in HD and to see if it could be a replacement for UPC. It got used during the 2010 world cup and that was it, I'd say it's been used 2-3 times since if we had a UPC outage.

I therefore need someone to upgrade the LNB on the existing dish so it can serve two new Linux boxes and run cables from the dish to the 2nd TV location. After that I should be able to install the DVB-t2 tuner in each box, hook them up and get going with them.

Does that sound like what I need to do and are there installers who will just do the dish/cabling bit without selling the boxes etc?

Cheers,

Ben

Sounds like you already have a twin LNB?

And you already have a sat feed?

So why not not worry about the second cable to the second room for the moment.

All you have to do is screw out the two cables from the Sagem, buy your new box and screw one of the cables back into your new box (and the HDMI cable from the box to yout TV).

Tony on the Ariva forums is a sat installer so he might be able to do it for you but if you are in the Dublin 15 area (or close by) I am more than happy to give you a hand.

I know Zardoz has given an excellent descrition of the different boxes out there and you seem to be leaning towards a linux box but IMO they are not very wife friendly but then again if she can use XBMC then it should not be too difficult.

I know when I started out I had not got a clue about anything but thanks to teh experts like Watty, STB, GBCullen, Radiowaves, Zardoz and others I'm picking it up little by little but I did start on the easier boxes i.e. Arivas and then progressed up to the Gigablue linux. And now I have what I have below, all done by myself with the help from guys here on boards. And I am no builder or construction worker - I just move paper around.

I would reiterate my point earlier of getting a harmony remote - really declutters the coffee table.

Regards

BenEadir

Fair play IBA, it looks like you figured this stuff out pretty quickly!!

The suggestion to get a Linux box and swap it for my existing box on a "test" basis is a very good one. It will allow me to set it up as I want and then swap out UPC.

I'll review the various boxes and tuners and see what I want to get but before I buy anything I'll post it here to make sure I'm not doing anything stupid!!

Here's a very poor picture of my existing dish BTW



Ben

BenEadir

Hi guys,

My requirement is for a box which seamlessly integrates as many Irish and UK channels as possible with a 7 day EPG and PVR functionality. I have a Minix X7 for streaming local NAS and online content so I don't need an absolutely top end box but I do like to invest in the latest/best available which usually maximises funtional life. For that reason, having done a little research of the various boxes referred to so far on this thread I think the The Gigablue QUAD plus with 2 dvb-ts and 2 dvb-s2 tuners is the way to go but the thread on it http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057184877 makes me think its not yet functioning and/or requires a great deal of intervention to make it work beyond my capabilities!!

Lastly, if I do go ahead and get this box where should I buy it? I'd prefer to support a local reseller who in turn can support me and the box!!

Ben

same ol sh1te

BenThere wrote: »

Lastly, if I do go ahead and get this box where should I buy it? I'd prefer to support a local reseller who in turn can support me and the box!!

No supplier is going to support a third party OS

iba

BenThere wrote: »

Hi guys,

My requirement is for a box which seamlessly integrates as many Irish and UK channels as possible with a 7 day EPG and PVR functionality. I have a Minix X7 for streaming local NAS and online content so I don't need an absolutely top end box but I do like to invest in the latest/best available which usually maximises funtional life. For that reason, having done a little research of the various boxes referred to so far on this thread I think the The Gigablue QUAD plus with 2 dvb-ts and 2 dvb-s2 tuners is the way to go but the thread on it http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057184877 makes me think its not yet functioning and/or requires a great deal of intervention to make it work beyond my capabilities!!

Lastly, if I do go ahead and get this box where should I buy it? I'd prefer to support a local reseller who in turn can support me and the box!!

Ben

I do not know about any Irish seller who does this box but World of Sat does - I can not remember for sure, but you might have to use parcel motel to get it.

That box is only £259 at the moment - I think that that is an excellent price - but check that all the tuners are included.

I think the latest Vix image, Apollo 8, is running on this box - check in world of sat and then 'images'.

http://www.world-of-satellite.com/enigma2/openvix/

BTW STB knows everything there is to know about this box, I'm sure he can answer any questions that you might have.

Regards

iba

Ben,

These boxes come without an OS. You choose which one to put on it. There are several available. I use Vix others use Blackhole and there are others but I do not know the names.

If you buy from WoS, you can ask them to put the Vix OS on it for you. You can always reflash with a different OS later if you do not like it.

Hoe that helps

Regards

robk84

Hi Guys,

Im looking to ditch Sky and go for a combo box. Already have an aerial and sky dish installed. Im not overly tech savvy so would like to keep it simple and cheap. My main requirements would be a box that can record, pause, rewind etc, series link if possible, have some way to access the BBC red button service, be user friendly, and have the capacity to feed the aerial signal out so as I can receive the aerial signal in other rooms for duplicate boxes. It would be nice not to have to spend more than €150 on each box.

Would anyone have any recommendations?
Would this box be of much use? Ferguson Ariva 252 €110 on tvtrade.ie (boards wont let me post the link for some reason)

Cheers

BenEadir

iba wrote: »

Ben,

These boxes come without an OS. You choose which one to put on it. There are several available. I use Vix others use Blackhole and there are others but I do not know the names.

If you buy from WoS, you can ask them to put the Vix OS on it for you. You can always reflash with a different OS later if you do not like it.

Hoe that helps

Regards

Hi IBA, is there a review/comparison of the various OS's available for the The Gigablue QUAD plus so I can make an informed choice?

Ben

Zardoz

BenThere wrote: »

The Gigablue QUAD plus with 2 dvb-ts and 2 dvb-s2 tuners is the way to go but the thread on it http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057184877 makes me think its not yet functioning and/or requires a great deal of intervention to make it work beyond my capabilities!!

The Gigablue Quad plus is a very slight upgrade to the Gigablue Quad and its only recently released so the software for it is still fairly buggy.
The Plus is 60 euro more expensive than the original quad ,which was a very good price.
It could take a few months for all the bugs to be ironed out .
fat-tony on here has a Quad plus ,he'd have a good idea of the present status of the Quad plus images .

BenEadir

OK guys I'm going to order a Gigablue Quad Plus and see if I can master it to a stage where it replaces the UPC box for the family.

I'm looking at ordering it from here but need some help to make sure I order it correctly - http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/Digital-Satellite-Receivers/Gigablue-HD-Linux-Enigma-2-Satellite-Receivers/GiGaBlue-HD-QUAD-PLUS-Linux-Enigma-2-HD-PVR-Digital-Satellite-Receiver-2-DVB-S-S2-2-C-T-T2-cable-satellite-terrestrial

Given my requirement is to be able to watch one Satellite channel whilst recording another and watch one Saorview channel whilst watching another can you please help me configure it?

1. What HD Quad extra Hybrid Tuners if any do I need?

2. What HD Quad extra Satellite Tuners if any do I need?

3. I assume a 1tb HDD drive is the best option to select?

4. Whats the best WiFi option to go for? I need the best WiFi capability possible!!!

5. I assume I don't need a special USB flash drive?? I have a million of them floating about my house which I can format to FAT32 for flashing purposes.

6. I assume OpenVix is the best firmware to have preflashed onto the machine?

Anything else I need to know/tweak before I place my order?

Also IBA, you recommended a Logitech Harmony remote to de-clutter the coffee table and help get the family onside for using a Linux box. IS this the remote you recommend? http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-350-control?crid=60 It has my Panasonic TV and Onkyo Amp in it's database and it has the Gigablue HD Quad but it doesn't have the HD+. Will the HD settings be the same as the HD+ settings for remote control purposes??

Ben

iba

BenThere wrote: »

OK guys I'm going to order a Gigablue Quad Plus and see if I can master it to a stage where it replaces the UPC box for the family.

I'm looking at ordering it from here but need some help to make sure I order it correctly - http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/Digital-Satellite-Receivers/Gigablue-HD-Linux-Enigma-2-Satellite-Receivers/GiGaBlue-HD-QUAD-PLUS-Linux-Enigma-2-HD-PVR-Digital-Satellite-Receiver-2-DVB-S-S2-2-C-T-T2-cable-satellite-terrestrial

Given my requirement is to be able to watch one Satellite channel whilst recording another and watch one Saorview channel whilst watching another can you please help me configure it?

1. What HD Quad extra Hybrid Tuners if any do I need?

2. What HD Quad extra Satellite Tuners if any do I need?

3. I assume a 1tb HDD drive is the best option to select?

4. Whats the best WiFi option to go for? I need the best WiFi capability possible!!!

5. I assume I don't need a special USB flash drive?? I have a million of them floating about my house which I can format to FAT32 for flashing purposes.

6. I assume OpenVix is the best firmware to have preflashed onto the machine?

Anything else I need to know/tweak before I place my order?

Also IBA, you recommended a Logitech Harmony remote to de-clutter the coffee table and help get the family onside for using a Linux box. IS this the remote you recommend? http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-350-control?crid=60 It has my Panasonic TV and Onkyo Amp in it's database and it has the Gigablue HD Quad but it doesn't have the HD+. Will the HD settings be the same as the HD+ settings for remote control purposes??

Ben

Ben,

I am not going to answer all your questions in case I get it wrong, Zardoz,Fat Tony, STB, radiowaves and others can tell you the exactly what you need.

But I can answer number 5 and 6:

5 - you do not need any special one.

6 - if ordering from WoS they can put the Vix image on it for you, just mention it in the ordering details. As for it being the best one, that is debatable. GBCullen for example much prefers Blackhole over Vix.

Control - the 600 or 650 would do (I have an Onkyo amp too and have the gigablue going through that). I would imagine that the Quad settings are teh same as the plus settings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Harmony-650-Universal-Remote/dp/B005FQNDTO/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1403269785&sr=1-3&keywords=harmony

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-915-000113-Harmony-600/dp/B003B70C0C/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1403269785&sr=1-5&keywords=harmony

P.S. if you join WoS (which I recommend) I think you might be able to get a 5% off the box.

iba

fbradyirl wrote: »

Yes, fully customisable and integrated. In the attached screenshot, the Irish channels are Saorview, and the UK channels are from satellite.

For the OpenVix image, the community site is http://world-of-satellite.com

Guys, sorry for hiacking the thread a little, but I want to quote fbradyirl's post but I do not know how to put it into a new thread.

Would be grateful fbradyirl if you could help me set up my TV menu like yours please?

This is what mine looks like atm.

Thanks

stanley1

looks like the mynovum skin, available on server, menu > plugins > download plugins > skins

fbradyirl

iba wrote: »

Guys, sorry for hiacking the thread a little, but I want to quote fbradyirl's post but I do not know how to put it into a new thread.

Would be grateful fbradyirl if you could help me set up my TV menu like yours please?

This is what mine looks like atm.

Thanks

It's the MyMetrix skin. Install it from feeds and then open Plugins-MyMetrix-Save Skin. Then reboot and select the skin from settings.

iba

fbradyirl wrote: »

It's the MyMetrix skin. Install it from feeds and then open Plugins-MyMetrix-Save Skin. Then reboot and select the skin from settings.

Thanks fbradyirl,

I do not have MyMetrix in Skins; I have matrixhd - is that the same?

fbradyirl

iba wrote: »

Thanks fbradyirl,

I do not have MyMetrix in Skins; I have matrixhd - is that the same?

Yeah that's it. It was named incorrectly in feeds. When you install that, you will see the new addon called MyMetrix.

STB

MyMetrix is fairly good and allows a lot of configuration. I have been using Blue HD Skin on Vix and its easy enough on the eye and font configurable etc. Familiar ?

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