Solution for HD Irish & UK channels, EPG, and PVR?

runswithascript

I hate our Sky+ box, it's costing us money unnecessarily, there is a loud hum from it all of the time, and a loud buzz from the television when we watch TV which seems to change when different colours are displayed! It has to go! :pac:

I am tempted by a Freesat box as it appears to do everything except having Irish Channel functionality. We already have an 11 year old Sky Dish mounted and there are two coaxial cables into the living room and two into the bedroom.

Initially we just want a solution for the living room and would look at other rooms later on. The core of what we want:

a) Irish and UK channels displayed on one source, HD where applicable.

b) EPG for Irish and UK channels in one list, a few days, not just now and next

c) Ability to pause, rewind, and record, with series link, live television. Having the HDD internally would be a bonus.

d) On recoding, we would like to be able to watch one channel while recording another, even if both channels are UK or both channels Irish.

d) If possible, UK station frequencies updated automatically - some how - as I understand it this feature is only offered by Freesat... and I think the solution I am looking for cannot include Freesat, so I stress... if possible!

Please answer the following questions where you can:

1) Is the Vu+ Duo HD the way to go here? Linux is the main OS system I use so I should be able to find my way around it once it is not incredibly complicated.

2) I have learned to connect Saorview to the Vu+ Duo I need some sort of DVB-T USB connector?

3) Not ever having satelite other than Sky I am not aware how often UK channel frequencies change but I have learned they do change. How often does this happen, could it happen in the middle of a show or Movie etc, and is it easy for even children to correct? Can it be automated somehow?

Very new to this so I would appreciate any advice.

slegs

I would recommend the Gigablue HD Quad Plus http://www.gigablue.de/portfolio-item/gigablue-hd-quad-plus/

Can be got for about 350 eur with 2 satellite tuners and 2 terrestrial tuners. Add a hard drive and configure VIX with a channel list , channel logo picons and Cross EPG for satellite EPG (Saorview EPG will be automatic). Works as close to perfect as you will get based on your wishes above.

Needs some basic technical knowledge to install the operating system from USB key and configure channel lists via Dreamboxedit. You would need a basic understanding of file transfer via an application like Filezilla and IP address setup via the menu on the box.

The big advantage of the setup is that it is very flexible and powerful e.g. you can setup the channel lists the way you like removing all the dross channels you dont watch. You can also record multiple channels at once - I have tested 6 parallel HD channels without issue (on the older Gigablue Quad). With the 4 tuners it is also unlikely you will ever come across a scenario where you run out of tuners for recording. You can record multiple channels from the same MUX so for Terrestrial we only have two MUXs so you have one tuner per MUX.

Once you are setup you dont need to change anything unless channels move satellite transponders in which case its an easy enough process to rescan an move the updated channel into place. There are plugins that auto update transponder changes but I dont see it as a big effort to scan so I wouldnt be bothered myself.

Series link and recurring recordings can be achieved though the Autotimer plugin which is in my view more flexible and better as you can use all sorts of rules to filter what to record on a recurring basis.

Hope this helps

runswithascript

Thanks for the reply, I am familiar with SSH file transfer.

Are there guides on setting all of this up as I would like?

Do I still need to buy a usb device to connect a saorview aerial for Irish TV?

Once configured, will it be like an appliance rather than a regular computer system? That is it as easy to navigate everything as it is on Sky+? Note our Sky+ box is more than 10 years old! I have a Xunity Eclipse box running Android and XBMC and other family members have problems navigating the basic features when I am not here. I basically need everyone able to change channels, pause, rewind, record, and series link just as easy as on Sky. We will only be able to disconnect the Sky if everyone is comfortable with the new system!

runswithascript

Have you owned both boxes yourself?

Mayo Yid

Check out the Amiko Alien 2, less than half the price of those mentioned although lacking the internal hd, takes usb though. Threads about it in Terrestrial forum

runswithascript

Would any of the three mentioned so far allow me to add IPTV channels as regular channels? I use Offside Streams for sports but I am hoping to upgrade to Smooth Streams at some point. When I say add as regular channels I mean could they be added alongside regular channels, and be flicked through seamlessly without any messing around?

Mayo Yid wrote: »

Check out the Amiko Alien 2, less than half the price of those mentioned although lacking the internal hd, takes usb though. Threads about it in Terrestrial forum

Thanks for the reply.

I am strongly leaning towards an internal HDD though I would consider connecting an external.

runswithascript

Also, we already pay UnoTelly DNS so that we can access BBC iPlayer on our tablets. We have a Xunity Eclipse running XBMC hooked up to the TV and although there is an XBMC iPlayer addon it does not have the same features as regular iPlayer, and if I run iPlayer from the Android part of the Xunity it is a bit awkward to navigate. RTE Player also does not work properly on it.

What are these boxes like in terms of plugin or 'apps'?

joeaverage

Mayo Yid wrote: »

Check out the Amiko Alien 2, less than half the price of those mentioned although lacking the internal hd, takes usb though. Threads about it in Terrestrial forum

I tried one of these using cross EPG for sats. Worked for days on end, but ALWAYS ended up with a screwed up EPG on sats eventually. Once worked for nearly 30 days. Have you one of these working ok? Is there a prob setting up the EPG download on this box?

Thanks in advance.

steveon

joeaverage wrote: »

I tried one of these using cross EPG for sats. Worked for days on end, but ALWAYS ended up with a screwed up EPG on sats eventually. Once worked for nearly 30 days. Have you one of these working ok? Is there a prob setting up the EPG download on this box?

Thanks in advance.

crossepg on gigablue and vu works flawless.

runswithascript

steveon wrote: »

crossepg on gigablue and vu works flawless.

Would you recommend one of those over the other considering the desired solution I outlined in the original post?

I was looking online at the Vu+ Duo2, it seems very nice but much more expensive than other Vu+ models and not all that better...

runswithascript

This seems helpful:

Linux Receivers Overview

greasepalm

vu solo2 a cracker of a box with 2 sat tuners and i might end up buying a sundtek usb tuner for cable if i need it.

did they fix the recording issues on the gig model?

runswithascript

Slegs, Linux-TV.com reviewed SD picture quality on the Gigablue as 'could be better'. Have you any experience of this? Can you please advise why the Gigablue stands out for you rather than one of the many Vu+ boxes available?

greasepalm wrote: »

vu solo2 a cracker of a box with 2 sat tuners and i might end up buying a sundtek usb tuner for cable if i need it.

Does that mean it would meet the requirements outlined in my first post?

What recording issues?

steveon

dusf wrote: »

Would you recommend one of those over the other considering the desired solution I outlined in the original post?

I was looking online at the Vu+ Duo2, it seems very nice but much more expensive than other Vu+ models and not all that better...

the processor in the more expensive models is faster and more ram to store extra features you can download to the box. I have a gigablue 800 Quad myself which has just been updated to the quad plus.

I love my box but the iptv side of it isnt great ...but as for the rest, fully customizable and can record and watch something else like sky, with crossepg an app you can get a full 7 day guide and set timers for record etc...you need a dual dvb-s tuners on the box to enable you to do this. and a dvb-t tuner if you wish to add the saorview channels to it. You can also stream to an android phone or tablet or pc...for example missus watches bbc and I goto into my office and watch itv on my pc if no one is recording ...

You can always buy a box and upgrade it again with another tuner when you can afford it...thats what I do..to help alleviate the cost base.

slegs

dusf wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, I am familiar with SSH file transfer.

Are there guides on setting all of this up as I would like?

Do I still need to buy a usb device to connect a saorview aerial for Irish TV?

Once configured, will it be like an appliance rather than a regular computer system? That is it as easy to navigate everything as it is on Sky+? Note our Sky+ box is more than 10 years old! I have a Xunity Eclipse box running Android and XBMC and other family members have problems navigating the basic features when I am not here. I basically need everyone able to change channels, pause, rewind, record, and series link just as easy as on Sky. We will only be able to disconnect the Sky if everyone is comfortable with the new system!

Just to set expectations it's not Sky+ so trying to replicate Sky+ with the same experience won't be successful. That said you can achieve everything above. My family all use the Gigablue Quad as main box and we have no issues including recurring recordings using autotimer.

No need for usb tuners or external drives as the Quad can be purchased with inbuilt sat and terrestrial tuners.

You mention trying to replicate apps and iplayer etc using plugins. There are features for this but this is open source custom code so don't expect product level quality like you get in Samsung TVs or similar. Anything that requires DRM like Netflix is not possible. If these features are a deal breaker then you should go back to freesat and just live with two boxes and switching inputs.

The challenge with Enigma Linux boxes is that people think they should meet every possible need including media centre. They have versions of all these features but the boxes are best at tv watching and recording. There are other solutions that are better at media centre and IP channels in my view. If you are happy with that then this is the box for you.

I have had over 6 different Enigma boxes including AZBox, Vu Plus Duo, Vu Plus Ultimo and Gigablue Quad.

slegs

greasepalm wrote: »

vu solo2 a cracker of a box with 2 sat tuners and i might end up buying a sundtek usb tuner for cable if i need it.

did they fix the recording issues on the gig model?

Yes, they addressed that issue over 12 months ago

slegs

dusf wrote: »

Slegs, Linux-TV.com reviewed SD picture quality on the Gigablue as 'could be better'. Have you any experience of this? Can you please advise why the Gigablue stands out for you rather than one of the many Vu+ boxes available?



Does that mean it would meet the requirements outlined in my first post?

What recording issues?

Gigablue picture quality is identical to VU+ boxes and its better value

runswithascript

Slegs, thanks for all the in depth information on your experience.

In a review I read of the GigaBlue HD Quad it mentioned HbbTV was supposed to work but not yet working. Is this something that would benefit us as Irish and UK television channel watchers and if so is it working now? I use a DNS service that makes me appear in the UK for BBC etc if that helps.

I also read about some of the Vu+ boxes that once you have a main once you can send channels to smaller cheaper Vu+ boxes in other rooms over your local network, negating the need to run cable to each room etc. Is there something similar with GigaBlue?

Do you use a wireless adapter and if so which one?

Playing devil's advocate, I like the transcoding option on the Vu+ boxes to stream content to tablets etc. I know they cost more but if they were the same price would you opt for a Vu+ to avail of this or any other features?

If I can find a Gigablue HD Quad cheaper from Amazon or somewhere else rather than an Irish provider is there much to configuring it for the British and Irish channels.

Looking at the specifications for the box it would appear a DVB-T tuner is optional, which I understand I need two of or a dual module to record and watch different Saorview channels. When you ordered did you have to specify you wanted DVB-T?

runswithascript

steveon wrote: »

the processor in the more expensive models is faster and more ram to store extra features you can download to the box. I have a gigablue 800 Quad myself which has just been updated to the quad plus.

I love my box but the iptv side of it isnt great ...but as for the rest, fully customizable and can record and watch something else like sky, with crossepg an app you can get a full 7 day guide and set timers for record etc...you need a dual dvb-s tuners on the box to enable you to do this. and a dvb-t tuner if you wish to add the saorview channels to it. You can also stream to an android phone or tablet or pc...for example missus watches bbc and I goto into my office and watch itv on my pc if no one is recording ...

You can always buy a box and upgrade it again with another tuner when you can afford it...thats what I do..to help alleviate the cost base.

Thanks for sharing your GigaBlue experience. When you say IPTV, I subscribe to an online service for all the sports channels. It allows me select the channels from XBMC and stream them. I am currently with Offside Streams but there is another provider called Smooth Streams I have been researching. I know the latter supports DLNA, do you know if it is possible to integrate streams like this with regular channels using a GigaBlue or any other satelite receiver for that matter? I think it would be great if we could flick through channels from both sources seamlessly. I know one of the provider supports DLNA if that helps.

slegs

dusf wrote: »

Slegs, thanks for all the in depth information on your experience.

In a review I read of the GigaBlue HD Quad it mentioned HbbTV was supposed to work but not yet working. Is this something that would benefit us as Irish and UK television channel watchers and if so is it working now? I use a DNS service that makes me appear in the UK for BBC etc if that helps.

I also read about some of the Vu+ boxes that once you have a main once you can send channels to smaller cheaper Vu+ boxes in other rooms over your local network, negating the need to run cable to each room etc. Is there something similar with GigaBlue?

Do you use a wireless adapter and if so which one?

Playing devil's advocate, I like the transcoding option on the Vu+ boxes to stream content to tablets etc. I know they cost more but if they were the same price would you opt for a Vu+ to avail of this or any other features?

If I can find a Gigablue HD Quad cheaper from Amazon or somewhere else rather than an Irish provider is there much to configuring it for the British and Irish channels.

Looking at the specifications for the box it would appear a DVB-T tuner is optional, which I understand I need two of or a dual module to record and watch different Saorview channels. When you ordered did you have to specify you wanted DVB-T?

I dont use all the IPTV features. As noted I think there are better solutions for this like XBMC. But for watching and recording TV and to solve the primary issue of merging Irish Terrestrial and UK Satellite channel lists with full EPG its the best solution. Just dont expect it to be everything and you wont be disappointed.

Yes the default box comes with 2 satellite tuners and you can order extra tuners from Terrestrial or Satellite so you can have 2 Sat and 2 Terresttrial or 3 Sat and 1 Terrestrial but you need to order the extra tuners (and hard drive if you want to record)

For IP TV features and shared tuners in other rooms you have to be connected to your network at home. Use homeplugs for this, wifi is unreliable in general for this kind of amount of data transfer. Note you can stream from any modern Enigma 2 box via a web interface that the box hosts called Openwebif. Handy if your missus is watching something but you want to watch something else from another tuner on the the box on a laptop or PC in another room.

runswithascript

slegs wrote: »

Yes the default box comes with 2 satellite tuners and you can order extra tuners from Terrestrial or Satellite so you can have 2 Sat and 2 Terresttrial or 3 Sat and 1 Terrestrial but you need to order the extra tuners (and hard drive if you want to record)

So old thread, had a lot going on, but assuming this is still the best receiver to suit my needs, I would like to order a Gigablue Quad HD this weekend. Can you guys please recommend where to order from, and confirm for the functionality I am after I need to specify when ordering I want a model that, in addition to the 2 dvb-s tuners that come as standard, has:

2 dvb-t tuner (to allow watching one Saorview channel while recording another)

1 internal HDD - any cheaper to fit an internal 2.5" HDD myself, or perhaps it is even possible to record to a future NAS instead? That would be very useful as all media would then be in the same place. NAS not built yet, but if possible to do this we could record to a USB flash drive in the mean time...

slegs wrote: »

I dont use all the IPTV features. As noted I think there are better solutions for this like XBMC. But for watching and recording TV and to solve the primary issue of merging Irish Terrestrial and UK Satellite channel lists with full EPG its the best solution. Just dont expect it to be everything and you wont be disappointed.

I appreciate now there are better options for players and streaming. Some time soon I am going to retire our XBMC Xunity Eclipse to make way for an Nvidia Shield Android TV that will run Kodi, and players, and everything on the Google Play store - and not on it if you take my meaning.

slegs wrote: »

For IP TV features and shared tuners in other rooms you have to be connected to your network at home. Use homeplugs for this, wifi is unreliable in general for this kind of amount of data transfer. Note you can stream from any modern Enigma 2 box via a web interface that the box hosts called Openwebif. Handy if your missus is watching something but you want to watch something else from another tuner on the the box on a laptop or PC in another room.

Thanks, house is now wired with 4 Cat 6 to every TV point.

greasepalm

xtrend et10000 4 tuner box and can have 2 x sat and 2 x cable if needed.

8kvscdpglqnyr4

I just purchased my 2nd Gigablue Quad+ from here:
https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/
315EUR + 7EUR delivery. 2xDVBS2 and 2xDVTB. No harddrive
Took 4 days
The first one I purchased over a year ago from World of Satellite but the STG exchange rate makes the UK sites too expensive.
I ordered it on Mon night and it arrived Fri morning

A brilliant box - I'm delighted with it. The first GB Quad+ I bought has a 1TB harddrive in it. The 2nd one has no harddrive - I just mount the drive from the first (3 or 4 clicks of your remote to set this up). All recording and timeshift use a single HD.

It's a great solution and one that Sky+ does not even come close to

Make sure you download the Gagablue App for iOS/Android. Great for watching TV when not at home.
Can also setup Kodi to watch TV. Have been in Spain and watched live TV and recordings from my box in Ireland!

greasepalm

that was impressive in what latest gadgets can do from another country.