Advice needed....

baalad

Well lads. As ye know i got the horizon box in a few days ago and its working fine. No problems as such. However, there's one or two little annoyances and im wondering if i should revert back to a hd box?

I'm finding the user interface to be annoying and i don't like that my wifi disconnects if the box is inactive for a while. It's as if the box goes into sleep mode and turns itself off after a while if it's not been used.

I would prefer a standard hd box purely for its interface and it would allow me to go back to having a stand alone router although im not sure if that would mean id be going back to only 30mg bb? Also, the horizon allows me to choose a hd resolution of 1080p where as the hd box only does 720p and i don't wanna sacrifice picture quality especially given that i have a 47 inch so screen resolution maybe more noticeable?

They were supposed to send out a hd box in replacement of an older box after xmas but im considering handing them out the horizon box instead and using the hd box as it's replacement?? Presume they wouldn't know and if they did, would it be a big deal?

Also, would i be losing much in terms of quality if i go from a 1080p box to 720p box??

coldfire1x

Quite a few questions there. Let's see if I can help with some of them.

1. Wifi should not disconnect when the box is inactive. Change the stand by power setting or talk to the technical team to see if they can fix it. Note- they can change the setting remotely.

2. Going back to standard hd box doesnt mean that your broadband speed will drop.

3. If you want you can use a stand alone router connected to the horizon box as well.

4. On bigger screens drop in picture quality will be noticeable especially for HD channels.

5. You can just keep any box. UPC needs to provision the box you want to keep. Make up your mind which box your are keeping and talk to UPC so that your services are not disrupted. If the horizon box is provisioned in your name then the other HD box will not work.

baalad

Cheers, I have the standby settings set but it still happens. If i put the box in standby when iam not watching TV, the wifi works for so long then the box just goes asleep all together as if it had been switched off at the back (all the lights go off) and even if i leave the box turned on. If it's left on but is inactive then eventually it does the same thing. Not a huge problem but annoying that every time i leave the house and come back i have to turn on the box and wait a few minutes before i have wifi again whereas i used to be able to just automatically connect the moment i came in the door.

baalad

Also, am i correct that the horizon box is 1080p and hd box is only 720p? It appears iam but always thought they're hd box did 1080p.

I had a hd box and was always happy with the quality. However, with the horizon box im convinced non hd channels look better, almost hd like in fact although not sure i see much improvement in hd channels.

Over all im happy with it, user interface is just poor and needs improving

coldfire1x

Try using the high power usage in standby setting. I have that setting in my box. Doesnt use much power. If it doesnt work then give UPC a call.

Yes the non HD channels look much better on horizon box.

There's couple of ios and android apps as well. You can control your box with them. Also much better to see the tv guide and schedule recording on them.

Personally dont really like the navigation and remote of horizon.

mfceiling

I don't want to sound smart but I warned you on Horizon. The interface is only the start of it.

It is a pathetic piece of technology. Mine gives bother constantly - the best advice i've been given on here by UPC is, wait for it....."turn it off, then on again"

A few days away from 2015 and that is as good as UPC can provide.

baalad

mfceiling wrote: »

I don't want to sound smart but I warned you on Horizon. The interface is only the start of it.

It is a pathetic piece of technology. Mine gives bother constantly - the best advice i've been given on here by UPC is, wait for it....."turn it off, then on again"

A few days away from 2015 and that is as good as UPC can provide.

I agree the interface is poor and could be faster but other then that it's fine. I got the remote to pair with the tv tonight and sorted out the wifi problem by setting the standby mode to 'medium' so wifi stays on constantly. Picture quality is the best ive seen. Only reason for returning it would be the interface. Other then that it's pretty good to be honest. Alot better then i was expecting after reading some of the comments here.

icdg

Play the ball not the man please

coylemj

baalad wrote: »

I agree the interface is poor and could be faster but other then that it's fine. I got the remote to pair with the tv tonight and sorted out the wifi problem by setting the standby mode to 'medium' so wifi stays on constantly. Picture quality is the best ive seen. Only reason for returning it would be the interface. Other then that it's pretty good to be honest. Alot better then i was expecting after reading some of the comments here.

You are correct, there are aspects of the user interface that are disappointing compared to the old box, in particular the (old) ability to simply progressively press the right button to see the next few programs on the channel you are watching now, on Horizon you can only see the name of the next (one) program, otherwise you have to look up the Guide. For something so simple you really have to wonder why it was dropped as a feature.

Against that, remote record and the ability to record four simultaneous programs is a bonus and it suits me that the TV and broadband functions are in one box instead of having a splitter and a separate router.

BTW, UPC recommend that you set the power on standby to 'High' if you are using Wi-Fi.