Freesat+ HD box query

muffler

Guys, I've read a couple of times in other threads here that a feesat+ HD box will pick up the Saorview channels but what I wanted to know is will it record them?

Similarly would a Freeview+ HD box do the same?

Gerry Wicklow

FreeSat as the name implies is a satellite based system using a dish. Saorview is terrestrial using an aerial. FreeView is the UK equivalent to Saorview using ordinary aerials if you are in an overspill zone. Beware that some FreeView approved boxes ignore Saorview as foreign interference. It IS possible to get combi boxes that combine FTA satellite and terrestrial in one unit but not a FreeSat branded combi box.

horse7

I have a freesat hd box but have a lot of trouble getting sufficient signal for sky news,i also have a 4ife hd box in another room and the sky news is fine,both are from the same dish (quad lnb),any ideas?

muffler

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

FreeSat as the name implies is a satellite based system using a dish. Saorview is terrestrial using an aerial. FreeView is the UK equivalent to Saorview using ordinary aerials if you are in an overspill zone. Beware that some FreeView approved boxes ignore Saorview as foreign interference. It IS possible to get combi boxes that combine FTA satellite and terrestrial in one unit but not a FreeSat branded combi box.

Thanks for the reply Gerry.

Yeah, I understand all the different setups and I do get freeview and saorview at the moment. I'm thinking of ditching Sky and getting a replacement box and while the ability to record saorview would be a bonus it would certainly not be a deal clincher so to speak. Thats why I mentioned the freeview+ HD box and its good to know that some of these dont recognise Saorview. On that score I can run the saorview feed directly to the telly if necessary and record to a hard drive as the telly can support that I think. There is very little on Saorview though that we would be recording

I probably used the word "freesat" very loosely but any FTA recorder or freesat recorder is what Im interested in and if there's one capable of recording all channels, Irish and UK, it would be a bonus. But recording the UK FTA channels is the number one priority

Sam Russell

muffler wrote: »

I probably used the word "freesat" very loosely but any FTA recorder or freesat recorder is what Im interested in and if there's one capable of recording all channels, Irish and UK, it would be a bonus. But recording the UK FTA channels is the number one priority

Using a Freesat box gives a 7 day EPG so recording is easy and series link also works - but only for Freesat channels.

Gerry Wicklow

@Muffler
I would suggest a combi box such as the Amiko Alien 2+ which has tuners for both satellite and terrestrial. The plus version supports the newer DVB-T2 used for FreeView HD in the UK. It combines the best of both worlds and can even be set up to use a terrestrial copy (e.g. BBC1 HD) if both satellite tuners are busy doing something else. They take a bit of setting up and it's a steep learning curve but the end result is a very powerful and versatile box.

muffler

Sam Russell wrote: »

Using a Freesat box gives a 7 day EPG so recording is easy and series link also works - but only for Freesat channels.

When you say "Freesat channels" is that all the FTA channels or is there a difference?

muffler

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

@Muffler
I would suggest a combi box such as the Amiko Alien 2+ which has tuners for both satellite and terrestrial. The plus version supports the newer DVB-T2 used for FreeView HD in the UK. It combines the best of both worlds and can even be set up to use a terrestrial copy (e.g. BBC1 HD) if both satellite tuners are busy doing something else. They take a bit of setting up and it's a steep learning curve but the end result is a very powerful and versatile box.

Hmmm, something to chew on but both myself and the missus would just prefer something simple to set up and use.

byte

For Freesat, the one I'd choose would be the Humax Foxsat HDR. Grand boxes.

*Note that these boxes don't have inbuilt RF modulators, if you're one to have 1 Skybox connected to other TV's in the house.

http://www.freesat.co.uk/channels gives you an idea of channels. Other info on that site too.

jonnygee

I use a humax foxsat hdr for the freesat channels and a humax fox t2 with a usb harddrive for the saorview channels.
The t2 although not a proper pvr works exceptionally well.
These two boxes Record all I need, I rarely watch live tv now.

odckdo

I got rid of Sky before Xmas.

I traded in my old Sky boxes against a new Humax here: http://www.freetv.ie/humax-foxsat-hdr.html

This Humax is a great box - the menu system is just as good if not better than Sky. Joy to use. I have also set it up to use the On Demand services and YouTube (can't talk about it here though).

I have a Triax 212 for saorview. I don't watch alot of Irish TV. Switching between the HDMIs is one negative. I use an external hard drive for the odd recording. I have only started using the Triax and I still haven't got use to the recording side - I had the external hard drive plugged in and connected, yet it failed on a recording last night for some reason. Doesn't seem very reliable.

It would be nice to get one of the Panasonic freeview boxes with a built-in pvr but I couldn't justify it for a few saorview channels.

muffler

byte wrote: »

For Freesat, the one I'd choose would be the Humax Foxsat HDR. Grand boxes.

like this one?

byte wrote: »

*Note that these boxes don't have inbuilt RF modulators, if you're one to have 1 Skybox connected to other TV's in the house.

Thats interesting.

Its been so long since I set this up that I barely remember what way I done it. At present the main Sky box is in the sitting room and I have a feed going to a telly directly behind it in the kitchen and also a cable running to one of the upstairs bedrooms. Those cables give me all the channels - Sky, Saorview and Freeview.

So a freesat box would kill this arrangement then?

excollier

It would certainly complicate matters, but a generic combi box would work better in that respect.

Thurston?

muffler wrote: »

... At present the main Sky box is in the sitting room and I have a feed going to a telly directly behind it in the kitchen and also a cable running to one of the upstairs bedrooms. Those cables give me all the channels - Sky, Saorview and Freeview.

So a freesat box would kill this arrangement then?

If you want the Freesat channels included on the kitchen & bedroom feeds, same as the Sky box output, then you can get a standalone modulator to replicate the Sky RF output. A kit such as the Triax Tri-Link or Antiference RemoteLink can also handle 'magic eye' remote control signals.

If you only want the Freeview & Saorview aerial signals to kitchen & bedroom, then it won't be a problem to reroute these, bypassing the Freesat box.

brownmini

muffler wrote: »

Guys, I've read a couple of times in other threads here that a feesat+ HD box will pick up the Saorview channels but what I wanted to know is will it record them?

Similarly would a Freeview+ HD box do the same?

The recording function all depends on the box.
Some receiver boxes are just receivers, some boxes have a provision for a disk. Some come with a disk. Some you can record out via a USB socket.

The magic letters to look for are PVR.
Obviously if the price of the box is low, the chances of it having a record function is also low.

I looked at two models of receivers from the same maker.
Here is a description of the dearer box.. "Receiver has PVR function (manual recording, recording from timer, recording from EPG, timeshift when you connect an external hard drive via USB port."

muffler

Thurston? wrote: »

If you only want the Freeview & Saorview aerial signals to kitchen & bedroom, then it won't be a problem to reroute these, bypassing the Freesat box.

The telly in the bedroom is rarely watched but the kitchen telly would be watched for an hour or two each day and its not too often that any Sky channels (with current setup) would be watched but its handy to have it so I might look into getting a standalone modulator as you suggested.

We get a lot of bad picture quality with the saorview - picture and sound breaking up - so I've often went to the sitting room and put on the RTE news for example on Sky and then watching it in the kitchen.