Best "Value" Combo Box?

breeno

Hi Guys,

I've had enough of paying for TV I barely use but the other half isn't ready for streaming only just yet!

Any recommendations for a combo box for Saorview and Freesat? Now/next or EPG would be good if possible. Recording would be handy but could probably live without it.

Are any of the boxes sub €100 any good or would they be a pain to use?

Any help appreciated.

amikoalien2

breeno wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I've had enough of paying for TV I barely use but the other half isn't ready for streaming only just yet!

Any recommendations for a combo box for Saorview and Freesat? Now/next or EPG would be good if possible. Recording would be handy but could probably live without it.

Are any of the boxes sub €100 any good or would they be a pain to use?

Any help appreciated.

You could look at some of the ferguson ariva boxes
Around 100 yo yo
basic but do the job pretty well
now and next
Recording can be done via usb but if your going to do much recording you should probably look for something like the edission with a built in hdd (the important bit is built in hdd )
if money is no object some of the more hi spec boxes ( vu + technomate gigablue or mutant boxes ) more ram faster processormay be a better option
but for a first toe in the water to free tv you cant go wrong with a basic combo
RTE and satellite in one box with 1 remote
Google freetv.ie they have some useful video guides showing various boxes
no connection just have bought from them before and found them to be reliable

AnCatDubh

In my experience (all of 1 kind of box ) the Ferguson Ariva 153 is a good basic box.

I did what you are proposing and absolutely no regrets. If you want to see any of the 'issues' people have with them (though there aren't many to be honest) see this boards.ie thread - You should pick one up Sub €100 (think mine was €85 in a bricks and mortar). I bought a second one for my Dad to replace a two box setup (Saorview & Satellite separates) and he loves it. I had a couple of issues with recording but genuinely, I think they were more to do with the external drives, and currently after about a year it remains absolutely fine. There are other models in the range too - the 150, 250 and so forth. But for a basic box the 153 is fine.

BTW - You get full EPG with Saorview on it, and now/next for Satellite. Won't do series link but it can schedule weekly or individual recordings and automatic reminders (based on time/date). You can view or record satellite channels while watching Saorview or vice versa plus a few channels on the same transponder.

Overall and given the meagre investment it is definitely a good way to get [back] into free television viewing.

Cheers.

breeno

Thanks guys, will go with the Fergusion box as soon as I convince the OH to cut the cord!

Appreciate the advice!

richardw001

anyone experience of this one ?

http://www.freetv.ie/combo-box.html

I have gone through 3 of the revez ones in under a year and a half from another irish supplier - and am looking for one to replace a revez one that wont power up for my parents .


(In fairness to the ferguson ones - they have one of those for a good number of years and its fine btw)

codar

@ richardw001
If your parents record from satellite while watching saorview or vice versa, this may not suit them as it states in the description:

No cross tuner recording / watching available

You probably should talk to freetv.ie to clarify this before purchase.

thebackbar

hi,

on a similar note can someone recommend a decent combo box that includes a recorder, im willing to spend up to 250 euros.

thanks

amikoalien2

thebackbar wrote: »

hi,

on a similar note can someone recommend a decent combo box that includes a recorder, im willing to spend up to 250 euros.

thanks

you could look at the edission os3+

Or just seen this technomate on swords sat
http://www.satexperts.ie/shop-categories/boxes/technomate-tm-nano-3t-detail

You would need to add a hard drive an old laptop drive would do
lots of them about

Prisoner6409

Anyone know how the box's mentioned in the threads above might work with a video sender, to send the picture/audio to a second tv but more importantly the ability to use a remote control to change stations ect.

amikoalien2

Prisoner6409 wrote: »

Anyone know how the box's mentioned in the threads above might work with a video sender, to send the picture/audio to a second tv but more importantly the ability to use a remote control to change stations ect.

I would imagine something like
http://www.freetv.ie/triax-trilink-kit.html
this would suffice but I do not have one myself
I used an odroid android box to stream from the alien 2 over the network in HD instead

damon5

Had enough of virgin now getting way pricy so wondering what is out there that could do the same functions record at least two channels at the same time,pause,rewind,fastforward etc etc.
Looking for satellite channels,discovery channels,history,planet earth etc
Film channels and kids channels and mostly for the OH to keep her sweet rte1 and 2,bbc1 and 2,ch4,utv,tv3 you know the ones,have a sky dish that's cabled into house from previous and will have to keep the virgin broadband for wifi etc,many thanks

Sam Russell

Some of the channels you list are pay ones so you need a supplier that has them - Sky, eir, Vodafone. But you can get most of what you are looking for with Freesat and Saorview at no subscription - FREE. The dish will give you Freesat and you will need an aerial for Saorview.

damon5

Sam Russell wrote: »

Some of the channels you list are pay ones so you need a supplier that has them - Sky, eir, Vodafone. But you can get most of what you are looking for with Freesat and Saorview at no subscription - FREE. The dish will give you Freesat and you will need an aerial for Saorview.

Thanks for reply,what about being able to record at least 2 programes at the same time and pause option etc too ...

Sam Russell

damon5 wrote: »

Thanks for reply,what about being able to record at least 2 programes at the same time and pause option etc too ...

Well, to answer that, it gets complicated. Freeat and Saorview require different solutions.

Freesat: You need two cables from your dish to be able to record two programmes at once, or you can watch one and record another. However, some channels have +1 versions which increase your options, and BBC has regions that offer some programmes at different times/days. I think you may be able to do more than just this providing you are fortunate on which channels you wish to watch and record - they have to be on the same transponder.

Saorview: If you have a Saorview PVR (Walker are the only ones making one) then you should be OK, but otherwise it depends on the equipment you have. Some UK Freeview PVRs work quite well but do not have series link (used to have but ... long story).

Hope that helps.

If you pay €50 a month, a years sub is €600 which should be way more than enough to cover the cost of a good setup. You already have the dish.

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

Thanks for reply,what about being able to record at least 2 programes at the same time and pause option etc too ...

you need a triple tuner like the edission os3 / technomate something with a built in hard drive simplicity / reliability
the triple tuner will allow you to record say 2 sat stations and watch RTE at same time
or record RTE and 1 sat station while watching a different sat station
They are usually 2 sat tuner + 1 terrestial tuner ( triple tuner )
some of the more high price sat receivers gigablue / VU+
you can add cards / modules with twin tuners or usb tuners to increase the total amount of tuners and record more stations

damon5

Cheers for the info amikoalien2 appreciated,its such a minefield of knowledge and information that i have to plough through to wean off the tit of my service provider at this time....

amikoalien2 wrote: »

you need a triple tuner like the edission os3 / technomate something with a built in hard drive simplicity / reliability
the triple tuner will allow you to record say 2 sat stations and watch RTE at same time
or record RTE and 1 sat station while watching a different sat station
They are usually 2 sat tuner + 1 terrestial tuner ( triple tuner )
some of the more high price sat receivers gigablue / VU+
you can add cards / modules with twin tuners or usb tuners to increase the total amount of tuners and record more stations

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

Cheers for the info amikoalien2 appreciated,its such a minefield of knowledge and information that i have to plough through to wean off the tit of my service provider at this time....

Yep can be a little daunting at times
I started out with an amiko alien 2 got rid of sky and the box was grand
a triple tuner and a usb hard drive for recording and pause
Worked ok most of the time but the usb drive seem to loose its marbles too often
usually just about when herself was about to record the bakeoff or something like that
after about a year I opted for the VU+duo 2 and ripped out the drive from my now defunkt sky box formatted it and stuck it into the duo2
and not one single crash or wiggy
She is happy and i get to sit and doodle on the pc in peace
:-)

damon5

amikoalien2 wrote: »

Yep can be a little daunting at times
I started out with an amiko alien 2 got rid of sky and the box was grand
a triple tuner and a usb hard drive for recording and pause
Worked ok most of the time but the usb drive seem to loose its marbles too often
usually just about when herself was about to record the bakeoff or something like that
after about a year I opted for the VU+duo 2 and ripped out the drive from my now defunkt sky box formatted it and stuck it into the duo2
and not one single crash or wiggy
She is happy and i get to sit and doodle on the pc in peace
:-)

You say...and ripped out the drive from my now defunkt sky box formatted it and stuck it into the duo2,could you enlighten pls,have a sky box just sitting here looking for an autopsy LOL

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

You say...and ripped out the drive from my now defunkt sky box formatted it and stuck it into the duo2,could you enlighten pls,have a sky box just sitting here looking for an autopsy LOL

I removed the hard drive from the old sky box
and formatted it and put it into the new vu+duo2 sat box and I use that for recording

some sat boxes will have enough space for a 3.5 in Hdd
Some only have enough space for a 2.5 in laptop drive
The Duo 2 can take either size
:-)

damon5

amikoalien2 wrote: »

I removed the hard drive from the old sky box
and formatted it and put it into the new vu+duo2 sat box and I use that for recording

some sat boxes will have enough space for a 3.5 in Hdd
Some only have enough space for a 2.5 in laptop drive
The Duo 2 can take either size
:-)

Nice one,would youtube have videos of how this is done,dont want to over impose the knowledge and direction your giving me to completing this mission that I,m on...

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

Nice one,would youtube have videos of how this is done,dont want to over impose the knowledge and direction your giving me to completing this mission that I,m on...

removing the drive is straight forward enough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCiJAJDv18
point to remember is that the sky box drive is 3.5 in ( 3 1/2 inches wide )
So if you get a new sat receiver it must be able to accomodate a 3.5 in driive
Or you could possibly use a 2.5 in laptop drive if you had one lying about

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

Nice one,would youtube have videos of how this is done,dont want to over impose

Were all out to help each other so dont worry about asking :-)

damon5

amikoalien2 wrote: »

Were all out to help each other so dont worry about asking :-)

Cheers,i just googled vu+duo2 and a forum I came across for this was giving info on this product from 2013,does that mean this is the same box but has been upgraded over time....

amikoalien2

damon5 wrote: »

Cheers,i just googled vu+duo2 and a forum I came across for this was giving info on this product from 2013,does that mean this is the same box but has been upgraded over time....

No same box and hardware from 2013 I think
there was a Vu+duo and then they brought out the Duo2

But remember there are cheaper alternatives as a first toe in the water
You dont have to go straight to the most expensive one

As the title suggests Best Value combo box

I got that box for the extra grunt from the processor and extra ram
for streaming the tv to my pc or android device when im in bed
but both these can be had now in cheaper boxes like the edission or technomate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QVBpRYIVU

have to say though I love the little extra Lcd on the duo for showing picons or weather forecast a real gimmic
but I am a real messer when it comes to fiddling around with tech

damon5

amikoalien2 wrote: »

No same box and hardware from 2013 I think
there was a Vu+duo and then they brought out the Duo2

But remember there are cheaper alternatives as a first toe in the water
You dont have to go straight to the most expensive one

As the title suggests Best Value combo box

I got that box for the extra grunt from the processor and extra ram
for streaming the tv to my pc or android device when im in bed
but both these can be had now in cheaper boxes like the edission or technomate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QVBpRYIVU

have to say though I love the little extra Lcd on the duo for showing picons or weather forecast a real gimmic
but I am a real messer when it comes to fiddling around with tech

The head is totally spinning now,think I,ll just through the tv in the skip and admit defeat : (

amikoalien2

Nah it will be worth it in the end
there is a lot more scope for messing ( or not ) with these boxes
you can arrange the channels in whatever order you like
you can stream to your pc or ipad
you can use the box as a media player
you can watch youtube videos if you connect the box to your internet

There is no doubt it can be a learning curve if you want

Or you could just sit back and watch whats on offer

Really moving from sky with 2 kids was a bit of a gamble but they havent really missed the disney rubbish at all
I prefer to see them watching some of the BBC stuff like winter watch and more educational docs like the hunt

damon5

amikoalien2 wrote: »

Nah it will be worth it in the end
there is a lot more scope for messing ( or not ) with these boxes
you can arrange the channels in whatever order you like
you can stream to your pc or ipad
you can use the box as a media player
you can watch youtube videos if you connect the box to your internet

There is no doubt it can be a learning curve if you want

Or you could just sit back and watch whats on offer

Really moving from sky with 2 kids was a bit of a gamble but they havent really missed the disney rubbish at all
I prefer to see them watching some of the BBC stuff like winter watch and more educational docs like the hunt

Okay think I,ll sleep on it and pray for a miracle to my solution LOL,thanks for all your help,much appreciated ...

dingbat

Ariva 153 vs 252

Hi folks. A basic question: what's the difference between the Ariva 153 (which a couple of people here have said is a fine starter box) and the 252?

I'm diving into free TV for the first time and want something that will give my wife no hassle while she's on maternity leave.

Thanks for your help. Excited to be almost free from Sky and Virginmedia/UPC.


(Note to mods: moved my question here as I thought it a more appropriate thread)

steveon

There is no real difference for basic viewing on any of the Arivas..Tony would know them much better as he sells them.

I think the 153 also mite provide a 7 day epg on the terrestrial side and plays a larger number of video file types from playback on a usb....

You can get the full rundown on all Arriva Models

http://www.ferguson-digital.eu/en/hd-receivers.html

galtee boy

damon5 wrote: »

The head is totally spinning now,think I,ll just through the tv in the skip and admit defeat : (

There must be a business there for somebody to sell these type of boxes pre programmed with 7 day EPG for sat and terrestrial, all fta channels pre programmed in order ( ROI first followed by UK etc ), basically plug and play. Most people are not as computer literate and tech savvy as you need to be, to set up these boxes as an alternate to Sky.

PabloAndRoy

galtee boy wrote: »

There must be a business there for somebody to sell these type of boxes pre programmed with 7 day EPG for sat and terrestrial, all fta channels pre programmed in order ( ROI first followed by UK etc ), basically plug and play. Most people are not as computer literate and tech savvy as you need to be, to set up these boxes as an alternate to Sky.

I think the piece in bold might be the issue as there is no way to do this commercially that I am aware of whilst remaining on the right side of the law. AFAIK these boxes use XMLTV for the 7 day EPG and the UK&Ireland one can only be used for non-commercial means (aka DIY) ... I may be corrected on that, but that is my understanding.

"In accessing this XML feed, you agree that you will only access its contents for your own personal and non-commercial use and not for any commercial or other purposes, including advertising or selling any goods or services, including any third-party software applications available to the general public."

source: http://wiki.xmltv.org/index.php/Britain_and_Ireland

galtee boy

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

I think the piece in bold might be the issue as there is no way to do this commercially that I am aware of whilst remaining on the right side of the law. AFAIK these boxes use XMLTV for the 7 day EPG and the UK&Ireland one can only be used for non-commercial means (aka DIY) ... I may be corrected on that, but that is my understanding.

There's always a catch ! Thanks.

a148pro

Any argument that a good smart tv replaces the need for the boxes at all? Assuming its Saorview and freeview ready, has netflix android etc?

amikoalien2

a148pro wrote: »

Any argument that a good smart tv replaces the need for the boxes at all? Assuming its Saorview and freeview ready, has netflix android etc?

Only if it had the ability to take a built in HDD rather than a troublesome usb one for recording
Have not looked is there one available ?

PabloAndRoy

a148pro wrote: »

Any argument that a good smart tv replaces the need for the boxes at all? Assuming its Saorview and freeview ready, has netflix android etc?

Depends on how much trust you place in the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony...

This kind of behaviour from a couple of years back is not for everyone:
Panasonic TVs now show an ad when you change volume

also..
How to Stop Your Smart TV From Spying on You

damon5

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

Depends on how much trust you place in the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony...

This kind of behaviour from a couple of years back is not for everyone:
Panasonic TVs now show an ad when you change volume

also..
How to Stop Your Smart TV From Spying on You

Cheers PabloAndRoy for the links,interesting reading ...

a148pro

Yes that is worrying, I assume the boxes are similarly exposed albeit the producers probably have less vested interest in doing it

I am looking at getting rid of UPC channels, as I'd only watch the free to air ones anyway. If I had the capability to stream netflix, which would be integrated on good smart TV and then also user friendly streaming of media from my phone and gopro, youtube and other internet media I think I'd be there.

steveon

a148pro wrote: »

Yes that is worrying, I assume the boxes are similarly exposed albeit the producers probably have less vested interest in doing it

I am looking at getting rid of UPC channels, as I'd only watch the free to air ones anyway. If I had the capability to stream netflix, which would be integrated on good smart TV and then also user friendly streaming of media from my phone and gopro, youtube and other internet media I think I'd be there.

A lot of the sony smart tvs have a dedicated Netflix button in the center of the remote so its quite handy. The android smarts by sony can be sideloaded with various apps not available on the playstore.

The also have a built in Saorview and sat tuner, however the sat tuner is basic, it only shows now and next.

Some new LG smart tvs have Freesat tuners built in so give a 7 day guide on satellite channels. Think netflix is accessed via the smart button not too difficult to navigate.

However if buying a new tv I highly recommend making sure its HDR ready as a lot of programs on Netflix will use this capability soon and it is amazing from what I have seen so far.

PabloAndRoy

apart from the trust issue, personally I like to separate the functionality.

Imagine I invest 700 in a smart TV and it has all the bells and whistles that I need (for now)...
Next year, netflix (or Freesat or whoever) bring out some new features that the OS on the smart TV does not support and the netflix app on that platform doesn't get updated. Will the TV maker update the OS so that Netflix can update their app .. hmm maybe, but probably not. And by the time they do, netflix have yet another new feature.... As the years go by the TV is lagging further and further behind. You can see where I am going here. Five years down the road I am buying a new TV for 700 quid.

Alternatively, I splash out 700 quid on a high quality dumb TV (with lots of HDMI inputs & CEC functionality).. throw in a chromecast and a combi set top box (Saorview Connected even maybe) ... Maybe the Chromecast gets a bit old and the new chromecast supports UHD .. no problem .. its 40 quid for a chromecast. Even the new STBs are possibly 200 quid .. Five years later the dumb tv still does its dumb job and I changed a chromecast and maybe an STB.

The problem is that its getting harder and harder to find good quality dumb TVs.

Ideally i want a high quality screen with no DVB tuners, 4 HDMI inputs and a decent remote control that can be used to control all my devices over HDMI-CEC.

Thats just me. For many (if not most) people the all-in-one smart TV is the best option.

Gerry Wicklow

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

apart from the trust issue, personally I like to separate the functionality.

Imagine I invest 700 in a smart TV and it has all the bells and whistles that I need (for now)...
Next year, netflix (or Freesat or whoever) bring out some new features that the OS on the smart TV does not support and the netflix app on that platform doesn't get updated. Will the TV maker update the OS so that Netflix can update their app .. hmm maybe, but probably not. And by the time they do, netflix have yet another new feature.... As the years go by the TV is lagging further and further behind. You can see where I am going here. Five years down the road I am buying a new TV for 700 quid.

Alternatively, I splash out 700 quid on a high quality dumb TV (with lots of HDMI inputs & CEC functionality).. throw in a chromecast and a combi set top box (Saorview Connected even maybe) ... Maybe the Chromecast gets a bit old and the new chromecast supports UHD .. no problem .. its 40 quid for a chromecast. Even the new STBs are possibly 200 quid .. Five years later the dumb tv still does its dumb job and I changed a chromecast and maybe an STB.

The problem is that its getting harder and harder to find good quality dumb TVs.

Ideally i want a high quality screen with no DVB tuners, 4 HDMI inputs and a decent remote control that can be used to control all my devices over HDMI-CEC.

Thats just me. For many (if not most) people the all-in-one smart TV is the best option.

Couldn't agree more. The problem with Smart Tvs is the software is locked down. Chances are it is already obsolete by the time it gets to the shops. You will always be dependant on the manufacturer to update the s/w and will therefore always be playing catchup. That's assuming they bother or that the hardware is suitable.

amikoalien2

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. The problem with Smart Tvs is the software is locked down. Chances are it is already obsolete by the time it gets to the shops. You will always be dependant on the manufacturer to update the s/w and will therefore always be playing catchup. That's assuming they bother or that the hardware is suitable.

absolutly agree
Some years ago I was badly stung by Nikon
I had just bought a Nikon camera that would upload its photos to its web service when plugged in to charge this was €250 about 8 years ago
Then out of nowhere poxy Nikon
decided they were no longer going to support this service and the camera although it could still take pictures would not upload the photos to the online storage which rendered it useless for what I wanted and paid for
Nikon thought A good trade off for this feature was to increase the online storage instead ( for a camera that could no longer upload its photos )
Absolutle sh1te as this was the feature I had bought it for a button on the side that when pushed would prompt for an email add to send the photo to
Talk about Sh1te customer service not 1 email was even replied to by Nikon not even as much as an automated reply
as you can see im still a little bitter about the whole Nikon experience
Needless to say I still to this date have had no reply
Rant over

a148pro

Watching some videos on a combi box there on freetv.ie

Just wondering about some features which seem to me to be a bit cumbersome;

- you have to set the recording manually, by time and channel, like with an old VHS, you can't just click "record all episodes" etc like with the NTL box?

- you have to format the USB drive to use in it, does this mean you can't then use it to backup media from other sources (I backup all my photos and videos on a USB drive and don't fancy buying another)

- no Netflix button on the remote or anything?

- have to tune the channels in manually?

Just seems to me that a good smart tv will make a much better experience than that...

amikoalien2

To be fair its not that bad :-)

One point you made about tuning the channels manually

there is a plugin called autoboquets which as the name suggests will automaticly do a scan and remove dead channels and add any new ones at preprogrammed intervals

A second point about recording
when you use an enigma 2 receiver there is a plugin called cool guide which is like the epg on your sky box scroll down to the programme you want and press add timer and you can decide if you want a once off or repeated recordings
Yes its not quite the same as series link but its free