Best "Value" Combo Box?

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