FreeSat and Saorview

1013

Hi all,

I'm looking to install a dish for UK channels and possibly a second satellite also. I also want to include terrestrial (saorview).

I am getting myself more confused with the type of receiver I might need.

I thought it would be straight forward to get a triple tuner, 2 x sat and 1 terrestrial to decode the FTA ones, as well as record channels.

I have come across Linux and Egnima. I have also come across Android systems.

Are most receivers based on Linux? Is there much difference between Linux / Egnima / Android in terms of setting up and using?

I have also read that some don't update easily, or that all the channels may need to be set up again after an update.

Any advice on a combined receiver and some pointers on the OS would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Johnboy1951

1013 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm looking to install a dish for UK channels and possibly a second satellite also. I also want to include terrestrial (saorview).

I am getting myself more confused with the type of receiver I might need.

I thought it would be straight forward to get a triple tuner, 2 x sat and 1 terrestrial to decode the FTA ones, as well as record channels.

I have come across Linux and Egnima. I have also come across Android systems.

Are most receivers based on Linux? Is there much difference between Linux / Egnima / Android in terms of setting up and using?

I have also read that some don't update easily, or that all the channels may need to be set up again after an update.

Any advice on a combined receiver and some pointers on the OS would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

You first of all need to decide on how you might wish to use the system in the future.
For instance, two Sat tuners (DVB-S) will allow you to watch one channel while recording another ....... but will you have a requirement to watch another Sat channel on another TV or device?
For that you need another tuner.

Saorview uses DVB-T tuners and to be able to watch one channel and record another you need two tuners, because there are two groups of Saorview channels (muxes), unless both channels are on the same mux.

Will you have a second TV that will be watched at the same time? If yes then that might mean an extra tuner is required.

If you might also want to subscribe to Sky then that carries with it a different set of requirements.

Post back a definite set of requirements regarding TVs, recording and use to get the best response.

Gerry Wicklow

Enigma is the most widely used software for combo boxes. Being open sourced means there are several different "flavours" developed by different groups of enthusiasts. Different boxes work better with different flavours and there will also be a large portion of personal preference as to which flavour you choose.
As yet there aren't as many Android boxes available. Being newer to the market it hasn't gotten as much support or development yet. My personal experience of an Android Tv has been less than favourable so I'll admit I'm biased against it.
You are right in thinking you need a triple tuner 2xSat & 1xterrestrial. If also considering a mutli-satellite setup get a slightly larger than basic 60cm dish.
Although the lesser channels sometimes move around it is not as common or as big a deal as some people would have you believe. That said, you can install extra apps (called plugins) in Enigma to do the retuning. Enigma boxes are a bit techie and do need a bit of effort to install but once running are very powerful and flexible. You will always be able to get plenty of support here if needed.

1013

Great, thanks to you both for the info.

Yes, I will likely add another tuner for another TV but I may not be too pushed about recording on it, although that could be handy on occasions. But I would definitely want the option of having an additional tuner.

I didn't realise I would need two tuners for Saorview if I wanted to watch one channel on the TV and record a second channel. I'll have to dig a bit more on that.

I knew I would need two feeds to do the same with a satellite though. Maybe a quad LNB or perhaps an Quattro with a multi switch could be a route...?

So the Enigma boxes are effectively different versions of Linux, if I understand correctly? Are there any brands that may be more user friendly or more reliable that I should consider?

Am I as well to buy one with a HDD or get a HDD separately?

I have seen basic single tuner boxes in some of the 'popular' chain stores but they are possibly using something other than Enigma I presume.

I appreciate the replies. The more I searched, the more confused I became! And to add to my confusion, I saw references to networking the STB's so that content recorded on one could be played on other devices including phones - but that may be too much for me! Or it may be possible with the right boxes...

I'm getting a better idea now, but would benefit from a few pointers on the STB options available, given the range of prices. I'm not sure yet what the differences and benefits are of the more expensive ones.


Thanks again

Johnboy1951

And to add to my confusion, I saw references to networking the STB's so that content recorded on one could be played on other devices including phones - but that may be too much for me! Or it may be possible with the right boxes...

I think what you are referring to is IPTV distribution rather than co-ax distribution. I will try to explain but will probably need some help in this ...

The usual set up is to bring a co-ax cable (or multiple cables) from Satellite dish and Terrestrial aerial into each room where a TV is to be positioned, and place sockets in the wall for those cables. The TV and/or the tuner/set top box is then attached to those cables through the sockets.

The IPTV idea is to locate all tuners to be used together .... sometimes in one device ....., bring the co-ax cables to this location only, and to distribute the tuner outputs over the LAN via ethernet cable, wireless or sometimes, home plugs.
Because of the data type being distributed, devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, PCs as well as STBs and IPTV ready (Smart) TVs can use that data and select and display a TV channel from an idle tuner.

I have a personal preference for the IPTV type of distribution. It has lots of advantages, but one downside ..... there are not many commercially available devices, which are easily managed, available.
Of course one could always build a specific box with multiple tuners and add a suitable operating system as some of us have done. That is not beginner-friendly by any means.
It is also now possible to get an LNB which outputs, not the traditional signals, but essentially the IPTV data on an ethernet cable directly into the home, and connected into LAN router or such. That effectively puts the tuners in the LNB.

The above is not a recommendation to you, just my attempt to explain what you might be reading.
The Sky Q system is very similar, in that it has all the tuners in one device and distributes the output from that via wireless to the satellite devices.

I hope I have not confused things even more

STB.

Have a read of this thread. Its where a lot of the better discussion on E2 boxes are lately.

To answer some of your questions.

There are Android boxes appearing on the market that have tuners added to them. The software is not mature enough. The Linux community has been around for years, so much so that enthusiasts have been demanding various drivers from the manufacturers.

There are various boxes posing as E2 boxes that are anything but. Avoid Amiko and Zgemma. They hack E2 to work around their own limitations, the main one of which they are not actually officially supported by the image team.

The reference above to flavours is like linux itself in that there are various types of image that run on these boxes all by different image teams. Openvix, OpenPli, Blackhole, OpenATV, Openmips to name a few. Depending on the box you buy some of these image teams may support it. Within the images you can configure the look (Skins) and options (plugins). for example the RTE and TV3 players are called Ondemand.

There are various affordable new boxes coming out this side of Christmas (they where meant to come out earlier this month) that have chips capable of decoding UHD (4K). Not that this is a particular advantage as there will be little broadcast content freely available, but these boxes are very powerful b(1500MHZ processors and allow recording of 8 channels at one time using FBC tuners if you have the requisite LNBs etc (like SkyQ). But you can also use the old traditional method of loads of cables into the house from a quad lnb as well. There other advantage is that they play X265 content natively.

If you are not interested in one of the 4k boxes then there are plenty of bargains to be had as these manufacturers move there older stock. Xtrend gear has come down in price so have a look at the ET10000 model. You can configure it to your tuner requirements. Its about 239 plus 7 postage last time I checked from hmsat in Germany.



You can install a HDD yourself should you have a spare one at home.

1013

Thanks again.

IPTV is possibly what I was thinking of, but didn't realise it. It sounds like a good way to go, but not for me I think at the moment.


I had seen some Zgemma boxes and Amiko listed with E2, and the prices looked favourable. Thanks for the heads up as I was giving good consideration to buying one.

I'm not bothered about 4k at the moment, so will be happy to use the 'older' models.

I'll be happy enough to get something up and running initially, and no doubt further down the road, I may like to change the setup. I suspect this will become a learning experience...

Would any of the versions of Linus mentioned be more user friendly for a novice? I'm okay with playing around with it, but not too deeply.

Johnboy1951

1013 wrote: »

Would any of the versions of Linus mentioned be more user friendly for a novice? I'm okay with playing around with it, but not too deeply.

I have never owned an STB with Linux on it, so have no idea what they are like.
There are plenty others who have experience in this regard.

I do use Linux on PCs and mostly now use LibreELEC on my dedicated HTPC devices, both as backend server (with tuners) to distribute the IPTV data, and the client machines such as R-Pi, NUC etc.
Also Kodi on laptop to access the tuners.

You would need to be prepared to delve into both hardware and a bit of software to achieve this.

I would suggest that after you have your initial set up working for you that you might consider looking into this as no doubt there will come a time when you need to change your setup for some reason.

Good luck with your decisions.

Gerry Wicklow

The easiest way to get started with Enigma (E2) is to install one of the many backups that other users post here on Boards. They will have most of the basics setup already to get you up and running. This gives you the chance to play with and get used to the system. One of the great things with Enigma is if and when you do mess it up, it is a very quick and easy to reinstall a backup in less than 10 minutes.

1013

Great, thanks again for the help.

I'm going to go with a single LNB setup initially to try to get something up and running, and use it as a learning curve.

I'll probably get a basic STB for this. When I see how it all goes, I'll look at additional LNB's / 2nd satellite and multi-room distribution with a decent box to record.

In time I'll have a look here for a backup - I didn't realise that might be an option, but it's useful to know and sounds like it could make life easier.

I have looked briefly at Kodi on a laptop, and I also have an Rpi, but never quite got it working properly on either. I think I need to delve a bit more though. While I don't mind delving and playing around, my knowledge is limited, so it's all a learning curve for me.

Cheers!

Johnboy1951

1013 wrote: »

Great, thanks again for the help.

I'm going to go with a single LNB setup initially to try to get something up and running, and use it as a learning curve.

I'll probably get a basic STB for this. When I see how it all goes, I'll look at additional LNB's / 2nd satellite and multi-room distribution with a decent box to record.

In time I'll have a look here for a backup - I didn't realise that might be an option, but it's useful to know and sounds like it could make life easier.

I have looked briefly at Kodi on a laptop, and I also have an Rpi, but never quite got it working properly on either. I think I need to delve a bit more though. While I don't mind delving and playing around, my knowledge is limited, so it's all a learning curve for me.

Cheers!

For the Pi I recommend OpenELEC or LibreELEC.
They are specifically built to run Kodi so a lot of the 'linuxes' are missing as unneeded.
Have fun!

STB.

1013 wrote: »

Great, thanks again for the help.

I'm going to go with a single LNB setup initially to try to get something up and running, and use it as a learning curve.

I'll probably get a basic STB for this.

Cheers!

Here

E2 box. Single Saorview and Single Satellite Box.

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/edision/2819/edision-os-mini-1x-dvb-s2-1x-dvb-c/t2-full-hd-combo-receiver?c=192

€116 plus €7 delivery. One of the better cheap boxes out there at present for the spec. Put it this way. There is nothing in that price range that comes near that as a combo e2 box. 7 day epg etc

1013

Thanks for the link.

I got impatient I'm afraid, and got a basic STB, the Revez 810. I'm now struggling to set it up though.

I have a signal on a sat meter, but it's the basic meter and doesn't tell me which satellite it's receiving.

I have scanned the various satellites to try and determine which satellite I'm picking up, but as yet no joy. I scanned all the Easterly ones listed on the box, starting with Hotbird for example, and continued through the list. My thinking was that if my alignment wasn't correct for 28E, that I could be picking up 19E or another close-by.

The quality indicator on the box doesn't move at all although the sat finder continues to squeal, so I'm assuming it's seeing something.

At the end of the scan, I get a message "no signal".

It's supposed to be reasonably straight forward to setup, but I'm obviously missing something along the way.

Anyway, a Bank holiday weekend to play around with it!

Gerry Wicklow

Use this site to get an idea of where to aim the dish. Enter your address and select Astra 28E as the satellite. Look for a nearby landmark such as a tree or neighbours house on the image to guide you.
When using the meter, turn it down until it barely squeaks and move the dish slowly, millimetre by millimetre, to maximize the sqeak. If it gets very loud, turn it down some more to fine tune it.

1013

Thanks for the link.

I was using a satfinder app without much luck. The figures on dishpointer are slightly different to what I was using, so I'll try them and see how I get on.

Cheers

the3rdman

I wonder if you managed to get the revez 810 up and running? I am constantly also getting "no signal" no matter what. I am confident the satellite is correctly aligned as it was used previously for sky. I have now searched through all satellites and all transponder settings on the revez 810 without any joy.

1013

Hi the3rdman

It's working..... but I didn't manage to do it.

In the end, I got a sat guy who ran in a couple of cables for me and then tuned the box.

He had a fancy (expensive) bit of kit and was able to tune in the channels quite easily. It was able to identify the polarity etc, and most of it seemed to have been done while he was standing on the ladder at the dish.

While the box is working, I don't think it's the most user friendly, but is doing it's job. I think the sync between audio/vision can be a bit off at times. Often, turning it off and back on seems to reset it.

I intend installing a better one at some stage.

He covers Leinster/Meath/North Wicklow areas, and maybe more. I can pm you his details if any help. I found him through Google, and would recommend him.

Cheers