Best combo box on the market>?

eddie

Hi I have an Ariva 120/150 keep getting HD "too slow to record" and freeze ups.

My meda8er 800 is now knackered as well so really would love to have an internal HD capable combo box that could also work as a decent media player from a USB drive, failing that just a really good Combo box with decent EPG.

All and any suggestions most welcome

Eddie

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

Hi I have an Ariva 120/150 keep getting HD "too slow to record" and freeze ups.

My meda8er 800 is now knackered as well so really would love to have an internal HD capable combo box that could also work as a decent media player from a USB drive, failing that just a really good Combo box with decent EPG.

All and any suggestions most welcome

Eddie

The Tiviar Alpha Plus combo, big thread about it here
https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057827739/1

dubrov

The Tiviar may be the best value box for the Irish market, but there are certainly better boxes out there.
The VU+ Ultimo 4K is probably the best but expect to pay north of €500 for it.

Both of the above will need some tinkering to setup all the functions as well.

eddie

dubrov wrote: »

The Tiviar may be the best value box for the Irish market, but there are certainly better boxes out there.
The VU+ Ultimo 4K is probably the best but expect to pay north of €500 for it.

Both of the above will need some tinkering to setup all the functions as well.

Are either / both of these Saorview compatible.

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

Are either / both of these Saorview compatible.

Both work with Saorview, neither are approved as this is a huge cost to the manufacturer/distributor

dubrov

Both are.

The tuner is what decides what signals the box can handle.
Generally you should get DVB-S2 for Satellite (UK channels) and DVB-T2 for Saorview.
The more tuners, the more channels you can record/view at the same time. E.g. 2 DVB-S2 tuners will let you watch one UK satellite channel while recording another simultaneously.

The VU+ boxes are kind of like the Apple of satellite boxes. They generally have the best hardware specs but there is a large premium for the brand name on top.
The Tiviar should do the job, but don't expect it to run quite as smooth and reliable as a Sky Box given it has a much lower hardware spec.
There are a loads of boxes in between the two mentioned above but you'd have to do your reading up on them to see if they are any good.

eddie

dubrov wrote: »

The more tuners, the more channels you can record/view at the same time. E.g. 2 DVB-S2 tuners will let you watch one UK satellite channel while recording another simultaneously.

-Snip-

The VU+ boxes are kind of like the Apple of satellite boxes. They generally have the best hardware specs but there is a large premium for the brand name on top.

Thanks for filling in the gaps clearly. I wondered about the saorview aspect bearing in mind my complete ignorance which I am trying to address. My system has a satellite dish with a number of channels and also the Saorview "aerial" and they are connected to a "multiplexer" than send the signals along a single cable that is split near the television receiver into two signals.. And they connect into the 2 ports on the Ariva unit.

Does the unit you mention have 4 ports or are the 4 tuners accessible from the two inputs.. because I am not going to pay for tuners that I don’t / can’t use.

I had an original KISS media player and various other up to the Mede8er and while cost is a factor, I tend to get a LOT of value out of them as they are running high hours.. so I am must more interested in ease of use, speed , all-singing, all dancing, best technical specification available for the price as I will be chucking every kind of media at it... and just want it to run as flawlessly as possible.. So are the VU+ boxes the only one in that segment or are there any better ones out there.?

The high horse brigade

Sounds like your installer combined terrestrial and satellite down a single cable. A box having 2x satellite tuners will require 2x cables from the LNB on the dish. This will allow you to record (or stream) one satellite channel while watching another satellite channel.

Is it a single LNB and a single feed from the dish you have?

.

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Sounds like your installer combined terrestrial and satellite down a single cable. A box having 2x satellite tuners will require 2x cables from the LNB on the dish. This will allow you to record (or stream) one satellite channel while watching another satellite channel.

Is it a single LNB and a single feed from the dish you have?

.

AS far as I know I have 4 LNB's . I can record and watch no problem, but the channels are in groups, so I can only watch a channel in the same group as I am recording from.

Once I am recording a channel, the ariva box only shows me other channels within the same group.. I may be wrong but I believe that the channels on the each group are all on their same LNB

eddie

eddie wrote: »

so I can only watch a channel in the same group as I am recording from.

Which is not a problem.. I am happy enough with that..

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

AS far as I know I have 4 LNB's . I can record and watch no problem, but the channels are in groups, so I can only watch a channel in the same group as I am recording from.

Once I am recording a channel, the ariva box only shows me other channels within the same group.. I may be wrong but I believe that the channels on the each group are all on their same LNB

How many cable feeds from the satellite dish do you have at the location you want to put the combo box? You may have a quad LNB on the dish, but you need a cable from each to the box

UrbanFret

Never seen performance wise anyway what all the fuss about the vu+ receivers was about. Good boxes sure but no better than plenty of other s at half the price were. Xtrends, edision, and that tiviar box are much better bang for buck. As for not performing as well as a sky box, imho they enigma 2 receivers beat them hands down. Saorview works perfectly on them too by the way.

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

How many cable feeds from the satellite dish do you have at the location you want to put the combo box? You may have a quad LNB on the dish, but you need a cable from each to the box

at the TV 2 - there 2- 4 feeds ( not sure which ) from the satellite and the saorview to the multiplexer and then sends one feed to all YV locations,. then the single multiplexer feed enters a "splitter" with two outputs at each TV point

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

at the TV 2 - there 2- 4 feeds ( not sure which ) from the satellite and the saorview to the multiplexer and then sends one feed to all YV locations,. then the single multiplexer feed enters a "splitter" with two outputs at each TV point

If you have 2x satellite and a terrestrial feed go for the Tiviar that I posted. It's a great box and there is a huge thread on here for the setting up and support of it.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=106783394

eddie

So, if you a had a choice between the following :

VU + Ultimo 4K Linux UHD Set-top box

Dreambox DM900 ultraHD:


Which would be the choice ?

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

So, if you a had a choice between the following :

VU + Ultimo 4K Linux UHD Set-top box

Dreambox DM900 ultraHD:


Which would be the choice ?

For me, neither. There are next to no ultra HD channels (unless you're into fashion) so whatever you buy will only be handling 1080p.

Johnboy1951

The high horse brigade wrote: »

For me, neither. There are next to no ultra HD channels (unless you're into fashion) so whatever you buy will only be handling 1080p.

+1

By the time (if ever) UHD is common there will be much better boxes available, probably at lower cost, based on what we have seen in past years.

The high horse brigade

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

+1

By the time (if ever) UHD is common there will be much better boxes available, probably at lower cost, based on what we have seen in past years.

UHD will never be delivered by satellite it uses too much bandwidth, it'll be online UHD services

Tigerandahalf

The high horse brigade wrote: »

UHD will never be delivered by satellite it uses too much bandwidth, it'll be online UHD services

I see the bbc have also made a breakthrough in streaming where they have removed the lag between satellite and streaming transmissions.

I wouldn't rule out UHD on satellite for big sporting occasions like the Olympics or the World Cup.

dubrov

eddie wrote: »

AS far as I know I have 4 LNB's . I can record and watch no problem, but the channels are in groups, so I can only watch a channel in the same group as I am recording from.

Once I am recording a channel, the ariva box only shows me other channels within the same group.. I may be wrong but I believe that the channels on the each group are all on their same LNB

Looks like you have a single satellite feed to your Ariva [See below for explanation]. The installer seems to have combined a singe Sat and Aerial feed and run it down the cable before splitting it at the other end.

Satellite channels are broadcast on one of 4 frequency bands.
Generally a receiver tells the satellite LNB which frequency band it wants. That is why you generally need a direct feed from the satellite dish to the receiver.
The receiver will receive a signal for all channels in the selected frequency band. So if the hardware can handle it, it can watch and record two different channels in the same frequency band using a single satellite feed.

Newer satellite technology uses special LNBs with Unicable to broadcast the full frequency bands and higher end receivers have FBC tuners that make full use of this. The advantage of this setup is that a single feed will allow many channels to be viewed/recorded at the same time. Also, each receiver can be connected in series rather than a separate direct feed.

As others have said, the Tiviar will probably do all you need (HD, EPG, watch and record) and reviews seem to suggest it is pretty stable. The higher end boxes will have better hardware and support but this may mean very little in the real world depending on how you use it.

Tigerandahalf

Isn't it a problem though that existing coaxial cable isn't adequate as it is not unicable. Thus existing cabling that is in ducting in houses or apartment blocks can't be easily replaced.

dubrov

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Isn't it a problem though that existing coaxial cable isn't adequate as it is not unicable. Thus existing cabling that is in ducting in houses or apartment blocks can't be easily replaced.

My understanding is that Unicable isn't actually a cable but more a technology.
You just need a satellite LNB and receiver that is compatible. The signal is still sent over the standard coaxial.

So Unicable may actually be the answer to many houses/apartment blocks where a second cable cannot be easily added.

Tigerandahalf

dubrov wrote: »

My understanding is that Unicable isn't actually a cable but more a technology.
You just need a satellite LNB and receiver that is compatible. The signal is still sent over the standard coaxial.

So Unicable may actually be the answer to many houses/apartment blocks where a second cable cannot be easily added.

An installer told me the opposite. I wonder?

dubrov

All the Unicable documentation references coaxial cable.
A quick search of Amazon and Ebay does not throw up any specialised Unicable coaxial (only LNBs) so I am pretty sure the standard cable will do.

Tigerandahalf

One of the issues is that Sky Plus boxes don't seem to work with unicable lnb so in a communal development you are stuck.

In the future communal developments may not have a dish as the tv service can be streamed. People may not have a fta option.

Johnboy1951

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

An installer told me the opposite. I wonder?

One more installer to be blacklisted

[HTML]Unicable LNB -> coax -> unicable compatible tuner (which can be multiple tuners in one STB)
... or ...
-> splitter -> tuner/stb #1
-> tuner/stb #2
-> tuner/stb #3[/HTML]

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

One of the issues is that Sky Plus boxes don't seem to work with unicable lnb so in a communal development you are stuck.

In the future communal developments may not have a dish as the tv service can be streamed. People may not have a fta option.

Just like other services, if this is important to a prospective resident then they should ensure it has the functions they require.

I expect they ensure that other services are available ....


.

eddie

dubrov wrote: »

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057911439&page=2
Newer satellite technology uses special LNBs with Unicable to broadcast the full frequency bands and higher end receivers have FBC tuners that make full use of this. The advantage of this setup is that a single feed will allow many channels to be viewed/recorded at the same time. Also, each receiver can be connected in series rather than a separate direct feed.

As others have said, the Tiviar will probably do all you need (HD, EPG, watch and record) and reviews seem to suggest it is pretty stable. The higher end boxes will have better hardware and support but this may mean very little in the real world depending on how you use it.

Thank you for that clear and detailed explanation. AS I have the system wired to 6 locations but only really need the new box for one location I am not inclined to mess about with the system as such. So look like the Tiviar is the best option..

Thanks

Eddie

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

The Tiviar Alpha Plus combo, big thread about it here
https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057827739/1

On my Mede8er media box, or Ariva Receiver, I can plug in a USB ( NTFS or FAT32 ) with MKV, MP4, AVI files from my WIn 10 PC... and the play perfectly...

Can you do that on the Tiviar.? Or do you need to format USB to EXT 3 as with the SAB ALPHA HD Triple ?

ON WIFI dongle. On the SAB with Enigma 32 the Wifi will not work.. is this the sam eon the Tiviar.

Finally, with a HD fitted on the SAB the front USB and card slots are disabled. is this the same on the Tiviar.?

Thanks

Eddie

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

On my Mede8er media box, or Ariva Receiver, I can plug in a USB ( NTFS or FAT32 ) with MKV, MP4, AVI files from my WIn 10 PC... and the play perfectly...

Can you do that on the Tiviar.? Or do you need to format USB to EXT 3 as with the SAB ALPHA HD Triple ?

ON WIFI dongle. On the SAB with Enigma 32 the Wifi will not work.. is this the sam eon the Tiviar.

Finally, with a HD fitted on the SAB the front USB and card slots are disabled. is this the same on the Tiviar.?

Thanks

Eddie

How long is a piece of string......

Mkv is a container, it's hard to know if the files you have will play as it depends on what they're encoded as.

Every WiFi dongle is different, support depends on what chipset it has, whether that chipset has Linux support and whether the driver has been made available and added to the version of enigma you have. It'll certainly not be plug and play.

The Tiviar has an internal sata port, adding an internal sata drive will have no effect on usb

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

How long is a piece of string......

Mkv is a container, it's hard to know if the files you have will play as it depends on what they're encoded as.

Every WiFi dongle is different, support depends on what chipset it has, whether that chipset has Linux support and whether the driver has been made available and added to the version of enigma you have. It'll certainly not be plug and play.

The Tiviar has an internal sata port, adding an internal sata drive will have no effect on usb

The point I was getting at is that the SAB will not read a usb unless is is encoded in INT3 and the media I have is all nTFS or WIn32 it would be a right pain to have to get on my PC a Linux emulator and partition manager to format USB in INt3 and then copy on the media files.

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

The point I was getting at is that the SAB will not read a usb unless is is encoded in INT3 and the media I have is all nTFS or WIn32 it would be a right pain to have to get on my PC a Linux emulator and partition manager to format USB in INt3 and then copy on the media files.

Why do you want to use usb? Get the drives on the network

The Cush

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Isn't it a problem though that existing coaxial cable isn't adequate as it is not unicable. Thus existing cabling that is in ducting in houses or apartment blocks can't be easily replaced.

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

An installer told me the opposite. I wonder?

Just seeing this now, I think the installer may be mixing up unicable with stackers/destackers. Unicable uses the same I.F. frequency range as any standard satellite receiver down a cable but a stacker shifts one range upwards to avoid conflicting when 2 I.F. frequencies are sent down a single cable and some low quality cables cannot adequately handle the higher frequency range.

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

One of the issues is that Sky Plus boxes don't seem to work with unicable lnb so in a communal development you are stuck.

BSkyB use their own propriety version of the Unicable standard for their Sky+ and SkyQ boxes and as far as I know no compatible LNBs were ever manufactured. In Italy they went with the official version.

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Why do you want to use usb? Get the drives on the network

I have external USB HD's with movies I want to use.. the Sab Enigma 2 is not supported for Wifi.. according to the supplier. I dont have ethernet anywhere in the house only 400Mb Wifi.

The question I cannot seem to get an to is if I have a FAt32 / NTFS USB woth movies on it .. ignoring the type of package that the movie is packaged in will the Tiviar be able to read and play them ( ignore codec conatiner ) like my Ariva could.?

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

I have external USB HD's with movies I want to use.. the Sab Enigma 2 is not supported for Wifi.. according to the supplier. I dont have ethernet anywhere in the house only 400Mb Wifi.

Not true. There is wireless hardware that works in enigma 2 if you install the correct driver. Your supplier just didn't know or didn't want to be involved as it is not plug and play.
https://www.freetv.ie/how-to-install-wifi-dongle-on-enigma2/

eddie wrote: »

The question I cannot seem to get an to is if I have a FAt32 / NTFS USB woth movies on it .. ignoring the type of package that the movie is packaged in will the Tiviar be able to read and play them ( ignore codec conatiner ) like my Ariva could.?

The box will read NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives. Cannot answer whether it will play the media but with the right media player plugin it should have no bother

It sounds like your Sab isn't running Enigma software, more like it's default software

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Not true. There is wireless hardware that works in enigma 2 if you install the correct driver. Your supplier just didn't know or didn't want to be involved as it is not plug and play.
https://www.freetv.ie/how-to-install-wifi-dongle-on-enigma2/



The box will read NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives. Cannot answer whether it will play the media but with the right media player plugin it should have no bother

It sounds like your Sab isn't running Enigma software, more like it's default software

First thing he says, to load the WIFI drivers, connect via Ethernet. DUh.... If I had Ethernet, why would Indeed WIFI./? So supplier should have done it but did not bother..........

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Not true. There is wireless hardware that works in enigma 2 if you install the correct driver. Your supplier just didn't know or didn't want to be involved as it is not plug and play.
https://www.freetv.ie/how-to-install-wifi-dongle-on-enigma2/



The box will read NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives. Cannot answer whether it will play the media but with the right media player plugin it should have no bother

It sounds like your Sab isn't running Enigma software, more like it's default software

Excellent that is all I needed to know.... it is running Enigma... first thing I checked.

thanks

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

First thing he says, to load the WIFI drivers, connect via Ethernet. DUh.... If I had Ethernet, why would Indeed WIFI./? So supplier should have done it but did not bother..........

I see now your main issue is your lack of Ethernet. If you're running Enigma there are lots of plugins available to download, wireless drivers, media players etc.

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

I see now your main issue is your lack of Ethernet. If you're running Enigma there are lots of plugins available to download, wireless drivers, media players etc.

So - thanking you for the solid advice to date, I am going to order a Tiviar Alpha+ Plus Triple Tuner Combo Linux Engima 2 2x DVB-S/S2 + 1x DVB-C/T/T2 PVR Receiver, from Satellite World UK, with a 1 TB drive and 300 Mps Dongle as I cant seem to find anywhere interested in selling in Ireland. I found one company in Dublin that sells them but they don't even answer their phones..

So final question ( until I get it ) --> Open VIX ( latest )
OR Open ATV (Nightly build) ?

Eddie

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

So - thanking you for the solid advice to date, I am going to order a Tiviar Alpha+ Plus Triple Tuner Combo Linux Engima 2 2x DVB-S/S2 + 1x DVB-C/T/T2 PVR Receiver, from Satellite World UK, with a 1 TB drive and 300 Mps Dongle as I cant seem to find anywhere interested in selling in Ireland. I found one company in Dublin that sells them but they don't even answer their phones..

So final question ( until I get it ) --> Open VIX ( latest )
OR Open ATV (Nightly build) ?

Eddie

Everyone on here bought from world of sat. It doesn't really matter which you get, OpenVix and Openatv are pretty similar, I prefer Openatv myself.

I have an Openatv backup image in the big thread that would get you up and running quicker, has most of the basic stuff taken care of.
Note; It does not have the wireless driver installed you would need Ethernet

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Everyone on here bought from world of sat. It doesn't really matter which you get, OpenVix and Openatv are pretty similar, I prefer Openatv myself.

I have an Openatv backup image in the big thread that would get you up and running quicker, has most of the basic stuff taken care of.
Note; It does not have the wireless driver installed you would need Ethernet

Was going for the Wifi Dongle. !

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

Was going for the Wifi Dongle. !

Yeah that was going to be an issue. Be sure go for a hard drive or add one when you get it.

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Yeah that was going to be an issue. Be sure go for a hard drive or add one when you get it.

Have the 1 TB included thanks

sligojoek

Eddie. While you're waiting for it to come, go through the other thread and copy and paste relevant stuff from THHB and others. It'll save you going back and searching when you're trying to figure out stuff. There's some great advice there.

swoofer

eddie that wi fi dongle is rubbish, get this one, I know I have both

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VU-300-Mbps-Wireless-Adapter-Adaptors-black/dp/B00AFX847S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538064303&sr=8-1&keywords=vu+wifi

but someone else may know even a better one.

and I should add when you plug it into box it loads correct driver. get openatv

eddie

sligojoek wrote: »

Eddie. While you're waiting for it to come, go through the other thread and copy and paste relevant stuff from THHB and others. It'll save you going back and searching when you're trying to figure out stuff. There's some great advice there.

Will do............ but I will still be back.

eddie

swoofer wrote: »

eddie that wi fi dongle is rubbish, get this one, I know I have both

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VU-300-Mbps-Wireless-Adapter-Adaptors-black/dp/B00AFX847S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538064303&sr=8-1&keywords=vu+wifi

but someone else may know even a better one.

and I should add when you plug it into box it loads correct driver. get openatv

Cheers will check it out.... I also have a bunch of high speed modem/ routers in the house, I believe it is possible to then them working as reapeters and then plug into the ethernet connection the Tiviar, that will be next weeks project.

I am looking as Satellite / Saorview installation in North Sligo to a single point, anyone any recommendations.

Eddie

The high horse brigade

eddie wrote: »

Cheers will check it out.... I also have a bunch of high speed modem/ routers in the house, I believe it is possible to then them working as reapeters and then plug into the ethernet connection the Tiviar, that will be next weeks project.

I am looking as Satellite / Saorview installation in North Sligo to a single point, anyone any recommendations.

Eddie

If you have a router that supports DD-WRT you can set it up as a client bridge
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

eddie

The high horse brigade wrote: »

If you have a router that supports DD-WRT you can set it up as a client bridge
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

Cool thank you , will check it out.