Cost-Effective, High-Functionality, User-Friendly Replacement for Pay TV

Johnboy1951

@NewClareman

When using a Unicable LNB, can you confirm the coax wiring required?

Loop out to 2nd tuner input, without external splitter, is required to allow the 2nd tuner to lock on any available frequency?

or

Is there a setting in the Tiviar to use both tuners directly from the Unicable LNB (as is the case with tuners such as the Digibit), thus not requiring the loop wiring?

Sorry if this has previously been directly addressed and I have forgotten.

NewClareman

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

@NewClareman
Is there a setting in the Tiviar to use both tuners directly from the Unicable LNB (as is the case with tuners such as the Digibit), thus not requiring the loop wiring?

Not that I have found and I suspect that there is none as it would require hardware support. It would be nice as it would allow receivers be daisy-changed, without requiring splitters. 🙂

SportsJess

Many thanks @NewClareman for the welcome and the detailed reply - excellent job. Yes, it is an amazing community and I am glad to join.

NewClareman

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Call me old-fashioned but I find that the defaults and basic plugins do all I need. I have 1000's of movies and shows on my NAS and don't need or want any database. If a show/movie is worth keeping it should be memorable as it is. IMO

I agree with you, Gerry. For many people, from a technical background, functionality is whats important. They are happy with technical terms and don't mind complex menu's. This build is not for them. Likewise, if you are comfortable with (very) long lists of films, with no supporting information, this is not for you.

However, for many people, usability is king. They don't care about technology, they just want something that "works". They will pay a premium for usability, as proven by the likes of Apple iPads and Sky TV. Present them with a complex menu, or a simple list of films, and they don't want to know. They would rather go back to Pay TV or the likes of Netflix. This build is for them.

SportsJess

Hi All,

Just wondering whether anyone has come across the 'techkings.org' site, and has experience of using it ? Is it safe to use/download images from?

They have a new Sky Q skin here: http://www.techkings.org/threads/skyq-skin.89189/

Would this skin work on Tiviar AP OpenATV 6.2 - see installation instructions on above link? and if so any advice for/against?

Thanks

NewClareman

SportsJess wrote: »

Hi All,

Just wondering whether anyone has come across the 'techkings.org' site...

Hi SportsJess,

I have answered your post on the technical Tiviar thread, as this thread is intended for the custom build, only.

tadhg88

First of all NewClareman a huge thank you for making this image freely available after all the time and effort put in.
I have been running the box with your image for a couple of weeks now and quite a few timer recordings have popped up, i understand i may not have gotten the latest image at that point as you removed them and the movie list, however i have moved quite a few channels around now and i dont really want to re-flash at the moment.
So i'm just wondering if there is anywhere i can view the list of timers or auto timers setup? Anywhere at all i can see the timers so i can remove them.

I note you say on the first page that there is:
Poor Visibility of Planned Recordings
The best approach I could think of was to make them visible under a simplified main menu. I would like to link directly to the sub-menu entries, or even the timer view pages directly, but haven't figured out how to do this.

NewClareman

tadhg88 wrote: »

So i'm just wondering if there is anywhere i can view the list of timers or auto timers setup? Anywhere at all i can see the timers so i can remove them.

You’re welcome, I built on the work of others. ��

You can view the timers under the main menu (menu button on LHS, half way down the remote).

You should also go into the timeshift settings and turn off autorecord.

a clanger

HI. Thank you NCM and THHb for you work and sharing the image. I've been lurking for a while and decided to take the plunge. I bought the Triviar box and flashed the image on with no problem. I just cannot seem to get the Satellite channels to display. The terrestrial showed up straight away. Am i missing something ? Do I have to do a scan ?. Thanks in advance ....

NewClareman

a clanger wrote: »

HI. Thank you NCM and THHb for you work and sharing the image. I've been lurking for a while and decided to take the plunge. I bought the Triviar box and flashed the image on with no problem. I just cannot seem to get the Satellite channels to display. The terrestrial showed up straight away. Am i missing something ? Do I have to do a scan ?. Thanks in advance ....

The satellite channneks are pre-tuned, and should have shown up straight away. Had you an existing satellite box?

a clanger

Yes an old sky box that was fully functional up to a week ago. ....Its not a Sky q one either !

The high horse brigade

a clanger wrote: »

Yes an old sky box that was fully functional up to a week ago. ....Its not a Sky q one either !

You sure you have the cables in the right ports, the first thing to check.

In service searching there's a signal meter, make sure both have signal

a clanger

Thanks willdo...unfortunately will have to wait until tomorrow now due kiddy commitments ...Thanks again for speedy response !

a clanger

After reexamining my satellite plugs I realized I had managed to bend the inner core so it was not engaging correctly. Only realized after THHB pointed me to the signal meter and I had signal on the 'B' tuner but not 'A'. Thanks again help and quick reply's.

I love the image so far and look forward to wife/EPG integration. Just a few more questions ...

1) I have an SSD to hand can I use that as opposed to the recommended PVR disk
2) Does it have to be formatted to ext2/3/4 before installation
3) Do I have to reflash the image or can I just insert the disk
4) Any recommendations for a magic-eye setup ...I have an infrared red extender I might try

Thanks again to NCM for the image and THHB for the help ...

NewClareman

a clanger wrote: »

1) I have an SSD to hand can I use that as opposed to the recommended PVR disk
2) Does it have to be formatted to ext2/3/4 before installation
3) Do I have to reflash the image or can I just insert the disk
4) Any recommendations for a magic-eye setup ...I have an infrared red extender I might try

1) Other users use SSD’s, without issue. My only concern is that you have a much more limited set of read/write cycles with SSD’s. If I were using one I would turn off timeshift, as that writes to the disk continuously. (Still leaves live pause available.)

2) You can set it up, once installed.

3) You don’t have to reflash, you do have to change the settings.

4) I’ve a couple hanging around that I used use with a Humax Box that I have in the attic. Then I found software that allowed me to control it from my phone/iPad. That’s what I ow use with the Humax and I’d recommend the same approach with the Tiviar.

crasy dash

Quick question lads just got one of these boxes and am hoping to set it up in the next few days,reading the flashing guide it says not to use a memory stick larger than 8gb.

The only one I have are 16gb plus ,does it actually matter its more than an 8gb stick you use to flash the image

NewClareman

crasy dash wrote: »

Quick question lads just got one of these boxes and am hoping to set it up in the next few days,reading the flashing guide it says not to use a memory stick larger than 8gb.

The only one I have are 16gb plus ,does it actually matter its more than an 8gb stick you use to flash the image

I have used a 16GB drive, in the front USB port, without issue. However, these boxes are temperamental and it may not recognize it. It won’t do any harm to try.

Milsey

I've been using this for a while now and cannot fault it. No complaints or niggles at all.
The part I need help with..... is with openwebif, I cant get ti view anything on my laptop or phone using it. I view it and is shows my setup, my favourites and my recorded list. When I click in the computer screen it phone icon the screen comes up blank and says "failed to play video. An unknown error occured" can anybody help me. I'd say it's a setting somewhere but I don't know. Please somebody help. Thanks in advance.

flashinthepan

Milsey wrote: »

I've been using this for a while now and cannot fault it. No complaints or niggles at all.
The part I need help with..... is with openwebif, I cant get ti view anything on my laptop or phone using it. I view it and is shows my setup, my favourites and my recorded list. When I click in the computer screen it phone icon the screen comes up blank and says "failed to play video. An unknown error occured" can anybody help me. I'd say it's a setting somewhere but I don't know. Please somebody help. Thanks in advance.

I would imagine you don't have any software installed on your pc that can play the stream
try downloading vlc media player on your pc and see if it will play it

did you get a popup asking what you wanted to do with the stream
Also what browser are you using to browse eg firefox , chrome . IE

NewClareman

Milsey wrote: »

I've been using this for a while now and cannot fault it. No complaints or niggles at all.
The part I need help with..... is with openwebif, I cant get ti view anything on my laptop or phone using it. I view it and is shows my setup, my favourites and my recorded list. When I click in the computer screen it phone icon the screen comes up blank and says "failed to play video. An unknown error occured" can anybody help me. I'd say it's a setting somewhere but I don't know. Please somebody help. Thanks in advance.

Before I tried much else, I would try connecting the box directly to the LAN, if you are using a dongle. I never got streaming to play to a pc, using the dongle. It would stream to a tablet/phone, only, and even then it was problematic.

I would suggest VLC Player too, as flashinthepan suggests.

Milsey

NewClareman wrote: »

Milsey wrote: »

I've been using this for a while now and cannot fault it. No complaints or niggles at all.
The part I need help with..... is with openwebif, I cant get ti view anything on my laptop or phone using it. I view it and is shows my setup, my favourites and my recorded list. When I click in the computer screen it phone icon the screen comes up blank and says "failed to play video. An unknown error occured" can anybody help me. I'd say it's a setting somewhere but I don't know. Please somebody help. Thanks in advance.

Before I tried much else, I would try connecting the box directly to the LAN, if you are using a dongle. I never got streaming to play to a pc, using the dongle. It would stream to a tablet/phone, only, and even then it was problematic.

I would suggest VLC Player too, as flashinthepan suggests.

I have box connected direct to the router. I'm actually thinking my wifi is dodgy at the moment especially in the room I'm trying so I'll look into that first I think.
I'm getting it to play now on dream player but not openweb. I'll play with it again when I get a chance. Thanks both for the replys. It's good to have someone to turn too.

a clanger

Just an update for fence sitters.

I bought the box just before Xmas and have been using Newclaremans image. ( Thanks to NCM and THHB for answering the newbie questions.)
Set up and initialization were straight forward
Technical questions were met with patience and answered promptly
Ease of use and simplicity are fantastic.
EPG similiar to sky etc
Record function is simple and straightforward
All in as a family we find this far easier and intuitive than the virgin media box we tried for 10 days

The only problem we have so far is the lack of a kids bouquet !!. The channels may well be there but I haven't found a way to access them yet if anyone could provide a few pointers

The high horse brigade

a clanger wrote: »

Just an update for fence sitters.

I bought the box just before Xmas and have been using Newclaremans image. ( Thanks to NCM and THHB for answering the newbie questions.)
Set up and initialization were straight forward
Technical questions were met with patience and answered promptly
Ease of use and simplicity are fantastic.
EPG similiar to sky etc
Record function is simple and straightforward
All in as a family we find this far easier and intuitive than the virgin media box we tried for 10 days

The only problem we have so far is the lack of a kids bouquet !!. The channels may well be there but I haven't found a way to access them yet if anyone could provide a few pointers

Freesat has a children's bouquet, is it hidden by autobouquetmaker? I'm not running this image. You can check in service searching

a clanger

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Freesat has a children's bouquet, is it hidden by autobouquetmaker? I'm not running this image. You can check in service searching

I think that option is locked down in the image NCM provided. I haventn't found
autobouquetmaker
It seems the only channels available are those that came with the image/bouquet

NewClareman

a clanger wrote: »

The only problem we have so far is the lack of a kids bouquet !!. The channels may well be there but I haven't found a way to access them yet if anyone could provide a few pointers

My “kids” are all adults, hence the missing bouquet. However, given all the praise, I’ll create one for you. (Give me a day, or two.)

NewClareman

a clanger wrote: »

I think that option is locked down in the image NCM provided. I haventn't found
autobouquetmaker
It seems the only channels available are those that came with the image/bouquet

Reproducing the Freesat Bouquets didn’t really meet our needs - we wanted to mix and match UK/Irish channels.

I have just reinstalled autobouquetmaker, so that upcoming terrestrial frequency changes would be handled automatically. However, I’m currently at an impasse - it always uses the usb tuner for terrestrial scans. This doesn’t work, due to driver issues. If anyone could tell me how I could configure it to use the inbuilt terrestrial tuner, I’d appreciate it.

Johnboy1951

NewClareman wrote: »

Reproducing the Freesat Bouquets didn’t really meet our needs - we wanted to mix and match UK/Irish channels.

I have just reinstalled autobouquetmaker, so that upcoming terrestrial frequency changes would be handled automatically. However, I’m currently at an impasse - it always uses the usb tuner for terrestrial scans. This doesn’t work, due to driver issues. If anyone could tell me how I could configure it to use the inbuilt terrestrial tuner, I’d appreciate it.

What frequency changes do you mean?
Saorview changes?

Will that not be a once-off, easily handled by a manual re-tune?

sligojoek

I think Saorview are re-jigging frequencies later in the year. I could have read it in the terrestrial forum.

Edit: Here you go

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=105468171&postcount=1

NewClareman

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

What frequency changes do you mean?
Saorview changes?

Will that not be a once-off, easily handled by a manual re-tune?

Of course it could, just like satellite channels can be returned manually. Nevertheless, I set out to have a configuration that didn’t require ongoing maintenance. If I can’t solve my issue, I will try to set it up so that it works for users without an external tuner. (I know, I’ve much too much time on my hands.)

Johnboy1951

NewClareman wrote: »

Of course it could, just like satellite channels can be returned manually. Nevertheless, I set out to have a configuration that didn’t require ongoing maintenance. If I can’t solve my issue, I will try to set it up so that it works for users without an external tuner. (I know, I’ve much too much time on my hands ��)

My point was of course that Sat channels move frequency more often and of course there are many more of them to keep track of.

For once in maybe 5 years or more and the few Saorview channels involved, it hardly seemed worth much effort to me, is all.

EDIT:

I meant to ask ...... is there a setting in which you determine whether the tuners do an idle and or initial EPG scan?
If so delete that option for the USB tuner and it should use the other one.