Zgemma H7s Guide

basemann

After taking the decision to get rid of cable I took the plunge and bought a Sat box. I was going to buy a Tiviar Alpha Plus due to its support on here but they were sold out at world of satellite and they suggested the Zgemma as it had similar specs.

Here is my guide to anyone new to the Sat world after getting this box . I hope it will help get through the initial frustration and hurdles you have to overcome. The H7S is relatively new so it's not discussed as much as the alpha plus but with the same software installed most guides can be used for both. I think the alpha would be equally challenging to set up. It takes time and patience and reading so be prepared for a bit of work but it's very satisfying in the end.
Some of this will be obvious to Sat heads but it's meant as a guide for beginners like I was who have some knowledge of the basics. This is from memory so excuse any vagueness of detail.

Here are the main things I learned..

1. To get Saoirview and Uk channels on the same epg listing you need to scan Saoirview 1st then do a second scan of the UK channels ensuring that the option to delete any previous scans is switched off. By doing that you mesh the two together so they can be gathered in the auto bouquets. (This took me ages to figure out!)

2. To install a skin easily you can put the downloaded skin found on the net on a usb and put it in the usb slot while live TV is playing (without any menu open). That will get a prompt to install the skin. If that does not work a plugin like Dreambox found in the plugin section will show all the folders in the sat box and the USB drive can be found and opened to try the install. If that does not work you need to connet a PC and use software like Filezilla to access files on the box from a PC. It's quite easily done if you follow the online guides.

3. A lot of people want the SkyNEW skin for the sky feel (without the sky channels of course!) and it does work but be warned it will prob make your epg crash every time you try and use it. To fix that you need to download a patch file to repair it. Dont install that skin unless you are prepared for that. You will need prob to connect a PC to do that and put it in the correct folder as per the instructions from where it easily found in a google search in places such as techkings etc. You might have to register an email to download these but there's no fee. It looks good when fixed but to be honest other skins are better that the sky menu which is comforting at first but you might feel it unnecessary and lacking functionality after a bit, but that's a personal preference.

Once you get it set up to your requirements its a great machine and very fast with a super picture so it's highly recommended. I hope this helps someone!:)

garymt

Skins - I found the Blue HD skin provided (OpenVix) gives a suitable Sky feel, as far as I can see...

Recordings - Have you found any way round "clashes" when recording 2 sequential programs on same channel? Have you found this to be an issue?

Remote - any issues with CEC? I find it wont wake TV if its been shut down for long time/overnight - have to use TV remote.

Remote - My wife doesn't find remote very intuitive to use - toying with idea of universal remote...... currently I'm of the opinion that relabelling remote is less hassle!

Overall, very pleased, although I haven't burrowed too deeply under the surface - I'll wait until the novelty wears off!

zaphodbeeb

I don't know if this helps (and I can't remember where I saw it) but you can change the default number of minutes a recording will add to the start and end points to better suit.

Might sort your issue.

I think mine was set to at least 5 minutes either way, so a 8pm - 9pm recording would start at 7.55 and end at 9.05.

Changed mine to zero. I guess only an issue if you're recording Saorview on different muxes (as it only has one DBV-T2 tuner).

I read that some usb tv tuners now have drivers for this box and can be plugged in to give you 2 DVB-T2 tuners.... so maybe another avenue?

Hope this helps a bit.... if you can't find it I'll check on my box at home where the option to edit the pre / post added minutes to recordings.

Now if anyone knows how to make Saorview / Digital / Ordinary Teletext work that'd be cool...

Ewalsh39

basemann wrote: »

After taking the decision to get rid of cable I took the plunge and bought a Sat box. I was going to buy a Tiviar Alpha Plus due to its support on here but they were sold out at world of satellite and they suggested the Zgemma as it had similar specs.

Here is my guide to anyone new to the Sat world after getting this box . I hope it will help get through the initial frustration and hurdles you have to overcome. The H7S is relatively new so it's not discussed as much as the alpha plus but with the same software installed most guides can be used for both. I think the alpha would be equally challenging to set up. It takes time and patience and reading so be prepared for a bit of work but it's very satisfying in the end.
Some of this will be obvious to Sat heads but it's meant as a guide for beginners like I was who have some knowledge of the basics. This is from memory so excuse any vagueness of detail.

Here are the main things I learned..

1. To get Saoirview and Uk channels on the same epg listing you need to scan Saoirview 1st then do a second scan of the UK channels ensuring that the option to delete any previous scans is switched off. By doing that you mesh the two together so they can be gathered in the auto bouquets. (This took me ages to figure out!)

2. To install a skin easily you can put the downloaded skin found on the net on a usb and put it in the usb slot while live TV is playing (without any menu open). That will get a prompt to install the skin. If that does not work a plugin like Dreambox found in the plugin section will show all the folders in the sat box and the USB drive can be found and opened to try the install. If that does not work you need to connet a PC and use software like Filezilla to access files on the box from a PC. It's quite easily done if you follow the online guides.

3. A lot of people want the SkyNEW skin for the sky feel (without the sky channels of course!) and it does work but be warned it will prob make your epg crash every time you try and use it. To fix that you need to download a patch file to repair it. Dont install that skin unless you are prepared for that. You will need prob to connect a PC to do that and put it in the correct folder as per the instructions from where it easily found in a google search in places such as techkings etc. You might have to register an email to download these but there's no fee. It looks good when fixed but to be honest other skins are better that the sky menu which is comforting at first but you might feel it unnecessary and lacking functionality after a bit, but that's a personal preference.

Once you get it set up to your requirements its a great machine and very fast with a super picture so it's highly recommended. I hope this helps someone!:)

Hi basemann

Can you explain in more detail
on how you sorted the issue outlined in point 1 above?

I'm in the same situation I can scan and add both feeds but they are not showing in the unified epg

Thanks
Enda

emclau

Ewalsh39 wrote: »

Hi basemann

Can you explain in more detail
on how you sorted the issue outlined in point 1 above?

I'm in the same situation I can scan and add both feeds but they are not showing in the unified epg

Thanks
Enda

Just got my box today- another Enda having the same issue!

Fingleberries

Ewalsh39 wrote: »

Hi basemann

Can you explain in more detail
on how you sorted the issue outlined in point 1 above?

I'm in the same situation I can scan and add both feeds but they are not showing in the unified epg

Thanks
Enda

I had this issue originally - do you have CrossEPG installed on the box? That resolved it for me.

FTA and Saorview show in the one EPG. Although some channels only show Now/Next (Channel4 HD and BBC2 NI HD, specifically), but everything else is 7 day EPG

dulpit

I ran into same issue, I got my H7S on Monday. My way of fixing it might not be the correct way or easiest way, but it worked for me:

1. Run autobouquetsmaker. I ended up with my channels lovely for Sat and lovely for Saorview, but they didn't appear on same list.
2. Download and install E-Channeliser: https://www.world-of-satellite.com/showthread.php?46294-PC-APP-E-Channelizer
3. Run it and import settings from the Zgemma
4. I created a new favourite called "All". I then went to the favourite for Saorview and copied them all into All. I added Hidden markers to make sure the channel numbers were correct.
5. I then copied the sat channels in, again adding hidden markers to have the channel numbers start at 101 and then continue with whatever channel ordering you want.

I haven't had a proper chance to review this, my wife was watching netflix last night, but seems to be okay here.

Gerry Wicklow

Fingleberries wrote: »

I had this issue originally - do you have CrossEPG installed on the box? That resolved it for me.

FTA and Saorview show in the one EPG. Although some channels only show Now/Next (Channel4 HD and BBC2 NI HD, specifically), but everything else is 7 day EPG

The default EPG uses the Freesat database which is why there is no Channel4 HD or CNN HD data. They are not on Freesat. CrossEPG uses other sources for its feeds.

emclau

After spending about 10hrs, feel like I’m finally getting there with this box!

One thing which set me back was setting up favourites bouquet via openwebif, as openwebif was not working. (Worked one night out of three).

I can see my box is connected to the router(by logging into my router). I can also see box IP address under menu-information-network (http://192.168.1.2/) , with a green tick. However, openwebif is not working when I try to access the box from a laptop. Tried resetting network connection on the zgemma box but still not working.. appreciate any suggestions...


Thanks!

emclau

emclau wrote: »

After spending about 10hrs, feel like I’m finally getting there with this box!

One thing which set me back was setting up favourites bouquet via openwebif, as openwebif was not working. (Worked one night out of three).

I can see my box is connected to the router(by logging into my router). I can also see box IP address under menu-information-network (http://192.168.1.2/) , with a green tick. However, openwebif is not working when I try to access the box from a laptop. Tried resetting network connection on the zgemma box but still not working.. appreciate any suggestions...


Thanks!

Raised a ticket with WoS on above- tried the dongle on my laptop so think it’s not that...


Really annoying - I can connect for about a minute then I have to wait a couple of hours to reconnect again...

Fingleberries

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

The default EPG uses the Freesat database which is why there is no Channel4 HD or CNN HD data. They are not on Freesat. CrossEPG uses other sources for its feeds.

Thanks so much for the help. Fiddling around with settings, it seems using another source in CrossEPG helped. Full 7 day EPG and Saorview / FTA in one list. Happy days.

blackbox

I've just bought a Zgemma H9.2H - has one of each receiver and built in wifi.
I eventually got it flashed with OpenATV 6.3 and installed Wooshbuild infinity.

I'm happy with it now, but setting up was a bit of an ordeal. At one stage I thought I had bricked it.

It seems to be extremely sensitive to the type of USB stick used.

MarkR

I'm setting up one of these now, came across a whoosh build to pop onto it. Haven't been able to get kodi to start though, open atv 6.3. Seems to be a common issue, which is kind of annoying. Got my aerial installed today, so get to do some more set up this evening.

MarkR

I'm also bamboozled by the saorview / satellite EPG. I can either just get saorview with auto bouquet maker, or both, but saorview channels blank.

I'll try again this evening, but suggestions welcomed. (ツ)

dulpit

MarkR wrote: »

I'm also bamboozled by the saorview / satellite EPG. I can either just get saorview with auto bouquet maker, or both, but saorview channels blank.

I'll try again this evening, but suggestions welcomed. (ツ)

I ended up using echannelizer to create a new bouquet, copying the saorview and satellite bouquets into one. So RTE1 = 1, BBC = 101.

MarkR

I'll give it a go this evening, thanks

emclau

Hi
My remote control has stopped working this evening. I’ve changed the batteries, rebooted the box etc but no success.

Is there a way to reset the remote control to factory settings/check if it’s still working? (Downloaded telly’mote app in meantime- its very good)

Thanks!

soram

Wonder if anybody can help here. I got the h7s this week and it is looking good. Nearly the last thing I want is to display picons in the cooltvguide.
I downloaded a set from High Horse and put them in hdd\picon but cooltv is not picking them up. Do I need to set a path anywhere for this or put them elsewhere?

Cheers

Shefwedfan

What is the difference between this box and the Tiviar Alpha Plus?

All I want is something easy to use when I replace Sky Q......

Gerry Wicklow

Shefwedfan wrote: »

What is the difference between this box and the Tiviar Alpha Plus?

All I want is something easy to use when I replace Sky Q......

In terms of everyday use they should be nearly the same. However, the Zgemma is 4K H265 compatible and has a more powerful processor.

Shefwedfan

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

In terms of everyday use they should be nearly the same. However, the Zgemma is 4K H265 compatible and has a more powerful processor.

Thanks

Can you stick app onto any of these?

Thanks

Gerry Wicklow

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Thanks

Can you stick app onto any of these?

Thanks

Depends what you mean by apps. By default they have many many functions built in. You have the ability to control the box remotely on your home network from anything with a browser, view recordings or live channels, set timers. Series linking, live pause, IPTV and full 7 day EPG are also built in.
You can also add a wide range of extra functions known as "plugins".

Shefwedfan

App's like Netflix/Kodi?


What sort of money should these be going for?

Gerry Wicklow

AFAIK Netflix is not available on any of these platforms for copyright reasons. I think Kodi is available but I can't see a need for it myself as the box already does all the same functions. (thats gonna start a row)

I got mine for £125GBP inc shipping.

Shefwedfan

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

AFAIK Netflix is not available on any of these platforms for copyright reasons. I think Kodi is available but I can't see a need for it myself as the box already does all the same functions. (thats gonna start a row)

I got mine for £125GBP inc shipping.

Thanks.....I am just trying to work out should I spend big money now on a decent box or buy a cheapo thing to test out if this is for me......

Shefwedfan

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zgemma-H7S-Multistream-Satellite-Receiver-Combo-2-DVB-S2X-DVB-T2-C-KODI-Enigma2/223657192190?hash=item341301eafe:g:FLAAAOSwr4VddiRx

This it?

Gerry Wicklow

This is what I got including latest openATV installed and 2 day shipping. Make sure it is H7S with 2x DVB-S2 and 1xDVB-T2 tuners. They do other tuner configs with very similar model numbers which would not suit Irish use.

Gerry Wicklow

I opened the box again to suss out the annoying front panel. 3 layers of masking tape tamed the logo down to an acceptable lemon colour. It's a surface mounted LED so I don't want to make permanent changes yet. The display itself is only a basic 4x7 segment unit so time is about all it can manage.
Still for the price I'm very happy with the performance.

Cyrus

£114 direct if you use parcel motel or parcel wizard

https://www.zgemma.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=77&search=h7s

Shefwedfan

Does the box support a SD memory card?

Griffinx

Does this box have any advantages over the Tiviar Alpha+

Shefwedfan

Griffinx wrote: »

Does this box have any advantages over the Tiviar Alpha+

Question asked above by myself

The Tiviaf has the advantage of the skin on the thread in here

Griffinx

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Question asked above by myself

The Tiviaf has the advantage of the skin on the thread in here

Thanks, should have paid more attention...I'm moving towards the Tiviar...see if there's a Black Friday deal anywhere

Gerry Wicklow

Griffinx wrote: »

Does this box have any advantages over the Tiviar Alpha+

The Zgemma is 4k UHD and has a better processor.

Gerry Wicklow

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Question asked above by myself

The Tiviaf has the advantage of the skin on the thread in here

The skin is just the cosmetic appearance. You can have lots of skins applied to the same basic operating system. Think of a skin like an overcoat. Same body underneath it.

Cyrus

Is it possible to use a nas for recording / time shift or better to install a HDD

Gerry Wicklow

You can do either, but I imagine a local HDD would give better performance if being pushed to record and view things at the same time. Installing a HDD is straightforward enough. SSDs are so cheap now you wouldn't have to worry about spin up times or noise.You'd get a 120GB for about €25 delivered.

Shefwedfan

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

The skin is just the cosmetic appearance. You can have lots of skins applied to the same basic operating system. Think of a skin like an overcoat. Same body underneath it.

Have you used Clareman skin? is it much of an improvement? thanks

Gerry Wicklow

No I don't have Tiviar Alpha. Each image is unique to a particular make and model of box because they all have different hardware inside.

NickNickleby

Greetings!
I took the plunge and bought one of these, with VIX pre-installed on it. I'm very pleased with it, I'm using the 'simple ten-eighty' skin. From the user point of view, its quite intuitive. My wife struggled with the default os on the AA+.

Anyway, I created my bouquets manually, using the Webif. Had some difficulty, can't seem to re-order them after creating them - but that's minor.

Strange thing I've noticed - if I am watching a HD channel and open the EPG, the screen looks fine, however if I open the EPG in a non-HD channel, the EPG is wider than the tv so the edges aren't visible.

Any suggestions? I'll keep playing with it, perhaps I'll nail it, but would welcome any suggestions.

cheers!

bfa1509

Got this box back in January and, after hours of tweaking and tuning, I have finally achieved the almost perfect set top box (Pure2 image with Estuary skin is by far the best!!)

What is keeping it from being the perfect box is the tuners. At the moment I only have a terrestrial cable attached (everything else I stream from the internet) The problem with the single tuner is that when I am recording a program there is nearly always something I want to watch simultaneously on a channel with a different mux. I'm left disappointed to see it greyed out.

I understand there is a different box (H7C) that has two T inputs and there are also USB sticks that can add a second T input. But I only have a single cable.

What I want is a twin terrestrial tuner that accepts one input but can record two different muxes. I saw these:

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/gigablue-dvb-c-t-t2-h265-twin-tuner-module?filter_name=twin%20terrestrial%20tuner%20module

But would they be compatible with this box??

Any help appreciated!

swoofer

No, your box has embedded tuners they are not plug and play unless I have missed something. THe h7c would give same problem with sat only able to record one channel.

This is what you should do. Get a sony play tv tuner its usb, this is it. On your image check for driver db0700.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PS3PLAY-TV-USB-FREEVIEW-TUNER-RECEIVER-DVR-RECORDER-PACK/323926625506?hash=item4b6b880ce2:g:5dAAAOSw359cjOxr

then split your aerial signal with this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASCL-Indoor-Aerial-Splitter-Plug/dp/B002XUDCBE/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1F395I3696GQ2&dchild=1&keywords=aerial+splitter&qid=1587508771&sprefix=AERIAL+SPLITTER%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-10

This will work unless you have a very poor signal.

I should add you can plug aerial direct to play tv as it has 2 tuners, make the internal redundant but if you want internal you will stil end up with 2 dtt tuners as box will not see 3 tuners.

Cyrus

NickNickleby wrote: »

Greetings!
I took the plunge and bought one of these, with VIX pre-installed on it. I'm very pleased with it, I'm using the 'simple ten-eighty' skin. From the user point of view, its quite intuitive. My wife struggled with the default os on the AA+.

Anyway, I created my bouquets manually, using the Webif. Had some difficulty, can't seem to re-order them after creating them - but that's minor.

Strange thing I've noticed - if I am watching a HD channel and open the EPG, the screen looks fine, however if I open the EPG in a non-HD channel, the EPG is wider than the tv so the edges aren't visible.

Any suggestions? I'll keep playing with it, perhaps I'll nail it, but would welcome any suggestions.

cheers!

Is your tv changing resolution based on the source ? And then your gui is fhd something like that

NickNickleby

Thanks for replying,Cyrus.
oh :eek:, now I feel awful.....

I actually figured it out and fixed it, quite some time ago. I feel awful, cause the fix might be useful for others like me. If only I'd come back and posted it. I'm going to have a look later and will find it, and post it here.

Off the top of my head, it was some utility in the box setup that allows you to 'stretch the screen' or something like that....

I have the osd set to leave the screen setups info displayed after each channel change, and can see the various formats info - not that I put that info to any use:pac:

bfa1509

swoofer wrote: »

No, your box has embedded tuners they are not plug and play unless I have missed something. THe h7c would give same problem with sat only able to record one channel.

This is what you should do. Get a sony play tv tuner its usb, this is it. On your image check for driver db0700.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PS3PLAY-TV-USB-FREEVIEW-TUNER-RECEIVER-DVR-RECORDER-PACK/323926625506?hash=item4b6b880ce2:g:5dAAAOSw359cjOxr

then split your aerial signal with this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASCL-Indoor-Aerial-Splitter-Plug/dp/B002XUDCBE/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1F395I3696GQ2&dchild=1&keywords=aerial+splitter&qid=1587508771&sprefix=AERIAL+SPLITTER%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-10

This will work unless you have a very poor signal.

I should add you can plug aerial direct to play tv as it has 2 tuners, make the internal redundant but if you want internal you will stil end up with 2 dtt tuners as box will not see 3 tuners.

Great, thanks for the useful suggestion. Would this be sufficient to allow two HD channels through? (I was initially going to ask if it would allow 4k but there are no 4k terrestrial channels...)

The signal isn't terribly strong where I am but I did have a branded (BT) Freeview twin tuner box before I got the Zgemma and the signal was fine while recording two channels so it probably is strong enough.

Cyrus

bfa1509 wrote: »

Got this box back in January and, after hours of tweaking and tuning, I have finally achieved the almost perfect set top box (Pure2 image with Estuary skin is by far the best!!)

What is keeping it from being the perfect box is the tuners. At the moment I only have a terrestrial cable attached (everything else I stream from the internet) The problem with the single tuner is that when I am recording a program there is nearly always something I want to watch simultaneously on a channel with a different mux. I'm left disappointed to see it greyed out.

I understand there is a different box (H7C) that has two T inputs and there are also USB sticks that can add a second T input. But I only have a single cable.

What I want is a twin terrestrial tuner that accepts one input but can record two different muxes. I saw these:

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/gigablue-dvb-c-t-t2-h265-twin-tuner-module?filter_name=twin%20terrestrial%20tuner%20module

But would they be compatible with this box??

Any help appreciated!

does Pure2 offer anything over OpenAtv? i have that with kiddac's skyq skin FHD

swoofer

Its 2 tuners so no hassle with HD.

bfa1509

Cyrus wrote: »

does Pure2 offer anything over OpenAtv? i have that with kiddac's skyq skin FHD

I tried most of the images (including OpenATV) but not long enough to pick out any huge benefits between them. Pure2 with Estuary is by far the easiest on the eye (really nice soft blue with perfect translucency to the menus and EPG) and I thought the menu system (not the one with the tiles) was far easier to navigate and clearer than the other images, also slightly quicker. I have Kodi and streamlord installed and that is all I need.

Here are some typical screenshots I pulled off the internet:

Gerry Wicklow

I'm a big fan of openATV but decided to try Pure2 and openVix to see how they have evolved. Pure2 was unstable on my multisat setup. Crashed several times. Couldn't get crossEPG to run on it either which I need.
I'm now running openVix for a few days which is doing the job. I still think openATV offers more plugins and skins. I cant install my fav ValiHDFlex on vix but will stick with it for a few more days to see how it behaves.
openATV 6.4 introduced a few changes which I don't like but would not matter to other users.
I also have a VU+ which does not like openATV 6.4 at all but is grand with 6.3. Horses for courses perhaps.

NickNickleby

NickNickleby wrote: »

Greetings!
I took the plunge and bought one of these, with VIX pre-installed on it. I'm very pleased with it, I'm using the 'simple ten-eighty' skin. From the user point of view, its quite intuitive. My wife struggled with the default os on the AA+.

Anyway, I created my bouquets manually, using the Webif. Had some difficulty, can't seem to re-order them after creating them - but that's minor.

Strange thing I've noticed - if I am watching a HD channel and open the EPG, the screen looks fine, however if I open the EPG in a non-HD channel, the EPG is wider than the tv so the edges aren't visible.

Any suggestions? I'll keep playing with it, perhaps I'll nail it, but would welcome any suggestions.

cheers!

Cyrus wrote: »

Is your tv changing resolution based on the source ? And then your gui is fhd something like that

Here's how I fixed it:

Menu > Setup > User Interface > Skin Setup > OSD Position. Its pretty intuitive from there.

Before letting you proceed, the system prompts you about 'overscan' on your TV, but I couldn't find anything about it, so I went ahead and hey presto!

swoofer

Switch skin to the Youvix blue its awesome.

Use dreambox edit to arrange your bouquets, its free do a google.