Zgemma H7s Guide

FlexMcMurphy

Has anyone installed the Kodi plugin on their Zgemma?

I installed Kodi 18.7 from the plugin feed on to OpenVix 5.3

It runs pretty well and plays mp4 movies fine. But when I try to make it play movies I recorded from the TV that are in .ts format they only play for a few seconds then the screen freezes.

These .ts files play just fine when I press "File List" on the remote and use the OpenVix media player.

I connected the usb drive with the .ts files to a raspberry pi running a dedicated Kodi OS called OSMC and it plays the .ts files just fine.

Can someone test if a .ts file will play for them using Kodi on the Zgemma?

Cheers,

Flex

Irishder

FlexMcMurphy wrote: »

Did you get them working? Maybe it's a loose cable from the dish. Check the cables and do a satellite scan again. Make sure you are trying to view a free to air channel.

Flex

Yeah got it going thanks. Ran ABM and that sorted it. All good now

FlexMcMurphy

I figured out how to get Kodi to play .ts files on my Zgemma H7S.

The executive summary is you have to install ffmpeg/exteplayer3 and configure that as the default enigma2 media player using a third plugin called: serviceapp. Then you tell Kodi what is the default enigma2 media player by editing...
/usr/share/kodi/system/advancedsettings.xml
and
/usr/share/kodi/system/playercorefactory.xml

Anyone need info about this I'm happy to share my experience.

Flex

Cyrus

FlexMcMurphy wrote: »

I figured out how to get Kodi to play .ts files on my Zgemma H7S.

The executive summary is you have to install ffmpeg/exteplayer3 and configure that as the default enigma2 media player using a third plugin called: serviceapp. Then you tell Kodi what is the default enigma2 media player by editing...
/usr/share/kodi/system/advancedsettings.xml
and
/usr/share/kodi/system/playercorefactory.xml

Anyone need info about this I'm happy to share my experience.

Flex

something i need to look into as well, but i think you have given the info above, ill give it a try!

on reflection, what are the entries you need to make to the xml files?

FlexMcMurphy

Cyrus wrote: »

what are the entries you need to make to the xml files?

I made a thread about it on the WoS forum and the Kodi forum too. No one seems to be aware of the issue or care very much!

I didn't do alot of testing but initially Kodi was only playing .mp4 files and then after updating to exteplayer3 .ts files played too. It's a bit of work but if you want to create your own movie library then Kodi is really great to organise it with poster artwork and plot summaries. You can search your library from a web interface.

Maybe I was missing something. Did you get Kodi running and did it freeze when you tried to play a .ts file?

Cheers,

Flex

Cyrus

FlexMcMurphy wrote: »

I made a thread about it on the WoS forum and the Kodi forum too. No one seems to be aware of the issue or care very much!

I didn't do alot of testing but initially Kodi was only playing .mp4 files and then after updating to exteplayer3 .ts files played too. It's a bit of work but if you want to create your own movie library then Kodi is really great to organise it with poster artwork and plot summaries. You can search your library from a web interface.

Maybe I was missing something. Did you get Kodi running and did it freeze when you tried to play a .ts file?

Cheers,

Flex

I’m having an issue where’s it not playing any files from my nas but it’s to do with the external player aswell so hoping this may help!

mehico

Does the H7s box accept a 3.5" hdd fitted internally or only 2.5" size?

Morrisseeee

@mehico "Does the H7s box accept a 3.5" hdd fitted internally or only 2.5" size?"
Only 2.5in internal

phil49

I've installed Kodi on my H7s and scraped my movie folderfrom an external drive successfully.
I can see thumbnails but no information/synopsis of any movie is displayed.
There is a .kodi file stored on the internal hard drive of many GBs where I presume all this data is stored.
I cannot see any way to access this data.
On my cheap streaming box all this data is stored on internal flash memory and is instantly accessed.
Has anybody experienced this and fixed it?

tilting tim

Hi all,
Took the leap recently and bought one of these, this guide has been a great help getting started on it, problem I have is the remote. My tv is above a fireplace with the box in a shelf behind it that is facing 90° away the tv. The sky box always picked remote signal no bother but the zgemma doesn’t. Have I other options? I saw an app ZG remote, is anyone using this?

FlexMcMurphy

Some people have bought replacement one for all remotes that can be programmed to work like the Zgemma remote and whose IR gives a wider arc.

You could also put an enigma2 remote control app on your phone.

Maybe the best solution in this case is to get an IR extender kit.. it's just easier controlling the box with a remote.

Flex

bfa1509

tilting tim wrote: »

Hi all,
Took the leap recently and bought one of these, this guide has been a great help getting started on it, problem I have is the remote. My tv is above a fireplace with the box in a shelf behind it that is facing 90° away the tv. The sky box always picked remote signal no bother but the zgemma doesn’t. Have I other options? I saw an app ZG remote, is anyone using this?

That's probably my biggest gripe with this machine. I feel like I need to attach a scope to get enough accuracy for it to work... :mad:

hs5424

Forget all the above.
Remove the IR receiver diode. Wire it outside the box using 3 core cable. It's not rocket science. Place it where the remote can see it maybe at the bottom of the TV.

tilting tim

Thanks hs for that suggestion, I might try that out if what I just did doesn’t do good enough.

I felt the remote was poor even if you were standing straight in front of it so wasn’t rushing out to buy something. Instead I took apart the remote and noticed how thick the glass on the front was so got the drill out and made a hole in it, it is working 100 times better now

bfa1509

tilting tim wrote: »

Instead I took apart the remote and noticed how thick the glass on the front was so got the drill out and made a hole in it, it is working 100 times better now

A drill or an angle grinder? :P

tilting tim

bfa1509 wrote: »

A drill or an angle grinder? :P

I may have started a bit on the low side 😂

hs5424

I did the same some years ago on a remote for an Irish made TV.
Can anyone name the TV make.

decor58

hs5424 wrote: »

I did the same some years ago on a remote for an Irish made TV.
Can anyone name the TV make.

Deise?.

hs5424

decor58 wrote: »

Deise?.

Correct.
Top marks to that man.
It was badged 'Daysha' and made by Casey Electronics in Co Waterford. The late Sean Casey was the company owner. Still in business today, however they no longer manufacture TV's. Cheap Chineese imports took care of that. The Daysha used a good quality Mullard CRT and Phillips chip set.
There was also a set made here and badged by a few different companies. One being called ''Armstrong'' which was sold by Armstrong Electronics.

_Kaiser_

So it's been a few weeks with the box but I am very happy with it and have it setup just as I want it now . Took a while but got there

I have a question though.. So the Web TV interface allows you to watch/stream TV through the browser and you can export individual channel playlist files to open in Potplayer (in my case - tho I'm sure VLC would work too) - but, is there a way to export the whole list or use an external player to interface with the box.

Basically I'm thinking SkyGo functionality but using this hardware. Then all I'd need to do is open the relevant ports on the firewall and I can watch TV from anywhere

Davexirl

Getting rid of Sky Q and I am going to order this box, from reading up on it, I would be best with going OpenATV? Easiest to setup for a newbie?

_Kaiser_

Davexirl wrote: »

Getting rid of Sky Q and I am going to order this box, from reading up on it, I would be best with going OpenATV? Easiest to setup for a newbie?

It helps to be comfortable with PCs, FTP, understanding configurations etc if you want to tweak and customise, but the box itself with OpenATV (which is what I have) is perfectly usable as is with minimal effort.

Cyrus

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

So it's been a few weeks with the box but I am very happy with it and have it setup just as I want it now . Took a while but got there

I have a question though.. So the Web TV interface allows you to watch/stream TV through the browser and you can export individual channel playlist files to open in Potplayer (in my case - tho I'm sure VLC would work too) - but, is there a way to export the whole list or use an external player to interface with the box.

Basically I'm thinking SkyGo functionality but using this hardware. Then all I'd need to do is open the relevant ports on the firewall and I can watch TV from anywhere

what skin did you settle on?

_Kaiser_

Cyrus wrote: »

what skin did you settle on?

Slyk Q in the end.

Hi all,

Got this box the other day.

Been setting it up but not sure if I have a fault.

The box seems highly sensative to being touched, today I forgot to lug in my lan cable in the back of the unit, as soon as I did the box froze and wouldnt reboot. Every time I turned it on it just lit up the logo and dislayed nothing.

Eventually after a few minutes and failed retempts it booted again.

Found that any touching of the cables in the back do the same, even touching the HDMI, not unlugging but just touching sends the box crazy.

Any ideas if this is a faulty box?

bfa1509

Deleted User wrote: »

Hi all,

Got this box the other day.

Been setting it up but not sure if I have a fault.

The box seems highly sensative to being touched, today I forgot to lug in my lan cable in the back of the unit, as soon as I did the box froze and wouldnt reboot. Every time I turned it on it just lit up the logo and dislayed nothing.

Eventually after a few minutes and failed retempts it booted again.

Found that any touching of the cables in the back do the same, even touching the HDMI, not unlugging but just touching sends the box crazy.

Any ideas if this is a faulty box?

I do get electric shocks off the back of mine but nothing annoying like the above. I would flash a different image or two (Pure2 works well for me) and if it persists I would say faulty box

danIrl

Anyone have issues with recordings?
I have a box with a preinstalled hard disk. However playback even on SD channels has problems. Will not fast forward properly and sometimes during playback it will stutter.

Running OpenVix 5.3.039

FlexMcMurphy

danIrl wrote: »

Anyone have issues with recordings?

That might be an issue with the hard drive itself... hardware or firmware.

I have had those problems you describe but only on a different less powerful box when I was playing back and recording HD programs to a network drive.

You could plug in a usb key or usb drive and make recordings on to that and see if it performs better. I have used both on a Zgemma H7S and not had the problems you describe using an internal drive.

Flex

danIrl

Interesting. Yeah I might try a usb disk. I bought it from world of satellite so I presumed they would have everything correctly setup.

FlexMcMurphy

Deleted User wrote: »

Hi all,

The box seems highly sensative to being touched, today I forgot to lug in my lan cable in the back of the unit, as soon as I did the box froze and wouldn't reboot.

I had a similar problem to this a few weeks ago and had to return the box for a replacement. I only had it four months. I would put the box to sleep and it wouldn't come back on, would disappear off the network and I'd have to plug it out and in again. Sometimes the picture would randomly break up and the box would just shut off. Applying gentle pressure down on the top of the box would cause the picture to go all snowy and then the box to die.. like there was a power issue or a loose connection.

I never got to the bottom of what was the cause. But World of Satellite didn't make any hassle over supplying me with a replacement.

With the replacement box I don't record to an external drive any more only to an internal drive. Previously I had put the Kodi plugin on it and that's when it started dying on me. I doubt there was any connection between the two but I won't be doing anything fancy with my new Zgemma H7S. I lost a bit of confidence in it really. Don't think it's built to last the seven years my old Amiko Alien 2 did! (actually it still works just fine)

Flex

Fingleberries

Hi folks,

Overall, I find this a great little box, but lately I'm running into a strange series of errors, the box doesn't seem to install updates any more.

It's running OpenVix 5.3.0.39. But when I look to update packages, I've started getting an error

No state is present for card bcm
Found hardware: "bcm" "BCM mixer" "" "" ""
Hardware is initialized using a generic method
No state is present for card bcm
Not selecting libavformat58 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libavdevice58 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libavutil56 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libavcodec58 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libswresample3 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libavresample4 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libswscale5 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libavfilter7 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Not selecting libpostproc55 4.1.4 as installing it would break existing dependencies.
Configuring alsa-state.
Collected errors: * pkg_run_script: package "alsa-state" postinst script returned status 22. * opkg_configure: alsa-state.postinst returned 22.

If I look at the list of packages to update, it looks like there could be an issue with the package numbers - there is a decimal point before 15, that is not there for 16.

e.g. kernel-base (4.10.12-.15 -> 4.10.12-16)
Linux kernel for h7


Any tips on how I could address these issues?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

FlexMcMurphy

You would be better off asking them in the OpenVix Image Forum on World of Satellite.

People like abu baniaz, Sicilian and twol develop and support that image there.

Flex

Gerry Wicklow

I noticed the other day that they haven't updated Vix for Zgemma since July. Kinda worrying.

Kannon

Hi folks

I've ordered one of these, due to be delivered this week. I currently using Eir but I have a sky Q dish from a couple of years ago, so from reading through various threads here I can see that I need to replace the LNB with a hybrid LNB. This doesn't look too difficult however I also need to get an aerial for Saorview and I'm prone to breaking stuff. My query is, would an installer do both of these even though they are not supplying the receiver box? If so, I'm assuming someone like Freesat would offer this service?

Thank you

_Kaiser_

Kannon wrote: »

Hi folks

I've ordered one of these, due to be delivered this week. I currently using Eir but I have a sky Q dish from a couple of years ago, so from reading through various threads here I can see that I need to replace the LNB with a hybrid LNB. This doesn't look too difficult however I also need to get an aerial for Saorview and I'm prone to breaking stuff. My query is, would an installer do both of these even though they are not supplying the receiver box? If so, I'm assuming someone like Freesat would offer this service?

Thank you

An independent will supply/fit the dish and aerial alright. I recently had one recable and reorient my Saorview/Freesat setup after an unsatisfactory install by another previously.

Kannon

Thanks for that Kaiser. I'll get a few quotes, any ideas how much it should cost roughly?

_Kaiser_

Kannon wrote: »

Thanks for that Kaiser. I'll get a few quotes, any ideas how much it should cost roughly?

In my case 100 covered reorienting the aerial, rewiring the satellite and running a new cable for a second feed but it'll depend on where you are, what you need and how much work is involved

I used these guys - https://satelliteandaerialtvservices.com/ - and was happy with what was done.

Johnboy1951

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

In my case 100 covered reorienting the aerial, rewiring the satellite and running a new cable for a second feed but it'll depend on where you are, what you need and how much work is involved

I used these guys - https://satelliteandaerialtvservices.com/ - and was happy with what was done.

Are they country-wide?

I noticed this on the home page

This Weeks Specials
<snip>
Tiviar Alpha Combo Plus: Saorview & Freesat Digital HD Full 7 Day TV Guide Combo Plus Record & Watch.

_Kaiser_

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Are they country-wide?

I noticed this on the home page

Not sure if country-wide (it says 16 counties on the site) and the website isn't great, but I was happy with the work and price myself.

Davexirl

My box has arrived in Parcel Motel in Dublin, it should be in my locker tomorrow.

Davexirl

Davexirl wrote: »

My box has arrived in Parcel Motel in Dublin, it should be in my locker tomorrow.

Changed the Sky Q LNB handy enough, Tuned in the channels but having issues even trying to sort them. Can't find autobouquets maker, I installed the plugin, so I believe but can't locate it.

_Kaiser_

Davexirl wrote: »

Changed the Sky Q LNB handy enough, Tuned in the channels but having issues even trying to sort them. Can't find autobouquets maker, I installed the plugin, so I believe but can't locate it.

I did most of it through the web interface myself

Kannon

Hi folks

I chose not to get the internal HDD option that WoS offered with the box as it seemed a bit expensive. Can anyone recommend a relatively affordable one?

Thank you

FlexMcMurphy

WoS don't charge all that much to add in the hard drive. Now you have to order it separately and put it in yourself.

It depends on what you want to do with a hard drive... record movies and programs frequently and leave them on there? Enable pause/rewind live TV?
If the former then you might as well get a big drive e.g: a 2.5" 1TB would do. If the later then you're better off paying for an SSD.

You can also simply plug in a usb key and record onto that but the more capacity you have the better.. an hour long standard def program takes up around 1GB of space. High def about 3GB.

eBay and amazon have lots of options.

Flex

Gerry Wicklow

This is what I use , easily enough for ~30 hours of HD.

_Kaiser_

I had a few 256GB 2.5" SSDs spare after replacing the PC over the summer so stuck one of those into it. 5 minute job, but read back a few pages here as setting it up in the software isn't as intuitive as it could be.

Davexirl

Managed to get it all set up this evening, I am delighted with it.

henke

Davexirl wrote: »

Managed to get it all set up this evening, I am delighted with it.

Going to purchase myself shortly. Did you go with OpenVix or OpenATV? Did you spend long setting up?

Davexirl

henke wrote: »

Going to purchase myself shortly. Did you go with OpenVix or OpenATV? Did you spend long setting up?

It was my first time setting one of these up and it took me probably 5-6 hours. I went with OpenATV from advice on here and from searching google on what to do. A bit of pain but worth it.

greasepalm

I have always used openvix on all my boxes as it does what i need.