New house, new tv

oldsmokey

Hi, we’re moving soon, we’re all tired of sky rates, repeats and ads...family like news, bbc, channel 4, documentaries, RTÉ, movies...what’s a good plan for us?..thinking Netflix and freesat together...but some poor freesat reviews.all thoughts appreciate d

refusetolose

combi box FTA and saorview?

decor58

oldsmokey wrote: »

Hi, we’re moving soon, we’re all tired of sky rates, repeats and ads...family like news, bbc, channel 4, documentaries, RTÉ, movies...what’s a good plan for us?..thinking Netflix and freesat together...but some poor freesat reviews.all thoughts appreciate d

Been using fta tv for 15-20 years, so I don't know what I am missing with subscription tv but don't feel
we are not missing out on too much, RTE, VM1, BBC and C4 covers most of our viewing with Netflix in the mix. I have had a variety of combo receivers over the years and then Saorview tv with Humax Freesat boxes, currently use a Walker smart tv with Saorview and satellite built in, (Netflix, YouTube, RTE player included) with a HDD for recordings, I also have a combo receiver in the loop for when recordings clash, one4all remote does the lot. Yes, sport is not an issue so that eases the pressure for subscription.

paddyref

decor58 wrote: »

Been using fta tv for 15-20 years, so I don't know what I am missing with subscription tv but don't feel
we are not missing out on too much, RTE, VM1, BBC and C4 covers most of our viewing with Netflix in the mix. I have had a variety of combo receivers over the years and then Saorview tv with Humax Freesat boxes, currently use a Walker smart tv with Saorview and satellite built in, (Netflix, YouTube, RTE player included) with a HDD for recordings, I also have a combo receiver in the loop for when recordings clash, one4all remote does the lot.

What HDD are you using and how does it work please.

NIMAN

I cancelled Sky about 10 yrs ago, and was living with Freesat + Irish channels for a few years.

Then dipped my toe into dreambox etc but never really used it much, just for the odd footy match now and again.

Now the dreambox is gone but pay for Netflix too, and share a Disney subscription for free with a family member.

My Freesat is one of the old Foxsat HDR from Humax. Menus are old and slow but it's ultra reliable and does the job. I was going to upgrade to the new all singing Freesat boxes but they get shocking reviews, so I'll stick for now.

lertsnim

A Discovery+ subscription is an option for documentaries. Most modern televisions will have the app available.

decor58

paddyref wrote: »

What HDD are you using and how does it work please.

A 1tb WD my passport, works fine, reliable. I set recordings from epg on Saorview and timed recordings on satellite.

greasepalm

I would be using a powered externally hdd to be safer as less issue on the ports.

oldsmokey

refusetolose wrote: »

combi box FTA and saorview?

Thanks for reply, but I’m unfamiliar with how it all works...could you spell it out a bit please?...I know, hopeless, but just used to sky and a bit Ta YouTube😪

refusetolose

its a box that you plug an aerial and satellite into for free uk and irish channels
sounds like its all you need and totally free after installation

greasepalm

Sat dish for sat channels and aeriel for Saorview channels.
Google Zgemma H7s 4k 2 x sat tuners and 1 Saorview tuner

Hamsterchops

You buy a Sky dish in Power City or Currys, DID etc, this will give you the UK channels.

You also buy a small roof aerial for the Irish (Saorview) channels RTE etc ......

Now you need a Combo box to sit under (or on top) of your TV, his box receives the signals from the dish and the roof aerial 'and combines the signals', hence 'Combo' or combination box

The dish is €50 approx
Roof aerial €15 approx
Combo box €40/€50 ISH.

And that's it, all you need now is a little DIY installation and you're off with a pretty good selection of HD TV stations + SD stations + a good selection of UK & Irish Radio stations too.

No monthly payments, totally legal, and once installed it's free for ever more. Of course you don't have every station under the sun but still it's not bad.

daheff

Hamsterchops wrote: »

The dish is €50 approx
Roof aerial €15 approx
Combo box €40/€50 ISH.

.

any links for any of these please?

homingbird

People on here forgot to mention iptv route for rte & the rest all you need is a good internet connection if you have a load of kids pulling off your internet its not a option.YOU dont need to fit any aerials if you go this way.Any apps off the playstore you can use your phone credit to pay for if you are on the old pay as you go three deal you keep the 20 euro to pay for thing like this.

oldsmokey

Hamsterchops wrote: »

You buy a Sky dish in Power City or Currys, DID etc, this will give you the UK channels.

You also buy a small roof aerial for the Irish (Saorview) channels RTE etc ......

Now you need a Combo box to sit under (or on top) of your TV, his box receives the signals from the dish and the roof aerial 'and combines the signals', hence 'Combo' or combination box

The dish is €50 approx
Roof aerial €15 approx
Combo box €40/€50 ISH.

And that's it, all you need now is a little DIY installation and you're off with a pretty good selection of HD TV stations + SD stations + a good selection of UK & Irish Radio stations too.

No monthly payments, totally legal, and once installed it's free for ever more. Of course you don't have every station under the sun but still it's not bad.

beautiful..last of the dumb questions...can a combi box be got that can record programmes?..that 'record' facility has kept us on sky for years?..if so, any particular model that you recommend?..i dont mind spending a few quid extra..thanks

Gerry Wicklow

oldsmokey wrote: »

beautiful..last of the dumb questions...can a combi box be got that can record programmes?..that 'record' facility has kept us on sky for years?..if so, any particular model that you recommend?..i dont mind spending a few quid extra..thanks

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057971250

Gerry Wicklow

daheff wrote: »

any links for any of these please?

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057971250

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/zgemma-h7s?filter_name=Zgemma%20H7S

Johnboy1951

Originally Posted by Hamsterchops View Post

The dish is €50 approx
Roof aerial €15 approx
Combo box €40/€50 ISH.

daheff wrote: »

any links for any of these please?

Have a browse of freetv.ie for aerials and dishes etc.

refusetolose

oldsmokey wrote: »

beautiful..last of the dumb questions...can a combi box be got that can record programmes?..that 'record' facility has kept us on sky for years?..if so, any particular model that you recommend?..i dont mind spending a few quid extra..thanks

you can even make it look like sky if you get the right box

the one gerry linked to above will do it

also if you wanted you could try a cheap indoor aerial for saorview before going on the roof

Johnboy1951

refusetolose wrote: »

you can even make it look like sky if you get the right box

the one gerry linked to above will do it

also if you wanted you could try a cheap indoor aerial for saorview before going on the roof

Interesting picture ....... why would encrypted channels be listed when the device is a FTA box?

Can they not be deleted from the channel listing?

greasepalm

Box was not setup for freesat hence why more channels are showing on epg

Boxes can do more if needed,setting them up for sky irl or sky uk location changes the line up.

Using uk brings up more of theirs first

Maybe it was an old post dated?

refusetolose

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Interesting picture ....... why would encrypted channels be listed when the device is a FTA box?

Can they not be deleted from the channel listing?

they can be deleted

oldsmokey

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057971250

Ah jaysus, I’m a bit of a Luddite., talk of epg, skins, FileZilla, means nada I’m afraid...pleeeasse...a simple recommendation for recordable combibox that won’t break my melt would be fab..thanks again...even a dealer in north cork east Kerry would be grand,,ta

refusetolose

oldsmokey wrote: »

Ah jaysus, I’m a bit of a Luddite., talk of epg, skins, FileZilla, means nada I’m afraid...pleeeasse...a simple recommendation for recordable combibox that won’t break my melt would be fab..thanks again...even a dealer in north cork east Kerry would be grand,,ta

he linked you to a box

its the Zgemma H7s

Gerry Wicklow

oldsmokey wrote: »

Ah jaysus, I’m a bit of a Luddite., talk of epg, skins, FileZilla, means nada I’m afraid...pleeeasse...a simple recommendation for recordable combibox that won’t break my melt would be fab..thanks again...even a dealer in north cork east Kerry would be grand,,ta

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/zgemma-h7s?filter_name=Zgemma%20H7S

greasepalm

Why go combi box as triple tuner can give you option to record on the H7s.

Epg is like Tv times or Rte guide so you know where and when your favourite program is on.

Skin is what can change the look of epg guide and can be left on default and changed at a latter date.

Filezilla on pc is used to access your box for extras needing a lan connection.

2 sat feed are needed for both tuners and not from a previous install of sky q =different lnb on dish.

Recordings can go into a fitted internally hdd maybe upto 4tb depending on how much you want to record.

Plenty of support for Luddites if needed.

Hamsterchops

oldsmokey wrote: »

beautiful..last of the dumb questions...can a combi box be got that can record programmes?..that 'record' facility has kept us on sky for years?..if so, any particular model that you recommend?..i dont mind spending a few quid extra..thanks

Record Yes.

I have the Ferguson Ariva 250 Combo box with a 1TB Hard drive plugged into it for recording . . .

Problem is, I've now got about six years of unneeded recordings, many of them pointless stuff recorded on a whim, from TOTP2 1989, to Wimbledon finals, to "Breaking Brexit News Headlines" from 2014

My point being > You can record away to your hearts content on one of these FTA boxes as long as the hard drive is mains powered.

My system is strictly a dish-aerial combo based system, simple as they come. One off payment when buying the components, then it's free for ever more ...... and not reliant on the internet or internet speed, which I think is s great advantage.

BBC ONE HD - RTE ONE HD - BBC NEWS HD - ITV1 HD - CHN 4 HD - CHN 5 HD - SKY NEWS - FRANCE 24 HD - CNN HD - BBC FOUR HD - RT HD ...... and the list goes on.

FTA Movie channels, music channels, stacks of +1 channels, all BBC regions, all ITV regions too, so you're not locked into Ulster anymore!

Many great advantages and no monthly charges, and if course it doesn't have all channels (it's free to Air) but it has a bloody good selection in its basic form.

Enjoy.

oldsmokey

greasepalm wrote: »

Why go combi box as triple tuner can give you option to record on the H7s.

Epg is like Tv times or Rte guide so you know where and when your favourite program is on.

Skin is what can change the look of epg guide and can be left on default and changed at a latter date.

Filezilla on pc is used to access your box for extras needing a lan connection.

2 sat feed are needed for both tuners and not from a previous install of sky q =different lnb on dish.

Recordings can go into a fitted internally hdd maybe upto 4tb depending on how much you want to record.

Plenty of support for Luddites if needed.

I was going great til I got to line 4 of your reply, appreciate the skin, epg stuff all the same...hdd ? LAN ? Sky q? ...the deeper one digs, the darker it gets😩...I’ll go for the recommended box and report back...from an amateur POV...thanks all..

oldsmokey

Hamsterchops wrote: »

Record Yes.

I have the Ferguson Ariva 250 Combo box with a 1TB Hard drive plugged into it for recording . . .

Problem is, I've now got about six years of unneeded recordings, many of them pointless stuff recorded on a whim, from TOTP2 1989, to Wimbledon finals, to "Breaking Brexit News Headlines" from 2014

My point being > You can record away to your hearts content on one of these FTA boxes as long as the hard drive is mains powered.

My system is strictly a dish-aerial combo based system, simple as they come. One off payment when buying the components, then it's free for ever more ...... and not reliant on the internet or internet speed, which I think is s great advantage.

BBC ONE HD - RTE ONE HD - BBC NEWS HD - ITV1 HD - CHN 4 HD - CHN 5 HD - SKY NEWS - FRANCE 24 HD - CNN HD - BBC FOUR HD - RT HD ...... and the list goes on.

FTA Movie channels, music channels, stacks of +1 channels, all BBC regions, all ITV regions too, so you're not locked into Ulster anymore!

Many great advantages and no monthly charges, and if course it doesn't have all channels (it's free to Air) but it has a bloody good selection in its basic form.

Enjoy.

Oh Lordy, just read your post, great stuff there...so might your box or the box recommended by another poster , the zgemma, be the best bet? Thanks again

greasepalm

Old sky + hd users have the same setup that can be used on enigma2 receivers.

New customers of Sky Q boxes have a different box and different lnb with 2 cables wideband.

Hdd is like the old vcr but modernised into usb and hdd like in a pc or desktop for recordings.

Arriva box is older and the zgemma 7 has 2 versions

Do you want 2 sat tuners + 1 saorview tuner
OR
2 saorview tuners + 1 sat.
Personally i like 2 sats as can record more than 1 saorview.

Hamsterchops

oldsmokey wrote: »

Oh Lordy, just read your post, great stuff there...so might your box or the box recommended by another poster , the zgemma, be the best bet? Thanks again

Definitely the zgemma.

My Ariva 250 is old school now, although if you get one cheap it will do the trick perfectly well.
The zgemma seems to be a much more advanced box, from reading about it on the internet.

Sleeper12

Free to air is a great starting point.

Most streaming services can be paid monthly. You could take 2 months off netflix and then jump to prime video for 2 months. Disney plus, Apple tv are worth paying for 2 or 3 months out of the year. Now tv works on monthly passes. You can get movies for a month & swap to box sets in entertainment for a month. All of the above can be shared with family and friends. If you get 4 screen netflix for 17 euros & share with friends you can split the bill.

Free to air is brilliant but there is a whole world of TV out there that doesn't have to cost a fortune.

oldsmokey

greasepalm wrote: »

Old sky + hd users have the same setup that can be used on enigma2 receivers.

New customers of Sky Q boxes have a different box and different lnb with 2 cables wideband.

Hdd is like the old vcr but modernised into usb and hdd like in a pc or desktop for recordings.

Arriva box is older and the zgemma 7 has 2 versions

Do you want 2 sat tuners + 1 saorview tuner
OR
2 saorview tuners + 1 sat.
Personally i like 2 sats as can record more than 1 saorview.

Hi, we’ve old sky plus hd. .sorry to ask but why have 2 saorsat tuners or 2 sat tuners?
Tia

greasepalm

oldsmokey wrote: »

Hi, we’ve old sky plus hd. .sorry to ask but why have 2 saorsat tuners or 2 sat tuners?
Tia

Choice of models as one has 2 x sat tuners ideal for old sky + hd and 1 saorview tuner


Other model has 2 x saorview tuners for aerial on roof and 1 sat.


Better to have 2 sat tuner box as one can record way more channels on sat.


Saorsat is completely different.

oldsmokey

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Free to air is a great starting point.

Most streaming services can be paid monthly. You could take 2 months off netflix and then jump to prime video for 2 months. Disney plus, Apple tv are worth paying for 2 or 3 months out of the year. Now tv works on monthly passes. You can get movies for a month & swap to box sets in entertainment for a month. All of the above can be shared with family and friends. If you get 4 screen netflix for 17 euros & share with friends you can split the bill.

Free to air is brilliant but there is a whole world of TV out there that doesn't have to cost a fortune.

I suppose it’s true but for the luddites it’s all a bit of a dose...anyway, cheers to the boardsies

oldsmokey

greasepalm wrote: »

Choice of models as one has 2 x sat tuners ideal for old sky + hd and 1 saorview tuner


Other model has 2 x saorview tuners for aerial on roof and 1 sat.


Better to have 2 sat tuner box as one can record way more channels on sat.


Saorsat is completely different.

Hi thanks for that...to continue the dumbness..if I opt for the 2 sat tuners then don’t I have to continue paying the sky sub to get the value from it? Cheers

greasepalm

Nothing to do with sky as only their boxes can open their encrypted channels,plenty on freesat to view in HD

https://freesat.ie/pages/channel-list

Manzoor14

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, but the advice you received from all posters were very useful for me! I was in a similar situation, in a new build trying to figure out my TV options, so I think i'm going the route of getting a dish, aerial and combo box. I've got a quote from a local guy to supply and install these.

The box he supplies is a Amiko mini combo, but he'll knock €60 off the price if I want to supply my own box. Based on advice in this thread, I was looking at the Zgemma H7S. At €130, its more expensive, but i'm guessing based on my research and this thread, its worth the extra €70 over the Amiko. I'll go with this option unless anyone think the Amiko is the better option?

I think I read somewhere (I can't remember where!) that Amiko didn't have Freesat, so for that alone i'm leaning towards the Zgemma.

Thanks again for all the advice given in this thread, I found it invaluable.

Gerry Wicklow

The amiko mini combo only has a single satellite tuner and would not be able to record while watching another channel. For the sake of the few quid now the Zgemma is streets ahead in functions and performance.

Johnboy1951

Manzoor14 wrote:

I think I read somewhere (I can't remember where!) that Amiko didn't have Freesat, so for that alone i'm leaning towards the Zgemma.

The Zgemma does not have "Freesat".
It is a Free to Air box.

"Freesat" provide an EPG for those channels that pay to be on their version.
Some channels do not, such as Channel 4 HD amongst others.
All the Free to Air channels can be received by the non-Freesat boxes such as the Zgemma.

stanley1

CrossEPG Downloader gives 7 day epg on zgemma and most enigma2 free to air boxes.

roadmaster

decor58 wrote: »

Been using fta tv for 15-20 years, so I don't know what I am missing with subscription tv but don't feel
we are not missing out on too much, RTE, VM1, BBC and C4 covers most of our viewing with Netflix in the mix. I have had a variety of combo receivers over the years and then Saorview tv with Humax Freesat boxes, currently use a Walker smart tv with Saorview and satellite built in, (Netflix, YouTube, RTE player included) with a HDD for recordings, I also have a combo receiver in the loop for when recordings clash, one4all remote does the lot. Yes, sport is not an issue so that eases the pressure for subscription.

How is the walker TV working out are you happy with it?

decor58

roadmaster wrote: »

How is the walker TV working out are you happy with it?

Yeah, it's fine on picture and sound quality, I don't have any issues with it, reliable, haven't missed any recordings. Have a 24inch in the kitchen, 43 in the living room, would I buy another, yes.

oldsmokey

Still following this, hope springs eternal...anyone know of a retailer who flogs this gear who,ll have a bit of savvy? I still don’t trust myself to buy / instal / set up the system, ta....I’m in north cork.