Tiviar alpha replacement

Heiser

Ive a tiviar alpha plus since 2018 and it's worked great. I've come back from holidays and after having it plugged out for a week it won't turn back on now.

So I need a replacement. After having a look at a few threads from last year and before it seems the zgemma h7 is the go to, however it seems very expensive now as it's only available from Irish suppliers.

Has anyone got any alternatives that come with a HDD for less than 200? Tbh I just need the exact same features as the tiviar alpha, and don't need to be able to watch and record a UK station simultaneously. Once it can series record and has a combined saorview and Freesat epg.

So are there any reasonable alternatives now that the zgemma h7 has been discontinued?

green123

I think it was a common issue known fault with them boxes.

I had one that was fixed for that under warranty and then the replacement failed again a few years later.

Another alternative would be to get it repaired if someone here knows a bit more about this issue?

I am trying to remember. I think it was just the power supply pcb inside the box?

Griffinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058412116/tiviar-alpha-replacement

I have a similar problem..after powering it up, everything booted up but it showed SNR 0% on all three inputs so I think I need a new one. What did you go for?

dermo2014

@Griffinx

That might be more of an LNB or cabling issue.

Griffinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123693046#Comment_123693046

Its a strange one because everything was working fine, I unplugged the Tiviar, moved it while we were cleaning and plugged it back in 2 days later and SNR=0% on all three inputs. Cables, dish or ariel weren't touched

andy1249

Take the lid off the box , and look for swollen capacitors , they should be dead flat on top , if they are bulging where the cross is , or even leaking , then its the Power Supply Section at fault.

Swollen or leaking caps can stay working for ages , until you remove power and then try and boot up again , at which point it fails.

The box is fixable, but you will need replacement capacitors and know how to solder properly. The boxes are old now , and whether or not you deem it worth fixing is your choice.

Mine died that way. I have had two Zgemmas since , both went the same way , then I bought VU+ , they dont have any internal electrolytic caps , as the PSU is a brick on the outside , the box itself works off any 12v PSU with the same or better power rating.

mun1

I replaced my PSU with Amazon laptop version .

Anyone with reliable options to replace tiviar ?

I’m still running open ATV 6.1 . Must get around to updating as box has a tendency to blink picture on and off at random times

Griffinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123693687#Comment_123693687

I just bought an OCTAGON SF8008 Combo 4K on amazon.ie for €119 all in.

https://www.amazon.ie/dp/B07K5VN7X8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Reviews are pretty good for the price but note it only has 1 satellite input feed and 1 terrestrial input which is fine for me now as I hardly ever record anymore.

greasepalm

Triple tuner boxes i think are now a thing of the past.

Octagon name is well built and assume your using OpenVix image on it.

Griffinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123694288#Comment_123694288

Still waiting for it to ship, do you think OpenVix is a better option than OpenATV

greasepalm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123694395#Comment_123694395

I just use OpenVix on all boxes to suit my needs and tried OpenATV but not liked it as a choice.

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123694288#Comment_123694288

I have one of those , it lives in a bedroom and gets used as a spare and for tinkering. I got the one with the Nvme drive.

Big heads up …… the unit comes with " Define" OS loaded. You use Define to load other E2 OSes into the system. So Do not wipe it and install E2 as per the normal route with these boxes , as Define has a lot of very useful apps & Features and an app store with all the usual streaming services on there , more than you get with a base E2 install.

Simply drill down in the correct menu for every type of E2 OS you could imagine , and Define OS will create a slot and install it. The box has theoretically unlimited slots , only bound by the size of the hard drive.

Obviously , the box must be connected to the internet to load other images as it pulls them down off the internet , no need for messing about with USB sticks.

EDIT: Instructions for installing images

Switch between installed images:install new images
From Enigma2: Menu - Standby / Restart - Multiboot selection.
From OCTAGON Define OS: Menu - FAV button or tile System - Multi Boot.

Once an E2 image is loaded , it can be ticked as preferred startup OS.

I find Openvix the best because AFAIK it is the only one with a full manual.

https://www.openvix.co.uk/openvix-builds/Guides%20and%20Tutorials/VIX%20Manual%20Vs%201.1.pdf

What would have made this box just about perfect , was if the satellite tuner was an FBC tuner. That would have given you four tuners for multiple recording options , and also would have worked fine for legacy installs as a single tuner.

Great little box , love it , and a nice price too given all the stuff it can do.

It is both Satellite and IPTV ready , an ideal box for both options.

dxhound2005

What is your experience of the NVME drive?

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123695867#Comment_123695867

No noticeable difference to any other type of drive.

The newest version of the Octagon S8008 simply comes with an NVME slot , thats all.

Im not sure a receiver box like this will use the speed advantage those drives bring, its quiet , and easy to install , but no benefit over any other type of SSD drive. The unit is smaller than most boxes , NVMe will help with that , but thats about it.

Griffinx

Does anyone have a nice EPG bouquet with the free Astra channels along with Saorview that I can import into DreamboxEdit

swoofer

I dont know how good you are on these boxes but if you have flashed Openvix, and thats the best, you can set up autobouquet maker to run and hide the ones you dont want and have it saorview, sky entertainment, news, movies etc. When it runs as you have only one tuner screen will go black but its quick. you can then dowload that to dreamboxedit and set as you wish

And you can set ABM to run auto so any changes are grabbed.