SKY Q to Freesat box + Streamer box, a combo or other solution?? .. whats best way to go?

aidanodr

Hi Guys,

I am not using the SKY Q box these days or really for the last year. Sadly my wife (53) passed away this time last year, she was getting the most usage out of the SKY Q box, big into crime series and the like, bridgerton etc

No aerial on the roof anymore. Have a galvanised 4 port LNB Dish on chimney. One going to Manhattan Freesat box/TV kitchen, 2 others to the SKY Q box in front room currently

I dumped Netflix, Prime and paramount subs. SKY Q now €50 a month for the basic package, TBH all im using is YOUTUBE

SO - I was thinking of a streaming box like this Thomson unit thats getting great reviews - the Thomson Streaming Box 270UK Plus:

https://www.amazon.ie/Thomson-Streaming-Speaker-Control-Netflix/dp/B0DJT7JRWT

THEN adding some sort of Freesat box?? Recommends? Not too worried about RTE etc - can always watch on the net anyway if needed. Recording, not sure.

So is THIS two seperate box solution the best? OR is there such a thing as a decent Freesat/Streaming combo box available ( for Netflix, Prime etc )?? I saw mention here by many of this ZGemma H7s box, but I dont think that streams???

Is it Freesat here for us in Ireland ( Im in Carrigaline, Co. Cork ) OR with the setup above is Free to Air box an option - better/worse than Freesat?

Thanks for your time,
Aidan

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058425852/sky-q-to-freesat-box-streamer-box-a-combo-or-other-solution-whats-best-way-to-go

You say youve dumped your subs for netflix , prime , paramount etc.

You are aware that you need to pay subs for the content on the streaming box right ? Its not like they come free with it.

Otherwise what content do you plan to watch on it ?

Also , Amazon reviews are questionable , usually the first few hundred are fakes by the seller , here is an owners thread , Google TV boxes are not great.

https://www.avforums.com/threads/google-tv-streamer-4k-2024.2503670/

The king of the hill at the moment is the Apple TV 4K

The Nvidia Shield pro is the best option for lossless HD audio.

aidanodr

@andy1249 I should have clarified. I dropped the streamers later last year due to circumstances and where I was at then. I also found I was not using Sky much either but kept it going.

I am only getting around now to making decisions on all of this. So I have decided to drop Sky Q @€50pm because I am not using it still. And through your guys advice set up a freesat solution ( or free to air ) for the sat channels and then something like that thomson streaming box where I am considering Netflix and Prime again when I am not paying €50 a month to Sky anymore.

I am not looking for any illegal solutions. Just advice on where to go with a freesat box, a streaming box or some sort of combo of both maybe.

I mentioned my circumstance in the OP to indicate where I was at & am at. Headspace wise I am in a better place to start doing this now.

Aidan

Henry Ford III

If you put up an aerial you could get a simple combo box (try www.freetv.ie) and get RTE etc. as well as any fta sat channels.

Ongoing sub is €0

aidanodr

Thanks @Henry Ford III .. I am not that worried about RTE etc at the moment, can use online for those if needed. I dont watch them that much ... BUT in saying that maybe for the future some sort of combo box with saorview would be a good idea?

I have seen mentions of an internal aerial for saorview?

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869285#Comment_123869285

Keep an eye on the main page of this site , various Satellite , freeview , streaming and combo boxes show up all the time.

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/

The good ones are usually available on Amazon, try Amazon.de if it doesnt show up on the Irish site.

Note that E2 boxes never include streaming services , and plugins that do become unstable or stop working very quickly.

Linux is open source , streaming service software is not. So generally the two dont mix.

There are a lot of streaming solutions.

Note , my experience of streaming , Virgin media , is not great , keeps stalling , and then coming back on after missing a few minutes of the program , was watching NCIS and it froze just as the killer was about to be revealed , and came back on with the credits rolling !!!

Also , picture quality sucks compared directly to satellite , HD my backside ….. some of them look brutal.

Satellite is still king , but for how much longer is the question.

aidanodr

Thanks @andy1249

By streaming I mean the Netflix, amazon prime etc type services vs virgin, vodafone, eir TV streaming options.

At the moment in the kitchen I have a manhattan FREESAT box on the TV. In the front room is the SKY Q box i am going to cancel. Im looking to replace that with a free to air / freesat box for the satellite channels and then some box like the Thomson Streaming Box 270UK Plus to take care of the Netflix, Prime, Youtube etc.

In the OP i was asking for advice on what to get for the free to air / freesat box for the satellite channels? I do have two cables from the dish to the SKY Q box at the moment.

I was also wondering is there such a box that combines free to air/freesat + streaming ( Netflix etc ) + maybe saorview for the future with an internal aerial. OR is it best to just get "seperates"?

And another quick Q - Freesat and free to air and Freeview. I think the former two are available here in Ireland? I have freesat in the kitchen already. Is free to air possible instead of freesat here? Which is better if so? Seems to be less freesat boxes around. I am not wedded to freesat.

Yes I 100% agree satellite is king, but as you said for how long with the various satellites - some reaching end of life apparently by 2029 & a Q as to whether companies will commit to them further than that. Thats why I am for now staying away from the Eir, Voda etc TV streaming stuff. Or Sky stream

Thanks again - Aidan

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869432#Comment_123869432

Mixed opinions on this but I find the Amazon Firestick fine for what I use it for, there's other options as well so plenty of choice.

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869432#Comment_123869432

Most new TVs are smart TVs these days, so Netflix , Disney , Amazon , etc are usually accessed with the apps on the TV.

Thats the way I do it. Its usually the best way , separate boxes have lots of issues with those apps , mostly to do with frame rate matching ( Stuttering video ) , this is never a problem on the apps on the actual TV.

That just leaves you with getting the satellite channels , and there are a lot of options.

The most popular budget combo box , The Zgemma H7s , is out of production , so that leaves the more expensive higher end boxes like the Gigablue or VU+ Duo 4K SE , which are still available.

Im running two VU+ 4K Duo SE boxes with FBC tuners and a UNICABLE II LNB.

Ive also got a small collection of single tuner boxes to fiddle with.

Otherwise , if recording is not important to you , then single tuner combo boxes , one satellite and one terrestrial , there are lots of those , I would recommend the octagon S8008 extreme , its a great little box. its about 100 or so.

With Sky Q , the LNB will have to be changed on the dish unless you know its a hybrid.

aidanodr

@andy1249

"Most new TVs are smart TVs these days, so Netflix , Disney , Amazon , etc are usually accessed with the apps on the TV."

I have a 42" Panasonic Viera plasma TV with a picture thats still as good as the day we bought it. Until that goes I will need a streaming box for netflix etc. At the moment I do have a chromecast attached to it so can go via phone as an option

"With Sky Q , the LNB will have to be changed on the dish unless you know its a hybrid."

We dumped the SKY Dish years back as it was rusting, glitching. Replaces with a larger galvanised dish with a 4 port LNB on it. I assume I am good with that?

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869526#Comment_123869526

If Sky Q is still working then its a wideband LNB , those are incompatible with anything else other than the Sky Q box or the Arris Freesat box.

A Hybrid LNB will have two wideband connectors for Sky Q and the rest legacy connectors , when you changed the dish , was this after or before Sky Q was installed ?

Also , mine was a panasonic Viera as well , it died at 12 years old , colours starting bleeding into one another and a few days later it was dead , that is about the life expectancy of plasmas.

Youll be in the Market for a new TV sooner rather than later , and OLED is the only currently available option that replaces the quality of Plasma.

Tech has moved on , couldnt believe the increase in picture quality with UHD 4K , five years in and still get those Wow moments from my CX.

aidanodr

@andy1249

"A Hybrid LNB will have two wideband connectors for Sky Q and the rest legacy connectors , when you changed the dish , was this after or before Sky Q was installed ?"

Not sure BUT the LNB has 4 cables running off it - 2 to the sky Q box and one of he 2 others to the Manhattan Fressat box in the Kitchen. SO - I could test this and temp take the FREESAT box into the front room, plug in the cables going to the sky Q box and see if the Manhattan box works?

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123870295#Comment_123870295

Sky did install 4 output hybrid LNBs and 6 output hybrid LNBs. You may have the 4 output version with 2 legacy and 2 wideband outputs

aidanodr

We bought the 3rd party galvanised dish with 4 port lnb from a local installer who also provided the cabling and the manhattan freesat box. None of this is Sky kit. He replaced the rusted small black sky dish. 2 of the cables off this are connected to the sky Q box, 1 other connected to the manhattan freesat box.

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871132#Comment_123871132

Ok, thanks for the clarification

Hybrid LNBs are commercially available, this is what the installer fitted

aidanodr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871280#Comment_123871280

So if I replace the Sky Q box with a Freesat box I should be ok??

mun1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871327#Comment_123871327

i bought a ZGemma H7S for €115 delivered and it covers both freesat and saorview . Great box

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871327#Comment_123871327

The present generation Arris Freesat box is compatible with the wideband outputs of the hybrid LNB. This gives access to 4 tuners for recording/watching.

The Freesat box also works with a standard LNB for 2 tuners.

Also works with dSCR LNBs and multi switches for 4 tuners.

swoofer

No, with sky Q the outputs are only for sky Q so to make freesat box work you would need to swop the cable inputs that go to other room. But if you only have one cable going to other room then you can use the cable that is on the sky q output ie plug it in to the spare slot in LNB.

as for streaming, what have you against a firestick 4kmax?

aidanodr

@swoofer

"as for streaming, what have you against a firestick 4kmax?"

Nothing at all. Though i did hear the new gen of firesticks will be using amazon own op sys I think and side loading - if thats your thing - not allowed??

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871884#Comment_123871884

Yes indeed , the vast majority of " Dodgy boxes" are Amazon firesticks sideloaded with IPTV plugins.

Amazon are under pressure to do something about this " vast " enabling of piracy , so dont be surprised when newer models , or even older models with new firmware , have sideloading disabled.

andy1249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871404#Comment_123871404

According to the crowd over on Avforums in the UK , the Arris freesat box is not great at all.

Enigma2 budget boxes come with DVB S2X tuners , and need legacy outputs , with the current LNB that only leaves 2 outputs , so say , one Twin tuner box is all you can install.

The equivalent of Sky Q from Enigma2 is a box with FBC tuners and a UNICABLE II LNB , this will let you record as many channels as you want. For example both Gigablue and VU+ boxes come with twin FBC tuners.

That means two physical and 6 virtual tuners , giving 8 in total , but as all 8 tuners cover almost all transponders , the only theoretical limit to the amount of simultaneous recordings is the speed of the hard drive interface.

There have been test cases showing 50 simultaneous recordings.

Also , tuners can be shared with any handheld device or computer running either plex or kodi , so if you have a busy house , all occupants can grab a tuner and watch whatever they want.

Another bonus is UNICABLE II can be split downstream , so you only need one feed coming from the dish , and cheap multipoint splitters can feed as many boxes as the LNB has User bands.

This is my LNB

https://www.satworld.ie/inverto-unicable-ii-programmable-lnb-with-32ub-en.html

It has 32 user bands , so 32 feeds , which can be either individual boxes or FBC tuners , so in my case I have two VU+ boxes with 8 tuners each , so 16 of the 32 user bands are in use.

Obviously , with this being the equivalent or better than Sky Q , the box is more expensive , but again , its a one time spend , no bills. Boxes end up at approx 350-400 euros configured for both Satellite and Terrestrial.

decor58

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123872712#Comment_123872712

The newly launched VEGAS OS system apparently does not support side loading, interesting to see what those who can will do.

Danny2580

Different location here (Kildare), but I use a bog standard indoor aerial for the terrestrial channels, and in fact a paper clip on one of my TV's which picks them up fine. I have a couple of NOW TV sticks, which I use as needed. Heavy sport watcher so have everything for about €15 per month (shared with another family member), very easily set up. Access to all the Sky set of channels very cheaply. And Youtube premium cheaply, as per the thread on bargain alerts. Set up works fine, only thing I'm contracted for is broadband €35 per month.

aidanodr

@Danny2580 You say "Access to all the Sky set of channels very cheaply"

Curious - How do you do that ( all )?

The NOW Entertainment package just has "Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Witness, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky History, Sky Nature, Sky Crime, Sky Arts, Sky Sci-Fi, Gold, MTV, Comedy Central, Alibi, Sky Kids and BSL Zone"

aidanodr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123870327#Comment_123870327

@andy1249 @The Cush

OK Guys. It is indeed a SKY LNB, looks like 6 output hybrid LNB as suggested by @The Cush? Some pics

So from what I am reading its the Freesat recordable 4K boxes that will work with the "Sky Q" cabling?

https://www.amazon.ie/Freesat-Recordable-4K-Box-500GB/dp/B081H9FY6H

Any other boxes that will work with the "Sky Q" cabling?

The TV I have is an older 42" PANASONIC Viera TX-P42GT50B Plasma TV ( 3D ) .. Full HD (1920 x 1080p) .. not 4K

And the picture is still as good as ever. SO would that TV work with this freesat 4K TV box or equivalent?

The recording thing is not a deal breaker TBH, so anyone with box ideas w/o recording that will work with the "Sky Q" cabling?

Are we talking some sort of ZGEMMA box perhaps?

Can someone explain FREESAT vs FREE-to-AIR box? Is FREESAT preferable? Will both work here in Ireland?

dubrov

Now TV is just Sky's streaming package. The basic Entertainment package is 8 Euro a month. You install an app on your own device to run it.

Given you are already setup for it, why not just get a FreeSat box to replace the Sky box? It would be plug and play and many run apps such as Youtube, Prime etc.

FreeSat is just a selection of free-to-air channels organised into groups with the addition of a program guide. There are more free-to-air available than on FreeSat but the popular ones are all there.

The other option is to just get a streaming box. I'd go with a Google Streamer or decent Firestick as they are cheap and support will be much better long-term for all the apps you like to run. For live TV RTE and Virgin players would give you the Irish channels. UK apps like BBC iPlayer generally won't run without a VPN

Getting a combo box like a ZGemma H7S would require more technical maintenance (many enjoy it). They can also run some apps like Youtube but no Netflix. You would need to add an aerial for Irish channels (a cheap indoor aerial might do)

Personally, I'd head up to Currys and buy a Firestick 4k Max for €60. If you find that you want the UK channels later, you could always add a FreeSat box later.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123874668#Comment_123874668

That TV is supposed to have a Freesat tuner built in. You could plug the cable from the dish into the tuner to tune in Freesat. If it is the LNB you described. That would cut out the need for a separate box. Try it out for a while and nothing lost if you decide later that you do need a separate box.

https://www.freetv.ie/sky-q-hybrid-lnb/

aidanodr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123874871#Comment_123874871

Yes it does @dxhound2005 .. I tried it a while back. The EPG is utter garbage and a complete nightmare to work around it