Zgemma H7s Guide

Thanks for the reply.

Just a couple more quick questions. Is it a very tight fit or nice sliding fit into the slot at the back? Does it suffer from any of the vibration and noise problem described by CalamariFritti in his posts above?

Thanks again.

Does anyone else find that they need to restart their box periodically?
Like maybe every 1 or 2 weeks…

I've tried leaving it on the whole time and leaving it in standby when not in use. it doesnt seem to make a difference.
Just curious how ye get on with yours.

Thanks for the reply and advice.

Fortunately, having owned a Tiviar Alpha + for the last few years, running Openvix, the learning curve should be a little less steep. That said, I'm still learning new functions and capabilities of this OS even now. The Tiviar box is on it's last legs having already been converted to run off an external power supply following PSU failure, it has now stopped responding to the remote control. Indeed it has stopped responding to any remote control whether the original or my One For All handset. Fortunately, there is an Android phone app called DreamEPG which has a network / wifi remote control function which works pretty well, but the writing is on the wall.

The DTT tuner capability isn't an issue for me. I live in the UK, just across the water from Dublin, but have switched away from DT and now get all my TV either via streaming or satellite. It also means that I will probably buy any new box from WoS with Openvix pre-installed.

If I am forced down the route of the buying a new SSD for my satellite box, I will probably choose an Octagon SF8008 Supreme 4K. This has the option of installing an internal NVMe M.2 drive. Although the Octagon box is about £20 more expensive than the H7S a 1TB NVMe drive is about £10 cheaper. It has been suggested, on a number of online forums, that the Octagon is the better quality box and, for me, would offer a neater solution if I have to go the SSD route.

Anyway, thanks again for your help, much appreciated.

Its on the terminal. if you have ssh setup just ssh into it. If not you can get a command shell from openwebif, its Extras/Terminal bottom left. login as 'root' no password then run 'opkg update' and 'opkg upgrade'.

Its not a bad idea to run these two once every while just to get updates and fixes to your current image. Saves reimaging at a later stage unless major version jump.

Also I posted an update dversion a page or two earlier, has a couple minor updates. Here it is, its a markdown formatted text but boards wont allow attaching 'md' files so I added 'txt' to the end. Remove '.txt' and view in your browser.

I'm watching the rugby but have you considered buying a better box than the H7S and Octagon or is budget limited. I will test a seagate later.

Thanks for the quick reply. Do enjoy the rugby.

I'm reluctant to go for a more expensive box, and things like Vu+ and Gigablue boxes seem to be a lot more expensive, when functionally the cheaper boxes should do everything that I want, just like the Tiviar has over the last six years. At the end of the day I think it will be a Zgemma H7S or an Octagon SF8008, although I have toyed with the idea of a second hand Vu+ Solo2. But they are getting quite old now.

Thanks for offering to actually test a Seagate drive in a H7S. I look forward to seeing the result of your testing.

I'd say your image is old and as an aside Vix is now better than Openatv. Could try that on another slot.

Sorry no idea, what image have you got? I got OpenATV 7.3 and it's right there under Extras/Terminal.

Right I tried a Seagate Laptop sshd and here are the results.

SSD(CRUCIAL) SSHD(SEAGATE)

Weight 40gr 91 gr

Size D x L 6.2mm x 9.82 mm 6.2mm 9.92 mm

RPM n/a 5400

STANBY TIME not required can be set by user

Response Instant slight lag

I was able to push in the sshd but it was more difficult to engage the sockets. SSD was easier to fit.

In use I could hear the sshd spin up but I was listening for it. No vibration. In use I could tell there was a lag as I have always used SSD with the Zgemma h7s. But to a new user who has not used SSD it may not be even noticeable.

EPG is always stored on HD or USB and by instinct I knew it was best to use a USB and that's what I did. Same applies for PICONS.

Power: I know the ssHD will draw more power than an SSD and I know the PSU for the zgemma is not so good so I used a PSU from a solo2, again just instinct/force of habit.

Here are 2 pics of the ssHD and on the rear there is a tab like section that can be used for gripping away from any circuitry.

It got warm to touch on a few occasions.

Overall it behaved well and as an alternative its feasible but its a tighter fit than an SSD and depending on usage may burn out the original PSU quickly.

This test is only for the benefit of Monster 900. I checked the WOS site as I would have been surprised if they supplied an internal HDD with this item. Here is what they state.

" ADD 500GB SILENT SATA III SSD DRIVE FOR ONLY £40!"

Here are 2 pics of sshd used.

Use a non standard HD at your own risk.

Query first models of H7S had internal device and later models had exterior push in device and would that mean you cannot fit it internally as cable and connections are not there?

Since the option for a 1tb HDD is there, in the drop down list for the V2 model, I would expect an HDD to just push into the slot. I guess when I am ready to buy I am going to have to phone them up first to seek some reassurance that this is the case and that their website is not in error in some way.

Makes what should be a simple, online click and deliver to the door purchase that bit more complicated but maybe that's just the way it is.

did you ever sort this issue. I’m having the same now :(

Best to add what issue

Hoping someone here can shed some light on this one…..

On my Zgemma I've lost RTE1 from the Saorview bouquet! All other Saorview and Freesat bouquets/channels are normal. (Actually it shows in the bouquet but no audio/video).

I'm tuned to Maghera. Image is Vix 6.6.005 with Simple_ten_eighty skin.

I've rescanned, restarted the GUI, and rebooted the Zgemma all to no avail.

Strange one!! Any ideas please?

Just a quick update. All back to normal after I re-flashed an image that I had made a week ago. Very strange!