Horizon TV- Awful?

califano · 29-10-2014 1:28pm

wally79 wrote: »

They told me no on the phone but the reps on the Talk to UPC forum said it was and followed up and I got a call back to say it was possible.

That was about 6 weeks ago. Haven't decided on it yet. Here's the PM I received

"Hi,

Ths is possible. An activation fee of €60 would apply and an additional monthly charge would depend on the bundle which was then taken. Our Sales Team can advise of this on freephone 1908 from 9am to 9pm daily and they will need your account details.

Thanks, Brian."

Cheers ill see how it goes, wouldnt like to have to pay €60 as an existing customer when others are feining cancellation to get cheaper deals in the first place. Im sure you could swing a deal by pm to forego the 60 install.
I didnt think you needed broadband to setup the horizon box initially because what about people that just want upc tv. Just rang tech to confirm and he said no just hook it up to the tv point and it will install. He said just login to the horizon box and disable wifi.
I have 14 days apparantly to cancel the contract if it doesnt work out.

Joo0 · 29-10-2014 3:34pm

If you have Skysports you can get HD multiroom for 5 euro a month with free box.

califano · 29-10-2014 7:05pm

Joo0 wrote: »

If you have Skysports you can get HD multiroom for 5 euro a month with free box.

Only for new customers, they wouldnt budge when i tried.

Install went fine it wa just a matter of plug and play. Strangely yesterday evening before i got the horizon box i lost half my HD channels on the hd box and they said this evening its a MOX issue and they need to send out an engineer on Friday so hopefully they can get that back.

Joo0 · 29-10-2014 9:37pm

http://www.upc.ie/television/premium-existingcustomer/
Bottom of the page. Ends on Friday as far as I know.

califano · 29-10-2014 10:20pm

Joo0 wrote: »

http://www.upc.ie/television/premium-existingcustomer/
Bottom of the page. Ends on Friday as far as I know.

Sorry, i thought you meant the €1 for 6 months offer, thats the one for new customers. Wouldnt be interested in this one as i have ways and means;)
Must say the horizon tv box is impressive so far.

Sapele · 02-11-2014 5:11pm

unklerosco wrote: »

I'm the opposite, have horizon and the pic quality is pants compared to my folks sky HD box.. and my TV is far superior to theirs so I'd be expecting better pic quality.

That's certainly odd. Your HD reception with horizon should be crystal clear, (imo) you either have a problem with your upc signal or tv. Sky HD is hopeless. Even my TV3 (non hd) is very good but some of the other SD channels on horizon are lacking in signal quality, but who cares since they are rarely watched. If I were you I would be straight on to UPC who can and will adjust signal strength (I know as I have been on to them many times over the years). Sky on the other hand will do nothing, I tried to improve my sky reception until I way blue in the face, all I got was a headache and extra changes on my phone bill.

aphex™ · 04-11-2014 2:06pm

Are you still having problems with this box? Looking to move to UPC today. I went back 3 pages and it's the series delete and WIFI issues which are mentioned, which won't affect me.

beauf · 04-11-2014 4:55pm

Depends what's a critical feature for you. For example mine didn't record the last 10 mins of Love and Hate, then missed the next two episodes. On other series its been recording duplicates. Not a big deal for me, might be for others.

califano · 18-11-2014 11:42am

Is there any way they can update firmware to reduce the display facade when you turn a channel to less that 5 seconds?. Currently 5 seconds is the minimum amount of time it will take to go away which seems about 3 seconds too long.

Luck100 · 18-11-2014 6:14pm

califano wrote: »

Is there any way they can update firmware to reduce the display facade when you turn a channel to less that 5 seconds?. Currently 5 seconds is the minimum amount of time it will take to go away which seems about 3 seconds too long.

Yeah I find that really annoying. Would love to knock it down to 1-2 seconds.

califano · 18-11-2014 6:25pm

Luck100 wrote: »

Yeah I find that really annoying. Would love to knock it down to 1-2 seconds.

yeah and the thing is you can on the multiroom box whether hd or sd. But i wonder if this could feasibly upgraded in a software update in the future.

musohead · 21-11-2014 8:47pm

My 2c, having used Horizon since it came out and comparing it with Sky that I had before. IMHO there are strengths and weaknesses to each so hopefully the following helps someone:

1. It appears to me that UPC is compressing its HD signal. There is a motion blurring that doesn't happen with Sky HD. However the UPC SD and HD picture are good quality in other respects. Plus UPC throw in plenty of HD channels (inc. ITV HD) as standard. UPC just edges it over Sky for this reason.

2. The UPC remote control is appalling. It has a terrible lag that means you often overshoot a menu choice. You can accidentally delete a recording if not careful. Sky wins hands down here for its responsiveness.

3. UPC's EPG is terrible. It's very slow to move about and no intuitive way to jump up/down pages. It doesn't show a lot of information and takes several button pushes to see basic programme details. Sky's EPG sets the standard, being fast, intuitive and informative, easy winner. I'll give UPC some consolation points for their 'favourites' mode.

4. UPC's scheduling is not as intuitive as Sky's. Too much button pushing for basic tasks. It also does some strange things, like recording multiple repeats of a programme and often losing series link. Sky is rock solid here.

5. UPC's display of recorded programmes is quite good, grouping by latest episode date. However the playback controls are poor. There is no obvious way to jump through a long programme other than 30x fast forward. Can't even jump to the end. Sky's controls are good with options to jump anywhere.

6. UPC's Android streaming app is actually quite good and manages to be usable compared with similar streaming apps I've tried (e.g. Dreambox). The remote control function of this app is very useful. UPC win over Sky's basic scheduling app.

There are other oddities with UPC. The scart signal does not work if the HDMI is not active. So if you're running an extension TV off the scart, the main TV has to be on too. UPC's 'My Network' has potential, especially if you have a server with videos, but it's very clunky to use, requiring plenty of button pushing.

That's enough for now. Any questions?

Wabbit Ears · 21-11-2014 10:35pm

I can tell you, as some one who currently has both SKY and UPC that P

mjp · 04-12-2014 9:03pm

Currently have UPC basic package with phone and broadband bundle. Bought hd tv and looking to upgrade to hd package but they are requesting €90 activation fee aswell as the additional €5 per month. Additional monthly payment I have no issue with but don't want to pay the €90 activation fee. They tried selling me horizon box but refuse to take it due to the negative feedback I've been getting from friends and seeing online.

Any recommendations asto how to get around this activation charge??

mfceiling · 04-12-2014 9:49pm

mjp wrote: »

Currently have UPC basic package with phone and broadband bundle. Bought hd tv and looking to upgrade to hd package but they are requesting €90 activation fee aswell as the additional €5 per month. Additional monthly payment I have no issue with but don't want to pay the €90 activation fee. They tried selling me horizon box but refuse to take it due to the negative feedback I've been getting from friends and seeing online.

Any recommendations asto how to get around this activation charge??

Give Sky a call - no "activation" charge and you will have a tv service that actually works and does as it claims.

IrlMonk · 04-12-2014 10:02pm

That's what i did.....a thousand times better

paulboland · 16-12-2014 1:48pm

Just to let you know
Horizon Wireless 5GHz is active on the Horizon Box

Its now Dual Wireless
2.4GHz and 5GHz

Great Update
You can use both Wireless same time

I tested 5GHz on my iPhone 5s works great

If you have a wireless device that's 5Ghz I would use it

You now have 2 wireless options

You can connect 2.4Ghz wireless devices and 5GHz wireless devices same time to your network

killbillvol2 · 16-12-2014 8:58pm

paulboland wrote: »

Just to let you know
Horizon Wireless 5GHz is active on the Horizon Box

Its now Dual Wireless
2.4GHz and 5GHz

Great Update
You can use both Wireless same time

I tested 5GHz on my iPhone 5s works great

If you have a wireless device that's 5Ghz I would use it

You now have 2 wireless options

You can connect 2.4Ghz wireless devices and 5GHz wireless devices same time to your network

That's a useful addition. I knocked off wireless and use my own router so it won't affect me.

For anyone using 5GHz it might improve your signal (almost certainly will) but its range will be very limited.

doubie · 04-01-2015 2:37pm

Got it sorted..I had to delete the TV from both the wired and wireless internet. Then I had to add another wireless access point and then connect the tv to this over wifi.

Melendez · 05-01-2015 9:03am

This post has been deleted.

total former · 05-01-2015 9:07am

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

My bill includes a single figure for all three services.

Wabbit Ears · 05-01-2015 9:36am

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

They do this for residential accounts but they will itemise a buisness account which is what you need to have if your work is paying the costs.

tigger123 · 06-01-2015 12:45pm

I recently installed the Horizon HD box.

I've been looking around the forum but can't find what I'm looking for.

Can anyone point me towards a step by step guide to stream media from my laptop to the Horizon box? Stuff such as live streaming (like Netflix) or saved movies on my hard drive? Essentially, is it possible to see up a connection that operates like Google Chromecast using the Horizon box?

coldfire1x · 06-01-2015 6:31pm

Login to My UPC
Click on 'HZN Client Entitlements'
Under Heading 'My Twonky' click on 'Information and Download link'

You need that for what you are trying to do.

Luck100 · 06-01-2015 7:25pm

tigger123 wrote: »

I recently installed the Horizon HD box.

I've been looking around the forum but can't find what I'm looking for.

Can anyone point me towards a step by step guide to stream media from my laptop to the Horizon box? Stuff such as live streaming (like Netflix) or saved movies on my hard drive? Essentially, is it possible to see up a connection that operates like Google Chromecast using the Horizon box?

Check out Plex media server or Twonky. I use Plex myself. You browse and play your media (video, music, photos) from the horizon box. Not sure if horizon can handle netflix.

pastor · 07-01-2015 1:18am

Hi Paul

I opted for the seperate wifi router and received the Cisco model. As there are no external ariels the wifi is not much better than it was on the Horizon box originally. With the 5Ghz option now being available on the horizon box would I be better off forgetting about the Ciso and asking upc to switch back to using the Horizon wifi? I hope that makes sense?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

paulboland wrote: »

Just to let you know
Horizon Wireless 5GHz is active on the Horizon Box

Its now Dual Wireless
2.4GHz and 5GHz

Great Update
You can use both Wireless same time

I tested 5GHz on my iPhone 5s works great

If you have a wireless device that's 5Ghz I would use it

You now have 2 wireless options

You can connect 2.4Ghz wireless devices and 5GHz wireless devices same time to your network

beauf · 07-01-2015 7:40am

I can't see your range improving going back to the horizon box.

You'd need to connect a better WiFi router to the cisco box to improve your range. There's threads on boards how to do this.

You end up with more boxes and cables though. Which is annoying.

ps200306 · 07-01-2015 8:15am

If I cancel my Horizon TV service and downgrade to broadband+phone only, will UPC replace my Horizon box with a broadband modem/router? Or will they leave the Horizon box with TV functionality disabled? I was hoping that a positive spin-off of ditching the TV would be a replacement for the dire Horizon Wifi.

beauf · 07-01-2015 8:55am

I have a horizon for TV. But I use a TC7200 for internet. Its WiFi isn't great either. I had to use my own Wifi router to get a semi robust wifi connection. Plan for that.

ps200306 · 07-01-2015 9:57am

Will UPC replace my Horizon box with a different broadband modem/router if I downgrade to broadband only?

coldfire1x · 07-01-2015 11:03am

^^ Yes

bricks · 08-01-2015 10:55pm

I had something on live pause, I hit the record button also as I do on Sky just in case the live pause fails.
So I'm watching away and then randomly the UPC(Useless Piece of Crap) box changes channels. No buttons were pressed on the remote.
So then I think I'll just go to the recordings and watch it from there.
But its not recorded!
I could go on, everything about this box does my head in.
Even the on demand stuff, has no sound, or no picture or both sometimes, or the robot voice sound.

I know the Sky+ box isn't perfect but I've never felt like chucking the box out the window into the street.

tigger123 · 13-01-2015 2:09pm

Luck100 wrote: »

Check out Plex media server or Twonky. I use Plex myself. You browse and play your media (video, music, photos) from the horizon box. Not sure if horizon can handle netflix.

Cheers for the help! I downloaded Twonky and got it set up. The only problem is that I occasionally get an error code 9020 and it seems to lose connection with the laptop ... Anyone can else ever encounter this?

Luck100 · 13-01-2015 2:55pm

tigger123 wrote: »

Cheers for the help! I downloaded Twonky and got it set up. The only problem is that I occasionally get an error code 9020 and it seems to lose connection with the laptop ... Anyone can else ever encounter this?

I haven't used Twonky myself, but most likely it's a flaky network connection. Are you using wifi or ethernet with the laptop? Wifi is not that dependable for running a DLNA server like Twonky or Plex.

Wabbit Ears · 13-01-2015 2:56pm

from the sounds of it you're connecting the laptop over the 2.4 gig wifi. Ideally for streaming you would be wanting a wired/powerline connection or be connecting using the far more stable ( but less range) 5 ghz.

tigger123 · 13-01-2015 3:09pm

Yep, connecting over WiFi. Euch. They don't make this thing easy, do they? Jebus...

robbe · 29-01-2015 12:14pm

Hi,

Possibly (but can't see it any where else) a question that has been covered before but I'll ask anyway. Recently 'upgraded' to Horizon, opted to be 'deconsolidated' but horizon box was delivered 2 weeks before new router. I was using the wireless on the horizon box but have as of this morning taken delivery of the new router. I'm not at home but thoughtfully they have now disabled the wireless on the horizon box leaving the inhabitants with no phone/broadband until I come home this evening. Rang UPC who said that they disable the wireless on the horizon box on delivery of the new one and that I should have been informed (I wasn't). Can I ask if it's possible, using the gwlogin.net portal into the horizon box to turn wireless back on and also if it's possible to have both horizon and router wifi running at the same time? I did ask the UPC lad but he was a bit vague, he was also vague as to whether the new router supported 5ghz, mumbled something and thanked me for my custom.....not sure what the router is btw.

Thanks for any help

Wabbit Ears · 29-01-2015 2:19pm

in short no, its not the wireless that gone its the cablemodem in the horizon box is now not enabled.

robbe · 29-01-2015 4:24pm

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

in short no, its not the wireless that gone its the cablemodem in the horizon box is now not enabled.

Ah balls, was hoping that wasn't the case - the router doesn't support simultaneous 2.4/5ghz channels - however hopefully the more reliable coverage will make up for this......on another note completely inefficient in their method of delivering the kit - they delivered Horizon box first, then after 2 weeks a courier delivered a splitter then another courier delivered the modem. Little wonder they have to increase their prices with waste like this.

JDxtra · 31-01-2015 6:45pm

My parents ordered a Horizon box, so I popped over today to plug it in for them. 4 hours later - no working box. Here's what happened...

Initially the box set up itself fine, TV was working perfect - navigation was fluid etc. However, broadband and on-demand was not working. Waited a while, no change. I performed a connection check and it said it failed tests for all but TV.

OK - call support, wait on hold for 40 minutes. They advise me to do a factory reset, which I then performed. Then error 1030 popped up - problem with installation. Message was misleading, but did say it may take an hour (which makes no sense). Anyways, 1 hour later - no change.

Call support again, on hold another 40 minutes. They can't connect to the box - advise me to restart, try another TV point etc. Did all this and no change. Box stays on the same error message. No, we have to wait until Tuesday for a replacement.

Seriously, these kinds of problems are costing us the consumer. How much is it now going to cost them in terms of new boxes, couriers, support staff etc... these costs are being passed onto us.

They really need to sort out the software on these boxes and their backend systems. This box should have worked without issue after a few minutes.

wally79 · 02-02-2015 10:05am

JDxtra wrote: »

My parents ordered a Horizon box, so I popped over today to plug it in for them. 4 hours later - no working box. Here's what happened...

Initially the box set up itself fine, TV was working perfect - navigation was fluid etc. However, broadband and on-demand was not working. Waited a while, no change. I performed a connection check and it said it failed tests for all but TV.

OK - call support, wait on hold for 40 minutes. They advise me to do a factory reset, which I then performed. Then error 1030 popped up - problem with installation. Message was misleading, but did say it may take an hour (which makes no sense). Anyways, 1 hour later - no change.

Call support again, on hold another 40 minutes. They can't connect to the box - advise me to restart, try another TV point etc. Did all this and no change. Box stays on the same error message. No, we have to wait until Tuesday for a replacement.

Seriously, these kinds of problems are costing us the consumer. How much is it now going to cost them in terms of new boxes, couriers, support staff etc... these costs are being passed onto us.

They really need to sort out the software on these boxes and their backend systems. This box should have worked without issue after a few minutes.

I am usually UPC's biggest critic but I have to say the horizon setup went pain free for me a couple of weeks ago.

No issues with BB or TV since (touch wood) and hasn't missed any recordings yet or had any of the other issues I've seen.

Given the differing stories you hear I think the software might actually be ok (not amazing but ok) and the problem is in the quality control of the box manufacturer.

It just seems to be luck of the draw.

One question I have of long term horizon users would be whether their problems developed over time and can I expect pain in the future

beauf · 02-02-2015 10:33am

wally79 wrote: »

I am usually UPC's biggest critic but I have to say the horizon setup went pain free for me a couple of weeks ago.

No issues with BB or TV since (touch wood) and hasn't missed any recordings yet or had any of the other issues I've seen....

Yet, my friend,...yet.

dingding · 02-02-2015 11:45pm

Anyone having problems where the Horizon box is not giving DHCP requests.

Devices stopped connecting when the lease expired.

I reset the box and it seems to have improved it.

darraghn · 04-02-2015 1:41pm

dingding wrote: »

Anyone having problems where the Horizon box is not giving DHCP requests.

Devices stopped connecting when the lease expired.

I reset the box and it seems to have improved it.

I have been having the same problem on and off sine I got one of the first Horizon boxes on the pre-launch. Got a new box after 3-4 months to fix the box not issuing IP addresses.

New box has been working on and off since then, every few months or so I need to switch off the box, wait for 10-15 mins to reboot and mostly it works.

Two weeks ago it didn't work, so I did a complete factory reset which didn't work either. Called broadband helpdesk, she could see that the factory reset had not completely worked as my SSID had not reset to the default. She performed a remote reset - which worked, but today the Horizon box is not giving out IP addresses to wireless devices - Wired Ethernet devices are OK for now. This is a real pain.:o I wonder if a new box would help or is it "just" a software issue? I have the 200Mb service and quite a few devices connected to he network, about 10 Ethernet and 10 wireless...

L1011 · 05-02-2015 12:34pm

darraghn wrote: »

I have been having the same problem on and off sine I got one of the first Horizon boxes on the pre-launch. Got a new box after 3-4 months to fix the box not issuing IP addresses.

New box has been working on and off since then, every few months or so I need to switch off the box, wait for 10-15 mins to reboot and mostly it works.

Two weeks ago it didn't work, so I did a complete factory reset which didn't work either. Called broadband helpdesk, she could see that the factory reset had not completely worked as my SSID had not reset to the default. She performed a remote reset - which worked, but today the Horizon box is not giving out IP addresses to wireless devices - Wired Ethernet devices are OK for now. This is a real pain.:o I wonder if a new box would help or is it "just" a software issue? I have the 200Mb service and quite a few devices connected to he network, about 10 Ethernet and 10 wireless...

The Horizon's inbuilt wireless is not fit for purpose, and I'd not be certain of its DHCP/DNS forwarder/any other feature either. Get a high-spec 802.11ac wireless router, and use it for your wired devices also if required.

hitbit · 05-02-2015 4:38pm

So Has Horizon improved.

L1011 · 05-02-2015 4:47pm

hitbit wrote: »

So Has Horizon improved.

General usage of the box as a TV device has improved but it has large annoyances still.

Use as a wireless router is unlikely to ever improve.

beauf · 05-02-2015 5:26pm

What he ^ said.

JDxtra · 05-02-2015 5:38pm

JDxtra wrote: »

My parents ordered a Horizon box, so I popped over today to plug it in for them. 4 hours later - no working box. Here's what happened...

Initially the box set up itself fine, TV was working perfect - navigation was fluid etc. However, broadband and on-demand was not working. Waited a while, no change. I performed a connection check and it said it failed tests for all but TV.

OK - call support, wait on hold for 40 minutes. They advise me to do a factory reset, which I then performed. Then error 1030 popped up - problem with installation. Message was misleading, but did say it may take an hour (which makes no sense). Anyways, 1 hour later - no change.

Call support again, on hold another 40 minutes. They can't connect to the box - advise me to restart, try another TV point etc. Did all this and no change. Box stays on the same error message. No, we have to wait until Tuesday for a replacement.

Seriously, these kinds of problems are costing us the consumer. How much is it now going to cost them in terms of new boxes, couriers, support staff etc... these costs are being passed onto us.

They really need to sort out the software on these boxes and their backend systems. This box should have worked without issue after a few minutes.

Parents got a second box delivered (looked brand new). Straight away error code 1030 no matter how long it was left. Swapped TV points, cables and all possible combinations - always error code 1030. Engineer arrived a few days later - no issues with signal or cable into the house. He's at a loss...

JDxtra · 05-02-2015 6:31pm

Sorted now. Phew. UPC did not have the box configured correctly on their end, so it did not know what to do when it connected to the network.

Horizon TV- Awful?

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