Tiviar Alpha Plus Combo STB

Zardoz · 11-01-2019 7:50pm

The Octagon SF8008 is fairly new Greasepalm , it will take a few more months for images to become stable for it .
Its also using a new chipset ,the Hisilicon Hi3798MV200 Huawei so its not like similar 4k receivers that use the Arm or Mips chipsets.
Could be a can of worms .

The Tiviar is available on Ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Formuler-Tiviar-Alpha-Plus-HD-Triple-Tuner-Satellite-Cable-ENIGMA2-OPENATV/232764486072?hash=item3631d831b8:g:ZtkAAOSwl2xa9Kh9:rk:2:pf:0

The high horse brigade · 11-01-2019 7:53pm

Yeah other places have it too.

https://www.pikabox.uk/products/formuler-tiviar-alpha-plus-hd-hybrid-e2-linux-receiver-with-2x-sat-tuners-1x-hybrid-tuner-open-atv-m-tec-digital-hdmi-cable

STB. · 12-01-2019 11:01am

whoami1 wrote: »

I've just been on to the world-of-satellite website and the box is no longer listed. Are there any good alternatives? I'm already have one, but my Dad will need a replacement for his eir box very shortly...

This guy sells them 109stg. Parcel motel it as its 6 to NI.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Formuler-Tiviar-Alpha-Plus-HD-Triple-Tuner-Satellite-Cable-ENIGMA2-OPENATV/232764486072?hash=item3631d831b8

whoami1 · 12-01-2019 4:25pm

greasepalm wrote: »

What are your needs cable only,sat only, or both cable and sat?

I would like the same sort of box - dual sat & 1 Saorview, with internal HDD, preferably running OpenATV.

I'm also looking for a single sat & Saorview box, running OpenATV, which could act as a replacement for a Sky multiroom box (with similar dimensions).

murpho999 · 14-01-2019 5:44pm

I'm definitely switching from Sky.

I have Sky at the moment via a shared sattelite dish in an apartment block.

I upgraded to Sky Q last year and the engineer installed some sort of adaptor. I assume this is some sort of convertor for the LNB?

Do I just disconnect that and then install the box I want.

Speaking of boxes, are their better alternatives to the Tiviar that everyone is talking about here.

I'd like to futureproof as much as possible and don't like the idea of buying a model that is 4-5 years old.

Barr · 14-01-2019 11:28pm

They don't seem to sell it anymore on World of Satellite , maybe there is a new version coming.

mburke · 15-01-2019 11:11am

Also spotted it on:

https://www.pikabox.uk/products/formuler-tiviar-alpha-plus-hd-hybrid-e2-linux-receiver-with-2x-sat-tuners-1x-hybrid-tuner-open-atv-m-tec-digital-hdmi-cable

The ebay seller in post #1456 has their own website where it is £ 10 sterling cheaper:

https://www.kuul.co.uk/set-top-box/formuler/formuler-tiviar-alpha-plus-hdd-triple-tuner-enigma2-e2-full-hd-linux-1-3ghz-hbbtv-satellite-cable-combo-receiver.html

whoami1 · 16-01-2019 8:24am

I've ordered one from kuulmedia on eBay, thanks. It should be on its way now. I'm still looking for a smaller box as well, though, as I mentioned in my post above. 1 sat & 1 Saorview with OpenATV.

The high horse brigade · 16-01-2019 11:18am

whoami1 wrote: »

I've ordered one from kuulmedia on eBay, thanks. It should be on its way now. I'm still looking for a smaller box as well, though, as I mentioned in my post above. 1 sat & 1 Saorview with OpenATV.

I have an Edison OS Nino configured exactly the same as the Tiviar. I don't use it at all for recording, I just use a usb key for picons and timeshift. I also have my recordings on the Tiviar mounted so I can watch what I record on either box.

It's out of stock but they have this plus version not sure what's changed
https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/edision-os-nino-plus

Barr · 16-01-2019 7:49pm

mburke wrote: »

Also spotted it on:

https://www.pikabox.uk/products/formuler-tiviar-alpha-plus-hd-hybrid-e2-linux-receiver-with-2x-sat-tuners-1x-hybrid-tuner-open-atv-m-tec-digital-hdmi-cable

The ebay seller in post #1456 has their own website where it is £ 10 sterling cheaper:

https://www.kuul.co.uk/set-top-box/formuler/formuler-tiviar-alpha-plus-hdd-triple-tuner-enigma2-e2-full-hd-linux-1-3ghz-hbbtv-satellite-cable-combo-receiver.html

The second seller is the same price as it was on World of Satellite so seems decent value.

STB. · 17-01-2019 1:13am

Barr wrote: »

They don't seem to sell it anymore on World of Satellite , maybe there is a new version coming.

The box is from 2013 and had proprietary software on it. It is only recently that some genius figured out how to hack the bootloader (presumably with help from the OEM Fortis) to run enigma2 on it and the reason that they could be offloaded so cheaply. These boxes where never designed with e2 in mind, they just have the right chips and spec to run it.

The stock has simply run out, but theres a few still knocking around, like with that guy on ebay.

sligojoek · 17-01-2019 1:25am

Very well put and concise. I'm tempted to get another one before they're all gone.

Barr · 18-01-2019 11:50pm

STB. wrote: »

The box is from 2013 and had proprietary software on it. It is only recently that some genius figured out how to hack the bootloader (presumably with help from the OEM Fortis) to run enigma2 on it and the reason that they could be offloaded so cheaply. These boxes where never designed with e2 in mind, they just have the right chips and spec to run it.

The stock has simply run out, but theres a few still knocking around, like with that guy on ebay.

Luckily that guy on ebay has 40 left to sell :pac: should keep boards going for a while.

McBain11 · 22-01-2019 5:55pm

quick question lads.

bought 1TB internal hd. need to install it. is it simply a case of slotting it into the sata slot at the front of the tiviar box? No screws etc.

Sorry for silly question, big rookie here :-)

sligojoek · 22-01-2019 6:05pm

No. You have to open he box and fix it internally with 4 screws. Not a major operation.

McBain11 · 22-01-2019 6:11pm

No other wiring to connect to hard drive so, just the screws?

sligojoek · 22-01-2019 6:32pm

Sorry. yeah, there's a plug in connector.

McBain11 · 22-01-2019 6:43pm

Thanks Sligo. Just spotted the connector

mburke · 22-01-2019 9:03pm

I have flashed the box with THHB image and am having an issue with the tuner scan.

I did the following:
Setup - Service Searching - Tuner Config and I get:
Tuner C: DVB-T/T2 NIM
Switchable tuner typesL(DVB-T2, DVB-C)
Enabled DVB-t, DVB-c
When I click ok on this I have tuner type (DVB-T2, DVB-c) DV-T2
I changed the region to Galway,(Tonabrocky, Europe DVB-)

and saved this.

I then went into AutobouquetsMaker - Providers (i get a list) and clicked on Saorview changed this to yes and set area to Galway, Tonabrocky.

I then saved this. Within the AutoBouquets Maker section I then did a 'start scan'

The error I get is:

AutobouquetsMaker
Timed out tuning NL Terrestrial on tuner C.

If I connect the cable for the terrestial tv directly into the TV it scans fine.

Any suggests on this ?

McBain11 · 22-01-2019 9:07pm

I have the internal hd fitted.

Haven't turned on the box yet. Is it ok to turn box on, fiddle around with a few bits and pieces for couple of days, just to get a feel for the box.

Then flash over one of the setups via USB stick in next couple of days? Or what's my best route of action

Gerry Wicklow · 22-01-2019 9:40pm

McBain11 wrote: »

I have the internal hd fitted.

Haven't turned on the box yet. Is it ok to turn box on, fiddle around with a few bits and pieces for couple of days, just to get a feel for the box.

Then flash over one of the setups via USB stick in next couple of days? Or what's my best route of action

Play away

One of the first tasks to do is format the HDD to the Linux file system ext4

MENU>SETUP>SYSTEM>STORAGE DEVICES>INITIALISATION

you may want to double check where recordings will be stored in
SETUP>RECORDINGS & TIMESHIFT
The path should be something like /media/hdd/movie
You can also set the timer paddings from here to start/stop a few minutes extra.
Next in SETUP>SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT it is a good idea to do a system backup. It only takes a few minutes and can get you out of a hole if you mess things up.
One of the best things with these boxes is how easy and quick it is to change/restore images. Backups of settings or full system are date stamped so you can have as many as you wish.

Finally...... Welcome to the highly addictive world of enigma2 TV

McBain11 · 22-01-2019 9:42pm

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Play away
One of the first tasks to do is format the HDD to the Linux file system ext4

MENU>SETUP>SYSTEM>STORAGE DEVICES>INITIALISATION

you may want to double check where recordings will be stored in
SETUP>RECORDINGS & TIMESHIFT
The path should be something like /media/hdd/movie
You can also set the timer paddings from here to start/stop a few minutes extra.
Next in SETUP>SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT it is a good idea to do a system backup. It only takes a few minutes and and can get you out of a hole if you mess things up.
One of the best things with these boxes is how easy and quick it is to change/restore images.

Finally...... Welcome to the highly addictive world of enigma2 TV;)

Cheers Gerry. That's brilliant bits of info.

As I said I'm a right rookie at this stuff. So the more help the better.

Thanks a million

Gerry Wicklow · 22-01-2019 9:50pm

@McBain11 You're more than welcome. The beauty of these forums is how we help each other grow. I started from nothing here too but thanks to the help I got I now know how much I don't know

The high horse brigade · 22-01-2019 10:10pm

mburke wrote: »

I have flashed the box with THHB image and am having an issue with the tuner scan.

I did the following:
Setup - Service Searching - Tuner Config and I get:
Tuner C: DVB-T/T2 NIM
Switchable tuner typesL(DVB-T2, DVB-C)
Enabled DVB-t, DVB-c
When I click ok on this I have tuner type (DVB-T2, DVB-c) DV-T2
I changed the region to Galway,(Tonabrocky, Europe DVB-)

and saved this.

I then went into AutobouquetsMaker - Providers (i get a list) and clicked on Saorview changed this to yes and set area to Galway, Tonabrocky.

I then saved this. Within the AutoBouquets Maker section I then did a 'start scan'

The error I get is:

AutobouquetsMaker
Timed out tuning NL Terrestrial on tuner C.

If I connect the cable for the terrestial tv directly into the TV it scans fine.

Any suggests on this ?

Open signal finder, set it to tuner c predefined transponder, set it to your transmitter and double check you have a signal from that transmitter

McBain11 · 23-01-2019 6:24am

Been messing around with the box the last couple of hours. The remote has a really nice feel to it, the box responds really quickly to a channel change (far far better than the virgin tv box, something that drove me mad!). Managed to sort the recording setup somehow I think, along with the live tv pause/rewind timeshift (which looks really really good). I'm presuming that means I managed to install the 1TB HD correctly anyway, so that's 1 thing I've nailed so far - yay me!!!

Just a couple of things to make sure I haven't fecked up the absolute basics. So I have the installed the saorview channels and the satellite channels. The satellite ones are on the 19.2 astra, is this the correct one to use (not the 28.2 astra?) Or should I be scanning for both?

I presume I can just continue playing around with the box, set up a really basic favourites list, back it up and have that for good on the box? Then move on and try and flash over the setups from the NewClareMan/THHB and suss them out after?

robbKer · 23-01-2019 8:18am

If it were me I would just go ahead with the re-flash rather than get too used to the the basic default image. (you could spend hours setting it up to find that everything is pretty much ready on Newclaremans image).
Totally down to how comfortable you are with doing it though!

Former Former · 23-01-2019 9:15am

McBain11 wrote: »

Just a couple of things to make sure I haven't fecked up the absolute basics. So I have the installed the saorview channels and the satellite channels. The satellite ones are on the 19.2 astra, is this the correct one to use (not the 28.2 astra?) Or should I be scanning for both?

You can't scan for both using a standard setup.

The UK channels are all on 28.2

mburke · 23-01-2019 9:31am

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Open signal finder, set it to tuner c predefined transponder, set it to your transmitter and double check you have a signal from that transmitter

Thank you THHB, that worked.

gar · 23-01-2019 9:47am

Quick query before i got playing around with settings

I have one of these set up and it works buttery quick.
I actually have a flash drive installed and i know probably not ideal but was laying around.

Anyway i set another one of these up in my mothers but she is saying that when it resumes from stand by some times its not responsive for anywhere from 10 mins to 50 mins! Has to do a hard reboot.
There is a standard laptop hard drive in it and is connected to the network via wireless dongle.

Now she is constantly pausing live TV to come back to it later. Seems to be 80% free on the hard drive when i looked on the weekend.
I updated the software and thought i had solved it.
Could it be the crossEPG updating slowing it down on restart.
I dont think it goes into deep stand by.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Gar

The high horse brigade · 23-01-2019 10:17am

gar wrote: »

Quick query before i got playing around with settings

I have one of these set up and it works buttery quick.
I actually have a flash drive installed and i know probably not ideal but was laying around.

Anyway i set another one of these up in my mothers but she is saying that when it resumes from stand by some times its not responsive for anywhere from 10 mins to 50 mins! Has to do a hard reboot.
There is a standard laptop hard drive in it and is connected to the network via wireless dongle.

Now she is constantly pausing live TV to come back to it later. Seems to be 80% free on the hard drive when i looked on the weekend.
I updated the software and thought i had solved it.
Could it be the crossEPG updating slowing it down on restart.
I dont think it goes into deep stand by.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Gar

Check crossepg make sure it's not saving to internal flash

mburke · 23-01-2019 10:22am

Thanks for all the help, a great box and very quick.

One issue that I have spotted is that when I look at the EPG I have no entries for:

Ch4, Ch4+1, E4, E4+1, More4, Showcase, Bloomber TV, front runner, Film4+1, Movies4men+1, starz tv, vintage tv, heart tv, Capital tv and two or three shopping channels.

I have entries for all other channels including Ch4 HD, More4+1, Film4.

Any ideas on this?

Update: Changed the region from NI to London/ITV and it populated the missing entries.

The high horse brigade · 23-01-2019 10:26am

McBain11 wrote: »

Been messing around with the box the last couple of hours. The remote has a really nice feel to it, the box responds really quickly to a channel change (far far better than the virgin tv box, something that drove me mad!). Managed to sort the recording setup somehow I think, along with the live tv pause/rewind timeshift (which looks really really good). I'm presuming that means I managed to install the 1TB HD correctly anyway, so that's 1 thing I've nailed so far - yay me!!!

Just a couple of things to make sure I haven't fecked up the absolute basics. So I have the installed the saorview channels and the satellite channels. The satellite ones are on the 19.2 astra, is this the correct one to use (not the 28.2 astra?) Or should I be scanning for both?

I presume I can just continue playing around with the box, set up a really basic favourites list, back it up and have that for good on the box? Then move on and try and flash over the setups from the NewClareMan/THHB and suss them out after?

Just flash either mine or Claremans image as when you do you will overwrite everything you've done including scanning. It takes 60 seconds. The full instructions for both are there and you'll be fully setup

gar · 23-01-2019 12:10pm

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Check crossepg make sure it's not saving to internal flash

Even simpler

Check the batteries.

:D:D:D:D

mburke · 25-01-2019 12:40pm

Folks,

Some general queries that you may be able to assist with:

- Is there a button to go through the epg by page rather than by single item
- Is there a button to go back to previous viewed channel
- Is it possible to turn off the lights on the front of the box

Finally, when in EPG, I click yellow button and go across bouquet list, if I select saorview and view the list and then go back to fta channels it will not show the fta list just the saorview list. If I come back out of the epg and go back in again all is listed.

Gerry Wicklow · 25-01-2019 12:59pm

mburke wrote: »

Folks,

Some general queries that you may be able to assist with:

- Is there a button to go through the epg by page rather than by single item
- Is there a button to go back to previous viewed channel
- Is it possible to turn off the lights on the front of the box

Finally, when in EPG, I click yellow button and go across bouquet list, if I select saorview and view the list and then go back to fta channels it will not show the fta list just the saorview list. If I come back out of the epg and go back in again all is listed.

In main EPG try channel +/- to move by page.
The zero button switches to previous watched channel. <> buttons under 7 or 9 shows more channel history
MENU>SETUP>USAGE & GUI>DISPLAY>DISPLAY OPTIONS allows you set the brightness of the front display.

swoofer · 25-01-2019 1:15pm

I don't think you can dim display on this box, I just covered both with black tape and looks ace.

One other tip, press the recall button and you get zap history ie a list of all channels viewed and you can scroll to select, very neat.

wishbone · 31-01-2019 12:00pm

hi guys, wondering if someone can help.
I have a tiviar alpha plus with SDD, I have one connection to the satellite dish and one to saorview. I got the dish at the weekend and so far so good.

My question is in relation to timeshift. Timeshift is configured to write to the SDD. I can get it to work no problem in that I can press pause and continue playing. My problem is if I try to skip forward and back - it can become very slow and stilted. Is it because I only have one LNB in? Will this resolve if I put a second cable to the dish?

Also am I right in saying I must have a 2nd cable in order to watch one satellite channel and record another satellite channel?

Are there plugins anyone would recommend as 'must haves'? I'm going to install Movie Organisor as that sounds quite good for ordering my recorded programmes. Any others?

thanks
Wishbone

The high horse brigade · 31-01-2019 12:24pm

wishbone wrote: »

hi guys, wondering if someone can help.
I have a tiviar alpha plus with SDD, I have one connection to the satellite dish and one to saorview. I got the dish at the weekend and so far so good.

My question is in relation to timeshift. Timeshift is configured to write to the SDD. I can get it to work no problem in that I can press pause and continue playing. My problem is if I try to skip forward and back - it can become very slow and stilted. Is it because I only have one LNB in? Will this resolve if I put a second cable to the dish?

Also am I right in saying I must have a 2nd cable in order to watch one satellite channel and record another satellite channel?

Are there plugins anyone would recommend as 'must haves'? I'm going to install Movie Organisor as that sounds quite good for ordering my recorded programmes. Any others?

thanks
Wishbone

With a single satellite feed you will need to disable the second satellite tuner. You would be best to run the second cable to allow you to record

wishbone · 31-01-2019 12:52pm

The high horse brigade wrote: »

With a single satellite feed you will need to disable the second satellite tuner. You would be best to run the second cable to allow you to record

thanks High Horse Brigade. Sorry yes I did disable the second tuner until I eventually run the cable.
Would this affect the timeshift fastforward function?

limktime · 31-01-2019 1:04pm

I just ordered one these STBs. Any recommendations on a HDD for it? Thanks

mburke · 31-01-2019 7:50pm

A query related to AutoBouquets Maker:

When I look at the epg I get the list of all the channels (eg: bbc 1 hd, bbc2 hd etc) but for Channel 4, film 4 I get them in standard def and not in HD.

If I look via OpenWebif I see Ch4 HD and add it to the bouquet but it goes to the end of the list, not straight forward to put it in the location that suits.

In OpenWebif I see FTA channels listed twice, once with satellite channels, one with saorview - is this correct?

Is there an easy way to order / configure bouquets.

Trevord · 01-02-2019 1:00pm

mburke wrote: »

A query related to AutoBouquets Maker:

When I look at the epg I get the list of all the channels (eg: bbc 1 hd, bbc2 hd etc) but for Channel 4, film 4 I get them in standard def and not in HD.

If I look via OpenWebif I see Ch4 HD and add it to the bouquet but it goes to the end of the list, not straight forward to put it in the location that suits.

In OpenWebif I see FTA channels listed twice, once with satellite channels, one with saorview - is this correct?

Is there an easy way to order / configure bouquets.

In WEBIF you can do as you have been doing up to now (add the channel to the bottom) and then move it up to where you want it to be by dragging it to where you would like it to be in the bouquet list.

Alternatively, if you highlight the SD channel in the bouquet (click the SD channel in the bouquet - I think it turns green) then select the HD channel you want to add from the full list of 28.2e channels. Then click add channel and it will appear at the correct point in the bouquet (beside the SD channel you want to swap out). You can then delete the SD version from the bouquet list.

I'm not sure about your second question. It sounds like you have the Saorview channels appearing in more than one bouquet list - which is fine if that is what you want.

Personally I don't like multiple TV bouquets. Instead I use just one TV bouquet with saorview from 1-10 and BBC beginning at 101 and everything else broadly following the freesat numbering (news 200s, Movies 300s etc) and with non freesat FTA channels added in logical places.

The high horse brigade · 01-02-2019 1:10pm

mburke wrote: »

A query related to AutoBouquets Maker:

When I look at the epg I get the list of all the channels (eg: bbc 1 hd, bbc2 hd etc) but for Channel 4, film 4 I get them in standard def and not in HD.

If I look via OpenWebif I see Ch4 HD and add it to the bouquet but it goes to the end of the list, not straight forward to put it in the location that suits.

In OpenWebif I see FTA channels listed twice, once with satellite channels, one with saorview - is this correct?

Is there an easy way to order / configure bouquets.

You do realise any changes you make to any bouquets other than favourites will get overwritten the next time ABM scans. You'll need to disable automatic scan in ABM.

There's also a pc software called dreamboxedit which is very good for sorting bouquets. You use the IP of the box and port in dreamboxedit. Do a full satellite scan on the box with clear before scan enabled before you use it so you'll have all channel frequencies up to date

Trevord · 01-02-2019 1:12pm

Many thanks to NCM and THHB for some great work.

I am coming from a Humax Freesat perspective and found the Sky skin to be one of the options that looked straight forward to follow on the Tiviar (the box will be for my parents so I want the GUI to look fairly straight forward).

I have a couple of questions which someone hopefully can answer.

1. Is the Tiviar recording live tv in the background by default (like a Humax would) or are there enigma settings that I have to enable for that?

2. I manually created a saorview/freesat type bouquet in OpenWebif. I've never been able to fully understand the purpose/capability of autobouquets. I am wondering if its going to overwrite the bouquet I've made at some point?

The high horse brigade · 01-02-2019 1:19pm

1, yes it's called timeshift and is fully configurable

2, make a favourites bouquet it does not get overwritten by either Autobouquets or Autobouquetmaker, but it will not update changes. In this regard Claremans image is pretty much done for you and updates.

Tigerandahalf · 01-02-2019 4:28pm

Sorry if this has been asked already...

Does the tiviar remote allow you to control the tv volume without having to switch modes between stb and tv?

Has it a button to control hdmi source?

What else is needed with the box?
I have an external hard drive. Is that any good?
Do I need a usb stick and a wifi dongle?

Thanks

The high horse brigade · 01-02-2019 7:01pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Sorry if this has been asked already...

Does the tiviar remote allow you to control the tv volume without having to switch modes between stb and tv?

Has it a button to control hdmi source?

What else is needed with the box?
I have an external hard drive. Is that any good?
Do I need a usb stick and a wifi dongle?

Thanks

I've honestly never used the remote after then initial use the very first day. I have a Harmony remote.

The Tiviar does HDMI CEC, which allows the box control the TV over HDMI. I actually have it disabled because it interferes with the Harmony, commands can get sent twice.

It's better to use a usb key, any size, it's only for picons. You only need a WiFi dongle if you have no Ethernet near the box, you are probably better with a cheap set of homeplugs tbh.

Tigerandahalf · 01-02-2019 7:10pm

I think I will get the tiviar.
I have an ethernet cable from a homeplug already.

To change volume on the tv do you have to switch modes on the tiviar to tv mode. I find that a pain on the humax remote.

Trevord · 01-02-2019 8:42pm

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

I think I will get the tiviar.
I have an ethernet cable from a homeplug already.

To change volume on the tv do you have to switch modes on the tiviar to tv mode. I find that a pain on the humax remote.

You shouldn't have to use the tv remote volume at all while watching tv. The Tiviar will do saorview and fta sat so you won't be switching sources and needing to swap remotes.

the tiviar remote will control the saorview and fta sat channel volumes because all those channels will be on the tiviar box.

Tigerandahalf · 01-02-2019 9:23pm

So you mean just leave the remote in stb mode and use the box's volume instead of the tv.

Ya that might be ok.

Is this box generally about €160?

Tiviar Alpha Plus Combo STB

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