More advice needed from Ibiza!

[rewdan]

so is there an optimum time not to use the EPG and therefore not bump into the default transponder?

 

[Huevos]

I don't know. I don't use a Sly box so I don't have to put up with this nonsense. 2A is not receivable in the afternoon, but is at all other times on my 1.8m. This problem will go away in the autumn when 2A is replaced.

 

[rewdan]

can you recommend a better receiver than a sly digibox for someone like myself that is happy with the basic ftv channels . We are probably moving here in a couple of months so I guess we would like a hard drive recording device but other than that, just normal bbc etc.

 

[Lazarus]

Get a Freesat PVR (Assuming you meant FTA, not FTV).

Current Models and Price info at the right-hand margin of http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/

 

[rewdan]

yep, sorry fta.
So do you think I am now in the clear for a freesat box, a few years ago it was a different situation and I was advised not to get a freesat on this forum back then. Could have been as many as 8 years ago, not sure but if we are going to live here I need to wire in 3 tv's to the kitchen, bedroom and lounge and would like to have freesat rather than slybox with a pvr in the lounge. Do you think it's that simple or like in the days goneby, when I would need a big dish with a black ultra lnb, pace box?

I guess my base question is 'am I ok for tv now!'

I really hope so.

Thanks again

 

[Lazarus]

Astra 2E launches this Summer, so we can't really predict what further issues that might bring: The drop-off in reception from 2F is significant over just a few km in some places, so you can only take ideas and advice with a large pinch of salt and a healthy degree of scepticism right now.

 

[rewdan]

I shall have to be patient and wait until the summer to see.
Will probably be pestering you all again then, but thanks for the moment.
Fingers crossed they don't mess it up for us expats!
All the best.

 

[Huevos]

yep, sorry fta.
So do you think I am now in the clear for a freesat box, a few years ago it was a different situation and I was advised not to get a freesat on this forum back then. Could have been as many as 8 years ago, not sure but if we are going to live here I need to wire in 3 tv's to the kitchen, bedroom and lounge and would like to have freesat rather than slybox with a pvr in the lounge. Do you think it's that simple or like in the days goneby, when I would need a big dish with a black ultra lnb, pace box?

I guess my base question is 'am I ok for tv now!'

I really hope so.

Thanks again

Personally I'd go for Linux receivers. They can do everything the Freesat PVR's can and more, at a similar price. EPG is fantastic, they will mimic the channel numbering of Freesat or Sky. With ABM they automatically update the channel list. They can read a Sly card, and many others. You can stream to any PC or laptop to any room without a tv. And now with the OnDemand players from OpenViX you can watch iPlayer and other on demand services without a VPN or Proxy.

Put a twin tuner box in the main room with a hard drive (say 2T. And in the kitchen and bedroom put single tuner boxes (without hard drives). All 3 boxes will be able to record and playback from the harddrive in the main box so it will be kind of like running a 4 tuner box. And for recording terrestrial just add a USB stick. Pricewise there are some top quality twin tuner receivers in the 250GBP range, and single tuner receivers for 140GBP, all 1920 x 1080 HD capable. An don't believe all the nonsense about these boxes being difficult to set up; this is 2013.

 

[joddle]

Personally I'd go for Linux receivers. They can do everything the Freesat PVR's can and more, at a similar price. EPG is fantastic, they will mimic the channel numbering of Freesat or Sky. With ABM they automatically update the channel list. They can read a Sly card, and many others. You can stream to any PC or laptop to any room without a tv. And now with the OnDemand players from OpenViX you can watch iPlayer and other on demand services without a VPN or Proxy.

Put a twin tuner box in the main room with a hard drive (say 2T. And in the kitchen and bedroom put single tuner boxes (without hard drives). All 3 boxes will be able to record and playback from the harddrive in the main box so it will be kind of like running a 4 tuner box. And for recording terrestrial just add a USB stick. Pricewise there are some top quality twin tuner receivers in the 250GBP range, and single tuner receivers for 140GBP, all 1920 x 1080 HD capable. An don't believe all the nonsense about these boxes being difficult to set up; this is 2013.

Huevos - why not start a thread on using Linux boxes on the fringe - it would help keep all the relevent info in the right place and be very usefull for someone like me who really has no idea of the alternatives to useing a freesat box here in Spain.

From what I gather from reading your posts is that I (and others) may possibly benefit from using such a box as I could then access on line material as well. So seeking your expert opinion this is my current set up - could it be improved?

I use a quad lnb to power three seperate receivers - A Foxsat HD to my main tv and two aging Pace C2600s for the kids besrooms. Reception even from 2f is fine and not an issue.

Also in the house I have ADSL at around 8 meg but the router is some way from the TV although I have wi fi and also an wif extender which gets the signal to the more remote areas - still at about 7Meg. Currently the ADSL is ony used for the PCs and my daughters Ipad. When I want to use iplayer etc I connect via expat shield so am limited to watching on the pc which is a pain. My TV has limited inputs ie only one HDMI and two scarts but I am not about to change it as it works really well.

So if I invested in a linux beast, could I expand my reception into other rooms? ( I still have one unused LNB connection ) or would that best be used to feed the dual tuner?. Anyway what I am really asking is what would be my main bebifits (if any) of changing)?

So what is my shopping list? - and is the learning curve too much for a retired civil servant?

 

[Huevos]

is the learning curve too much for a retired civil servant?

No. If you load software and use the GUI it is the simplest thing ever. Here we almost never watch live tv anymore. Record lots of stuff and just skip the adverts. Using one hard drive for all recordings means whatever is recorded (irrespective of which box recorded it) can be viewed from all the other boxes.

BTW, I'm not trying to convert anyone. I'm just suggesting this as one route for people starting from scratch. Obviously for people on a strict budget this is not the best option.

 

[davemurgtroyd]

One further advantage of a Linux (or other generic FTA receiver) is that if reception does prove next to impossible with the newer satellites that there are other satellites up there broadcasting FTA in English (although not UK TV) including very recent movies - see here (but put your sunglasses on first) - www.purplesat.com/index.php?p=1_16_FREE-TOP-MOVIES - note that dish sizes quoted are for the UK and should be significantly smaller for Ibiza

 

[Lazarus]

Heavens, that's strident!

 

[PaulR]

Not the easiest site to read and navigate through. I couldn't be bothered after a few page downs.

 

[rewdan]

now back in the uk and before I buy something, can you tell me if the freesat box will try to retune to the default transponder like the slybox does, meaning I have to change the transponder or will it just carry on giving me the free channels without bother?

 

[Lazarus]

The Freesat Default Transponder is on Eutelsat 28 (Or Eurobird 1 as most of us know it!), so if you have solid reception from 28.5E, then getting the Freesat EPG etc. should not present a problem.

Specifically: 11428 H 27500 2/3

 

[Huevos]

The Freesat Default Transponder is on Eutelsat 28 (Or Eurobird 1 as most of us know it!), so if you have solid reception from 28.5E, then getting the Freesat EPG etc. should not present a problem.

Specifically: 11428 H 27500 2/3

Looks like that will end up on 2f if SES get control of that part of the band. BTW, that transponder is pretty weak here. Good job it's 2/3 fec otherwise you'd need a pretty big dish just for the epg.

 

[acidliam]

Bumping this topic because it sort of helped me yesterday, and similar question/problem from the original really

Live in Ibiza, but just spent 2 weeks back in the UK. Got home and had to turn the power off after getting a nice 240v kick up the arse from an outdoor light. Had to redo the installation on my box using 12.129 as the default transponder. All worked OK.

A bit later, put the box and TV back on, and after about 5 minutes channels went. Did a hard reset, went through the usual motions, nothing.

So I did a bit of searching and tried different transponders. Managed to get a signal on 12.207, the installation goes OK, all channels downloaded, but keep getting a no signal error.

Since then I've managed to watch Sky 1 for about 20 minutes, Watch was working this morning but then went off after 20 mins.

I know theres been talk of new satellites but surely if I can get a 60-70% signal strength and lock in the set up, I should get channels? Is my box f**ked?

 

[Huevos]

Just use the proper default transponder. 11778 v 27500 2/3.

12129 was switched off at the end of the 2012 Olympics, and is now an HD transponder.

 

[acidliam]

Cheers. Nothing doing on that either. Apparently everything was fine for 2 hours after the wife unplugged the box and left it for a bit (so on the default transponder) then bbc stopped, but she still had sky channels, now nothing. Box has been unplugged for a few hours as well.

Im thinking it must be the box. If the dish was out we wouldn't get intermittent behaviour like this surely?

 

[Lazarus]

Im thinking it must be the box. If the dish was out we wouldn't get intermittent behaviour like this surely?

You might. Don't forget BBC is on the new Astra 2E craft and if your dish is now effectively marginal for 2E then it's possible you might get reception at some times during the day and not others.