Newbie Guide to Dreambox

[snake007uk]

Hi Guys,

I want to purchase a Dreambox for my sky setup. Basically I have a gigabit network wired in my entire house. Every room has two Gigabit network points.

I want to setup Card sharing. I have never set it up etc..

What I want to know is, which dream box do I need to buy so I can view SKY + HD(UK). How do I can Card share? Can I card share over the net to my brother house? (Have a fast ADSL2+ Line) How many boxes can I card share with?
I am an experianced Linux admin so no worries on that front. I have a spare powerful server for this setup.

What else do I need to purchase?

Thanks

 

[Topper]

Welcome to the forum snake007uk

Well it is all there in the dreambox section but you have to read it, this is a self help forum and whilst many are willing to help where they can, there is not one to one tuition available

 

[snake007uk]

Hi Topper,

Thanks, I will read up on what I need, however can someone atleast recommed which dreambox to start me on the correct path to card sharing

 

[compufunk]

Any dreambox is capable of card sharing at the minute.

I would hold off though. There is no guarantee that the sharing Sky UK cards will work when the new encryption kicks in. There is no point in forking out money for a system that might not work in a few weeks/months time.

 

[zoro25]

For HD as you requested you will need an 800 or an 8000 but the 8000 is a beast and the price matches that status it. To start go for the 800.

All the rest as already stated is in the forum and there is a ton to read.

Make sure you read as much as possible before you get the box and then be prepared to play around with the box for a couple of weeks setting it up.

By this I mean don't expect to start sharing at the beginning just get to know the box and read up on what it can do, taking small steps.
Then start to experiment with different options and settings and soon it will all become 2nd nature.

 

[totalacedude]

as a recient noob to all of this i can agree with zoro!

it is all a bit much to start off with and ull b up for many a late night playing and giving the cat a boot every now and then in anger!

im starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and its starting to become a hobby!

for ur needs i would aggree again that a 800 (approx £300) is best, but i would use that as the main front room box and use 500's (approx £70 non hd) in all the other rooms (to keep cost down)

as some1 on here as told me the max shares without comprimising any dropping out is prob around the 20 mark! so unless u live in a H-U-G-E house thats not going to be a problem! (if it is.. get a server!!!! lol)

i still dont have it all sorted how i want it, but this forum has yeilded some very helpful ppl and info. ;)

ian

 

[snake007uk]

Thanks guys for the feedback.

I worked out yesterday I needed a 800 because the 8000 price is huge (atleast until i figure out why i would pay such amount for a box).

My plan first is to get a decent box, by this I mean not one of SKY HD box that after a few months start losing signal, not showing channels etc.. so I am assuming the dreambox would wokr just fine as standard sky hd box.

Sharing wise, as I mention I have a gigabit network at home and a few spare servers at home, so speed and server isnt a problem, but I wouldnt be sharing with more then two for now anyway.

However I may get my brother involved which will mean a server and internet access etc... how fast does the internet connection have to be? how often is the card key requested etc...

Also the new encryption that zoro mentioned, I have the new white sky card I am assuming this is what you are talking about or are they planning on still activating a new key? regardless my first aim to get a decent box, then I can work from there.

so question how good is the 800 as a standard box?
Internet speed for internet sharing?
On average how often is key requested?

Cheers guys

 

[shumifan50]

[SIZE=-1] DREAMBOX DM500S HD (preorder now) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1] SPEC H.264 in hardware DivX in hardware Simultaneous HD and SD output 1080i support HDMI and component output Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1, AAC and WMA support PIP with simultaneous HD/SD decoding Nice fast processor (400MHz dual core MIPS32) SATA-2 for hard disk and DVD-R/W hardware PVR support with trick modes Triple USB host (2x2.0, 1x1.1) dual smartcard controller [/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1] Our price: £ 299.00

[SIZE=-1] [/SIZE] [/SIZE]​

I would seriously wait for this box. Images, by Gemini, have been in the pipeline for several months according to IHAD. It has a dual core and faster processor and is marginally more expensive than the DM800. It supports divX in hardware. The only thing is the 'triple USB host' - on some of the pictures it looks like that became an RS232 port, which might be a disadvantange. This shop expects stock before XMas.

 

[Analoguesat]

My plan first is to get a decent box, by this I mean not one of SKY HD box that after a few months start losing signal, not showing channels etc.. so I am assuming the dreambox would wokr just fine as standard sky hd box.

However I may get my brother involved which will mean a server and internet access etc... how fast does the internet connection have to be? how often is the card key requested etc...

Also the new encryption that zoro mentioned, I have the new white sky card I am assuming this is what you are talking about or are they planning on still activating a new key? regardless my first aim to get a decent box, then I can work from there.


Cheers guys

Get the signal sorted out first - if the dish is marginally misaligned you might find you still dont have some channels! Of course if its a fault on the digibox then you wont know if the dish is misaligned or not.

Key changes can be anything up to every 30 seconds.

To be honest I'd wait and see what happens after Christmas - there are reports circulating that Sky UK will be tweaking the encryption algorithms in the New Year specifically to stop card sharing working - by continually updating the key changes so the shares cant update fast enough.

Put a system in now and its quite possible you will spend several hundred pounds and get no more than a couple of weeks out of it!

 

[compufunk]

so question how good is the 800 as a standard box?
Internet speed for internet sharing?
On average how often is key requested?

1: ................. Not sure what you mean by a standard box.
2: Your 20Mc connection should be more than enough. It worked fine for me while I had a 3Mb/256Kb connection.
3: Around every 10 seconds at the minute.

Also the new encryption that zoro mentioned, I have the new white sky card I am assuming this is what you are talking about or are they planning on still activating a new key? regardless my first aim to get a decent box, then I can work from there.

Yes the new card is for the new encryption system. Unfortunately its not as simple as changing of a key. Nobody knows for sure what going to happen yet, but you might find that your new box wont even clear the channels on your own box, let alone share them.

 

[snake007uk]

with regards to if the 800 is as good as the standard box.. I mean is the menu faster or same speed, no issues with not finding signal choppy picture (normally this is attributed to power supply or sky updates etc..)

Basically the sky boxes are like a used car you dont know what your gona get might work for a few months then its all over....

I might wait for the new box 500s HD which shumifan50 mentioned, this way I can see what happens with the encryption

Thanks guys you've been a great help... ill keep checking to see if there is an update on the key situation before diving in. Also can someone recommend a good UK supplier?

 

[snake007uk]

Guys, any news on the SKY encryption? should I go for the 800hd?

 

[shumifan50]

If your only objective is to avoid paying Sky subs, then your motivation is wrong. This is a hobbiest forum and part of playing with a dreambox is playing with card sharing - just to prove it can be done. There will be weeks/months of pain as you learn about the dreamboxes (regardless of which you choose). It will never look like a Sky HD box as it is inherently different. If you decide to do it as a hobby, these boxes are great.
The most cost effective box is the DM500HD and it is also very stable with few hangs/crashes., but it is single tuner. The DM8000 has 2 to 4 tuners (2 optional). The DM800 is the least cost effective as it has little benefit over the DM500HD for £60 more expensive.
The new encryption has not been rolled out in the UK yet, but must be very close.

 

[jasmart]

Guys, any news on the SKY encryption? should I go for the 800hd?

@snake - Dont get put off by some of the comments. I'm relatively new to all of this too. In a similar vein to you I work as a network admin. I spent a couple of weeks reading up here. After that I purchased a clone Dreambox 600 PVR for the bedroom for £99 (sticking with Sly HD in the front room, basic package), it was up and running getting freeview on the first night. Second night I'd installed the plugins and got a Cline to test from a payserver. This worked first time and I was able to view the full Sly package. Next night I'd collected and shared enough clines/flines to get the full package for gratis. Next night was streaming to the PS3 allowing me to watch footie on the plasma downstairs rather than in the bedroom. After that was getting the epg going and a better looking menu skin.

All in all a week's worth of tinkering and I'm more than happy. As the others say the info is all here - however I'll stick my neck out and say it is in such a random order they do not make it simple for newbs. If you want, pm me as I've collated all the information into a word document. It's listed step by step from image install, to channel lists, bouquets, cccam, streaming, backups etc.

 

[snake007uk]

thanks for you feedback.

However I appreciate you concern about it taking weeks/months etc...

However, I am a Sys admin, who manages over 800 Linux/Unix servers, also a qualified Network engineer. So in terms of understand the requirements (Network, DHCP, TFTP, linux configuration via command line etc..) will not be an issue.

The real thing I need to learn would be how the software works and what it needs, as per any software to be honest.

Can someone recommend a good hardware vendor who can supply me a 500hd or 800hd or even a 800HD (probably would never get a 8000), ideally in London so I can pay cash on collection etc... (How would you confirm it is genuine and not a clone? etc..)

Regarding Card sharing, I already pay for Sky sub (Family + Sport + HD), I will most likely keep this regardless, like you said its a new Toy play with.

 

[shumifan50]

I buy all my dreamboxes from SMS in Camberley. Ordering on the web is not a problem as you will have it within 24 hours.
As far as I can work out whether it is a clone or not: If the box is sold with a Dream Multimedia(DMM) image on it, it is most likely an original. If it has Pli, Nabilo, DreamElite or any of the other enhanced images installed, it is most likely a clone. A detail check can be done by running the DMM supplied plugin, feed the output into a web page at DMM and it will tell you if it is genuine or not.
The biggest clue is the image that ships on the box. The DMM image is basic, has no softcams and does not support them. I also think that if you try to install the DMM image on a clone it will brick it - I think this is also true for Gemini images.

 

[snake007uk]

Thanks for the update. I ordered my Dreambox 800HD from _http://************.co.uk/ since they were listed on the dreambox site

Now for the reading (I have been searching, however any links provided would be appreciated) I am hoping to document my setup (DH800HD etc...)

Thanks Again

Moderation note - please do not post live eternal links.

 

[sproot]

jasmart i do not have pm facilities , could you send on your word document. would love to see it,

much appreciated

 

[jasmart]

@sproot - Of course mate, I've had a couple of requests. I'll need your email addy.

 

[Drugzter]

@Jasmart, I am a comlplete noob to c/s, I am also new to linux but would like to learn as a hobby, I am looking for information on how to set this up, I am reading the threads I would appreciate a copy of your word document to help me along the way in my quest, I am unable to pm at the moment is there some way I can get hold of your word document , please