Skybox F3

[Lazarus]

Sounds like yet another tick in the box - very impressive little machine.

 

[Rolandh]

Sounds like yet another tick in the box - very impressive little machine.

Yep, just need to see if it's smart enough to switch off at the end of the Recording.

Roland

 

[Rolandh]

It's even smart enough to switch off at the end of the timer

Roland

 

[tebaa]

was going to rip this box to shreds 3 hours ago . then all of a sudden things just seem to drop into place
and now i have got to say im well impressed with this and the picture quality has got a lot better as i got
every fine tuned and for 50 quid i might even get another 1 for the kids and get rid of the 500

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, you need a couple of days to fully evaluate .............. many things I thought should be obvious weren't - until I found out how - then in retrospect it actually was obvious!

I haven't yet seen any substantive criticism at all.

 

[Llew]

Can you access the root filesystem of this box via FTP? I'd like to see where everything is before I consider buying one.

 

[Rolandh]

Can you access the root filesystem of this box via FTP? I'd like to see where everything is before I consider buying one.

I very much doubt it as there is no HDD built in only Flash memory for Firmware & Channels.

Roland

Sent from my Ayame

 

[Llew]

Should be a kernel in the processor somewhere.

 

[Stew.art]

Hi, I have a question: Take away the CA capabilities, would the Skybox still be a darn good buy for FTA only ?

I'm asking because I was originally going to buy a Ross receiver (£60) from B&Q but since finding this thread I’m worried that I could be missing out on a little gem.
Whichever device I'll buy it will become the household’s sole HD provider and my concerns with the Skybox is it may be over spec for my needs (FTA HD, DiSEqC & Recording abilities) plus the lack of official support for updates.

I know DIY stores might not be everyone’s cup of tea for Sat hardware but so far I’ve seen no damning review/comment of the Ross HD receiver’s
techradar[dot]com/reviews/audio-visual/digital-tv-recorders/ross-22300hd-r-944412/review
issuu[dot]com/whatsatellitedigitaltv/docs/ross-philex_h2h_test

 

[Lazarus]

It'll be fine as an FTA only Receiver: You will find that the Ross Rx also has DiSEqC, by the way - and I suspect that Firmware support for the F3 will be better than for the Ross.

That said, if it ain't broke ................. !!

Key difference is the Live Pause/PVR-Ready feature, and that was my own motivation (originally) for getting one - got a Foxsat HDR in the lounge, but wanted something with Live Pause for the bedroom as well, at low cost.

 

[connor220806]

Hi sorry if I post this in the wrong place, i have a general query and require some expert information.
I have just given notice to end my sky subscription and by browsing the internet have come accross the Skybox F3.
I am new to this open box system and don't really know where to start.
If I bought an F3 what do I need for it to work?

1) Do I need a motorised dish or will my existing do until I can afford a motorised dish?

2) Are there any additional fees seperate to the purchase price ?(hope this question is allowed within the forum rules)

3) Do the boxes come with the current firmware installed or do I need to upgrade?

Sorry to bother you but just looking for guidlines before I purchase.

Regards
Clive

 

[Rolandh]

It'll be fine as an FTA only Receiver: You will find that the Ross Rx also has DiSEqC, by the way - and I suspect that Firmware support for the F3 will be better than for the Ross.

That said, if it ain't broke ................. !!

Key difference is the Live Pause/PVR-Ready feature, and that was my own motivation (originally) for getting one - got a Foxsat HDR in the lounge, but wanted something with Live Pause for the bedroom as well, at low cost.

My mum & Dad has got a Ross HD box that came in the HD Kits that B&Q were selling in 2010 and it's PVR Ready using an external HDD or Pen Drive, not sure about the Live Pause though, but compared to the Skybox F3 it's ugly with a very ugly and un-intuitive UI, if they used it more I'd save up and get them a Skybox F3 as it's more user friendly, but then again they haven't got Internet so most of the advanced features that make it attractive to enthusiasts would go to wast ;)

Also one feature that the PVR side has got over most receivers is the fact that when you mark something to delete it doesn't delete until you back out of the Media List so you can mark several recordings for deletion and they get deleted as soon as you exit from the Media List.

Roland

 

[Stew.art]

Thanks for the response, the input has been much appreciated

For me the F3's appeal has grown quite considerably, as here & elsewhere the consensus seems to be that for 50 quid it represents great value for money. The comments by Roland (which I'm grateful for) about the UI and user-friendliness especially helped as for the time being it would be the main sat provider.

lack of official support for updates.

Since my first post I've discovered the skybox[dot]cc website.

On the memory stick issue, the new 'USB 3.0' sticks might be worth a try, tests have shown when plugged into 2.0 ports they still outperform all other versions due to their standard transfer rate being far bigger.

 

[Lazarus]

As far as the USB 3.0 sticks go, although they are indeed reputed to work well even in backwards compatible mode, they are expensive enough to make a £30 80GB or 120 GB Portable 2.5" HDD a potentially better solution right now.

 

[Lazarus]

Hi sorry if I post this in the wrong place, i have a general query and require some expert information.
I have just given notice to end my sky subscription and by browsing the internet have come accross the Skybox F3.
I am new to this open box system and don't really know where to start.
If I bought an F3 what do I need for it to work?

1) Do I need a motorised dish or will my existing do until I can afford a motorised dish?

2) Are there any additional fees seperate to the purchase price ?(hope this question is allowed within the forum rules)

3) Do the boxes come with the current firmware installed or do I need to upgrade?

Sorry to bother you but just looking for guidlines before I purchase.

Regards
Clive

1. For 28E use, an F3 will be fine on a "Sky" dish

2. Fees for what? Assuming you might be referring to using the box as a Client then any arrangements you might make for your experimentation must be done outside the Forum

3. As for Firmware, that depends upon your Supplier's stock control, but if what is supplied is not current

a. If it works, it won't necessarily need fixing

b. Firmware is freely available and easy to apply either by USB, Telnet, or direct via Ethernet/WiFi

 

[connor220806]

1. For 28E use, an F3 will be fine on a "Sky" dish

2. Fees for what? Assuming you might be referring to using the box as a Client then any arrangements you might make for your experimentation must be done outside the Forum

3. As for Firmware, that depends upon your Supplier's stock control, but if what is supplied is not current

a. If it works, it won't necessarily need fixing

b. Firmware is freely available and easy to apply either by USB, Telnet, or direct via Ethernet/WiFi

Thanks for your response Tivu much appriciated. So if I just hook up the F3 to my current set up and configure I should then receive my current channels?

 

[Lazarus]

As far as the USB 3.0 sticks go, although they are indeed reputed to work well even in backwards compatible mode, they are expensive enough to make a £30 80GB or 120 GB Portable 2.5" HDD a potentially better solution right now.

Hmm. Maybe you're onto summat -- just been looking on fleabay and you can get 16GB USB 3.0 Stick for around £10.

Nice.

 

[Lazarus]

Thanks for your response Tivu much appriciated. So if I just hook up the F3 to my current set up and configure I should then receive my current channels?

The FTA ones, yes.

Getting access to BSky Subscription Channels by any means other than owning your own Subscription is absolutely not something that we permit discussion of.

 

[connor220806]

The FTA ones, yes.

Getting access to BSky Subscription Channels by any means other than owning your own Subscription is absolutely not something that we permit discussion of.

Thanks I understand, I will no doubt be posting again for set up help once I receive my F3 :-laugh

 

[Rolandh]

I've updated my Skybox with updated channels list with favorite channels already setup, but the Firmware layout is slightly different to the one that came pre-installed on the box. Is there a way to put the shipped Firmware back on & where would I get the Firmware from, I'm after the one that has the CCcam stuff hidden and the menu to view HDD stats (The one with the Iron Man Background Image)?

Roland