what TV equipment do i need to buy>

vervin

Gratis , i do want to get a box with twin tuners [watch and record] will i need another cable from the sky dish [easy now i am a blond] Would a Aerial Installation do that for me :T

Gratis

Three quick questions.

1.) Do you have now, or are you intending to get, an HD television?

2.) What type of Sky box do you have currently?

3.) How many leads run currently from your dish to your Sky box?

Answer those and I’ll tell you how to achieve the solution you seek.

Pincher

almillar wrote: »

Pincher, please don't call that FreeSat - it's all very confusing and not your fault, but that Echostar box isn't FreeSat, the Humax box is.
FreeSat is a joint venture between ITV and BBC allowing people who can't get Freeview to access subscription free digital TV. Includes On demand access, and an standardised EPG.
Freesatfromsky is subscription free Sky TV
Free satellite TV is what you're talking about - maybe a bit techie for some people and maybe lacking a few features that people don't realise will be missing (like an EPG for example).

FreeSat, FreeSat from Sky, Free-To-Air, DVB-S2, and now FreeSat G2.

Do you really think a non-techie will understand the difference?

Pincher

Gratis wrote: »

Interesting piece of kit. Thanks for posting links to it.

Tell me (since you’ve got one!), can you use its USB port to attach a large-capacity external hard drive for additional storage capacity and, if so, does its operating system recognise it and incorporate access to it through its GUI? That’s one of the main advantages of a Humax box over a Sky box. It also means that there’s no need to fork out more money for a Humax box with a large-capacity internal hard drive when you can simply plug an external hard drive (or several, using a USB hub) into the back of it.

Even for those who already have a Humax FoxSat-HDR (and/or a Sky box), this device could be a useful addition for those who travel. In such a role, it looks as though it could be used with just a single feed from the LNB to provide functionality, too.

The USB ports (front and back) on the Echostar seems to be not functional. Software update is via Satellite or Internet, no USB option.
It is capable of downloading software updates, and apps, so they can add anything they want to develop. No USB mass storage as we speak.

As a standalone FreeSat+HD box, it is very nice. The new software version automatically creates a directory for a series. Will try out the Sling function when I travel far next time.

almillar

Pincher - this is FreeSat:
http://www.freesat.co.uk/
Non-techies not knowing the difference - that's my point, they need to know the difference, so that they don't get duped into thinking they've just walked out of B&Q or Maplin with a £50 Freesat box, when it was just a satellite receiver box. How many people do you hear about taking home their 'HD Ready' TVs to find that they need an extra box to see HD?! Don't just write 'non-techies' off and leave them using sub standard stuff. I'm not even sure I know what FreeSat G2 is?!

vervin

Gratis
1 Got HD tv
2 Bog standard [ no sky + etc ]
3 From dish to box one lead
4 Thanks for help

Gratis

vervin wrote: »

Gratis
1 Got HD tv
2 Bog standard [ no sky + etc ]
3 From dish to box one lead
4 Thanks for help

No problems!

Your twin-tuner FreeSat recorder will require a second cable from your dish to the box because each tuner needs its own feed from the LNB block on your dish (the lump attached to its arm with a cable coming out of it).

If your current LNB allows only one connection, you’ll need to get it changed for one that can supply a second feed to your box. (That’s not very expensive.)

If your existing cable is fairly old, it would be a good idea to leave it in place (as a spare) and get somebody in to install on your dish a “Quad LNB” (that’s one with 4 outputs) together with new twin cables to where you’ll want to site your box. (Make sure you have some extra length in the cabling, so that you can move the box if you decide to rearrange your room!)

Just as most fuel stations supply both petrol and diesel, most aerial installers also do dish installations. They call themselves “Aerial Installers” because they were doing aerials long before dishes came along.

Best to use one that’s approved by the CAI.

All you’ll need then is a box, and you’ll be fine with a Humax FoxSat-HDR.

Essentially, you just plug it into the mains, plug the two leads from your dish into it and connect it to your television with an HDMI lead (which comes included inside the cardboard box containing your Humax).

Switch on the television, switch on the Humax box, answer a couple of questions which show up on-screen (such as your postcode, so that it tunes into the correct BBC and ITV for your region) and you’re away! HD television, free, forever!

Note that, unlike a Sky+HD box, you can plug a large-capacity external hard drive into the USB socket on the back of a Humax box, for increased storage capacity. It’s greatly best to use a full-sized 3.5” mains-powered one for that.

This means that there’s no need to pay through the nose for a Humax model that comes with a large-capacity internal hard drive. The external hard drive is a better solution anyway, because you can create nested folders (that’s folders inside folders) on it and keep all your recordings neatly archived in an organised and manageable fashion. You can’t do that on the internal hard-drive, so, with a 1 TB internal hard drive, you end up with huge and unwieldy list of recordings in alphabetical order.

In this and in many other respects, the Humax box is so much better than a Sky+HD box. You’ll absolutely love it. :happyhear

You should find any links you need are included in my large posting earlier in this thread.

Come back if you need any more advice or help. But it’s all pretty simple, really, so go for it and enjoy it.

:idea: Remember, if you live in an area in which Freeview is a problem, that, once de-commissioned, you can use your old Sky box as a basic FreeSat-from-Sky receiver in another room if you re-route your existing dish cable to there. Worth considering.

Pincher

almillar wrote: »

Pincher - this is FreeSat:
http://www.freesat.co.uk/
Non-techies not knowing the difference - that's my point, they need to know the difference, so that they don't get duped into thinking they've just walked out of B&Q or Maplin with a £50 Freesat box, when it was just a satellite receiver box. How many people do you hear about taking home their 'HD Ready' TVs to find that they need an extra box to see HD?! Don't just write 'non-techies' off and leave them using sub standard stuff. I'm not even sure I know what FreeSat G2 is?!

FreeSat G2 is a new standard, and Sagemcom has been licensed to manufacture the STBs, with Humax in the pipepline. Products expected 2012.

I was talkng to an ex-retail electronics guy about three years ago, who used to sell Hi-Fi, car stereo, etc. He didn't know that you need the correct decoder (DVB-T2) to get HD terrestrial channels either.

Even I was about to fall for the Skype Ready logo.
Except for one bundled package I've seen, you have to buy the microphone/camera unit separately.

You can't stop the layman from being misled, however clear you think you are being, because they just hear yuddy-yuddy-da.

I am of the opinion that the layman is just about able to understand the difference between terrestrial and satellite reception, so I make the distinction by saying Freeview and FreeSat. Trying to idiot proof my terminology by adding complexity is the way to madness.

almillar

I make the distinction by saying Freeview and FreeSat.

Just say terrestrial or satellite then, or aerial or satellite. Calling something without the FreeSat logo FreeSat will definitely add to the confusion.
DVB-S2 is confusing too of course. People can go on the net and see all sorts of boxes (and PC cards) that say they can receive HD programming, but then people don't realise that there are different broadcasting standards in different countries, and that their equipment won't work correctly in the UK. Even Ireland has a different digital standard from UK. That's why someone wanting to buy, for example, a FreeviewHD box, needs to go out looking for a FreeviewHD logo - which guarantees a set of standards, instead of having to worry about al the jargon.

Pincher

With a novice, even "terrestrial" is meaningless.

Novices need hand holding, a lot. You have to probe for level of knowledge, cut through mis-understanding, introduce new ideas, but it is not possible to operate at that level all the time.