Bargain Alert: New Ferguson HD DTT/Sat Combo Box - €63 before postage

Anchises

Thanks Tony

A.

Kristopherus

AT LAST , MY REVIEW:)
Out of the box, the unit is small & neat compared to my Sky+ box which I had for FTA.A couple of thing to note before you do anything.
1 The plug is a Euro 2-pin.
2 For the Polish-supplied ona at least, the default language is Polish. Go into the menu & scroll across to System & hit OK. Change the Language there.
3 The USB socket is located at the RHS. You have to open the flap to access it.Hook up your USB before you access the PVR menu. Otherwise the options will be shaded out.
The menu is easy enough to navigate. It walks you through all the options.
In the Station search, I searched for everything from 19e to 33e and came up with a million stations, most of which had no signal. Choose Astra 2 and Eurobird only for the FTA stations, otherwise you'll spend a couple of hours editing the damn list.
The picture quality is A1 in both SD & HD.I found the aspect is best set to "Auto".
RECORDING.I recorded an hour of stuff from RTE 1, while watching the other DTT channels. I used 16gb pen from Tesco. One noticable problem with the recording procedure is that I could'nt get any of the functional keys on the remote to work:(. Hopefully its only a minor glitch that can be fixed easily. I did'nt get a chance to record a Satellite channel and wathch another or a DTT channel.After a recording, I found the box was rather slow to react to the Remote.
In summary, I'm impressed overall.Its great to get the DTT & FTA channels in a single box, and you can get them all into a single list as well. A niggle or two, as I mentioned. And don't overwork the Remote!!! Its not the friendliest I've had:)

My overall rating is 8 out of 10. Great value for money.Anyone who has a query, feel free to ask.

Well done, Tony, for sorting the channel list.

Tony

@ Kristopherus Nice review. If you need a two to three pin adapter send me a mail and I'll post one to you.

The boxes we sell have English as defualt but its easy enough to change as Kristopherus says.

Kristopherus

Thanks for your kind offer, Tony, but I've always had a couple of them lying around, so I'm sorted.

lucernarian

Is there any issue with Irish suppliers and being obliged by law to put on the proper 3 pin plugs as used in Ireland/UK? Or does that just apply in the UK?

It BeeMee

Tony wrote: »

Boxes have arrived so going to start shipping this afternoon.

Great, something to play with for the weekend

willyb007

willyb007 wrote: »

Think i'll be buying 1 or 2 of these off Tony as soon as my wages clear tonight! Would I be right in saying Tony that if I was to order early tomorrow morning it should deliver Friday?

I have just purchased one of these from Tony just now! Sounds a nice piece of kit, price is amazing! Can't wait for its delivery (Hopefully Friday) so I can have a play around with it

channelsurfer2

mine is still stuck in the UPS depot in Barking since tuesday according to UPS tracking... good old english efficency...:mad:

Kenny Powers

Kristopherus wrote: »

And don't overwork the Remote!!! Its not the friendliest I've had:)

On My Argos Edison Mini the CH+- buttons on the remote do nothing do they work on this? is it suitable for an elderly person if everything was set up first, they wouldnt be using the PVR functions etc. Just flicking through 1 - 9 and using the CH +- to change CH. Can the remote be set up to control the TV volume?

Thanks

An.Duine.Eile

I have the previous model, which my mother-in-law has no hassle using. She is over 80. The +/- keys for volume and channels and the no. 1 for rte 1. Couldn't be easier.

The only hassle is that we need to select the hdmi channel on the tv, when it is turned on.

the_one_&_only

Is this box the same as the older model were it will only take a maximum of a 750gb hard drive?

user1842

Bought one from Tony yesterday

Can anyone tell me how fast it changes channels?

Kristopherus

Kenny Powers wrote: »

On My Argos Edison Mini the CH+- buttons on the remote do nothing do they work on this? is it suitable for an elderly person if everything was set up first, they wouldnt be using the PVR functions etc. Just flicking through 1 - 9 and using the CH +- to change CH. Can the remote be set up to control the TV volume?

Thanks

If you flick through rapidly with the + & - function, it can get confused . If you flick slowly it will give you a quick summary of what is on a la $ly/UPC.You can also flick via the up/down button in the centre of the remote.

Kristopherus

Just tested the recording function again. You can record DTT and watch another DTT channel OR another satellite channel. You cannot record 2 channels simultanaeously. I have also found that when starting a recording a momentary slight pixillation occurs as the recording function kicks in. Nothing serious but it causes the sound & picture to be slightly out of sync. Now I have mislaid my HDMI lead & have connected via scart. I don't know if that's causing the problem.

Pangea

Kristopherus wrote: »

Nothing serious but it causes the sound & picture to be slightly out of sync.

Out of sync is a pretty serious, hate watching out of sync.

How is the recording function with this? Some mentioned you can just stick the external hardrive in but how does the recorded programmes show up? are they all labelled etc.
Its FTA and not Freesat right?

O'Prez

Kristopherus wrote: »

Just tested the recording function again. You can record DTT and watch another DTT channel OR another satellite channel. You cannot record 2 channels simultanaeously. I have also found that when starting a recording a momentary slight pixillation occurs as the recording function kicks in. Nothing serious but it causes the sound & picture to be slightly out of sync. Now I have mislaid my HDMI lead & have connected via scart. I don't know if that's causing the problem.

Does it stay out of sync? That's a major problem in my book.

JDxtra

Maybe your storage was too slow? Was it a USB key, or a hard drive?

philahern

O'Prez wrote: »

Does it stay out of sync? That's a major problem in my book.

I am testing one at the moment. I am seeing a huge problem with audio out of sync on all channels (seems to be worse on bbc hd and bbc 1 hd) I am considering sending it back.

STB

JDxtra wrote: »

Maybe your storage was too slow? Was it a USB key, or a hard drive?

Yes Jon... that might be the problem. Page 2 of the Manual.


1. In order to use an external USB memory, the memory must support the USB 2.0 standard. To ensure stable recording and playback, you must use a
memory with a recording speed of 9.0 MB/s or greater

Slower hard disk drives and flash memories may not function properly, have problems with recording (image jitter), or not function at all!!!

2. Only disks with one basic NTFS or FAT32 partition (we recommend using the NTFS format) will function properly. If you do not have such a format, prepare the disk on your computer before connecting it to the receiver.

3. Highly fragmented or used memories may also not operate smoothly or correctly.

4. External hard disk drives should be autonomously powered, since the built-in USB port is unable to provide sufficient power.

Kristopherus

Pangea wrote: »

Out of sync is a pretty serious, hate watching out of sync.

How is the recording function with this? Some mentioned you can just stick the external hardrive in but how does the recorded programmes show up? are they all labelled etc.
Its FTA and not Freesat right?

Fta, not Freesat. You get only Now & Next

The recording function involves connecting a usb stick or usb hdd. There is a button on the remote that calls up the recorded stuff and gives you a few options what to do.

Tony

I'm not seeing any sync issues on the box here but I do not have a hard drive plugged in.

philahern

Tony wrote: »

I'm not seeing any sync issues on the box here but I do not have a hard drive plugged in.

I thought it might be the hard drive I had plugged in but I removed it and rebooted the machine. Still a problem. Very noticeable in the tennis. Audio is about half a second behind video.

[edit] ITV1 HD is not watchable because of sync issues. No hard drive attached.

Kristopherus

O'Prez wrote: »

Does it stay out of sync? That's a major problem in my book.

Seems to be back ok at the mo.Could be the TV as well. Nothing major so far but just noticable when it happens.

channelsurfer2

Kristopherus wrote: »

Seems to be back ok at the mo.Could be the TV as well. Nothing major so far but just noticable when it happens.

try using a hdmi3 cable instead of a hdmi2 version.. it carries the sound quicker seemingly.
Mine should be here tomorrow so I will report on it over the weekend to see if I exeperience the same scenario.
(my tv a samsung has issues with the sync according to when I googled for solutions... changing the cable didnt work for me but it works for others , it reduced the audio sync slightly using a sygmatec box thats 3 years old.

Tony

Might be useful to try with a scart if one is available to see if the same issue occurs. I'm working on a box now to try and replicate the probelm.

willyb007

I have stumbled upon a firmware update here http://www.ferguson-digital.eu/en/download/func-startdown/1147/

Maybe, just maybe it mite resolve some problems, If not the sync issue, wouldn't it be better installing this new version of firmware anyways? Maybe this version is already installed on the receiver - it is dated 27th May 2011.

Tony

I think this is the current version which is in the box . Can anyone having this issue do a factory re set and then do a single transponder scan on ITV HD to see if there is any resolution . Also is anyone using my channal list and having sync problems ?

willyb007 wrote: »

I Maybe this version is already installed on the receiver - it is dated 27th May 2011.

Kristopherus

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

try using a hdmi3 cable instead of a hdmi2 version.. it carries the sound quicker seemingly.
Mine should be here tomorrow so I will report on it over the weekend to see if I exeperience the same scenario.
(my tv a samsung has issues with the sync according to when I googled for solutions... changing the cable didnt work for me but it works for others , it reduced the audio sync slightly using a sygmatec box thats 3 years old.

As I said I cannot find my damn hdmi cable and I have a 3-pack on the way from ibood, So I'll have to wait:(. My tv is a Sammy as well, of 2007 vintage.Not full HD, but jogs along nicely at 720p. Have a full HD one that I'll hook up over the wke-end and test for any differences. But all that is dependant on the hdmi cables arriving:).

Tony

Have you seen any problem on the scart output ?

Kristopherus wrote: »

As I said I cannot find my damn hdmi cable and I have a 3-pack on the way from ibood, So I'll have to wait:(. My tv is a Sammy as well, of 2007 vintage.Not full HD, but jogs along nicely at 720p. Have a full HD one that I'll hook up over the wke-end and test for any differences. But all that is dependant on the hdmi cables arriving:).

philahern

Tony wrote: »

Have you seen any problem on the scart output ?

I've tried using a scart and the problem is still there. I tried a factory reset, removed all channels and did a single transponder search for ITV1 HD and the problem is still there :-( I also tried all the video output settings and the audio out settings nothing seems to solve the issue.

Kristopherus

Tony wrote: »

I think this is the current version which is in the box . Can anyone having this issue do a factory re set and then do a single transponder scan on ITV HD to see if there is any resolution . Also is anyone using my channal list and having sync problems ?

Thats true. When you go into the Tools menu, the 1st option is Information. When you examine that you will see all the software versions.Also the 2011...... statement should be read backwords to see the date of that upgrade. All of them are May 2011, so it seems to be smack up to date.

Tony

I was able to see a slight delay on ITV HD when using my channel list which was made using a network search . I did a factory re set and did a single transponder search on ITV HD which looked fine so I then did a satellite and terrestrial search (non network) and so far everyting is ok . I'll leave it running and check back later . I'm wondering if the network settings are not 100% correct so I'd avoid using the channel list i posted earlier in the thread just in case. I'll check the pids etc on the channel editor for ITV HD and check for any discrepancy between it and what lyngsat is showing.

philahern wrote: »

I've tried using a scart and the problem is still there. I tried a factory reset, removed all channels and did a single transponder search for ITV1 HD and the problem is still there :-( I also tried all the video output settings and the audio out settings nothing seems to solve the issue.

stephene

Just thought I'd throw my 2c in here....
I have a Panasonic TH-46PZ81 which has a built-in Freesat tuner and I've noticed sync issues on ITV-HD over the last week or so.

After some googling I found this http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums/f184/itv1-hd-210415/

I've got 2 ITV1 HD channels, as that's all you get on FTA - ITV London and ITV Granada. ITV Granada is the one you want to keep, as this has mpeg audio, compared to ITV London (and probably the others) which uses Dolby AC3. I think it's ITV's implementation of AC3 audio that causes the problem, although I have no idea why; my other HD channels with AC3 play fine. Interestingly, if I play ITV1 London through my Dolby amp via S9's digital audio out, it's in sync. So it's something to do with how the downmixing is handled, by the box itself or the TV.

Handily, Granada broadcasts the video at a higher resolution compared to London, so it should be the best option anyway (unless you are using a surround set up)

So a postcode change might sort it out...

Stephen

philahern

Update: I did a firmware update even though it seemed like the same version and reloaded my channels. The sync issue is still there but doesn't seem as bad. Still though that kind of thing would drive me mad.

On another note, the box is able to get an ip ok but doesn't load up any web radio channels at all. Says it's downloading but stays at 0% Could be an issue with connection but I don't think so.

swoofer

try this, when watching a prog with a bit iof lip synching, press the pause button, screen should freeze, then release pause, may fix the problem.

gb--

philahern

Gonna leave it for now and come back to it later. Thoughts so far:

Positives -

• Picture looks great.
• Box looks small and neat
• Record on same mux and also record sat watch dtt
• MkV playback looks great
• Easy to arrange channels with editor
• Time between channel changes is fine for me

Negatives -

• USB in the front
• Audio sync problem
• Extra info is not available in epg, just the program title
• Haven't been able to get web radio working

One_More_Mile

philahern wrote: »

Gonna leave it for now and come back to it later. Thoughts so far:

Positives -

• Picture looks great.
• Box looks small and neat
• Record on same mux and also record sat watch dtt
• MkV playback looks great
• Easy to arrange channels with editor
• Time between channel changes is fine for me

Negatives -

• USB in the front
• Audio sync problem
• Extra info is not available in epg, just the program title
• Haven't been able to get web radio working

Oh man - I sure hope there is a patch for the above- even the heap of junk Lidl box I have at home gives me some details of the program!

Tony

Yeah as I've said previously the USB in front was something we made them aware of some time ago but they have chosen to leave it where it is .

If you press "info" twice and then three time you can get now and next programme info

philahern

Tony wrote: »

If you press "info" twice and then three time you can get now and next programme info

Yeah it works for the satellite channels but for dtt channels there is no info.

Tony

philahern wrote: »

Yeah it works for the satellite channels but for dtt channels there is no info.

I see , sorry did not check that . We''ll record a stream and send it to Ferguson to see if theres a solution but this may take some time.

philahern

Tony wrote: »

I see , sorry did not check that . We''ll record a stream and send it to Ferguson to see if theres a solution but this may take some time.

It's not really a big deal for me for what I want the box for. I'm just listing all the things that pop into my head really so other people can see. The only real deal breaker for me is the audio sync but hopefully I can fix that.

Tony

Absolutely right, its good to get opinions out there on features etc as some would be more important than others depending on the user.

philahern wrote: »

It's not really a big deal for me for what I want the box for. I'm just listing all the things that pop into my head really so other people can see. The only real deal breaker for me is the audio sync but hopefully I can fix that.

willyb007

Being honest info on DTT wouldn't bother me either, The box I've ordered is for my 68 yr old father who would only use the info button on True Movies or something which i understand will work as its a Sat channel. Maybe a future firmware update will solve this. Excited to hear that MKV will work so mite invest in one for myself also!

Only prob i would have is the Sync issue obviously, However from Tony's solution, this can be sorted out i understand.

Tony wrote: »

I was able to see a slight delay on ITV HD when using my channel list which was made using a network search . I did a factory re set and did a single transponder search on ITV HD which looked fine so I then did a satellite and terrestrial search (non network) and so far everyting is ok . I'll leave it running and check back later . I'm wondering if the network settings are not 100% correct so I'd avoid using the channel list i posted earlier in the thread just in case. I'll check the pids etc on the channel editor for ITV HD and check for any discrepancy between it and what lyngsat is showing.

Tony

willyb007 wrote: »

However from Tony's solution, this can be sorted out i understand.

I would not say its a solution, just things to try out . I've not been able to replicate the problem to the severity that Phil has unfortunately encountered so at this point its just trying to narrow down what might be happening.

PressTheButton

stephene wrote: »

Just thought I'd throw my 2c in here....
I have a Panasonic TH-46PZ81 which has a built-in Freesat tuner and I've noticed sync issues on ITV-HD over the last week or so.

After some googling I found this http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums/f184/itv1-hd-210415/

I've got 2 ITV1 HD channels, as that's all you get on FTA - ITV London and ITV Granada. ITV Granada is the one you want to keep, as this has mpeg audio, compared to ITV London (and probably the others) which uses Dolby AC3. I think it's ITV's implementation of AC3 audio that causes the problem, although I have no idea why; my other HD channels with AC3 play fine. Interestingly, if I play ITV1 London through my Dolby amp via S9's digital audio out, it's in sync. So it's something to do with how the downmixing is handled, by the box itself or the TV.

Handily, Granada broadcasts the video at a higher resolution compared to London, so it should be the best option anyway (unless you are using a surround set up)

So a postcode change might sort it out...

Stephen

Re. Postcode for Granada ITV HD - came across this on Digital Spy:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1469824

Tony

Another thought, might be worth adding another transponder with these parameters .

10847
V
23000

The current transponder stored has a symbol rate of 22000 , this is the transponder for BBC HD , not sure if it will make any difference but worth a shot.

Edit: @Phil ITV HD (granada) is also on 10936 V worth checking as per the previous posts about audio to see if it solves your problem.

philahern

Tony wrote: »

Another thought, might be worth adding another transponder with these parameters .

10847
V
23000

The current transponder stored has a symbol rate of 22000 , this is the transponder for BBC HD , not sure if it will make any difference but worth a shot.

Edit: @Phil ITV HD (granada) is also on 10936 V worth checking as per the previous posts about audio to see if it solves your problem.

TBH I'm googly eyed from looking at it now. The huge delay on ITV HD seems to have improved when I reinstalled the firmware. There is still a delay on BBC One HD, BBC HD and ITV HD. Girlfriend came home from work and noticed it straight away. Pausing the video and pressing play again worked once but does not work everytime. Pressing the audio button and choosing the first audio source (it defaults to 2nd one) seems to work as well but will test some more.

Tony

yep it can wear you out quick. I'd say trying the granada transponder would be the first step (tomorrow )

philahern wrote: »

TBH I'm googly eyed from looking at it now. The huge delay on ITV HD seems to have improved when I reinstalled the firmware. There is still a delay on BBC One HD, BBC HD and ITV HD. Girlfriend came home from work and noticed it straight away. Pausing the video and pressing play again worked once but does not work everytime. Pressing the audio button and choosing the first audio source (it defaults to 2nd one) seems to work as well but will test some more.

philahern

I'm still messing with it it but if anyone wants it, my channel lineup is here

channelsurfer2

ok got mine today...major issue with lip sync.. any live programme is awful when used through a hdmi. bbc 1hd and itvhd1 london the worst... itvhd granada not as bad but noticable..anyway my mother who i got it for wanted to be able to have it switch on via scart as she didnt want to manually have to select hdmi all the time.... and when i put it in via scart the lip sync issue disappeared..granted the pic quality on hd also disimproved. but shes happy with that.... tried it on my tv at home and as with the sigmatek box i was using still lip sync issues...it gets reallly annoying