advice on buying a combi box for a house with a satellite dish

sinatrafan

I'm just looking for any advice anyone can give me on this question. I know it is probably a very stupid question, but i am not good with TVs and all of the connections and services involved, so any advice given would be greatly appreciated!

My friend recently moved out of the house and he is taking his sky box with him. There is a satellite on the roof from I moved into the house and when he connected the wires into his sky box, it worked absolutely fine.
Now that he is gone, I need to have something to watch the television with. I am just looking for the basic stations – ie the irish stations, bbc, utv,...that kind of thing. I do not want to pay a monthy subscription fee or anything like that for stations.
With the saorview coming up next month, i am getting more and more confused by what is involved.
I was looking on sites and keep coming up with combi boxes and set up boxes. From looking at the boards here i have a rough idea about them.
My question is simply this – with a satellite dish on the roof, do i just buy a combi box and attach it as per the usual way with a sky box? Will this do the trick or is there more to it?

I was looking at combi boxes so that i can get saorview irish stations and also the normal british stations. This kept coming up - Triax Saorview HD Combi PVR Ready Set Top Box. So, if i bought that, are my problems solved?
Or am i being completely naive?

Many thanks for anyone who can answer that question.

kevez

you will need an aerial that can receive the soarview channels connected to the box too

Gerry Wicklow

As the name implies, a combo box combines terrestrial and satellite signals into one box. For terrestrial (SaorView) you use an ordinary aerial for the Irish channels. For the UK channels you use the satellite dish. Both the aerial and dish plug into the combo box which is then connected to your TV.

sinatrafan

many thanks for the two replies. at least i have a bit of an idea about what to do now. so i gotta get an aerial.
it's like going back to the old days, i remember my old man putting up an aerial on our house when i was a kid, and everyone was getting satellite dishes. never thought i'd end up doing the same!

iba

sinatrafan wrote: »

I'm just looking for any advice anyone can give me on this question. I know it is probably a very stupid question, but i am not good with TVs and all of the connections and services involved, so any advice given would be greatly appreciated!

My friend recently moved out of the house and he is taking his sky box with him. There is a satellite on the roof from I moved into the house and when he connected the wires into his sky box, it worked absolutely fine.
Now that he is gone, I need to have something to watch the television with. I am just looking for the basic stations – ie the irish stations, bbc, utv,...that kind of thing. I do not want to pay a monthy subscription fee or anything like that for stations.
With the saorview coming up next month, i am getting more and more confused by what is involved.
I was looking on sites and keep coming up with combi boxes and set up boxes. From looking at the boards here i have a rough idea about them.
My question is simply this – with a satellite dish on the roof, do i just buy a combi box and attach it as per the usual way with a sky box? Will this do the trick or is there more to it?

I was looking at combi boxes so that i can get saorview irish stations and also the normal british stations. This kept coming up - Triax Saorview HD Combi PVR Ready Set Top Box. So, if i bought that, are my problems solved?
Or am i being completely naive?

Many thanks for anyone who can answer that question.

Hi,

If you only have a sat dish you do not need a combi box. The sat dish will provide you with BBCs and ITVs etc but not RTE or TV3 etc.

So if you only want the British stations you can just buy an ordinary Set Top Box (you can pick them up for €40 - €50 in lidl, aldi, dunnes, xtra-vision).

Now if you want to have the Irish stations as well as the British ones, you will need an aerial. This aerial can be in the form of rabbit years (again you can pick one up in Lidl for €10 or so or €25 plus in Dixons, Currys, Maplins etc), or you can place the aerial outside your house or you can just stick this same aerial inside (indoors) in your attic.

So if you want both sets of stations you will need a Combi box, like teh Triax one you mentioned but there are much cheaper ones out there like the Ariva 150 (which would suit your purpose).

If you have any questions, just ask.

Regards

Iba

Ronnie Raygun

iba wrote: »

This aerial can be in the form of rabbit years (again you can pick one up in Lidl for €10 or so or €25 plus in Dixons, Currys, Maplins etc), or you can place the aerial outside your house or you can just stick this same aerial inside (indoors) in your attic.

"Rabbit ears" & other indoor aerials aren't guaranteed to work by any means, even in strong signal areas. Same goes for attic aerials, although you've a greater chance of success, particularly if you use a decent "outdoor" type & spend a bit of time finding the best mounting location.

iba

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

"Rabbit ears" & other indoor aerials aren't guaranteed to work by any means, even in strong signal areas. Same goes for attic aerials, although you've a greater chance of success, particularly if you use a decent "outdoor" type & spend a bit of time finding the best mounting location.

Hi Ronnie,

Hows it going?

Not saying their guranteed but just throwing some ideas out there.

Im using Rabbit Ears bought in Lidl with my ariva on 120 and I get and have no problems with teh Irish terrestrial channels. My brother has an outdoor aerial but he just put in lying between some rafters in teh attic and that works for him also on ariva 120. That saved him all the trouble of having to erct brackets and so forth at teh side of his house.

Regards

Iba

SPAWKER

Also depending on where you are in the country you may only need a saorview box or a tv with a mpeg 4 tuner as they will receive both the Irish and British channels after the 24th of next month. But you will of course need an aerial for this.

pelisor2000

sinatrafan wrote: »

I'm just looking for any advice anyone can give me on this question. I know it is probably a very stupid question, but i am not good with TVs and all of the connections and services involved, so any advice given would be greatly appreciated!

My friend recently moved out of the house and he is taking his sky box with him. There is a satellite on the roof from I moved into the house and when he connected the wires into his sky box, it worked absolutely fine.
Now that he is gone, I need to have something to watch the television with. I am just looking for the basic stations – ie the irish stations, bbc, utv,...that kind of thing. I do not want to pay a monthy subscription fee or anything like that for stations.
With the saorview coming up next month, i am getting more and more confused by what is involved.
I was looking on sites and keep coming up with combi boxes and set up boxes. From looking at the boards here i have a rough idea about them.
My question is simply this – with a satellite dish on the roof, do i just buy a combi box and attach it as per the usual way with a sky box? Will this do the trick or is there more to it?

I was looking at combi boxes so that i can get saorview irish stations and also the normal british stations. This kept coming up - Triax Saorview HD Combi PVR Ready Set Top Box. So, if i bought that, are my problems solved?
Or am i being completely naive?

Many thanks for anyone who can answer that question.

http://www.satworld.ie/product-info.php?Amiko_8820_CI-CX__FULL_HD__-_Combo_Receiver-pid402.html

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056527457

sinatrafan

thanks so much guys,
a lot of info out there. i'd agree with Ronnie Raygun on the aerial vs cats ears - prob safest just to get an outdoor aerial and get someone to stick it up and do the right job.
i really appreciate all the advice.

SimonLynch

iba wrote: »

Hi,

If you only have a sat dish you do not need a combi box. The sat dish will provide you with BBCs and ITVs etc but not RTE or TV3 etc.

So if you only want the British stations you can just buy an ordinary Set Top Box (you can pick them up for €40 - €50 in lidl, aldi, dunnes, xtra-vision).

Now if you want to have the Irish stations as well as the British ones, you will need an aerial. This aerial can be in the form of rabbit years (again you can pick one up in Lidl for €10 or so or €25 plus in Dixons, Currys, Maplins etc), or you can place the aerial outside your house or you can just stick this same aerial inside (indoors) in your attic.

So if you want both sets of stations you will need a Combi box, like teh Triax one you mentioned but there are much cheaper ones out there like the Ariva 150 (which would suit your purpose).

If you have any questions, just ask.

Regards

Iba

Have a 120 and rabbit ears on top of the box in Wicklow, terrestrial TV crystal clear but I'm probably in a good spot.