Saorview Connect

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Johnboy1951 wrote:

Somewhat similar boxes work very well with 1GB or 2GB ram ...... not short on memory at all.

There are much better spec boxes available for running IPTV.

Johnboy1951

Miranda Muscular Pigeonhole wrote: »

There are much better spec boxes available for running IPTV.

Of course there are much better spec boxes available for running lots of things if you wish.

Not sure what the point is.

Tony

Indeed and I don't see the relevance to the thread topic

The high horse brigade

Tony wrote: »

Indeed and I don't see the relevance to the thread topic

How relevant is anything to this connect box, it's been and looks like it will always be a complete failure. The future of the manufacturer looks average and very half arsed budget market aimed also.

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Johnboy1951 wrote:

Not sure what the point is.

Point is the connect isn't their only rubbish box

FRIENDO

The high horse brigade wrote: »

How relevant is anything to this connect box, it's been and looks like it will always be a complete failure. The future of the manufacturer looks average and very half arsed budget market aimed also.

Atleast we are back on topic, I am interested to see how this Saorview Connect box works when the software is finished testing and ready for an official launch

I'm also interested in how the box is working with the test software at the moment

lsjmhar

FRIENDO wrote:

I'm also interested in how the box is working with the test software at the moment

FRIENDO wrote:

Atleast we are back on topic, I am interested to see how this Saorview Connect box works when the software is finished testing and ready for an official launch

The box is generally working well. Recording is good and the populating of the UK FTA now and next has made the satellite section more usable also. Another update should stabilise this and hopefully improve the on-demand function - TG4 player not working at present.

FRIENDO

lsjmhar wrote: »

The box is generally working well. Recording is good and the populating of the UK FTA now and next has made the satellite section more usable also. Another update should stabilise this and hopefully improve the on-demand function - TG4 player not working at present.

Thanks for the updates

Tigerandahalf

@Friendo

Am I right in that you are looking for a saorsat solution?

Would the satellite tuner on a tv do you for saorsat and get a freesat box for English channels. I presume you can't get freeview. I take it you are in the north or close to.

FRIENDO

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

@Friendo

Am I right in that you are looking for a saorsat solution?

Would the satellite tuner on a tv do you for saorsat and get a freesat box for English channels. I presume you can't get freeview. I take it you are in the north or close to.

Thanks for your advice Tiger, however at the moment I'm fine.

I just have an interest in the development of Saorview and the Connect platform

Tigerandahalf

I was the same. I thought it might be a good option as I was coming from a combi box background.

I bought the Connect box first and then got a gift of the humax freesat box. I wouldn't have bought the former if I had known how good the latter was especially when you get the players working on it.

I think if rte and saorview want to stay relevant they need to develop a box (android is probably best) that will keep potential viewers aware of its programming but still give them all the apps that they need. An android box would give netflix, prime, now tv, rte player, tg4 player, tv3 player and all the other apps.

In fairness the tide is against rte and other public broadcasters and there has been noise in the uk about how public service broadcasting will be lost etc.

A lot of tv is watched from just casual browsing and if the rte/saorview brand isn't at the forefront viewership will continue to decline.

To give an example, I wouldn't mind watching the Laochra Gael series on tg4 at the moment but I would need to put on a chromecast and then find it on the app on my phone. When you have only an hour or 2 to watch tv you just want to flick on the remote and go through the epg.

FRIENDO

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

I was the same. I thought it might be a good option as I was coming from a combi box background.

I bought the Connect box first and then got a gift of the humax freesat box. I wouldn't have bought the former if I had known how good the latter was especially when you get the players working on it.

I think if rte and saorview want to stay relevant they need to develop a box (android is probably best) that will keep potential viewers aware of its programming but still give them all the apps that they need. An android box would give netflix, prime, now tv, rte player, tg4 player, tv3 player and all the other apps.

In fairness the tide is against rte and other public broadcasters and there has been noise in the uk about how public service broadcasting will be lost etc.

A lot of tv is watched from just casual browsing and if the rte/saorview brand isn't at the forefront viewership will continue to decline.

To give an example, I wouldn't mind watching the Laochra Gael series on tg4 at the moment but I would need to put on a chromecast and then find it on the app on my phone. When you have only an hour or 2 to watch tv you just want to flick on the remote and go through the epg.

Saorview Connect is a good idea, with the box it gives people access to both Saorview and Sat channels, hopefully with new software players and recordings will work well.

Not having 7 day epg on satellite is a pain for recording.

Ideally the best solution for Saorview Connect is for its software to be offered on Saorview approved TV's, like what's offered with Freeview Play - this would be a winner.

With a Freeview play TV you can get a roll back function by launching a player from the epg BBC, ITV, C4, C5, DAVE, CBS, Horror players etc.

However with the same Saorview approved TV set to Ireland with Saorview, no playback or any Connect function offered, just the Saorview channel's.

If RTE/Saorview could offer a Saorview Connect/Anywhere service on Saorview Approved Smart TV's it would be a great move.

Tigerandahalf

I agree that the product is best suited to being integrated into a tv. The satellite section will never cover the average user's needs with the lack of a 7 day epg.

But will any tv manufacturer bite given the potential cost.

Let's face it, if people had access to a proper functioning rte player app you have many of the features you need. Perhaps rte would be better served making sure their app is available on as many platforms as possible with the ability to download content.

patsryan

We have all seen how good Freesat's solution is in the UK - they didn't come to the point they are now overnight and neither will RTE / Saorview.

A lot of improvements have been made to the SVC box since the first recording beta.

The whole system is now much more responsive and the populated Now / Next guide on satellite channels really changes the game IMO.

Its a pity that a 7 day EPG wasn't added but I believe this was a commerical decision taken by RTE, likely to promote Irish FTA channels over the UK FTA ones.

I wouldn't be surprised that this is why the Satellite FTA channels appear in a different section that is buried within the menu.

I personally believe that if the last few bugs could be resolved and the below improvements can be made then this box is very close to being an almost perfect combi box for a non-techy TV watcher who wants to go FTA.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Create favourite groups e.g Entertainment, +1, Movies, Sports, Music, News, Movies, Kids etc

Type in a channel number on the remote when editing Satellite channels instead of having to scroll through tens / hundreds of numbers to set a channel number to the desired number.

Hidden channels should be hidden when editing channel numbers.

Ability to export the channel list so that if the box had to be reset one would not have to reorganise the channel list. This would allow a user to import the channel list onto another SVC box if necessary / wanted to do so.

Further improve on-screen animations so that the SVC box appears faster and fluid.

Add the ability for the user to play their own videos / photos via the SVC box.

Add the ability for users to watch other online content.

Other apps such as Netflix or YouTube could be one way to do this, although adding some casting technology such as Miracast / DLNA / WiDi / Google Cast / Apple AirPlay 2 could be another way to do so.

galtee boy

patsryan wrote: »

We have all seen how good Freesat's solution is in the UK - they didn't come to the point they are now overnight and neither will RTE / Saorview.

A lot of improvements have been made to the SVC box since the first recording beta.

The whole system is now much more responsive and the populated Now / Next guide on satellite channels really changes the game IMO.

Its a pity that a 7 day EPG wasn't added but I believe this was a commerical decision taken by RTE, likely to promote Irish FTA channels over the UK FTA ones.

I wouldn't be surprised that this is why the Satellite FTA channels appear in a different section that is buried within the menu.

I personally believe that if the last few bugs could be resolved and the below improvements can be made then this box is very close to being an almost perfect combi box for a non-techy TV watcher who wants to go FTA.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Create favourite groups e.g Entertainment, +1, Movies, Sports, Music, News, Movies, Kids etc

Type in a channel number on the remote when editing Satellite channels instead of having to scroll through tens / hundreds of numbers to set a channel number to the desired number.

Hidden channels should be hidden when editing channel numbers.

Ability to export the channel list so that if the box had to be reset one would not have to reorganise the channel list. This would allow a user to import the channel list onto another SVC box if necessary / wanted to do so.

Further improve on-screen animations so that the SVC box appears faster and fluid.

Add the ability for the user to play their own videos / photos via the SVC box.

Add the ability for users to watch other online content.

Other apps such as Netflix or YouTube could be one way to do this, although adding some casting technology such as Miracast / DLNA / WiDi / Google Cast / Apple AirPlay 2 could be another way to do so.

Near perfect combo box ? That's pushing it a bit. Even a €50 fta combo box has Saorview and satellite on the one EPG/channel list, ok it will never have 7 day epg for satellite channels, but surely to God, they could have allowed Saorview and satellite channels on the one list ? Try giving that box to a non techy elderly person and explain how to switch from RTE1 to BBC1 , it wouldn't pass any user friendly test.

Johnboy1951

Still trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

patsryan

galtee boy wrote: »

Near perfect combo box ? That's pushing it a bit. Even a €50 fta combo box has Saorview and satellite on the one EPG/channel list, ok it will never have 7 day epg for satellite channels, but surely to God, they could have allowed Saorview and satellite channels on the one list ? Try giving that box to a non techy elderly person and explain how to switch from RTE1 to BBC1 , it wouldn't pass any user friendly test.

With the improvements listed above, and the outstanding bugs fixed then yes in comparison to any combi box that I have used then it almost perfect.


No it won't give a list of all channels on one list but one of the improvements suggested to RTE / Saorview was to allow the user to create favorite groups which appear in the left hand side menu of the satellite screen, therefore defeating the purpose of a humongous single list of channels in the first place.



Also if my non-techy 60 year old parents could figure out how to change the modes on there own then I don't believe that there any issue here.



Also, I believe there isn't any other Generic FTA combi box on the market that pulls down now & next data out of the box without an internet connection although im open to correction on that one.

The high horse brigade

patsryan wrote: »

Also, I believe there isn't any other Generic FTA combi box on the market that pulls down now & next data out of the box without an internet connection although im open to correction on that one.

Enigma boxes like the Tiviar Alpha use a plugin called CrossEPG to pull down the 7 day EPG data from satellite, no internet connection is needed

Johnboy1951

patsryan wrote:

Also, I believe there isn't any other Generic FTA combi box on the market that pulls down now & next data out of the box without an internet connection although im open to correction on that one.

The 7 day EPG info is available from Satellite ....... obviously they do not wish to have it 'contaminate' their box.

patsryan

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Enigma boxes like the Tiviar Alpha use a plugin called CrossEPG to pull down the 7 day EPG data from satellite, no internet connection is needed

Linux boxes have to be built by a techy user and are not an out of box experience, therefore they don’t apply to my above comment.

Also, I believe there isn't any other Generic FTA combi box on the market that pulls down now & next data out of the box without an internet connection although im open to correction on that one.

patsryan

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

The 7 day EPG info is available from Satellite ....... obviously they do not wish to have it 'contaminate' their box.

RTÉ made a commercial decision not to include one - likely to promote there own channels

Sam Russell

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

The 7 day EPG info is available from Satellite ....... obviously they do not wish to have it 'contaminate' their box.

There is a question of copyright and ownership of the information. Do not forgt that RTE are a broadcaster with an interst in such matters, both as an owner of such and as a user.

Johnboy1951

Sam Russell wrote: »

There is a question of copyright and ownership of the information. Do not forgt that RTE are a broadcaster with an interst in such matters, both as an owner of such and as a user.

OK, and if I say there is no such question, then what?

Has a case been taken against any entity?

If RTÉ are in great fear of what might occur, then what is to prevent them from allowing a user installed plugin to achieve the same result?

Only reason I can imagine is they do not want it made available to end users!

This box has been a disaster from its first release.

Not that I care at all, as I have 7 day EPG and the other facilities I require on my devices.

Sam Russell

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

OK, and if I say there is no such question, then what?

Has a case been taken against any entity?

If RTÉ are in great fear of what might occur, then what is to prevent them from allowing a user installed plugin to achieve the same result?

Only reason I can imagine is they do not want it made available to end users!

This box has been a disaster from its first release.

Not that I care at all, as I have 7 day EPG and the other facilities I require on my devices.

You could ask why Freesat wil not allow the progammes to be ordered by the user. Same problem.

Johnboy1951

Sam Russell wrote: »

You could ask why Freesat wil not allow the progammes to be ordered by the user. Same problem.

I could ..... if the subject of discussion was Freesat.
I could also answer it.

Dunno what the point is in raising Freesat here.

Sam Russell

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I could ..... if the subject of discussion was Freesat.
I could also answer it.

Dunno what the point is in raising Freesat here.

Remind me - who provides the software platform for the connect box?

patsryan

Sam Russell wrote: »

Remind me - who provides the software platform for the connect box?

I wonder why did they choose that platform?

Oh wait.... yes... because it’s so well regarded.

Lots of people will judge what hasn’t been done,

I as I’m sure others are would rather help improve the Saorview implementation of Metaphors software to make it as best and close to the ideal Saorview / Freesat combi box as it can be within the limits RTÉ have set the developers.

Johnboy1951

Sam Russell wrote: »

Remind me - who provides the software platform for the connect box?

Who made the decisions on what the Connect box should be like; What functions it should have?

Who is responsible for it?

No point is saying Freesat is somehow responsible because RTÉ chose their software including the limitations they place on what they provide to third parties.

RTÉ are solely responsible for the disaster that is their Saorview Connect box.

lsjmhar

To be fair the box is quite stable now. Switching between Irish and UK FTA is quicker. Populating UK fta channels is working well. The recording is functioning well also so all that is required is the players. However, it will be impossible to please all people. RTE and Saorview are doing a good reconsidering the limited resources compared to BBC and ITV.

Johnboy1951

the box is quite stable now

Hehehehehehe ..........

Treviso

another software update is on the way for the beta users, email received today

- fix for USB disks that were not recognized when inserted for formatting
- updated satellite channel list
- The satellite services can no longer be moved outside of the usual satellite channel number range (moving and hiding channels within the number range is still possible)
- fix to stop satellite channels from being changed and ending up in the Saorview channel range.
- stability fixes especially when in satellite mode

patsryan

Treviso wrote: »

another software update is on the way for the beta users, email received today

- fix for USB disks that were not recognized when inserted for formatting
- updated satellite channel list
- The satellite services can no longer be moved outside of the usual satellite channel number range (moving and hiding channels within the number range is still possible)
- fix to stop satellite channels from being changed and ending up in the Saorview channel range.
- stability fixes especially when in satellite mode

Yes there is a new update but don’t upgrade the software if you’ve set Satellite channels to be in the 1-999 channel range and want to be able to continue to set & edit channels in this range as unfortunately the fix that was put in place to the prevent Satellite channels showing up on the Saorview section of the box was to prevent channels being set / edited in the range of 1-999 numbers...

I angered the parents by upgrading and resetting the box as per the emails suggestion as I had manually aligned the numbers to match Sky’s EPG numbers.... D’oh 😓

lsjmhar

patsryan wrote:

Yes there is a new update but don’t upgrade the software if you’ve set Satellite channels to be in the 1-999 channel range and want to be able to continue to set & edit channels in this range as unfortunately the fix that was put in place to the prevent Satellite channels showing up on the Saorview section of the box was to prevent channels being set / edited in the range of 1-999 numbers...

patsryan wrote:

I angered the parents by upgrading and resetting the box as per the emails suggestion as I had manually aligned the numbers to match Sky’s EPG numbers.... D’oh 😓

They just need to be rearranged again. There is probably a reason for this but we don't know. Could it be needed for satellite series link?

grealmax

lsjmhar wrote: »

To be fair the box is quite stable now. Switching between Irish and UK FTA is quicker. Populating UK fta channels is working well. The recording is functioning well also so all that is required is the players. However, it will be impossible to please all people. RTE and Saorview are doing a good reconsidering the limited resources compared to BBC and ITV.

Did you update today? Tg4 still not working!

patsryan

lsjmhar wrote: »

They just need to be rearranged again. There is probably a reason for this but we don't know. Could it be needed for satellite series link?

The reason for that is I logged a bug saying Satellite channels were incorrectly showing on the Saorview list.and visa versa

I believe it was down to some of the Saorview LCNs matching some of the customised Satellite channel numbers which i manually assigned.

I expected the fix to limit DVB-T channels to Saorview mode and DVB-S channels to Satellite mode not limit the channel number range

The Cush

What number do the satellite channels start at?

The Vestel range of TVs (Nordmende, Walker, Toshiba), with combined terrestrial/satellite channel list start at 300, just above the Saorview SSU allocated LCNs 254/255.

patsryan

The Cush wrote: »

What number do the satellite channels start at?

The Vestel range of TVs (Nordmende, Walker, Toshiba), with combined terrestrial/satellite channel list start at 300, just above the Saorview SSU allocated LCNs 254/255.

SVC starts at 1001, but I modified list so that it matches the Freesat from Sky EPG numbers

patsryan

Anyone got any clever ideas how to get the Satellite Channel DB off the box?

lsjmhar

Just noticed recordings are now going into boxsets for series so that is another improvement. A series link for UK FTA would be good now.

corm500

lsjmhar wrote: »

Just noticed recordings are now going into boxsets for series so that is another improvement. A series link for UK FTA would be good now.

Noticed that too. Very handy. Doubt we will get series link for satellite unfortunately.

STB.

lsjmhar wrote: »

Just noticed recordings are now going into boxsets for series so that is another improvement. A series link for UK FTA would be good now.

Do you understand how series link works ? Given the software doesn't have access to 7 day epg, how is series link going to work ? The DVB data doesn't even pre-load on these as it requires you go into each individual transponder just to load the epg for NOW/NEXT every hour.

Sam Russell

STB. wrote: »

Do you understand how series link works ? Given the software doesn't have access to 7 day epg, how is series link going to work ? The DVB data doesn't even pre-load on these as it requires you go into each individual transponder just to load the epg for NOW/NEXT every hour.

I think the poster is talking about Saorview EPG programme information which does carry series link information.

Johnboy1951

STB. wrote: »

Do you understand how series link works ? Given the software doesn't have access to 7 day epg, how is series link going to work ? The DVB data doesn't even pre-load on these as it requires you go into each individual transponder just to load the epg for NOW/NEXT every hour.

I guess there is always hope that they might further improve the firmware to include 7 day EPG for satellite channels.

How long since this box was released, and only now getting series link for Saorview?
Maybe another couple of years and it will get satellite 7 day EPG

lsjmhar

STB. wrote:

Do you understand how series link works ? Given the software doesn't have access to 7 day epg, how is series link going to work ? The DVB data doesn't even pre-load on these as it requires you go into each individual transponder just to load the epg for NOW/NEXT every hour.

The software can hold series link but the gui does not have to show it. Of course they could run series link. Do you know how IT works?

patsryan

STB. wrote: »

Do you understand how series link works ? Given the software doesn't have access to 7 day epg, how is series link going to work ? The DVB data doesn't even pre-load on these as it requires you go into each individual transponder just to load the epg for NOW/NEXT every hour.

The software polls the Satellite transponders automatically to pre-load the Now/Next DVB EIT data so that the user doesn’t have to

STB.

Sam Russell wrote: »

I think the poster is talking about Saorview EPG programme information which does carry series link information.

He wasn't. He was talking about the satellite component as he thought that the reason the channels were reassigned higher numbers in the latest software release "Could be needed for satellite series link?"

lsjmhar wrote: »

The software can hold series link but the gui does not have to show it. Of course they could run series link. Do you know how IT works?

I know how IT works (and its not relevant to OTA DVB data), but more importantly I understand the dvb data required to schedule recordings on satellite. Guess what ? This box isn't going to have that.

patsryan wrote: »

The software polls the Satellite transponders automatically to pre-load the Now/Next DVB EIT data so that the user doesn’t have to

Pat, Now Next data per TP as broadcast by each broadcaster will be useless for any recording scheduling on Satellite including series link as opposed to the single 7 day data broadcast on Sky's Open EPG data TP or Freesat's Huffman backend were CRID data is easily identified and links available to pre-plan and assign recordings. That wont work on the fly off Now Next CRID.

patsryan

STB. wrote: »

He wasn't. He was talking about the satellite component as he thought that the reason the channels were reassigned higher numbers in the latest software release "Could be needed for satellite series link?"



I know how IT works (and its not relevant to OTA DVB data), but more importantly I understand the dvb data required to schedule recordings on satellite. Guess what ? This box isn't going to have that.



Pat, Now Next data per TP as broadcast by each broadcaster will be useless for any recording scheduling on Satellite including series link as opposed to the single 7 day data broadcast on Sky's Open EPG data TP or Freesat's Huffman backend were CRID data is easily identified and links available to pre-plan and assign recordings. That wont work on the fly off Now Next CRID.

I never said that it would be useful for series link, I was simply stating the user didn’t have to go through the channels to see/populate Now/Next data as the developer polled the transponders automatically.

It actually improved the Satellite side of the box exceptionally as users can open the guide and see what’s on

WattsUp

Thinking getting saorview Connect box but want record. How would I get the beta sw and install it on a standard box?

Alpha77

20rothmans wrote: »

Thinking getting saorview Connect box but want record. How would I get the beta sw and install it on a standard box?

If you email Saorview and tell them you want to take part in the beta test.

WattsUp

Alpha77 wrote: »

If you email Saorview and tell them you want to take part in the beta test.

Tried that on Friday. No reply yet anyway.