Saorview MUX query

DopeTech

Hi all,

I've been out of the saorview scene for a while now and maybe be going back to a free to air combo box. Before buying a box is there any immediate plans to add a 3rd mux to saorview?

Johnboy1951

Sir Dosser wrote: »

Hi all,

I've been out of the saorview scene for a while now and maybe be going back to a free to air combo box. Before buying a box is there any immediate plans to add a 3rd mux to saorview?

None that we have heard about.
It seems (highly) unlikely given the space still available on the present muxes and the apparent lack of interest in other broadcasters adding their output to Saorview.

DopeTech

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

None that we have heard about.
It seems (highly) unlikely given the space still available on the present muxes and the apparent lack of interest in other broadcasters adding their output to Saorview.

Thought as much, I'll go with something like the tiviar so.

Thurston?

Sir Dosser wrote: »

I've been out of the saorview scene for a while now and maybe be going back to a free to air combo box. Before buying a box is there any immediate plans to add a 3rd mux to saorview?

Why would the addition of a 3rd mux affect your choice of box?

DopeTech

Thurston? wrote: »

Why would the addition of a 3rd mux affect your choice of box?

If I was to get a dual dvb-t tuner box it would mean I could record a channel on one mux and watch another mux at the same time. Most boxes at the moment only have 2 sat tuners and 1 terrestrial. It's already not ideal as there is 2 muxes meaning if you are recording rte1, rte2 is unavailable.

Johnboy1951

Sir Dosser wrote: »

If I was to get a dual dvb-t tuner box it would mean I could record a channel on one mux and watch another mux at the same time. Most boxes at the moment only have 2 sat tuners and 1 terrestrial. It's already not ideal as there is 2 muxes meaning if you are recording rte1, rte2 is unavailable.

That is one of the reasons some of us prefer separate tuner boxes.
For instance I use (as do others) a 4 tuner satellite and also a a 4 tuner terrestrial box (twin would do most people) located centrally, with a tiny tuner controller/server that multiple tvs and other devices can connect to to view live tv and other stored media.

It works out a bit more costly than a single box designed primarily for a single tv point, although the Tiviar does allow other devices connect to its limited number of tuners.

Gerry Wicklow

You can still watch one on your TV while the box records the other.

Johnboy1951

Sir Dosser wrote: »

If I was to get a dual dvb-t tuner box it would mean I could record a channel on one mux and watch another mux at the same time. Most boxes at the moment only have 2 sat tuners and 1 terrestrial. It's already not ideal as there is 2 muxes meaning if you are recording rte1, rte2 is unavailable.

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

You can still watch one on your TV while the box records the other.

For clarity, that requirement needs two DVB-T tuners ..... although of course all channels on the tuned mux, plus channels on two Satellite muxes would be available to watch or record, at the same time.

Gerry Wicklow

The TVs own tuner can watch whichever mux you want regardless of what the box is doing. Assuming of course that you have the RF looped through to the TV. In fact you may also be able to use the TV to record as well.

Johnboy1951

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

The TVs own tuner can watch whichever mux you want regardless of what the box is doing. Assuming of course that you have the RF looped through to the TV. In fact you may also be able to use the TV to record as well.

The only difficulty there might be getting all the recordings in one location .... probably need manual intervention.

NewClareman

Sir Dosser wrote: »

If I was to get a dual dvb-t tuner box it would mean I could record a channel on one mux and watch another mux at the same time. Most boxes at the moment only have 2 sat tuners and 1 terrestrial. It's already not ideal as there is 2 muxes meaning if you are recording rte1, rte2 is unavailable.

You can fit a 2nd usb terrestrial tuner to the Tiviar, for around a tenner. (I used an old one I had lying around and it works a treat.)

Digifriendly

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

That is one of the reasons some of us prefer separate tuner boxes.
For instance I use (as do others) a 4 tuner satellite and also a a 4 tuner terrestrial box (twin would do most people) located centrally, with a tiny tuner controller/server that multiple tvs and other devices can connect to to view live tv and other stored media.

It works out a bit more costly than a single box designed primarily for a single tv point, although the Tiviar does allow other devices connect to its limited number of tuners.

Out of interest why have 4 terrestrial tuners? Do you receive Freeview (UK DTT) as well? I could never imagine 4 programmes on Saorview that I would want to record at the same time. Also which DTT box has 4 tuners? I thought 3 was the maximum on DTT boxes.

Johnboy1951

Digifriendly wrote: »

Out of interest why have 4 terrestrial tuners? Do you receive Freeview (UK DTT) as well? I could never imagine 4 programmes on Saorview that I would want to record at the same time. Also which DTT box has 4 tuners? I thought 3 was the maximum on DTT boxes.

The tuner boxes are used as Sat>IP tuners, and controlled by a tiny server running tvheadend.
These are not STBs designed to output into a TV or such.

I required three DVB-T tuners, so the quad HDHomerun tuner box was as good and neat a solution as any other, while not costing a whole lot more than other options .... being self contained made a big diff in decision.

The third was required because I was generating a 'third mux' carrying the Sky box output. This could have been handled by the other two tuners, but at the time I was buying I was fearful that a situation might arise where three recordings might be set on three different 'muxes'. If it has actually happened at all it has been a very rare occurrence.

With two DVB-T tuners all TV channels on both Saorview muxes can be recorded simultaneously, if the recording system is good enough. A third tuner is not required to record/view more than one channel from each mux.
If such a limitation exists then it is likely a software limitation which can be eliminated by changing the software used.

The satellite tuner box is a Telestar Digibit R1 quad tuner device.
Telestar also do Twin tuner boxes.
If I wanted 8 sat tuners I would just add another quad box to the system. Nothing more to be done, it would be integrated into the tv server.
(might be needed for small B&B/guesthouse or such).

I should note that having spare (unused normally) tuners has allowed me to experiment with various hardware and software and do test set ups without interfering in any way with the household set up.
I have no need to worry if I am interfering with a recording setting or someone viewing of a channel.
That has ensured a peaceful co-existence with others

There is a lot more info in the HTPC section of boards if this is of interest.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=643

Digifriendly

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

The tuner boxes are used as Sat>IP tuners, and controlled by a tiny server running tvheadend.
These are not STBs designed to output into a TV or such.

I required three DVB-T tuners, so the quad HDHomerun tuner box was as good and neat a solution as any other, while not costing a whole lot more than other options .... being self contained made a big diff in decision.

The third was required because I was generating a 'third mux' carrying the Sky box output. This could have been handled by the other two tuners, but at the time I was buying I was fearful that a situation might arise where three recordings might be set on three different 'muxes'. If it has actually happened at all it has been a very rare occurrence.

With two DVB-T tuners all TV channels on both Saorview muxes can be recorded simultaneously, if the recording system is good enough. A third tuner is not required to record/view more than one channel from each mux.
If such a limitation exists then it is likely a software limitation which can be eliminated by changing the software used.

The satellite tuner box is a Telestar Digibit R1 quad tuner device.
Telestar also do Twin tuner boxes.
If I wanted 8 sat tuners I would just add another quad box to the system. Nothing more to be done, it would be integrated into the tv server.
(might be needed for small B&B/guesthouse or such).

I should note that having spare (unused normally) tuners has allowed me to experiment with various hardware and software and do test set ups without interfering in any way with the household set up.
I have no need to worry if I am interfering with a recording setting or someone viewing of a channel.
That has ensured a peaceful co-existence with others

There is a lot more info in the HTPC section of boards if this is of interest.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=643

Than you very much for a very detailed and comprehensive answer. I wish I had your technical know how as my system is very simple in comparison. But good on you for going to such effort to cover all bases re recording. I think if I lived in ROI rather than NI I would have a combination of Sky Q/Freesat and Saorview but I obviously don't record to the extent you do. Thanks again.