Newbie advice wanted - what setup to go for

emclau

Hi,
Hoping I can get some advice on Free to Air/ Saorview setup.

I’ve been quoted €350 for 2 satellite feed / + Saorview setup with wiring brought into house / standard three bed semi d ( no box included). Aware there are similar operators offering cheaper- I’ve been told i’m getting
a top installation for this.

Reading the following post, https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057987695 - I have the exact same requirements.

I’m still not sure what setup would be best:
1. Second hand €50 humax off ebay for uk channels and use lg tv tuner for Irish channels.

2. Go for Zgemma Linux box. Couple of queries on this- I can get
flashed on purchase. I’m pc literate- but time poor.
How much time would I need to download skins and setup this box? Do I need to be really pc savvy to this or is it easy enough to do once the box has been pre flashed? Aware there are recommendations for tiviar box on this site- however my impression is that the tiviar box is a bit dated and probably better to get a Zgemma. Good to see a few recent forums popping up here supporting zgemma box’s.

One feature of the tiviar is the ability to record unencrypted. Is this common across all Linux boxes?

Any advice greatly appreciated - I’m a complete novice...

Gerry Wicklow

The main things to configure initially are to set up your home network and your local Saorview mast. If you can personalise a laptop this is a doddle by comparison. Over time you will no doubt go into more detail. These things can be addictive Options such as changing a skin take seconds (select new skin and reboot). All Free to Air content is recorded in the clear using dot.TS file format which most devices can play.

NewClareman

emclau wrote: »

Hi,
Hoping I can get some advice on Free to Air/ Saorview setup.

I’ve been quoted €350 for 2 satellite feed / + Saorview setup with wiring brought into house / standard three bed semi d ( no box included). Aware there are similar operators offering cheaper- I’ve been told i’m getting
a top installation for this.

Reading the following post, https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057987695 - I have the exact same requirements.

I’m still not sure what setup would be best:
1. Second hand €50 humax off ebay for uk channels and use lg tv tuner for Irish channels.

2. Go for Zgemma Linux box. Couple of queries on this- I can get
flashed on purchase. I’m pc literate- but time poor.
How much time would I need to download skins and setup this box? Do I need to be really pc savvy to this or is it easy enough to do once the box has been pre flashed? Aware there are recommendations for tiviar box on this site- however my impression is that the tiviar box is a bit dated and probably better to get a Zgemma. Good to see a few recent forums popping up here supporting zgemma box’s.

One feature of the tiviar is the ability to record unencrypted. Is this common across all Linux boxes?

Any advice greatly appreciated - I’m a complete novice...

There is no simple answer - it depends on your expertise, and how comfortable your users are with technology.

1. For €350 I would expect a Unicable II LNB (rather than a quad LNB, which is now obsolete), a decent quality Terrestrial aerial and a weatherproof satellite dish (rather than a Sky one, which rusts). Wiring should be fed down through the attic, rather than drilling through external walls.

2. A basic setup on the Zgemma should be straightforward, as Gerry says. However, such a setup is only suitable for tech savvy users.

jollyatballs

NewClareman wrote: »

I would expect a Unicable II LNB (rather than a quad LNB, which is now obsolete), a decent quality Terrestrial aerial and a weatherproof satellite dish .

What is a Unicable II Lnb? Im late to the party with the lnb boat. Im trying to replace a single lnb with I thought a quad with terrestrail on it, so that i could pipe 2 rooms with saorview/sat, is there a better way?

Sorry for the hijack.

NewClareman

jollyatballs wrote: »

What is a Unicable II Lnb? Im late to the party with the lnb boat. Im trying to replace a single lnb with I thought a quad with terrestrail on it, so that i could pipe 2 rooms with saorview/sat, is there a better way?

Sorry for the hijack.

With a Unicable II, you only need a single cable from the dish, which can be daisychained from receiver to receiver. It supports multiple satellite tuners, per receiver, up to a maximum of 32, in total. You can read some information here. You need to register to download images.

However, Unicable II LNB’s need to be programmed to allow terrestrial signals be carried on the same cable, using an external combiner. If this is your requirement, you might be better with your origional solution. (Unicable I LNB’s can be used with external combiners, to allow Terrestrial TV be carried over the same (single) cable. I have never used this configuration, but other posters may be able to advise.)

jollyatballs

Cheers NewClareman, had a quick google and tried making sense but you broke it down very nicely for me. The single cable is the perfect solution til terrestrial rears its head. Will try keep it basic as possible for the moment, thanks again.