LNB / cable question - dumping Sky+ for Freesat+
Discussion
PHer Maxfan provided me with some really useful info for a more universal WiFi connector for non-WiFi enabled devices. Not a lot of money (a quick Google search shows them starting at £26) for a very flexible device by the look of it - and it keeps your usb port free for hard drives etc by plugging into the ethernet port directly.
http://www.netgear.com/landing/wnce2001.aspx
This looks interesting as it seems to cure the major DIY upheaval that my cable run OCD will cause to get an 802.3 cable to the TV area. Maxfan has had major success with this device attached to a variety of devices, including the Samsung Freesat+ box I was looking at.
Maxfan describes it as a VERY clever device which connects to an ethernet socket enabling wireless for that device. You have to configure it via a laptop first, but its easy enough. You basically connect it to the laptop, assign it an ip address and then that ip address stays fixed on the WNCE2001 unit. You then unplug the unit and connect it to whatever you are wirelessly connecting - hey presto!
Maxfan has used them for both Samsung and LG SMART TV's and is putting one on a friends Samsung telly tomorrow.
You cant measure the speed of the connection when it connected to the network device, but when he sent me the pm he had just sat through the Beatles "love me do" documentary on iPlayer via the Samsung freesat+ box and it played fine with no buffering or drop outs.
This must be of use to someone else, so thanks again Maxfan.
http://www.netgear.com/landing/wnce2001.aspx
This looks interesting as it seems to cure the major DIY upheaval that my cable run OCD will cause to get an 802.3 cable to the TV area. Maxfan has had major success with this device attached to a variety of devices, including the Samsung Freesat+ box I was looking at.
Maxfan describes it as a VERY clever device which connects to an ethernet socket enabling wireless for that device. You have to configure it via a laptop first, but its easy enough. You basically connect it to the laptop, assign it an ip address and then that ip address stays fixed on the WNCE2001 unit. You then unplug the unit and connect it to whatever you are wirelessly connecting - hey presto!
Maxfan has used them for both Samsung and LG SMART TV's and is putting one on a friends Samsung telly tomorrow.
You cant measure the speed of the connection when it connected to the network device, but when he sent me the pm he had just sat through the Beatles "love me do" documentary on iPlayer via the Samsung freesat+ box and it played fine with no buffering or drop outs.
This must be of use to someone else, so thanks again Maxfan.
I achieved the same thing by reprogramming an old Netgear router to work as a wireless bridge so that my DLNA TV is now wirelessly connected, but a £26 gizmo would have been a lot easier
Panasonic used to make (until 2010 maybe 2011) a well-regarded Freesat twin tuner hard drive recorder with built in blu-ray recorder to archive from hard drive to blu-ray, but sadly the current range is Freeview only. So no-one now makes a freesat blu-ray recorder but they appear on eBay sometimes. Still, the current Freeview models have other tricks that the old range did not - it streams live TV and recorded shows to iPhones and iPads for example. Bought one yesterday. Freeview HD is better than I expected, and I can still watch Freesat on the TV even if I can only record Freeview.
Panasonic used to make (until 2010 maybe 2011) a well-regarded Freesat twin tuner hard drive recorder with built in blu-ray recorder to archive from hard drive to blu-ray, but sadly the current range is Freeview only. So no-one now makes a freesat blu-ray recorder but they appear on eBay sometimes. Still, the current Freeview models have other tricks that the old range did not - it streams live TV and recorded shows to iPhones and iPads for example. Bought one yesterday. Freeview HD is better than I expected, and I can still watch Freesat on the TV even if I can only record Freeview.
the only thing wrong with any hd channel is the idents IMHO
Its like being back at school
One other thing I noticed on the freesat box I have is that when watching recordings it displays the recordings name in the front display on the box - never noriced it before as G/F doesnt like displays and so positions black ornament in fron ( a woman thing looked ok though)
Its like being back at school
One other thing I noticed on the freesat box I have is that when watching recordings it displays the recordings name in the front display on the box - never noriced it before as G/F doesnt like displays and so positions black ornament in fron ( a woman thing looked ok though)
Firstly sorry for typo's and spelling mistakes I have poor coordination due to an accident that has affected my arms - it makes me look like a class 4x english failure - sorry
More Channels is what you get
I get more +1's in particualr film 4 ( I watched Titanic on it last night) and ITV 4 which i look at. I get a block of CBS Channels which I like there are loads of music channels the Horror Channel some other cheap movie channels etc. Sky news and I believe Dave are mising from freesat
There are more "lifestyle" woman friendly channels on freesat (I am told)
To be blunt I kind of got the freesat at the time as I had a disconnnected sky system and I wanted the ability to record something that may have clashed with something i was watching - as VCR was dead due to switchover the only option there was to buy another freeview box and connect it to the vcr but well it all seemed complicated so i loked at getting a freview recorder box but then though no go for freesat.
They kind of compliment each other. I don't know if at the time it was viable to get a freesat recorder that wasn't Freesat HD and in any case i like samsung and got this at a very good price.
i just think the 2 things compliment each other quite well - the quality is VERY good even normal channels on the freesat seem more i dunno dynamic but clearer than the freeview ones - just marginally but a definite edge. My Tv is no slouch on freeview either and as i have a virgin media box that i connected up to get the itv player on it and when you compare normal channels on either the Freeview TV/Virgin Media box/ and freesat the freesat is clearer marginally.
More Channels is what you get
I get more +1's in particualr film 4 ( I watched Titanic on it last night) and ITV 4 which i look at. I get a block of CBS Channels which I like there are loads of music channels the Horror Channel some other cheap movie channels etc. Sky news and I believe Dave are mising from freesat
There are more "lifestyle" woman friendly channels on freesat (I am told)
To be blunt I kind of got the freesat at the time as I had a disconnnected sky system and I wanted the ability to record something that may have clashed with something i was watching - as VCR was dead due to switchover the only option there was to buy another freeview box and connect it to the vcr but well it all seemed complicated so i loked at getting a freview recorder box but then though no go for freesat.
They kind of compliment each other. I don't know if at the time it was viable to get a freesat recorder that wasn't Freesat HD and in any case i like samsung and got this at a very good price.
i just think the 2 things compliment each other quite well - the quality is VERY good even normal channels on the freesat seem more i dunno dynamic but clearer than the freeview ones - just marginally but a definite edge. My Tv is no slouch on freeview either and as i have a virgin media box that i connected up to get the itv player on it and when you compare normal channels on either the Freeview TV/Virgin Media box/ and freesat the freesat is clearer marginally.
garyhun said:
What exactly does Freesat offer over Feeeview? More HD channels? More channels in general? Something else?
Most importantly, higher quality picture due to more bandwidth and therefore less compression/higher bitrate. My TV has both, and there's a noticeable drop in quality if I switch from Freesat to Freeview on the same channel. (full signal strength on both)as maxfan says, the channel list is different. I'd say there seem to be more junk channels on Freeview, and the channels are in a funny order (e.g. the HD channels come after the junk channels, so you have to wade through them if you're flicking through). So I had a look at the channel lists on the Freeview / Freesat websites. Freesat claims 4 "lifestyle" (shopping etc) channels, Freeview has 13. But actually Freeview categorises shopping as "Lifestyle" whereas Freesat calls them.. shopping channels. Main difference then is that on Freesat they're at the lower reaches of the EPG so you never see them, but Freeview plonks them in the middle of the more useful channels.
If you have young children (and allow them to watch TV), Freesat wins with 7 channels to 3.
Music TV? Freeview 2, Freesat 11
http://www.freeview.co.uk/Channels
http://www.freesat.co.uk/what-you-get/our-channels
Freesat+ HD recorder: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-500GB-Recorder-Requi...
munky said:
garyhun said:
What exactly does Freesat offer over Feeeview? More HD channels? More channels in general? Something else?
Most importantly, higher quality picture due to more bandwidth and therefore less compression/higher bitrate. My TV has both, and there's a noticeable drop in quality if I switch from Freesat to Freeview on the same channel. (full signal strength on both)as maxfan says, the channel list is different. I'd say there seem to be more junk channels on Freeview, and the channels are in a funny order (e.g. the HD channels come after the junk channels, so you have to wade through them if you're flicking through). So I had a look at the channel lists on the Freeview / Freesat websites. Freesat claims 4 "lifestyle" (shopping etc) channels, Freeview has 13. But actually Freeview categorises shopping as "Lifestyle" whereas Freesat calls them.. shopping channels. Main difference then is that on Freesat they're at the lower reaches of the EPG so you never see them, but Freeview plonks them in the middle of the more useful channels.
If you have young children (and allow them to watch TV), Freesat wins with 7 channels to 3.
Music TV? Freeview 2, Freesat 11
http://www.freeview.co.uk/Channels
http://www.freesat.co.uk/what-you-get/our-channels
Freesat+ HD recorder: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-500GB-Recorder-Requi...
) are great but you really notice how poor the SD channels are afterwards. If Freesat offers better picture quality then that's good enough for me.maxfan said:
I'm apalled at the reply before last
I love the shopping channels and can recite the words on the x5 steam cleaner advert word perfect
I think the presenters do really good jobs of selling s
te watches too !!
And then theres the space bags amazing what you can fit in them
I'm shocked
I love the shopping channels and can recite the words on the x5 steam cleaner advert word perfect
I think the presenters do really good jobs of selling s
te watches too !!And then theres the space bags amazing what you can fit in them
I'm shocked
munky said:
maxfan said:
I'm apalled at the reply before last
I love the shopping channels and can recite the words on the x5 steam cleaner advert word perfect
I think the presenters do really good jobs of selling ste watches too !!
And then theres the space bags amazing what you can fit in them
I'm shocked
I love the shopping channels and can recite the words on the x5 steam cleaner advert word perfect
I think the presenters do really good jobs of selling s
te watches too !!And then theres the space bags amazing what you can fit in them
I'm shocked
actually we have one of each but not off the Shopping channels
Ok, had a good chat with the Humax guys at the show.
Currently the networking and sharing is only available on the FREEVIEW boxes.
However the newest (out soon) FREESAT+ boxes have the ability to be a clients (viewer) but not a Server (storage and share) out of the box.
The expected up date to the firmware will make this possible in the near future.
Also the new EPG from Freesat is far nicer than it used to be and the menu's seem a lot nicer and easier to navigate around.
HTH
V.
Currently the networking and sharing is only available on the FREEVIEW boxes.
However the newest (out soon) FREESAT+ boxes have the ability to be a clients (viewer) but not a Server (storage and share) out of the box.
The expected up date to the firmware will make this possible in the near future.
Also the new EPG from Freesat is far nicer than it used to be and the menu's seem a lot nicer and easier to navigate around.
HTH
V.
VEX said:
Ok, had a good chat with the Humax guys at the show.
Currently the networking and sharing is only available on the FREEVIEW boxes.
However the newest (out soon) FREESAT+ boxes have the ability to be a clients (viewer) but not a Server (storage and share) out of the box.
The expected up date to the firmware will make this possible in the near future.
Also the new EPG from Freesat is far nicer than it used to be and the menu's seem a lot nicer and easier to navigate around.
HTH
V.
That's really useful information. I am probably looking to use it as a client mostly but the option to upgrade to enable it to operate as a server later is useful as more iPads come into the house. Currently the networking and sharing is only available on the FREEVIEW boxes.
However the newest (out soon) FREESAT+ boxes have the ability to be a clients (viewer) but not a Server (storage and share) out of the box.
The expected up date to the firmware will make this possible in the near future.
Also the new EPG from Freesat is far nicer than it used to be and the menu's seem a lot nicer and easier to navigate around.
HTH
V.
Waiting on the release date for the 1000s next week. Only 500gig as the wait for 1tb is too long. Shame as there seems to be only £20 difference.
Thanks again for the info.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff