Newbie - Options?

mobily

Newbie
Hi all

I am new to the forum and would really appreciate your advice on my options for alternative TV from the usual providers.

I currently have VM TV with VM broadband with my current deal due to expire and the renewal price difficult to stomach.

I have had some free trials for IPTV and found what appears to be a good provider whilst watching on app through android TV. However I would like the facility to record and wondered what box is best to watch and record IPTV?

Also is it possible to get a box that would use my VM cable or Sly that is also installed? I'm thinking these would be more stable than IPTV.

Apps that look similar to VM or Sly would be good.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks
 
You need an enigma 2 device. The zgemma is a good entry level box to start with. It has a dedicated section in the forum so check it out. Plenty of builds to get you setup and give it the VM look and feel. Do note that without some tinkering channel numbers will not be the same.
 
If you want to stick with android then get a Formuler Z+
If you want a different interface then try a zGemma or MagBox
 
deffo go with a combo box that you can use your VM with,
you can also get a box that will run all 3, sat, cable and iptv, that would be your best option.
UK sat [ sly ] has all actual sly sports blocked, but its still possible to get BTsports and a few more,
cable still has all the sports, albeit the actual sly sports are only in SD,
then you could use your iptv to fill in any missing gaps, NOT as your primary viewing.
BTW, ime, iptv HD is only about equal to broadcast SD, although some others disagree with that, but its deffo not the quality of normal HD.
you can get a reasonable box that will run all 3 for under £100 if budget is an issue,
I have a formuler F1 [ F4 is the current model ], and although I dont use it for iptv its more than capable of running it, I only use it for sat and cable.

an Enigma2 box , such as the Formuler or zgemma, can be made to look like a normal sly or VM box
 
deffo go with a combo box that you can use your VM with,
you can also get a box that will run all 3, sat, cable and iptv, that would be your best option.
UK sat [ sly ] has all actual sly sports blocked, but its still possible to get BTsports and a few more,
cable still has all the sports, albeit the actual sly sports are only in SD,
then you could use your iptv to fill in any missing gaps, NOT as your primary viewing.
BTW, ime, iptv HD is only about equal to broadcast SD, although some others disagree with that, but its deffo not the quality of normal HD.
you can get a reasonable box that will run all 3 for under £100 if budget is an issue,
I have a formuler F1 [ F4 is the current model ], and although I dont use it for iptv its more than capable of running it, I only use it for sat and cable.

I agree with all of the above, however on my TV I find iptv to be roughly the same PQ as anything else in HD. It's not as sharp but you can definitely tell its HD,. I suppose it could come down to source and provider

I find most of IPTVs HD stuff to be top quality. However the movement on some sports channels when the football is on ain't great
 
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I understand from my provider that recording of IPTV is limited and you have to be physically present to start and stop the recording?
 
Lots of people still use two seperate boxes

You could buy a twin tuner cable box and add a Hdd, that will give you a full sky package,
with all the sports and films etc, you can record one program and watch another.

The picture quality on cable is better than IPTV.

Then use an android box for IPTV, I use T95Z plus or any other 3Gb
box.

Set it up with STB EMU which is really easy to set up and use.

Add Terraruim TV which gives you all the box sets and films.

They are flexable, so you can add plex servers, dodgy netflix passes and more.
 
Thanks for all the advice.

The cable option sounds good although not sure the wife would agree.

If I could get a box that would do the same such as with 4 tuners, series link, recording, I player etc then I would but probably expecting too much.

I may keep VM TV without sports and movies and use IPTV for those.
 
Think you may be able to get a VU+ which might be able to do all that.

The ones with FBC tuners give you 8 tuners with one input coax.
 
Take the advice given by Steptoe, it is excellent advice, if you have cable and sat option, then get yourself a zgemma h2h sat and cable combo box, iptv is still nowhere near the quality of sat or cable and never will be, but if things should ever go bad on cable for the premium channels then iptv can also be set up on a h2h box.
 
Great advice from everyone. It is much appreciated as I am very much a newbie and always had VM or Sly.

If I were to keep a basic VM TV package could I split the incoming cable so it would feed BB, VM and a Zgemma box? Also how many tuners does such a box have?
 
Yeah you can split, my dad uses his genuine box for recording with a small TV package.

Then uses a single tuner cable box for watching footy etc.
 
You just need a few splitters and a couple of bits of cable lead, its an easy enough job and if you do get the h2h then you could have sat and cable feeds so if you are recording from cable, you can then watch channels on sat or vice versa. I have the v6 box from vm also and i do things the same way as bees has stated in the above post.
 
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You just need a few splitters and a couple of bits of cable lead, its an easy enough job and if you do get the h2h then you could have sat and cable feeds so if you are recording from cable, you can then watch channels on sat or vice versa. I have the v6 box from vm also and i do things the same way as bees has stated in the above post.

Thanks, I would be looking to do this. I have a couple of questions:

- Does the h2h box need internet and is so is it ethernet only?
- Do I just need a 3 into 1 splitter with 1 cable to router, 1 to V6 box and 1 to Zgemma box?
- Does the h2h have 1 cable tuner only for watching or recording?
- Does the h2h box come with the software I'd need? I.e. plug and play?

Thanks
 
1: yes you will need internet and ethernet connection
2: I have 2 one into 2 splitters, the vm lead coming into the house goes into the single end of the splitter, then i have 2 cables coming from that splitter, one into my router and the other into another 2 way splitter and 2 more cables from it , one to my v6 box and the other to my h2h, i hope you understand this.
3:The h2h combo box has 1 cable and 1 sat tuner.
4: you could see if anyone has one for sale that is already flashed, but you would still have to put your net id in for cable, etc, better to buy it new though and prepare it yourself, there is plenty of help available on the site and a dedicated thread to flashing open atv and then installing wooshbuild infinity, plus you will learn a bit about the box too, by doing this yourself.
 
1: yes you will need internet and ethernet connection
2: I have 2 one into 2 splitters, the vm lead coming into the house goes into the single end of the splitter, then i have 2 cables coming from that splitter, one into my router and the other into another 2 way splitter and 2 more cables from it , one to my v6 box and the other to my h2h, i hope you understand this.
3:The h2h combo box has 1 cable and 1 sat tuner.
4: you could see if anyone has one for sale that is already flashed, but you would still have to put your net id in for cable, etc, better to buy it new though and prepare it yourself, there is plenty of help available on the site and a dedicated thread to flashing open atv and then installing wooshbuild infinity, plus you will learn a bit about the box too, by doing this yourself.

Thanks so much. I take it I don't need to buy a cable subscription? All I'd need is the splitters, cable and Zgemma box?

Is cable only available in SD?
 
Thanks so much. I take it I don't need to buy a cable subscription? All I'd need is the splitters, cable and Zgemma box?

Is cable only available in SD?

you will need a cable sub [ but not from virmin ], only channels 1-5 SD are available FTA on cable
a lot of channels are available in HD, its only the sly sports that are only available in SD afaiaa, BTsports, movies etc are still in HD
 
Thanks so much. I take it I don't need to buy a cable subscription? All I'd need is the splitters, cable and Zgemma box?

Is cable only available in SD?
Yes you still need a cable and possibly a sat sub also, but you can worry about that once you get your box and get it set up, one step at a time, taking out the sub or subs is still far less expensive than a genuine cable or sat package from vm or sky and there are plenty of good providers out there for both.
 
Yes you still need a cable and possibly a sat sub also, but you can worry about that once you get your box and get it set up, one step at a time, taking out the sub or subs is still far less expensive than a genuine cable or sat package from vm or sky and there are plenty of good providers out there for both.
Hi. I'm after a free 24hr trial to test my setup before purchasing a 12 month sub. Would you be able to recommend anyone please
 
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