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Setup options for cable,sat, iptv, advice please

T

tOxIcDoC

Newbie
Before I take the plunge and commit to buying any hardware or services, Im just after a check on the best way to go.

Sat, cable and/or iptv?

SkyQ disk, so from what Ive been reading, its not yet possible to connect to any of the current boxes without downgrading the lnb? Ive also seen some posts about missing channels, poss due toa change in encryption. So a few things putting me off going this route.

Also have VM cable coming in, so could tap into this and currently subscribe to thier xl tv with a v6 but without premium content.

Ignoring some of the onvious missing channels between the two providers, is cable considered the better choice?

I would imagine currently that either sat or cable would provide the better picture than iptv (although I have seem some bloody good streams)?

Hardware

From a cost point of view, sticking just with iptv requires no additonal hardware for me, as I have a shield, firestick, mibox, so spoilt for choice! However, the killer for me is that I want to RECORD, but not just sat/cable, but iptv, via the epg, so its wife friendly and just easier!

I recently discovered TVHeadend which I believe should allow me to record iptv streams, but would ideally need a multiroom iptv sub. I could then just use kodi as the front end. However, I do love the look and easy of use of some of the STB's, with their skins and plugins etc, and not sure if I can achieve the same ecperience using an android player.

Ive been looking at the zgemma h7 or the mutant hd51 both coming in around £150 - £170, but would undoubtedly give me the best viewing experience. Am I right in thinking i could then combine both a cable/sat feed with iptv into a single gui and epg, with the ability to record from any source? Would prefer to spend about £100 (i dont really need uhd support), but then I dont want to kick myself if cheaper options dont quite do it!

At the moment im just trialing a few iptv services from some fellow members.. (thanks for the offers!), and seeing what sort of experience I can get without shelling out, but I suspect that getting an STB would be the rolls royce solution.

Would really appreciate any thoughts!
 
If you have VM bb go down the cable route as it is a lot more stable than IPTV.
All channels available (sports, movies etc) most in HD although problems with audio on some HD channels at the moment but hopefully this will be resolved soon.
But all channels available on SD without any problems
 
cable is your better option, a minimum of a twin cable tuner box will allow recording one VM channel while watching another VM channel, If you have a sat feed available you can use this as a FTA tuner (or a cheap sat sub to get what ever channels remain on the Sat side), You could also IF you wish add an IPTV sub to the box so you can have ALL 3 methods on one box, it is total overkill this way & you will need to pay for both your VM & IPTV subs. For most people a twin cable receiver & a VM sub is sufficiant. An Enigma2 receiver is what you need to have the look/feel of main providers (both the H7 & HD51 are decent receivers although there are many others so lots of choice).
 
Dont think using my dish is an option due to the lnb, so looks like cable will be the way to go.

Do have a couple of probably daft questions...

Do I actually need any sort of viewing card in the stb?
My V6 has only the one cable going in, but has 6 inbuilt tuners, do receiver box tuners require 1 feed per tuner(so two for a twin), so I may need to buy a splutter for my cable?

I prob would need iptv also to get the sports thats not shown by uk providers.

What other boxes should i consider, I dont need 4k, but I do want to be able to record. Is recording feature available on most, albeit via usb external drives?

Cheers
 
box choice is a mixed bag with personal opinion, tech spec & price all fighting for position... dont rule out slightly cheaper receivers like the the H5 or F1 as these may also meet your needs. Bee's has a guide to box choice on the forum somewhere, no cards required receiver side, 100% go VM with a VM sub then trial IPTV once you have VM up & running as you may decide you dont need or want IPTV once you have VM
 
As regards to extra cabling for virmin services make sure you use good quality and a branded splitter like virmin use tratec/ technetix 5-1000 this seems to be a lot of peoples signal problems etc using cheap nasty stuff off fleabay etc :(y):
 
rs500nutter said:
As regards to extra cabling for virmin services make sure you use good quality and a branded splitter like virmin use tratec/ technetix 5-1000 this seems to be a lot of peoples signal problems etc using cheap nasty stuff off fleabay etc [emoji106]
Click to expand...
Buyer's remorse already!! Ordered the mutant then stumbled on the Vu+ Uno with FBC tuner, so assume this would open up much more potential with a VM line!

Think I have a phone call to make tomorrow to change my order!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
 
With regards to boxes, I have an android qbox that I’m running iptv through kodi. Does anyone know if there is a recording option at all?? I expect it will be through an external hard drive but that’s not an issue.
 
Carl Phillips said:
With regards to boxes, I have an android qbox that I’m running iptv through kodi. Does anyone know if there is a recording option at all?? I expect it will be through an external hard drive but that’s not an issue.
Click to expand...
I never found anything built in, but someone told me about tvheadend which runs on Linux and is supposed to handle all that sort of stuff, but bit of a learning curve! I've decided to take a different approach now.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
 
Carl Phillips said:
With regards to boxes, I have an android qbox that I’m running iptv through kodi. Does anyone know if there is a recording option at all?? I expect it will be through an external hard drive but that’s not an issue.
Click to expand...
I use a kodi build for my laptop with gf server gold excellent 655 channels all work flawless
 
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