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First Cable Tuner

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ruud82

Member
I'm looking for some ideas on the best cable boxes to look at. I've tried the search function but don't seem to be able to hit up any results.

Some features that would influence my purchase:

- Ease of setup/use/maintenance
- HD
- Ability to record (preferably on a different channel, but only if it's easy to setup).

Money isn't a massive issue, however, I wouldn't want to spend too much as it will be my first cable box. I would like something high enough spec'd but also good bang for my buck. I see Z-Gemma mentioned a lot.

I'm not sure if it makes too much of a difference but I don't currently have a Virgin TV service. I only have the Virgin Broadband Service, so line from the wall goes into a hub which gives me wi-fi. I'll need to have a good look into which parts/connections I need to buy but would appreciate some input on the box for now.

I have some experience with setting up Satellite Box years ago so I'm not completely technically inept lol. I can follow instructions pretty well :grin:
 
I use the zGemma H7c which works perfectly for mine and my family's needs. You can put a 2.5" HD in it for recording and timeshift, up to 4k (however useful that is to you) and performance of the hardware is excellent - nice and quick for booting and general use. Grogbuild is a good image for it which is well supported in these forums and you also have access to the 3rd party content through the IPTV player plug-in.

I set one up with cable, freesat and IPTV last night in about half an hour. And most of that was waiting for the cable tuners to do their scans. They pretty much maintain themselves, but always ensure you keep up to date with your image provider for new versions etc. and do a software update now and then. Very easy to use as it is just a STB, you use it like you would any tv box.

They've also just reduced the price on the UK zGemma site to £126 I think which is a pretty good price IMHO for a really good box!

The fact that you have not already got a TV sub doesn't matter, the line coming in to your house has all the information you need, the boxes take what they need from the feed - you just split it out into the number of feeds you require. There is plenty of information regarding splitters like you say so this is easily achieved.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with zGemma, just think they offer excellent value for money :)
 
I use zgemma H5.2TC with whoosh build with no problems at all.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 
i have never bought a zgemma but on boxes i prefare ones that i can use a supported openvix image on and view without all the messing involved.
most members have started with zgemma and moved on to other boxes,boxes with swapable tuners can make boxes future proof if things change?
 
It depends on what you want:

The H5.2tc is a great box for the money, it has twin cable tuner so you can watch one channel while recording another. It also has a sat tuner so if you have a dish you can use that for freesat as well. There is no space for internal hdd so an external hdd or usb stick is required.

The H7C is a more powerful box, it is 4k if you have a 4k tv but remember there is no 4k content on cable at the moment. It as 2 individual dvb t2/c (cable/terestrial) hybrid tuners as well as a sat tuner so as above you can watch one and record another. It also has space for an internal hard drive to be fitted.

Both of the above have hybrid tuners so if we lose cable at sometime in the future they can still be used as freeview PVR boxes

I also have a VU+ Uno4k which has a FBC cable tuner (8 demodulators) so you can watch one channel and record 7 other channels. I've never recorded that many at the same time but have recorded 2 or 3 while watching something else without any issue. It's ideal if you record soaps etc as you don't have to worry about not having enough tuners when they overlap as one ends and another starts etc. The downsides are it's £100 more than the H7C, it can't take an internal hard drive and the tuner is purely cable so if we lose cable cs then the box is useless unless you replace the tuner, which I don't know if you can

DiscoKiller said:
I use the zGemma H7c which works perfectly for mine and my family's needs. You can put a 2.5" HD in it for recording and timeshift, up to 4k (however useful that is to you) and performance of the hardware is excellent - nice and quick for booting and general use. Grogbuild is a good image for it which is well supported in these forums and you also have access to the 3rd party content through the IPTV player plug-in.
Click to expand...

I no longer have a H7C so not able to maintain grogbuild for it at the moment:(
 
grog68 said:
I no longer have a H7C so not able to maintain grogbuild for it at the moment:(
Click to expand...

ah - thanks for the heads up. I am hoping there is nothing drastic that could go wrong in the foreseeable... I am not entirely sure what level of configuration goes in to the builds to be honest, aside from the nice bits of software that make everything user friendly, the skin to make it look nice, and the platform it is built on... I imagine keeping the software packages up to date should be enough to avoid catastrophic failure?

I have 2 H7Cs at the moment but one has to go back to its rightful owner tonight :(
 
DiscoKiller said:
ah - thanks for the heads up. I am hoping there is nothing drastic that could go wrong in the foreseeable... I am not entirely sure what level of configuration goes in to the builds to be honest, aside from the nice bits of software that make everything user friendly, the skin to make it look nice, and the platform it is built on... I imagine keeping the software packages up to date should be enough to avoid catastrophic failure?
Click to expand...

IF you are not fixed on needing to watch one VM channel while recording another you can save a few quid, zgemma are very good value for money but you will have less trouble overall IF you go with something like an Edision, mutant, VU but these do cost a bit more (there is a box guide on the forum to give you a better idea whats available).

Regardless or your base firmware: ATV, VIX, Pli etc once you have added the popular plugins/goodies most users wouldnt know the difference so base firmware isnt a big concern for most users, keeping your box software updated & current will keep your box running its best however from time to time software updates can clash with some of the plugins/goodies we use causing system crashes & the need to rebuild the image (those members who upload their images correct this quickly & upload a new release).
 
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BeakyFord said:
IF you are not fixed on needing to watch one VM channel while recording another you can save a few quid, zgemma are very good value for money but you will have less trouble overall IF you go with something like an Edision, mutant, VU but these do cost a bit more (there is a box guide on the forum to give you a better idea whats available).

Regardless or your base firmware: ATV, VIX, Pli etc once you have added the popular plugins/goodies most users wouldnt know the difference so base firmware isnt a big concern for most users, keeping your box software updated & current will keep your box running its best however from time to time software updates can clash with some of the plugins/goodies we use causing system crashes & the need to rebuild the image (those members who upload there images correct this quickly & upload a new release).
Click to expand...

That's really helpful thanks @BeakyFord. I am savvy enough to know when things are going awry so I can keep on top of that stuff myself.
 
Thanks for your replies.

Still a bit unsure when it comes to tuner types, Skins etc. but I'm sure i'll pick it up.

Based on the replies above, a bit more info.

- I can only ever see me needing to record one other channel. I hardly watch tv. I do like Box Office/PPV events though so may occasionally want to watch boxing while recording UFC etc.

- Not totally fussed on 4k. I don't play my ps4 much either or own a 4k tv lol.

- I already own an external HD which I used years ago with sat receiver. Being able to re-use this would be fine.

- Being able to add on any sort of Movies/Tv show in demand service (like Covenant) would be a nice bonus.

I'll need to have a look out for that box guide that was mentioned. I just need to get more familar with navigating different sections on the forum. I'll need to get an understanding of the connections/splitter that I need to buy also.
 
One of the really good plugins most install is IPTV Player (this is not the same as an IPTV subscription), this player has a lot to offer in terms of movies/series/box sets & catchup which in most cases removes the need for recordings.
IF you wish to record from a VM channel but have a single cable tuner most place the TV on a fta/sat fed channel & record via the cable tuner.

bees box guide:
http://www.techkings.org/threads/a-buyers-guide-to-the-best-box.77914/
 
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DiscoKiller said:
ah - thanks for the heads up. I am hoping there is nothing drastic that could go wrong in the foreseeable... I am not entirely sure what level of configuration goes in to the builds to be honest, aside from the nice bits of software that make everything user friendly, the skin to make it look nice, and the platform it is built on... I imagine keeping the software packages up to date should be enough to avoid catastrophic failure?

I have 2 H7Cs at the moment but one has to go back to its rightful owner tonight :(
Click to expand...
yes, i would suggest do a complete backup, then software update. If software update fails then reflash with your complete backupn just made and then wait a few days before retrying. sometimes software updates can mess things up
 
I'm thinking the H5.2tc might be an ideal box but looking at the Box Guide I see that z-gemmas are listed in their own category as they don't support Vix.

What sort of disadvantages does this bring? Is it easier or harder to set up than the others?
 
Don't forget there are rumours that cable HD will finish for good at the end of January, just in case this affects your choice of box
 
sometimes boxes need to be setup from scratch and not use settings restore as makers change structures in images.
one reason why people need to write down their settings and to get to know their boxes before messing.
 
Would the H5.2tc be a solid choice then?

I had a read through the box thread and probably a lot of it is a bit out of date now but it was useful to know about the different types of box. I see the Mutant brand being recommended a lot. What sort of differences would there be between the H5.2tc and a mutant box of similar pricing?

To be honest I think reliability and ease of use would be the most important aspects as opposed to things like HD and multiple tuners (2 cable tuners
would be enough).
 
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