Second freesat box for streaming

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Second freesat box for streaming

(17 posts)

clare

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Hi, I've had the HDR1000s since December. The jury is still out and I haven't been overly impressed so far (as will be shown by my previous posts) when compared with the flexibility, reliability and ability to do a heck of alot more with my old Topfield.

However, I am sticking with it for now.

Summer is coming, the reason why I have moved to Freesat. We lose terrestrial TV signal when the weather pressure rises....

I need to buy two more basic Freesat boxes for two other TVs in the house in preparation. One of the reasons for buying the HDR 1000s was the freesat combined with the ability to stream recorded content to another Freesat box in the house [Ho, ho, ho how much longer will it take for that feature to be available on the box? Any thoughts?}.

Can anyone give me any thoughts on future-proofing my best choice. The cheapest available freesat boxes for kitchen and bedroom, but with the greatest likelihood of being able to accept streaming DNLA recorded content from the HDR1000s in the lounge (or I guess from a Foxsat if I reach the point where I can put up with the 1000s no longer)?

Thank you for any help and apologies if I am asking a question that has been discussed many times over. I need to buy one by Friday .....

| Tue 23 Apr 2013 13:02:09 #1 |
clare

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No-one has ANY suggestions on what to buy?

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 8:26:51 #2 |
REPASSAC

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I think I would get a Foxsat just in case the HDR-1000S DLNA server is a long time coming. You don't mention how the two extra units would be used - is live TV or recordings going to be the main use, if not live TV then a media player might be a good choice.

Will all three be connected to your LAN?

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 8:37:09 #3 |
Pollensa1946

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From your post I assume you intend that you can stream recordings made on the 1000S (DLNA Server) to the other machines (DLNA Clients). Any answer you get on this is going to be highly speculative as, AFAIK, there is no published spec for what the Server will be capable of. All the boxes would of course need to be connected to the LAN for this streaming to work.
The only box currently on sale that you could be highly confident that will work as a Client to the 1000S Server is another 1000S. Humax might release a non-PVR version, but that again is speculation.
Why not in the interim buy some SKY boxes off of EBay. I've picked up Pace boxes in the past for 25 Pounds, which I still have working years later. They will not be capable of acting as a client but will give you Freesat from SKY. Later re-assess your requirements. Or, if you are really keen on a new box look at the right-hand pane of this page...
http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 10:04:11 #4 |
REPASSAC

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Pollensa1946 - 18 minutes ago »
From your post I assume you intend that you can stream recordings made on the 1000S (DLNA Server) to the other machines (DLNA Clients). Any answer you get on this is going to be highly speculative as, AFAIK, there is no published spec for what the Server will be capable of.

The standard DLNA server spec demands very little of a server - it needs to send video content as MPEG-2 unless it knows the client can support other content.
The server is expected to use DLNA Protected Streaming which means that it will only work with clients that also support it.

Humax do have other products the (T2) for example which is covered by a DLNA certification.

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 10:35:11 #5 |
Pollensa1946

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No problem with any of what you say, except that the claimed DLNA compliant client on the 1000S does not work with my Twonky Server (the Server works with every other client I have). So what can we expect from the planned Server( other than speculate)?
The T2 is a Freeview box as I recall. Maybe she wants all satellite boxes?

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 10:51:43 #6 |
clare

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Thank you both for giving your thoughts. Very helpful.

Yes I need all freesat as we lose all Freeview signal during good weather in the summer.

Yes, the other two boxes will be connected to LAN, and indeed to my satellite dish. The main 1000s is also connected to the LAN. And the other two boxes will be used mainly for live TV taken directly from their satellite feeds.

I'm not looking into streaming live TV. I "just" want to be able to stream TV programmes recorded on my main 1000s in the lounge through to, for example, a second Freesat box in the kitchen.

One of the reasons why I bought the 1000s was the expectation that it could be used as a DNLA server and stream recordings to other DNLA client freesat boxes. I had not expected it to take quite so long for the DNLA server function to become operational (otherwise I might have explored other potential solutions), and I was waiting for that to happen before buying the other Freesat boxes. Now I have run out of time and I need to buy something and take a gamble.

TO be honest, I was tossing up between a Foxsat HDR and a Foxsat HD. But I have a vague recollection of the Foxsats being different to the T2, in that maybe the Foxsat HD does not even operate as a DNLA client?

I was also tossing up whether it would be worth investing in a Foxsat HDR for the kitchen, if it can function as both a DNLA client and a DNLA server, in the hope that when the 1000s becomes a DNLA server, maybe the Foxsat HDR and the 1000s will be able to effectively exchange recorded programmes between themselves (so that maybe other half can record all his programmes on the kitchen model; I record all my programmes on the lounge model; and we can send recordings to the other box if we want to watch our programmes in the "other" room).

That's the hope.

Or I just get the cheapest damn freesat box on the market right now and sit back and wait and see what happens with the 1000s DNLA server functionality and what will or will not work with it at the time. Maybe that is the best short term solution ......

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 11:11:10 #7 |
myhumax

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The only DLNA certified Humax devices are the IRHD-5100C/5200C/5300C and the HD/HDR-FOX T2 (see here: http://www.dlna.org/consumer-home/look-for-dlna/product-search).

The Freesat <freetime> HDR-1000S is NOT currently a DLNA certified device which is why it does not work correctly with other DLNA certified devices, such as my D-Link NAS box.

Yes, you are correct that the FOXSAT-HD is not a DLNA client. The FOXSAT-HDR can be made into a DLNA server if you run raydon's modded firmware. Again the HDR is not a certified DLNA device, or even a media server (without modded firmware)!

The best setup with Humax device(s) is a HDR FOX-T2 as a DLNA server/client and HD FOX-T2 as a client. But this is no use to you as these are Freeview boxes.

I find the media/DNLA facilities on the Freesat <freetime> box a little lacking at the moment, and I am not sure how this will develop (i.e. will Freesat push for DNLA certification so that it will work properly!? I have my doubts.)

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 11:28:55 #8 |
Pollensa1946

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clare - 18 minutes ago »
...Or I just get the cheapest damn freesat box on the market right now and sit back and wait and see what happens with the 1000s DNLA server functionality and what will or will not work with it at the time...

That's what I'm doing with my current Pace boxes, waiting it out to see what happens. I've no intention of changing that plan.

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 11:32:12 #9 |
Pollensa1946

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In most media players and similar boxes you will not see any mention of DLNA compliancy, and frankly who cares, not me and most other users. What they read is what the box is capable of rendering.
If a client claims to be DLNA compliant but fails to properly interface with my NAS (Twonky Server) and says I have no movies (all AVI) and freezes and falls over when I try to open my music folder (all MP3 & FLAC) then DLNA compliancy means not a thing. BTW...I'm talking about the 1000S Client as currently delivered on V.37 f/w.
So if you are buying it as a broad-range media player then don't. If you anticipate streaming recording between m/c's, and only that, then yes buy it.

| Wed 24 Apr 2013 11:40:52 #10 |