VU+ Solo 2

[tiger]

Hi All, i'm new here!

I'm looking to buy a VU+ Solo 2, checking i'm in the right place. World of satellites have this
on their website at £229.00.

I have copied the next bit from my introduction thread:

I have a Sky dish which gives me FTA in 3 rooms. I use a humax freesat PVR to record and sky hd boxes on the other 2 which are junk.
Not really too bothered about recording, with a VU+ i can add a hdd later if i need but i have 2 large usb hdd (apple time capsule's) also
which if work with a VU box would be great.

So any advice would be great, i guess i should plant myself in the VU section!

anyone recommend any other receiver as 'the best' or 'better' than a VU+ Solo 2.
Anything easier to use??

I will be buying from world of satellite and was thinking of having 'openvix' pre-installed.
Would this be a good choice?

The only thing i dont want is to use the internet to stream the programs as i am limited to how much
i can download, i have a spare 10gb per month available but not enough to watch streams.

Would be nice to know peoples opinion on which image to use Open PLi, Blackhole or OpenVix.
What is the difference?

Thanks

Tiger

 

[abu baniaz]

Best to try the different images yourself and decide which your household likes most. This being the ViX forum, most people here use ViX.

 

[tiger]

Hi Abu,

Yes thanks, i just found that out and was about to edit my post but thanks for that.
I will try a few of them as it seems to be personal taste which sways the decision.

Thanks

Tiger

 

[tiger]

Openvix likes and dislikes

Hi,

It would be nice to hear what people like about OpenVix.
And also it's bad points.

thanks

Tiger

 

[Trial]

Hi,
I would say if you are are from
UK/Irland OpenViX is the best image to start
Germany VTi or OpenATV is the best to start
Italy (I think) BlackHole or OpenBlackHole is the best to start.

ciao

 

[Avalon]

If you just want single tuner then the Zero is cheaper but still the same build quality though lower spec or the SE2 gives most of the Solo 2 at a lower price point. I love my Solo 2, I got it from WoS not long after launch and it's been faultless, it's not the cheapest of boxes, by the time you add an HD and/or a USB drive etc. and others have since beaten it in terms of spec's and price point, but it works, has a good user base and it's stable. Setting up VIX takes a little getting used to, it's got a lot of flexibility built in that general users may not want or need, but it's quite easy to choose the 'simple' option and good guides do exist on how to set it up for what you need. The only issue i've had was with the config of a cam, the generic config worked but had drop out's, after a little investigation I found a tweaked config for the Vu boxes and it's been faultless ever since.

 

[tiger]

Hi Avalon,

Thanks for that info. Which other models have better spec boxes?
How long have you had your solo 2?

i understand these boxes need to be connected to the internet. How much downloading is involved?
I am limited but have a spare 10gb per month i can use. Will it be less than 10GB / month?
Also what would happen if i unplugged the ethernet cable? does the picture vanish?

I'm interested to know and also limited to my usage.

Thanks

Tiger

 

[cactikid]

please leave lan connection in as extras are nice meaning kodidirect or tsmedia,unsure of how much they use

 

[Trial]

Hi,
you can of course use the box without internet but then it looses a lot of their posibilities.

ciao

 

[Avalon]

Hi Avalon,

Thanks for that info. Which other models have better spec boxes?
How long have you had your solo 2?

i understand these boxes need to be connected to the internet. How much downloading is involved?
I am limited but have a spare 10gb per month i can use. Will it be less than 10GB / month?
Also what would happen if i unplugged the ethernet cable? does the picture vanish?

I'm interested to know and also limited to my usage.

Thanks


Tiger

I've had my Solo2 since not long after launch (2+ years), purchased from WoS as they sell genuine kit. It's not been used heavily, but it's worked without issue. They don't *need* to be connected to the internet to act as a freeview box, however if you wish to make use of online features (such as EPG etc etc) then they do need to be connected, the data usage is very minimal, only a few mb per day so you won't hit any current data cap because of it. If you are using it for streaming IPTV/Kodi related stuff then obviously that depends on how much you watch, but for normal satellite viewing it's very low data usage. If you're using freeview then unplugging the network cable won't do anything to the picture, if you're not using freeview then it will.

If I were you unless you really want a Solo2 (it's a good box), then the Xtrend E8500 is £170 and offers pretty much everything the Solo 2 does and more.

 

[tiger]

Hi Avalon,

Yes the Xtrend E8500 does have a better spec than the VU. A little big but cheaper also!!
always helps.
Think i'll go for that instead then.

Thanks for the other info, it's settling in. I can spare some internet maybe even upto 20gb per month
but not too much more so streaming would cause me an issue. I see now, the EPG uses the internet.
great info.


thanks

Tiger

 

[Trial]

Hi,
if EPG needs internet depends on what provider you have. Some provider use OTA EPG.

ciao

 

[tiger]

Hi Avalon,

Another question! I hope you can help with.
Will i get the freeview HD channels in HD!!
So do you get freeview hd channels with your vu box?

Thanks again

Tiger

 

[Larry-G]

Some but not all.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tiger]

Hi,

What is OTA EPG and which providers use it??

thanks

Tiger

 

[Larry-G]

OTA or over the air.

This is what sky them selves use, the EPG is broadcast via the same satellite the channels are, the image uses the same data (OpenTV) in conjunction with CrossEPG to generate the EPG.

Hence no internet needed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Trial]

Hi,
OverTheAir which mean through the program transmission so no need for internet. I am not from the UK so I cannot say who.

ciao

 

[Avalon]

Hi,

What is OTA EPG and which providers use it??

thanks

Tiger

OTA is Over The Air or in other words the system Sky use, some EPG's can be downloaded via the Internet. At this stage it's really not an issue to worry about.

 

[bellejt]

on the air epg.CD NL ,german fta and others uses it .