Freesat box with "Favourites" display same as SKY.

Pollensa1946

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Is there a Freesat box with "Favourites" displayed in the same way as SKY. Namely, the favourites are displayed PIP at the bottom of the screen and showing "now" and then "next" by scrolling right. All without interruption of audio/video on the currently viewed channel. I keep reading reviews of Freesat boxes which suggest that this is not the case and the SKY method is important from the pov of family-acceptance-factor.
 
i am afraid the answer is no, you wouldn't believe how much time i spent researching this about a year ago, i spent hours and hours, i read the manual on just about every freesat and freeview box out there. apparently the freesat specification will not allow it, so its not down to the manufacturers its down to freesat themselves, thats why favourites an any freesat box is rubbish.

the only possible way round it might be to buy the Foxsat HDR and install some third party software, but that is a bit complicated for me and not my thing, i like my products to work how i want them straight out of the box.

grahamlthomson will probably read this and be able to explain if you can do the things you want using the third party software, theres not much he doesn't know about freesat boxes.
 
The Basic answer to this is no G1 freesat box is permiited to do what you ask.
 
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I think you will find that freesat will never have the favourite system like that is on a sky box as Sky will not allow it. I believe they hold the patent on this and will not allow any other system to copy it
 
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I think you will find that freesat will never have the favourite system like that is on a sky box as Sky will not allow it. I believe they hold the patient this and will not allow any other system to copy it

They're taking over from the hospitals now? :laugh:
 
I think you're probably correct though and freesat would want to avoid litigation.
 
You can delete the channels you don't want from the EPG on the Manhattan Plaza HD-S which in effect leaves you with a favourites list on the browser bar.
 
You can delete the channels you don't want from the EPG on the Manhattan Plaza HD-S which in effect leaves you with a favourites list on the browser bar.
Thanks, you're doing a better job than Manhattan Technical Support. I asked them to confirm that this function/behaviour would be carried over to their upcoming Freesat G2 PVR. I got a stupid reply which talked about they have a favourites list and SKY don't and failed to answer my question. I have asked them to revisit my query. I hope the product is better than the support.
 
Now I'm confused. Having established that the "Browser Bar" on the Manhattan can essentially provide a form of "Favourites" bar same as SKY, I now read in the Humax user guide that it has an "i-Plate Bar" which does this also. So having been told that the Humax cannot do this, it now appears it can.
Can a Humax user confirm this?
 
Now I'm confused. Having established that the "Browser Bar" on the Manhattan can essentially provide a form of "Favourites" bar same as SKY, I now read in the Humax user guide that it has an "i-Plate Bar" which does this also. So having been told that the Humax cannot do this, it now appears it can.
Can a Humax user confirm this?
The I-plate displays from the freesat channel list, initally starting with the current programme. You can delete the freesat channels you don't want. There is a favorite list as well - it is not displayed by default and is not what the (very nice) I-Plate uses.
If like filmsthinbloke you think that the standard list with some deletes amounts to a favorite list then it does. But no PIP in any freesat box (yet).
 
There is a favorite list as well - it is not displayed by default and is not what the (very nice) I-Plate uses.
However you can force the humax to display only the saved favourite iplate.

Save favourite channels (whilst viewing) using the 'opt+' button and allocate the number you require (1 to 5). Once favourites are stored press the list button or the ok button to call up channel list then press the green button for favourites. Press green repeatedly until the fav number you saved to highlights, now press the down button to select one of the saved channels and once you select to view one of these channels the box will from that point on only display the required fav iplates, also scrolling through the channels using the prog/page button will switch between these same channels.

iirc, the process retains the list of favs but you need to repeat the method highlighting any channel in a stored list to set the box to a favourite list (1 to5) again when the box has been put to standby.

It sounds a long winded pain in the butt, though do it a few times and it becomes second nature and in my opinion worth doing if your a compulsive zapper. :p
 
The I-plate displays from the freesat channel list, initally starting with the current programme. You can delete the freesat channels you don't want. If like filmsthinbloke you think that the standard list with some deletes amounts to a favorite list then it does.
Thanks, that sorts my problem. As soon as Freesat G2 emerges I'm in the market for a PVR.
 
The I-plate displays from the freesat channel list, initally starting with the current programme. You can delete the freesat channels you don't want. There is a favorite list as well - it is not displayed by default and is not what the (very nice) I-Plate uses.
If like filmsthinbloke you think that the standard list with some deletes amounts to a favorite list then it does. But no PIP in any freesat box (yet).

The Manhattan has eight favourites lists that can contain a mixture of Freesat and non Freesat channels in the same list. Just press the star button. That's why I bought a Manhattan rather than the Humax. No need to delve into setup for non Freesat viewing as the Manhattan makes it seamless.
 

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