New generation Freesat STB - Arris

The benefit of this box is that there is now an easy way of migrating away from SkyQ once your contract has finished without faffing about changing an LNB which wasn't previously possible.

The average consumer wouldn't know how to change an LNB on a satellite dish and would just expect it to work which is now possible.

The catch-up apps built into the box are just an added benefit. The main attraction is that there is now an easy way to get a recordable box which is compatible with the LNB used on skyq installations.
 
I can’t get my 2TB box to pair with the app, it does not give a 6 digit code and if I use the search facility on the app it does not find the new box.
ipad and box are both on same network, info says to check if routers Universal Plug and Play UPnP is enabled, which it is but doesn’t list the new box

Sorted...needed to be logged in to my account on iPad 1st, then log into account on Box and it auto pairs with the app
 
Can someone help me understand what the appeal of this box is other than being able to use skyq LNB?
Errrmmm what other freesat recording box can you buy new?

None. This Arris is the only one.

Reading about it I think freesat have a death-wish.
 
Errrmmm what other freesat recording box can you buy new?

None. This Arris is the only one.

Reading about it I think freesat have a death-wish.

It's a massively missed opportunity - doesn't really add anything over a vaguely modern UHD TV (with USB storage plugged in) other than support for the Q LNB.

Had they offered any sort of in home streaming, similar to Sky Q or the new BT boxes apparently will have, that might have made it way more appealing.
Or even incorporated Chromecast support - then it could be used for NowTv and Disney+.
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere a while ago that it would upscale a normal feed to 4K.. As no one here has so far mentioned that feature, I'm assuming that it doesn't.
I've been waiting to replace my "perfectly good" Humax with one of these, but so far I'm not seeing much reason to do that.
 
It will upscale, but so will any UHD TV - and they often do a better job of it than the upscaler built in to the satellite receiver.
 
Might be a small market for people who just want a quick plug and play option. Personally if I was limited to SkyQ LNB I would grab a ladder and change it but that's not option for everyone.

The box seems bit of a con in that the 4K part is just streaming apps that most 4K have built in anyway.

So do you really need to record 4 channels in 1080i anyway when most stuff is now available on Catch up?

I know I rather just jump on to Amazon Prime or Netflix and watch 4K in HDR that my neither this or SkyQ can do.
 
The need to offer apps. is to make the box look feature rich, I suspect. The fact that All4 is missing renders it an incomplete solution for those looking to add streaming services to their non-smart TV. That Freesat now has a PVR solution again is a good thing, but it also highlights the bigger problem, that is a box that is capable of potentially delivering a level of picture quality that the platform will never natively carry. UK streaming services are poor when it comes to picture and sound quality, as is the output from most TV channels, which is SD, at a time when 4K is now approaching the norm for many of us. Just why UK broadcasters seem to think that a 720p picture (at best) with stereo audio is acceptable in 2020, when the rest of the world sees 1080p and DD5.1 as a normal entry point for streaming services is beyond me, but typifies to my mind just what a rubbish job UK plc does with everything it touches, be it streaming TV quality, providing our healthcare workers with the protection that they need, or having trains run on time. The bare minimum is always considered to be acceptable, it seems, whether you like it ir not.

I get that many people are happy with SD picture quality, be it on Freeview, Freesat or via a UK streaming service. On that basis, I see a place for the Arris box, especially for those looking to move away from Sky. I’ll certainly grab a box when my Humax PVR needs replacing. BTW, Arris makes routers fir Virgin Media.

Clem
 
Might be a small market for people who just want a quick plug and play option. Personally if I was limited to SkyQ LNB I would grab a ladder and change it but that's not option for everyone.

The box seems bit of a con in that the 4K part is just streaming apps that most 4K have built in anyway.

So do you really need to record 4 channels in 1080i anyway when most stuff is now available on Catch up?

I know I rather just jump on to Amazon Prime or Netflix and watch 4K in HDR that my neither this or SkyQ can do.

Might as well get the Manhattan Freesat receiver (£50) and a FireTV stick (£50, but regularly on offer at <£35) if your TV doesn't have the more recent apps on it. You'll have more functionality than the £125 non-recording Arris box - might not have support for the Q LNB or on demand services on the Manhattan, but the FireTV gives you more apps than the Arris, including All4 and Disney+
 
You couldn't make it up. From DigitalSpy:

freesat have specified/allowed Arris to use the same IR remote code subset as the Humax boxes use. Fixed to ID set 1 - just like You View boxes (same dopey specifiers do you think?)
 
You couldn't make it up. From DigitalSpy:

freesat have specified/allowed Arris to use the same IR remote code subset as the Humax boxes use. Fixed to ID set 1 - just like You View boxes (same dopey specifiers do you think?)

D'oh. That's an extremely stupid decision. And explains why the Arris remote also controls a BTTV box.
 
Why fix the remote channel? Using the Humax remote control features is one thing, but to not permit any changes is utterly daft. What if you have an Arris receiver and PVR in the same room? OK, unlikely perhaps, but Humax did/does allow changes, which is useful if you have their Freeview and Freesat kit in the same setup.

Clem
 
My current Sky Q setup involves a communal dish and a single antenna lead into the Sky box.
I Swapped out the leads with the new Freesat Arris 1TB 4K box & eventually got the message during setup that there was no satellite signal.

Farther digging on the internet indicates that during my Sky Q installation, something called a Sky Q Adapter was inserted into the line somewhere between the dish and the leads into my house. The second antenna lead, which had previously been used in a Sky HD setup, was now being used via a switching adapter to power something at the dish end, presumably this Sky Adapter.

The sky Q box had to have a settings change in the engineers menu - putting the LNB mode to SCR

I'm assuming that this may be the cause of my No Satellite Signal when the Arris box was attached and the setup was run.

I'm a total novice when it comes to satellite systems, but does anyone know if there would be a similar setting in the Arris box to set the LNB to SCR mode. Does this make any sense?

I'd certainly be grateful for any help/suggestions.

Mike.
 
I can’t get my 2TB box to pair with the app, it does not give a 6 digit code and if I use the search facility on the app it does not find the new box.
ipad and box are both on same network, info says to check if routers Universal Plug and Play UPnP is enabled, which it is but doesn’t list the new box

Sorted...needed to be logged in to my account on iPad 1st, then log into account on Box and it auto pairs with the app

Ive got the same problem as you.tried everything to no avail. Put my old humax back on network and connected straight away
 
I can’t get my 2TB box to pair with the app, it does not give a 6 digit code and if I use the search facility on the app it does not find the new box.
ipad and box are both on same network, info says to check if routers Universal Plug and Play UPnP is enabled, which it is but doesn’t list the new box

Sorted...needed to be logged in to my account on iPad 1st, then log into account on Box and it auto pairs with the app

Have you managed to get the App to be used as a remote with your box?
Mine refuses to find it when I 'search' from the app.
It shows as a paired box but won't connect on wifi/ethernet to use as a remote control.

pulling my hair out at this now.
 
Have you managed to get the App to be used as a remote with your box?
Mine refuses to find it when I 'search' from the app.
It shows as a paired box but won't connect on wifi/ethernet to use as a remote control.

pulling my hair out at this now.
I have exactly the same problem. I’ve emailed Freesat but no reply as yet.
 
Has anybody detected slight variations in volume level on the new Arris box?
Not a huge difference but enough to be notifiable while watching TV.
 
I just tested my Freesat box, and it was so easy to setup, as I will finish with my SkyQ end of next month.
Like others above, I can’t get the app remote to work either.

Is it possible to sync my LG TV remote with the Freesat box...I noticed that the Freesat remote can be synced to your TV (not tried that yet, as I’ve reconnected my Sky box)
 
I just tested my Freesat box, and it was so easy to setup, as I will finish with my SkyQ end of next month.
Like others above, I can’t get the app remote to work either.

Is it possible to sync my LG TV remote with the Freesat box...I noticed that the Freesat remote can be synced to your TV (not tried that yet, as I’ve reconnected my Sky box)
Don’t know how but the Freesat remote operated my Samsung TV without doing anything!
 
Hi all,
Would this Zinwell LNB allow me to record 4 separate channels at the same time?
I know you can watch one and record a couple at the same time if your on the same V/H channels.
The Dish/LNB is from my Sky+ Digital system I had before I moved and wondered if I need a new LMB before I attach it to the corner of my house near the guttering.

P.S
Do any of the satellite channels have weaker signals so I can check the strength and align the dish/LNB in the right direction.
(I’m in North Wales in the CH7 Post code area)
Any help would be much appreciated.
 

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