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VBox Home TV Gateway (XTi 3342) Review

Discussion in 'Video Streaming Boxes & Services' started by Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 5, 2015.


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    1. Nov 5, 2015 at 8:57 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 5, 2015
      #1
      Mark Hodgkinson

      Mark Hodgkinson
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      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 5, 2015
    2. Nov 5, 2015 at 1:19 PM
      Trollslayer, Nov 5, 2015
      #2
      Trollslayer

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      Nice but it doesn't seem to be able to record so limited, how much of a market is there?
      Dual tuner and USB recording would make it much more useful.
       
      Trollslayer, Nov 5, 2015
    3. Nov 5, 2015 at 1:37 PM
      AJBek, Nov 5, 2015
      #3
      AJBek

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      according to their product page there are twin tuners and you can add usb storage for recording.
      Terrestrial
      It is an interesting product. Do you know if the android app works on android tv, such as the new sony models as that would be pretty essential for me.
       
      AJBek, Nov 5, 2015
    4. Nov 5, 2015 at 1:58 PM
      MartinH32, Nov 5, 2015
      #4
      MartinH32

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      looks more like the sort of alarm clock you'd have on your bedside cabinet
       
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      MartinH32, Nov 5, 2015
    5. Nov 5, 2015 at 1:59 PM
      garyc, Nov 5, 2015
      #5
      garyc

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      how was it running on the shield tv box? any issues

      would there by any epg issues with freesat channels?

      cheers
       
      garyc, Nov 5, 2015
    6. Nov 5, 2015 at 3:44 PM
      BrightonChris, Nov 5, 2015
      #6
      BrightonChris

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      Can someone explain to me the point of this? You can already watch freeview on any device with a multitude of apps giving you the ability. There's Sky Go and BT Sport for those services. Recording seems a bit pointless these days with most things available on demand. I would I imagine anyone tech savvy enough to bother with something like this would look at it as being a little redundant.
       
      BrightonChris, Nov 5, 2015
    7. Nov 5, 2015 at 3:46 PM
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
      #7
      RichardWiz

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      Freesat provides 'now and next' standard DVB EPG, so you will need to use Atlas' free EPG to get full program guide
       
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
    8. Nov 5, 2015 at 4:03 PM
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
      #8
      RichardWiz

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      Both Sky go and iPlayer don't come close to the picture and sound quality of broadcast TV and with this device you get the full quality, also it doesn't use your internet or data plan as it connects to your aerial.

      I have a vbox for almost 6 month and I use it to distribute freeview from one aerial on my roof to all my TVs and mobile devices at home and I also watch offline recordings on the way to work on my tablet.
      They've recently added remote access feature which I use to schedule recordings and watch live TV from work
       
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      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
    9. Nov 5, 2015 at 4:10 PM
      BrightonChris, Nov 5, 2015
      #9
      BrightonChris

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      Fair enough. You've done well to find enough worth watching on freeview
       
      BrightonChris, Nov 5, 2015
    10. Nov 5, 2015 at 4:34 PM
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
      #10
      RichardWiz

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      My guess is that with freesat it's even compelling as distributing of satellite feed over multiple devices is more complex
       
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
    11. Nov 5, 2015 at 5:31 PM
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
      #11
      RichardWiz

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      I think that the NVIDIA SHIELD TV is an Android TV device so you should be able to use it on the Sony Android TV too
       
      RichardWiz, Nov 5, 2015
    12. Nov 6, 2015 at 8:27 AM
      invisiblekid, Nov 6, 2015
      #12
      invisiblekid

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      The way Mark describes it last week in the podcast I thought this could be connected to a TV directly and this would have been an instant purchase.

      But if it only connects to mobile devices it's completely useless to me. Shame
       
      invisiblekid, Nov 6, 2015
    13. Nov 6, 2015 at 8:35 AM
      DpM, Nov 6, 2015
      #13
      DpM

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      @RichardWiz you say you have it working on all your TV's, could you tell me how your delivering it to these TV's?

      This could be a solution for me if I can make it easy enough for my wife to just turn on the TV and use. Since I binned Sky off she says she misses being able to just put the TV on select channels from the remote.
      I have a Sony W829B so not sure just how well this would work directly to the TV. In my head I see it working like my Synology in that you just select it as a network device but at that point can you then use the TV remote to change the channels on the vbox?

      Thanks
       
      DpM, Nov 6, 2015
    14. Nov 6, 2015 at 8:58 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #14
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      All that info is in the review - it's dual tuner and can record to USB or to NAS :)
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    15. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:01 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #15
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      I can't guarantee it will work on the Sony TVs but it works with the NVIDIA Shield Android TV so it should. The only issue with it is that you need to tap in the IP address of the VBox every time you open the app which you don't on 'lower' Android versions.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    16. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:03 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #16
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      Answers to Shield above Gary. I don't have a dish (and nor does this model accept the connection) but I'll ask the manufacturer for you. I assume the DRM is also on the Freesat EPG but there is a fix coming.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    17. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:05 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #17
      Mark Hodgkinson

      Mark Hodgkinson
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      If you rely on catchup services 100% then there probably is little point. You could just use it as a TV signal distribution device to cut down on wires and it has a couple of other features like being able to download recordings to Android devices and remote access of recordings wherever you have an internet connection that might make it attractive to some.

      Also, as Richard says, the picture quality surpasses iPlayer etc


      It's definitely not for everyone though.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    18. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:09 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #18
      Mark Hodgkinson

      Mark Hodgkinson
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      Not just mobile devices - anything running KODi (hundreds of devices) and Android TV boxes too.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    19. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:12 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #19
      Mark Hodgkinson

      Mark Hodgkinson
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      Nope, it won't work that way sorry. You'll need a device in between to receive the IP feed of the VBox - there are numerous ones that would fit the bill, pretty much all mentioned in the review.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    20. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:16 AM
      DpM, Nov 6, 2015
      #20
      DpM

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      Thanks Mark
       
      DpM, Nov 6, 2015
    21. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:29 AM
      invisiblekid, Nov 6, 2015
      #21
      invisiblekid

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      Duh I forgot about Kodi.

      So this does take everything from Sky and you can get it via Kodi?
       
      invisiblekid, Nov 6, 2015
    22. Nov 6, 2015 at 9:37 AM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #22
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      I'm sorry ik, I don't really understand the question but it will allow you to access free to air TV via KODI and you can also use KODI for all the PVR functionalities too. Is that what you meant?
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    23. Nov 6, 2015 at 10:21 AM
      Trollslayer, Nov 6, 2015
      #23
      Trollslayer

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      It looks like a good niche product, I hope it does well.
       
      Trollslayer, Nov 6, 2015
    24. Nov 6, 2015 at 12:39 PM
      garyc, Nov 6, 2015
      #24
      garyc

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      thanks Mark
       
      garyc, Nov 6, 2015
    25. Nov 6, 2015 at 1:00 PM
      del_86, Nov 6, 2015
      #25
      del_86

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      It might be me being a bit thick :D but am I right in thinking that as it has a dual tuner, you can distribute these 2 signals around your home (unless recording, then it would only be one)??

      I'm looking for an alternative to Media Centre (which I will lose if I upgrade my HTPC to windows 10), so this could potentially be interesting.

      Also, the missus is looking at adding a tv to the kitchen, which is nowhere near an ariel socket and I don't want to start drilling holes in walls and ceilings.
      It would all come down to ease of use I think.

      So could I potentially add kodi on a USB stick for the "new" kitchen tv and it could pick up the signal ok without any more input from me?
       
      del_86, Nov 6, 2015
    26. Nov 6, 2015 at 1:02 PM
      Trollslayer, Nov 6, 2015
      #26
      Trollslayer

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      Kodi on a Firestick?
       
      Trollslayer, Nov 6, 2015
    27. Nov 6, 2015 at 1:39 PM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #27
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      Yes, you could achieve both those goals del. As Trollslayer says, Fire Stick would do it but make sure it's set to output 50Hz, it will likely default to 60Hz.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    28. Nov 6, 2015 at 4:17 PM
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
      #28
      Mark Hodgkinson

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      Gary, with Fressat, you get Now and Next data only' to get full EPG data you will have to use the external XMLTV grabber in Kodi or in VBox's upcoming software version. Release date for that is in the next 6 weeks or so.
       
      Mark Hodgkinson, Nov 6, 2015
    29. Nov 6, 2015 at 4:54 PM
      garyc, Nov 6, 2015
      #29
      garyc

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      thx mark will keep an eye on release info
       
      garyc, Nov 6, 2015
    30. Nov 8, 2015 at 11:39 AM
      RichardWiz, Nov 8, 2015
      #30
      RichardWiz

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      It's very easy to connect to and the VBox apps are working with the TV remote

      I have a UE65H8000 Samsung Smart TV connecting directly to the VBox with the VBox app for Samsung
      A Philips Android powered Smart TV with the VBox android app
      And older TVs with Minix 8 and the VBox Android app (I prefer it over Kodi)

      You can also connect directly to the VBox via UPnP, but you don't get the EPG
       
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      RichardWiz, Nov 8, 2015
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