As one of the few to have already received my Skippa, I just wanted to share my initial thoughts so far on the unit. Mine arrived yesterday and I have to say that, if you can get over the cheap looking green LED display straight from the 1990's, it's a neat little unit. The smaller form factor means it's unobtrusive and fits in well with my existing devices. The initial setup was easy AND there was an HDMI cable included in the box - a nice surprise seeing as a lot of other manufacturers consider it an optional extra on an HD device, so well done IceTV for that!
The remote looks nice and feels good in the hand, but there was a fair bit of button mashing going on as it seems at times either unresponsive or too responsive adding double characters from a single press. My next job is to complete the Skippa setup on our Hamony remote, which hopefully should alleviate this bugbear.
One thing I found distracting was the IR sensor flashing red when the Skippa wasn't even the device in focus and I wasn't even using the Skippa remote. That is to say, the unit was still receiving the blasts from our Harmony remote, when it was controlling our Topfield TRF7160 at the time. Difficult to tell if anything was going on as the Skippa wasn't the device showing on screen, but I sure hope not otherwise I could have done some damage somewhere! Perhaps that could be fixed by a firmware update or something?
I had no trouble connecting to my IceTV account, except for having to use the cacky remote, so no complaints there. I've scheduled a couple of shows to record via the Android app today so will let you know if they're successful or not, but all looks good so far.
I did notice a semi-annoying popup for HbbTV or Freeview Plus when changing channels, but I'm sure its a feature, not a fault with the model and that if I explore that a little deeper It'll probably be something I'd make use of.
That's all so far. Happy "Skipping" all!
Thanks Naffnick for your honest review. I still waiting on my Skippa (2nd batch) but I'm sort of glad that some of the bugs are been ironed out.
I'll consolidate my experience so far given the subject. Good place for it.
1) As the original poster also indicates the Skippa remote seems very sensitive or lack thereof. I get lots of hit and miss button pushes where the unit does not pickup a button push if its not precisely pointed directly at the Skippa unit and I mean exactly directly ... in the general direction doesn't cut it at least for my unit.
As I am sitting diagonally across from the unit I angled the Skippa 45 deg to point towards my lounge chair and this slightly improved the IR remote reception but not by much. I have several other media boxes and they all work as long as the remote points in their general broad direction.
2) Had many picture freezes where unit becomes non responsive and I have to pull the power and restart. During these freezes I can still hear live audio but picture frozen.
3) All my setup recording which disappeared re appeared and so I had a bunch of shows finish recording yesterday at night, good start I thought, but only 2 of them have had auto skip complete. All the others are sitting there with no auto skip available and its now 1pm so been many many hours since those recording finished. When I go to settings/IceTV just says Auto Skip: busy with 1 program and been like that for a while now.
I would say the single most annoying thing aside form frozen pictures is the bad remote control sensitivity. Like others guess ill be looking for a Harmony remote but with a brand new designed box I would have through Ice TV would have tried to make an effort to knock it out of the park with basic things like this.
4) Missing Picture in Picture is disappointing so you can't monitor another show while watching another.
On the positive side:
- Recordings are clear and good quality
- Quickly setting show reminders and recordings and series recordings on the fly seems easy from the remote as your watching TV and find a program you like
- Freeview Plus seems to work well on Skippa so using the Freeview catchup TV I have not seen before and looking forward to using that feature.
- speed of there GUI is OK few slow points when you get wait loading but overall a pretty good experience and I'm sure will get better with updates
Hi Russell2200,
Being an owner of an Altech 9600T, i am acutely aware of an issue from these units (Skippa is similar to the altech) where setting the unit to 1080P resolution causes freezing.
Can you try setting the unit output if not already to 1080i instead in the PVR menu and see if the freezing continues.
The symptoms you describe are identical to the Altech if you set the PVR to 1080P and the TV does not properly support that resolution. Please check and report for me.
Thanks
I've had a brief play so here's my initial experience:
1. Setup is easy enough. The first time it starts it will autoscan for channels, ask for your IceTV credentials etc.
2. After a couple of minutes it prompted me that a firmware upgrade is available and would download in the background. A short time later it asked to be rebooted.
3. I got a random reboot for some reason.
4. I don't like the way the Favourite Channel feature works. I like to be able to press Ch Up/Down and only see my Fav Channels. You have to press the FAV button to cycle forwards through the channels and then press OK. Maybe a feature in a future firmware update.
5. It appears that you can't rearrange the order of the channels. I like to group the channels by the boardcaster. eg. ABC, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC24. Again, maybe in a future firmware update.
6. I also find the remote unresponsive. I plan on using my Harmony remote so not a big issue.
7. The UI is not bad compared to my old Beyonwiz S1
I've set a schedule to record Cheers as I'm keen to see how well the autoskip features works. If I get a chance I'll report back.
I had mine on 1080i not 1080P
Friendly IceTV phone call and replacement Skippa on the way seems I have a hardware fault
Quote from: russell2200 on September 24, 2015, 03:56:56 PM
I had mine on 1080i not 1080P
Friendly IceTV phone call and replacement Skippa on the way seems I have a hardware fault
That is good news ... that the issue is hopefully sorted. :)
I get the feeling that you will get the replacement before I get mine. :'(
Ian
PS Good that they held back some units for replacement of defective ones.
Yippee, my Skippa hopped through the door this morning (Gold Coast)
First impressions:
I'm OK with the external power supply after reading the benefits of having them by Mark, makes sense to me :-)
I don't have a problem with the looks or build of the Skippa, it fits nicely in my setup
Setting up the Skippa was straight forward, although it did freeze on the first Channels Scan, I had to power it off and it then went smoothly the second time around
Small learning curve for me, I have never had a IceTV EPG subscription, but I was able to setup several Series Recordings via my PC and a few Movies. I included a few recordings that are not currently running (or just repeats), so I will see what happens when the next new Series of these come back ie set it up to only record New Episodes (one of the main features I was looking for). The current Series & Movies I set to record via my PC showed up on the Skippa, so far all seems to be working OK
I will report back if I strike any problems, so far so good, makes me happy with my purchase at the intro price :-)
I agree with points 4 & 5 of Mantorok's comments
I set mine up last night and played with it for a while....here are my initial impressions:
Setup was easy.
I tended to have to mash the buttons on the remote to get a response.
The system froze and was unresponsive once last night requiring a reboot. It was also unresponsive when I got home tonight and tried to switch it on. Reboot fixed this but I hope this won't be a regular occurrence.
When I use my apple tv remote the skip IR sensor flashes.
The unit is quite noisy even when in standby mode. I can hear the whirring of the hard drive over the program audio (and when I was in bed in the next room).
The picture is not great when watching TV (not too sharp and a bit off colour). The signal is 100% but I will replace my aerial cables and see if that helps as the signal from my TV tuner is now not great when looped through the skip and not connected directly to the aerial outlet.
The ad skip function seems to chop off more than it should but I need to experiment a bit more to really have a solid opinion.
The printing on some of my remote buttons is dodgy with half of the text on the "back button" missing for example.
Hi I've just joined up to this forum, I got my Skippa yesterday
I've applied the firmware update that I was prompted with and have rebooted the Skippa (with a power-cycle afterwards as well)
1. Setup was easy and quick
2. Remote is OK, but a few of the buttons "stick" down when pressed - annoying!
3. Watching live TV is generally good. Got a moderate amount of "searching for signal" messages and image break-up ... this hardly happens at all on my TV or existing PVR. The unit crashed and rebooted during a channel-change. Channel change is slow. Have had a few times where I've changed channels (by selecting the channel from the TV guide) and the picture froze but I could hear audio. The picture eventually un-froze about 15 - 20 seconds later.
4. Ad-skipping is hit & miss. Watching animated shows (Simpsons, Futurama) seems to trick it and the ad-skip triggers in the middle of the show and cuts off minutes of non-ad content. In non-animated shows it does OK but is only correct about 50% of the time.
5. When watching-back recordings (and I had 3 recordings going on 3 different broadcast streams at the time) the image break-up is severe and frequent. Made most of my recorded content unwatchable.
Not stable enough to use full time yet... I guess I'll put it in a drawer until I hear of new firmware or fixes to the above problems.
Regarding the remote control issues....
I remember when I first started playing with my Toppy TRF2400 the remote seemed flaky.
Until I removed the almost unnoticeable clear plastic film from in front of the IR receiver.
Just a suggestion. Maybe not applicable to the Skippa! ;D
Mine arrived in Ballarat today.
Got it up and running so far so good and pretty impressed :)
Issues so far:
- Had multiple issues trying to set a static IP for my wifi, it locked up once and failed to get internet several times and even failed to detect the wifi adapter a couple.. I suspect a couple of times I typed in invalid settings though.. It also doesn't remember the wifi password only the ssid.. So that wasn't great..
- Never used icetv before other than playing with the windows phone app, tried to set a couple of series recordings tonight and not familiar with how it works, so can't tell if I am going to get a recording or not.. my week on the app suggests not but the skippa does seem to have the series recording so I shall keep reading and see what happens.
Edit: Ok so one of my series recordings worked as I expected, the other one was a mythbusters series recording.. The ST symbol appears on all the eps the first one recorded on 7mate (despite two emails telling me there was an error) however the one that is currently on SBS does not appear to be recording.. Will do some more reading I probably have made a mistake somewhere along the way but it does seem a little un-intuitive in that respect..
Did take a few pictures that I can upload if anyone is desperate for more pictures while they wait :)
I can confirm that there are problems with the Remote, as mentioned earlier, some buttons tend to stick when pressed and they are sometimes unresponsive! This afternoon the Skippa just refused to change channels for several minutes, using the number keys or ch up & down button (IR light showed the Unit was given an instruction signal), then spontaneously began working again :-\
I decided to watch my TV via my FetchTV STB & Remote, and only switch to the Skippa when I want to play a recorded program (first of which will hopefully happen tonight)
First test of a Series Recording tonight and the show is not in "My Recording" folder ie it didn't record
It still shows in "My Series" folder (and "My Week" with a bright red "R" in front of the shows name), but it just didn't record! (my FetchTV shows recordings while in progress and lets you start to watch the show before recording stops, not sure if this is the same for Skippa?)
Not a good start, the show just didn't record, not happy if the Skippa turns out to be unreliable for recording shows, the most basic & important function of a PVR :(
Hmm I wonder if you are seeing a similar issue to me Ed?
I have setup a series recording for both Mythbusters and scorpion using my phone to record every episode regardless of time, channel etc Now all episodes have the series record mark on them, however it only seems to be the episodes that are on the same channel as where I setup the recording that show up in my week.. So all the scorpion episodes on one appear but 10 is ignored and all the Mythbusters on 7mate appear but not sbs..
Not sure if it is an issue with the windows phone app or some other combination of circumstances..
I will probably create a new thread later..
I am also curious to know how long it takes to sync between my phone and the skippa.. I would expect max 1-2 minutes but it seems to take a much longer period, which could be an issue for last minute recordings when out..
My first impressions: This is coming from the perspective of a long term TiVo user.
The unboxing: I was a little surprised to find a lack of an antenna lead. There's a HDMI cable and the obligatory set of composite connection leads. The unit itself looks okay from the front, not so much from the back. This might sound pedantic, but the holes through which the connectors show through are too large and there are gaps around them. I'll probably never look at the back of it again, but when you compare it to products from major manufacturers like Sony, Samsung and LG, the Skippa shows a lack of attention to detail. The sort you'd find in a cheap, 'made-to-a-price' product. It doesn't mean the unit is dodgy, it just doesn't inspire confidence.
The remote: I've used a lot of remotes over the years and you can tell a cheap remote from a quality one just by look and feel. When you use an LG/Samsung/Sony remote, you know you can just point it in the general direction, press the button and it will work. With the Skippa remote, you actually have to take the time to aim, click forcefully and keep an eye on the unit to see the light flash. You also have to hope that it doesn't register twice. I don't think that's good enough. I have a Harmony remote which works properly with the Skippa, but the Skippa remote has so many buttons which don't match up. It's going to be a bit of a trial to get it working properly. To me, this is a major fail for the Skippa.
Installation: The process went smoothly (except for accidentally unplugging the HDMI from my AVR to the TV). Skippa booted up fine and found all the channels and did its initial firmware update without a problem. I tried to change the output resolution from the default 1080i to 1080p and it failed. It just froze on the dialog to accept the new output. I was able to hit the back button to exit out of it. My Skippa is connected to a 4K AVR and a 4K TV, so I was aiming for the highest possible output resolution. All of the other settings I was able to adjust, albeit with a dodgy remote which meant everything took twice as long as it should.
Recording: I was able to set up series recordings on the unit and on my iPad without any problems. That's all good. I decided to record something I was watching and I hit the record button and didn't really get any sort of feedback. on TiVo, you hit record and it brings up options. On Skippa, you get nothing. I even went into the guide and hit record and then I got feedback asking if I wanted to stop the recording.
The guide: I found this kind of annoying. I don't know about you, but when I bring up the guide, it's not because I want to keep watching TV in one quarter of the screen. Get rid of it and make the program info in the top left appear on a pop up window. That will leave a much larger area for more channels and larger text (for us old farts with failing eyesight). I'd like to see different guide options available like TiVo, so I can choose the guide layout which suits me best.
Playback and ad skip: I haven't tried that yet. I will do so on the weekend. Personally, I don't really care about ad skip. That's not the reason I bought a Skippa, so I'll reserve judgement on that until I see the result.
WAF: I haven't gone down that road yet. I'll leave it until the weekend. I plan on making a list of the pro's and con's of Skippa versus TiVo and doing a good news/bad news thing. I left the user manual on the coffee table when I left. I'll be curious to see if its been read. My wife is not a fan of new technology, so we'll see how that goes.
Summary: It's still early days (day in fact), so I can't say whether or not I like the Skippa. Only time will tell.
Quote from: stretch4x4 on September 25, 2015, 09:18:29 AM
Hmm I wonder if you are seeing a similar issue to me Ed?
I have setup a series recording for both Mythbusters and scorpion using my phone to record every episode regardless of time, channel etc Now all episodes have the series record mark on them, however it only seems to be the episodes that are on the same channel as where I setup the recording that show up in my week.. So all the scorpion episodes on one appear but 10 is ignored and all the Mythbusters on 7mate appear but not sbs..
Not sure if it is an issue with the windows phone app or some other combination of circumstances..
I will probably create a new thread later..
I am also curious to know how long it takes to sync between my phone and the skippa.. I would expect max 1-2 minutes but it seems to take a much longer period, which could be an issue for last minute recordings when out..
In my case I used my PC to set the Series Recording and it showed up on both the PC & Skippa (My Series & My Week) but just did Not record :(
Another issue I found, 2 shows from the My Series that show on the PC (5 shows) don't show on the Skippa (3 shows) - that was from last night & still missing this morning :-(
Bummer, sounds like we might need a new thread for debugging recording syncing..
Quote from: stretch4x4 on September 25, 2015, 10:25:32 AM
Bummer, sounds like we might need a new thread for debugging recording syncing..
I think what we need is a separate Forum for the Skippa so that we can organise threads in a sensible way to assist users (I have suggested doing so to IceTV). I have also suggested establishing a wiki to consolidate the user knowledge of the Skippa world (like the oztoppy wiki for Topfield PVRs - I have also suggested this to IceTV.
Ian
You can check out the sorts of things that could be done with a wiki by looking at the oztoppy wiki: http://oztoppy.wikidot.com/
The wiki sounds like a good idea.. Some of my posts I would like to add more info but forums are not very good with edits, makes it hard to see what people were replying to.. Would help us track issues and features and requests..
As for the forum, pretty sure this thread and all the others on skippas are in a skippa sub forum...???
That was done a couple of months ago I think, but maybe I missed your point..
Quote from: stretch4x4 on September 25, 2015, 12:38:58 PM
As for the forum, pretty sure this thread and all the others on skippas are in a skippa sub forum...???
That was done a couple of months ago I think, but maybe I missed your point..
I obviously did not make myself sufficiently clear. In the Ice TV Forum, Skippa is a 'sub-forum'; to manage the content more easily we probably need sub-sub-forums. If the Forum platform used by IceTV supports sub-sub-forums all is OK, if not a separate forum will be needed.
Ian
I agree Ian,
Structure would be really good.
Hardware
Firmware
Bug Reports
Wish Lists
etc
etc
for example.
Great idea.
It took a bit of effort to set up the Skippa - it crashed twice during the process. I think it had something to do with a faulty Ethernet cable. Took a while to customise the unit (maybe I should have read the manual ... but why change the habits of lifetime).
There does not seem to be any way to set a static IP address ... you have to rely on reserved IP on the router.
I could not see much of interest on the Opera TV Store. Nothing that would be useful in managing the Skippa.
It found both my PlexServer and my iTunes server. The media player cannot play iTunes video (bit of a let down).
Ian
Further to my previous review where I mentioned the WAF. I just found the following post on Facebook from my wife:
"So in typical fashion HE adds a new piece of technology to the AV mix and it renders all the existing equipment dead. Did I anticipate this, yes, am I surprised, no, am I frustrated, you guess !"
Wish me luck. Anyone in Brisbane have a spare room for the night? ::)
I had no problems with putting the video output to max setting (it was going though an HDMI switch).
It took me a while to work out how to set a static IP address ... should have checked the manual first.
Ian
The manual p47 "General Settings", states to set your Region, but no such option appears here?
Hi All
Skippa all set up and working (no issues so far) and now learning how to drive it - 2 immediate questions
Changing from Tivo so questions are based on this:
1 - Skippa has a power button - on and standby - Tivo didn't and was always on - If I put Skippa into standby will it still record or is standby a mode you only use when you don't want anything to record? (this is what I assume but couldn't see any explanation in manual)
2 - Tivo had a button to switch between tuners - handy if you are recording on both and just want to jump back and forth - or as an easy way to flick between 2 shows - say footy and cricket with just one button press - does Skippa have this function (can't find a button to swap the tuner you are viewing)
Thanks!
Doo
Quote from: EdQld on September 25, 2015, 04:28:10 PM
The manual p47 "General Settings", states to set your Region, but no such option appears here?
Hey EdQld,
That was from an earlier version of the firmware, that section will be removed in the next update which is being updated right now. We will also expand on a few other section in the manual too..
Quote from: dooboy on September 25, 2015, 04:36:42 PM
1 - Skippa has a power button - on and standby - Tivo didn't and was always on - If I put Skippa into standby will it still record or is standby a mode you only use when you don't want anything to record? (this is what I assume but couldn't see any explanation in manual)
2 - Tivo had a button to switch between tuners - handy if you are recording on both and just want to jump back and forth - or as an easy way to flick between 2 shows - say footy and cricket with just one button press - does Skippa have this function (can't find a button to swap the tuner you are viewing)
Hey Doo,
1 - Yes SKIPPA will record in stand-by and continue to update the guide and the timer list, it will automatically wake to record shows as they are broadcast.
2 - There is no direct way to swap the tuner you are viewing, SKIPPA handles all Tuner assignment automatically, at the moment there is no shortcut button to bounce between two shows at the same time.
As I understand it, if you want the TiVo style functionality of switching between tuners, you have to record the other program. Then, when you switch to that channel, you will have the buffer available to you. Not ideal and will require extra housekeeping duties. I haven't tried it myself yet.
Quote from: Mantorok on September 24, 2015, 02:24:24 PM
4. I don't like the way the Favourite Channel feature works. I like to be able to press Ch Up/Down and only see my Fav Channels. You have to press the FAV button to cycle forwards through the channels and then press OK. Maybe a feature in a future firmware update.
On every PVR I own I just disable all of the channels I don't want. So the remaining normal channel list contains only my favourite channels. If you use the high numbered simulcast channels the remaining channels automatically group themselves by network. After disabling unwanted channels my regular channel list looks like this:
10
11
12
21
22
23
24
30
32
44 (until it's demise late next year)
71
72
73
90
99
9
Quote from: FMB on September 25, 2015, 04:52:57 PM
As I understand it, if you want the TiVo style functionality of switching between tuners, you have to record the other program. Then, when you switch to that channel, you will have the buffer available to you. Not ideal and will require extra housekeeping duties. I haven't tried it myself yet.
Yes, essentially it needs to have 2 time shift buffers running simultaneously. Note, that from memory, the TiVo's buffers were limited to just a 1 hour buffer each.
Quote from: JPP on September 25, 2015, 06:20:06 PM
Quote from: FMB on September 25, 2015, 04:52:57 PM
As I understand it, if you want the TiVo style functionality of switching between tuners, you have to record the other program. Then, when you switch to that channel, you will have the buffer available to you. Not ideal and will require extra housekeeping duties. I haven't tried it myself yet.
Yes, essentially it needs to have 2 time shift buffers running simultaneously. Note, that from memory, the TiVo's buffers were limited to just a 1 hour buffer each.
I thought it was 30 minutes, but whatever.
I downloaded an iPad app called 8Player lite and connected to the Skippa. I was able to see and watch a recorded program. Cool. Although the video files didn't appear under video, but Raw files.
If you're timeshifting and you want to change channels just press record.
If you want to switch back and forth between 2 channels use the back button.
Quote from: rob762 on September 24, 2015, 06:43:46 PM
4. Ad-skipping is hit & miss. Watching animated shows (Simpsons, Futurama) seems to trick it and the ad-skip triggers in the middle of the show and cuts off minutes of non-ad content. In non-animated shows it does OK but is only correct about 50% of the time.
Hello. I have had no problems with the auto ad skipping except for animated shows like the Simpsons. The skippa really has problems with these types of shows. I have found it better to not use the ad skipping feature for animated series. But I have had no problems with live action shows and movies. I am yet to record any live sport.. Monday morning, three NFL games back to back will be a solid test.
I like the ice tv app etc. I have not used ice tv before I received my skippa. It would be great if the app also had a tablet version as I am rather fond of my iPad. The web site however, works great on the iPad.
Other than the long wait for the skippa to arrive, I am happy with it now that it has arrived.
Thanks for the reply - happy that Skippa will wake up and record
Next Question - or gripe?
The pause play seems to be one button and you press the top for pause and the bottom for play
On my remote I can pause easily but when I try to play again it doesn't work very well at all - at first I thought I was doing something wrong but then it worked - once!
In playing around I can get it to play about 1 in every 10 or so presses - am I holding my tongue wrong? or is this "toggle" key somehow not working (similar to other people saying the keys get "stuck") and not able to work the contact?
Beats me why they used a "toggle" button and not just 2 buttons (or one button that pauses on first press and plays on the next etc....)
Doo
Quote from: Leon K on September 25, 2015, 04:44:24 PM
Quote from: dooboy on September 25, 2015, 04:36:42 PM
1 - Skippa has a power button - on and standby - Tivo didn't and was always on - If I put Skippa into standby will it still record or is standby a mode you only use when you don't want anything to record? (this is what I assume but couldn't see any explanation in manual)
2 - Tivo had a button to switch between tuners - handy if you are recording on both and just want to jump back and forth - or as an easy way to flick between 2 shows - say footy and cricket with just one button press - does Skippa have this function (can't find a button to swap the tuner you are viewing)
Hey Doo,
1 - Yes SKIPPA will record in stand-by and continue to update the guide and the timer list, it will automatically wake to record shows as they are broadcast.
2 - There is no direct way to swap the tuner you are viewing, SKIPPA handles all Tuner assignment automatically, at the moment there is no shortcut button to bounce between two shows at the same time.
Quote from: GXK on September 26, 2015, 01:30:32 AM
I like the ice tv app etc. It would be great if the app also had a tablet version as I am rather fond of my iPad.
I don't inhabit iWorld, but the I have the IceTV app on my Android tablets. It surprises me that there isn't a version available for Apple tablets.
Quote from: IanL-S on September 25, 2015, 03:37:16 PMIt found both my PlexServer and my iTunes server. The media player cannot play iTunes video (bit of a let down)
Ian - what sort of streaming performance are you getting?
My files on my server are visible but the speed of scrolling through the Media menu to browse them is unacceptably slow - I don't believe its my network as I'm using a wired Ethernet connection and doing the same thing on my Beyonwiz works perfectly fine
So far my impressions are that Skippa is "not ready" - while the Guide and Recording appear to be working fine the Media Streaming is unacceptable as it is either very slow to respond or it causes the device to lock up. That then requires a physical power off by pulling the plug which can't be good for the device
I have to say after reading others comments on the setup process I was dreading plugging it in - but the set up and channel scan went fine and the IceTV programming works fine.
There's a few other things that are bugging me but I want to give the unit time to settle in before itemising those
At this point I certainly won't be retiring my Beyonwiz or my Windows Media Center - and certainly not handing it over to she who must be obeyed for acceptance testing!
Quote from: GXK on September 26, 2015, 01:30:32 AM
I like the ice tv app etc. It would be great if the app also had a tablet version as I am rather fond of my iPad.
You just run the IceTV iPhone app on your iPad and increase the size of it (like many other iOS applications that don't have iPad specific apps) - I've been using that for years.
Quote from: Paul55 on September 26, 2015, 03:09:55 PM
Quote from: GXK on September 26, 2015, 01:30:32 AM
I like the ice tv app etc. It would be great if the app also had a tablet version as I am rather fond of my iPad.
I don't inhabit iWorld, but the I have the IceTV app on my Android tablets. It surprises me that there isn't a version available for Apple tablets.
The iPhone version can be loaded on an iPad. I have had it on my ageing iPad 2 since I got it.
Ian
Quote from: bodogbodog on September 26, 2015, 03:14:53 PM
Quote from: IanL-S on September 25, 2015, 03:37:16 PMIt found both my PlexServer and my iTunes server. The media player cannot play iTunes video (bit of a let down)
Ian - what sort of streaming performance are you getting?
My files on my server are visible but the speed of scrolling through the Media menu to browse them is unacceptably slow - I don't believe its my network as I'm using a wired Ethernet connection and doing the same thing on my Beyonwiz works perfectly fine
I too am essentially all wired Ethernet (cat 5e) using a series 10/100/1000 switches. The NAS is a Synology unit, 4 HDDs in raid 5. The PlexServer is installed but I have not got around to adding media to it. The listing of data through the Media Player was relatively fast.
Ian
Nope. The ice tv app shows as iPhone only. iTunes does not give me the option to load on my iPad and searching the App Store shows zero results on the iPad... Even searching through purchased apps.
It runs just as well on the iPad though (certainly on iOS 8) - you just have to scale it up to X2, i.e. it's not optimised to make use of the larger screen area.
Quote from: GXK on September 26, 2015, 03:29:44 PM
Nope. The ice tv app shows as iPhone only. iTunes does not give me the option to load on my iPad and searching the App Store shows zero results on the iPad... Even searching through purchased apps.
iPad users need to download the app from the iPhone apps section in the iTunes Store.
Please tap the App Store icon, then tap Purchased (at the bottom), and then tap "iPad Apps" under the search bar and select "iPhone Apps" to change the category to display iPhone apps, and you will be able to see the IceTV TV Guide App.
I've had mine a couple of days now and overall I'm really impressed thus far. The only minor criticisms I have are with the remote control (it's cheap and the unit seems to have a very narrow receiving angle) and the use of a power brick, and it's a big one too! As a component in a home entertainment system, it doesn't really make sense having an external PSU.
It was very quick to get set up, seems fast and responsive, and the UI is pretty well laid out, and the Skippa feature works well so far (not that I have much recorded yet).
Oh and the FreeviewPlus features work well too.
I prefer external power brick such as the one used by the Skippa. One of the most vulnerable parts of the PVR is the power supply. If an internal power supply goes the whole thing has to go back to the manufacturer. The compact ones that plug directly into power outlet also have issues.
The use of internal power supplies keeps repairers busy. Is not that the case Mark (warkus)?
Ian
Very much!
Much easier to replace the external power pack that we carry sitting on the shelf, here you go and away the customer goes...
Repairs to internal PSU units is well over half of my work, in excess of 3000 Beyonwiz units at least let alone any other brand, strong, homecast, topfield, they all have issues over time...
My Skippa remote control puts out a very strong signal. Strong enough to point away from the Skippa and bounce off the wall behind me and still operate the Skippa 2 metres in front of me. I can also put 3 towels over the front of the remote and still operate the Skippa (4 towels were too much, as was 1 thick doona). I didn't have access to the Menacing Thick Fluffy Blanket (MTBF) that www.remotecentral.com use as their standardized(sic) test for measuring the infrared performance of universal remote controls.
My Skippa's remote also works at wider angles than the TV screen is comfortably viewable from (unless you like the blacks on your TV to look grey). I can point the remote left or right 80 degrees (in a 160 degree arc), or down 45 degrees, or up so far that it's now bouncing off the ceiling or back wall behind me.
If anyone is experiencing difficulty getting the Skippa to pickup the signal from their remote control try moving the Skippa forward so it is close to the front edge of the shelf it is sitting on.
Thanks Ian and Mark, I was passing on my feedback on my experience, not looking for a debate or speculate on the pros and cons of internal vs external PSUs. And as a customer I would prefer an integrated PSU - it means less clutter and less awkard positioning of a power pack who's power lead isn't long enough to read inside my cabinet, so has to sit behind my TV gathering dust.
All that said, and again from a customer point of view, cos the customer is always right (right?), I'd prefer to ship an entire STB for a no-power situation than ship a power pack and then find the STB is defective. Less risk, lower overall cost and happier customers. I say this from the perspective of a repairer too, I have 10,000+ Acer/Foxtel STBs sitting in my workshop, we've repaired in the past STBs for Bush, Sony and Austar. We also do in the order of 1,500 warranty laptop repairs a month plus phones and refurbish all manner of consumer electronics. So I do have my head around the pros and cons of internal vs external PSUs...
Dave: with the remote, I think the issue in my case was with the receiver. I had to angle mine pretty much direct both vertically and horizontally for it to work. Tilting the remote up seemed to help, maybe it was bouncing the beam off the walls. Not sure. In any case, I've since moved it into a cabinet with an IR blaster and it's now perfect.
A few days in and I have tested my Skippa a little more and have a couple of further comments to my first post.
But first, is anybody elses skippa noisy? Mine constantly whirs away at a constant volume whether it active, in standby, recording or not recording. As I type this I am sitting across the room from my skippa with the tv on and I can still hear it (Even over the running fridge which is right next to me). It is driving me crazy.
Now to some more observations...
I have used the skippa auto ad skip function a bit more and have found that it tends to skip the last couple of seconds of a segment and then has the last couple of the seconds when it skips forward. I don't mind seeing a bit of the ads butSkipping early is a bit annoying for dramas and comedies as they are often talking right up to the break and I find myself having to go back to get the punchline etc.
For sporting events I have found it ok. I have recorded the NRL this weekend and found the ad skipping pretty good although it consistently missed the single ad that Ch 9 often go to between when a try is scored and the goal kick event though there is a clear transition in an out (dip through black). Not a big deal. As the dialogue as they go to a break is usually just filler it didn't bother me having the last few words clipped.
I am still having trouble getting a clear picture, mainly on Chanel 7. There are vertical artifacts in the picture and the picture is considerably worse than if I plug the aerial directly into the tv. Does anyone have any ideas on this?
I haven't had any more freeze ups or restarts since the first couple of days so that is good.
EDIT: Something else I have noticed is that my clock doesn't update when in standby mode. It currently says 20:21 which is when I turned it off last night.
My updated user experience CRAP
Ice TV promised a replacement Skippa would be sent last Monday given they identified mine as faulty. Nothing arrived and its Friday arvo.
I'll give people a bit of rope but promise stuff and don't deliver and people get pissed off.
So my current Skippa User Experience is: Pissed Off
Quote from: FMB on September 25, 2015, 09:30:21 AM
The guide: I found this kind of annoying. I don't know about you, but when I bring up the guide, it's not because I want to keep watching TV in one quarter of the screen.
Personally I LOVE that when you bring the guide up I get to still see and keep watching TV on a quarter screen. Generally if I'm watching one program and want to see the guide I want to still enjoy whats on and not miss it but multitask and check the guide.
To be flexible I agree , should be user choice and set it up as you want with or without the TV in a quarter screen, please everyone.
Quote from: russell2200 on October 02, 2015, 01:36:09 PM
Quote from: FMB on September 25, 2015, 09:30:21 AM
The guide: I found this kind of annoying. I don't know about you, but when I bring up the guide, it's not because I want to keep watching TV in one quarter of the screen.
Personally I LOVE that when you bring the guide up I get to still see and keep watching TV on a quarter screen. Generally if I'm watching one program and want to see the guide I want to still enjoy whats on and not miss it but multitask and check the guide.
To be flexible I agree , should be user choice and set it up as you want with or without the TV in a quarter screen, please everyone.
I agree that it should be a choice made by individual users. I for one do not like it, ...
Ian
Hi, 1st post......updated the Firmware on Tuesday to V1.1.10600....all worked OK. Until this morning where programs set to record are still showing in the "to Record" area"....have failed to record, but not shown in "Failed Recordings"....rebooted & just tested with another random "record"....again....still in the "Recording Page", but haven't recorded.....any suggestions?? Cheers
Did you reboot or power down the unit. Pressing the power button either on the front or on the RCU only put it into sleep mode. You can restart the SKIPPA through the Menu.
Ian
Thanks for the reply.....I rebooted via the Settings Menu --> Restart ......
Quote from: deanem on October 08, 2015, 01:35:22 PM
Until this morning where programs set to record are still showing in the "to Record" area"....have failed to record, but not shown in "Failed Recordings"....rebooted & just tested with another random "record"....again....still in the "Recording Page", but haven't recorded.....any suggestions?? Cheers
The bug fix to this issue is being tested at the moment.
Dave dose the AutoSkip still working on the skippa i recorded some shows last night and they have not been process yet
thanks.
Quote..does the AutoSkip still working on the skippa i recorded some shows last night and they have not been processed yet
Likewise the Autoskip processing seems to have stalled on my box too. Not sure this is due to the firmware update two days ago, lack of something being processed IceTV side or something totally unrelated.
My Settings area > IceTv continually reports processing a recording from 36 hours ago. So I deleted that recording, rebooted the box and it incremented on to reporting it was processing a newer recording. But again it never seems to complete. Are others seeing this too?
Not surprising if something/one back office is not currently running on all 8 cylinders given the circumstances.
I'm getting the same issue. See my Bug Report post (http://forum.icetv.com.au/iceforum/bug-reports/47/autoskip-not-working-since-upgrading-to-1-1-10600/4640/msg23307#msg23307 (http://forum.icetv.com.au/iceforum/bug-reports/47/autoskip-not-working-since-upgrading-to-1-1-10600/4640/msg23307#msg23307))
Ok thanks, so it is a common issue. Nothing to be done then but wait and hope.
Is it possible to rollback to the previous firmware?
Yes, but you have to find a copy first. Originally IceTV said they would post firmware somewhere so we could download it and install from USB stick. I suggest you lodge an on-line technical support question about this: https://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/webpage.cgi?op=show_contact
Ian
Quote from: logger on October 09, 2015, 09:29:32 AM
Likewise the Autoskip processing seems to have stalled on my box too. Not sure this is due to the firmware update two days ago, lack of something being processed IceTV side or something totally unrelated.
My Settings area > IceTv continually reports processing a recording from 36 hours ago. So I deleted that recording, rebooted the box and it incremented on to reporting it was processing a newer recording. But again it never seems to complete. Are others seeing this too?
Not surprising if something/one back office is not currently running on all 8 cylinders given the circumstances.
These issues are all symptoms of 1 bug which has been fixed in the next update that we are currently testing in 1.1.10604 to ensure no new bugs have been created.
thanks Dave do you have a ETA on the update
appreciate all the work you doing
Quote from: jas55 on October 09, 2015, 12:51:44 PM
thanks Dave do you have a ETA on the update
appreciate all the work you doing
I seem to remember it was going to be released a week after the last update.
Given the volatility of the current situation, I would very much recommend that you make all updates available as beta releases as soon as you receive them. Let interested people download the firmware image and apply it via USB. Also provide the latest official release as a USB update so that they can roll back, if it's worse than what they had before. By all means, follow the normal testing process for a general release, but also make sure that the update gets to someone ASAP. There are two very good reasons for that:
1. You will get help testing the fix from many people, so your QA will go faster. (And those people are willing to help and understand the risks of using a beta.)
2. If the release turns out to be good, but the administrators lock you out of the building tomorrow morning, then your customers will not miss out on an update that could have eased their pain. It'll be out there.
Quote from: peteru on October 09, 2015, 09:26:16 PM
1. You will get help testing the fix from many people, so your QA will go faster. (And those people are willing to help and understand the risks of using a beta.)
2. If the release turns out to be good, but the administrators lock you out of the building tomorrow morning, then your customers will not miss out on an update that could have eased their pain. It'll be out there.
This sounds like good advice to me :-)
I have had my Skippa for a couple of weeks now. Being an ex TiVo user I have been looking for a replacement for a while. After trying Humax and Beyonwiz, with no luck, I have now found the closest thing there is. With the ICEtv tv guide programing season and key word record it is a breeze. Well done worth the 4 month+ wait.
But wouldn't it be typical that the skippa project is dead. I hope someone sees the value in the box and picks up the project. Not only would I have a paperweight, we are loosing a great product that was set to do well against the big boys.
Thanks Ice Tv team for the years of service, and hope we can continue.
Quote from: fastfill on October 14, 2015, 03:01:45 PM
we are loosing a great product that was set to do well against the big boys.
Apparently more skippas were sold in 3 months than other brands sell in a year.
In the last software update skippa became the first PVR to make use of all the available IceTV meta data in the guide feed (Series and Episode Numbers, Year, Repeat Status, Director, Actors, Country of Origin, Language etc. as well as the regular Title, Subtitle, Synopsis, Parental Rating and Closed Captions etc).