Which is the best image for the Vu+ Duo

[A nonymous]

Look at Picture 5, it tells you under the in-screen picture

 

[Mark in Portugal]

Hi all;
My new VU+ duo just arrived at my gate from Holland.

This is all new to me, so I've been reading a lot of the forum here. It's very reassuring to see you're all very tolerant of stupid questions.

Question; which image?

Now I can see that the poll favors Black hole by far, but these things change fast.
My particulars;

I will use a fixed dish pointed at the Astra birds at 28.5E for English language programming. I understand we don't discuss certain details here.
I'm in Portugal [Algarve]
I'm handy and technical, but have very little satellite experience. I'm not worried.

My wife, however, is a total technophobe; the goal is that after I've set it up, she should be able to operate at least the basic functions without the system freezing or dropping into a mode that she can't get out of.
She doesn't like to go past channel switching and volume changes.

Can the machine be set to continuously record the last 20 [+ -] minutes watched, to allow random rewinding?

Which image do you recommend I go for?

 

[fergyc]

I've found ViX more user friendly and you can do a timeshift function like you're after. Of course it all comes down to personal preference.

Just don't let her mess round with the settings! Was on Skype ages with my Dad a few weeks back and had him checking all the wires outside as he wasn't picking up any channels. Turns out he woke up and something was wrong so instead of the usual "turn it off and on again" decided to be clever and mess around with the backup manager. Was talking to him for an hour and a half before he mentioned it and it took two minutes to sort it by changing the tuner configuration.

 

[Huevos]

Question; which image?

Now I can see that the poll favors Black hole by far, but these things change fast.

A lot of what people like about an image is more the skin than the image. I like VIX because it has a nice clean user-friendly interface and it is very stable. The default skin is black text on a light grey background. Some people don't like that because it is a bit bright in a darkened room, but now there is a dark-skin with white text on a black background (a bit like a teenagers website). Apart from that there most of the differences between one skin and another are pretty minor.

My wife, however, is a total technophobe; the goal is that after I've set it up, she should be able to operate at least the basic functions without the system freezing or dropping into a mode that she can't get out of.
She doesn't like to go past channel switching and volume changes.

I have tried to make mine as simple as possible. I got a Nova TV USB stick for TDT and that means terrestrial and satellite all work from the same remote. The USB stick becomes the 3rd tuner and you can record TDT the same as satellite. The other thing to make it user friendly for non-hobbiest is used fixed dishes rather than motorised ones where possible. That way zapping is super fast. Anyway my six and eight year olds don't have any trouble finding what they want, including playing films from the HDD.

Can the machine be set to continuously record the last 20 [+ -] minutes watched, to allow random rewinding?

You can do permanant timeshift to a USB memory stick (or the HDD).

Which image do you recommend I go for?

Vix (especially to keep the wife happy).

don't let her mess round with the settings!

This doesn't really matter. In Vix you can make a back-up image at any point, so once you get it working how you want make a back-up and if it does ever get messed up just flash it with the back-up and it will revert back to your perfect image.

 

[Mark in Portugal]

2 votes for Vix...
We don't get TDT here; I get TV over ip. It doesn't cost more than broadband + telephone, so I'll leave it on, but there isn't a lot of English programming on it [Fox mainly].
The "set top box" supplied has an hd with good time-shift functions. It can record one program while we watch another, and as far as I can tell my skype connection doesn't degrade.

It's pretty impressive considering we're way out in the countryside; but there's nothing on!!

 

[Burnham Beech]

ViX on my VU+Duo for the past two months, and very happy with it.

I have testing out all the various e2 images available for the AZBox and I can't stand any of them visually as they all use some version of the white/pale lettering on a black/dark background.

 

[Huevos]

I can't stand any of them visually as they all use some version of the white/pale lettering on a black/dark background.

That's one of the things I like about the default HD skin for VIX, it's light. Light text on a dark background is for whipper-snappers (and people on drugs who don't want to be dazzled).

 

[fergyc]

I see they've released a dark skin for those who prefer it too. I like the Magic skin but it doesn't show the signal readings!

 

[weirdo]

How come there's no PLi in your list?
I realize you have 'others' there but I would have thought PLi is one of the major players.
Needless to say I'm using PLi v2.0 and have found it to be extremely stable. Can't remember tha last time I had a green screen on that.
My son recently bought a VoDuo as well and we ended up putting VIX on his.
VIX seems pretty good too but we've had a few green screens lately when trying to restart CCcam.
All in all, it's mostly the skin that makes them look good like previous members suggested.
The best thing about the Vu is how easy and quick they are to flash.

 

[N1501]

The thing is if you pump up the fonts to make them easy to read on a 19" tv they will look ridiculous on a mainstream 2011 tv, after all the Vu+ Duo is an HD box so it is highly likely the overwhelming majority of owners are going to be using this in conjunction with a 32" or bigger full HD tv, so guess that is what most skins are designed for.

I've just got my VU+ Duo ( my Penta 85 dish has not arrived yet ). I am thinking of setting my motorised system up using a portable
14" monitor. I currently have installed the latest official VU+ image ( V7.0 which I flashed the other day ). Is there any way I can increase the font size. Once set up it will initially be used on our 30" standard definition TV as our analogue system gets switched off on 18th April.

 

[Huevos]

Is there any way I can increase the font size

Use an SD skin.

 

[profixit]

I'm amazed Blackhole image is ahead of vix in the poll. Why?
I Used it once tried to get on with it and really like the cam info when selecting a channels, layout is very sharp. maybe too sharp.
I definitely like the feel and look of Vix.

 

[mike1]

-http://openpli.org/

What about Pli ??? they make images for all vu+ models.

Ive found the OpenPLi to be the best image on my VU+ Solo its the most simplest and less cluttered one i come across. Also it has everything you need installed this hasnt crashed once yet also you can install a cam via blue pannel.

 

[digi247]

OpenPLI is a great image i have used it on other E2 machines but not on my duo or ultimo i currently run the very latest Blackhole its the most stable image i have used and my hat goes off to the blackhole team for making it so. I tried Vix 2.3 on my ultimo a while back but after 3 crashes while setting it up with hardly anything installed says it all really, I would have thought better seeing as its based on OpenPLI source

 

[Huevos]

I tried Vix 2.3 on my ultimo a while back but after 3 crashes

I used to drive a Ferrari, but after 3 crashes I've opted for a Mini Metro. :-righton

I've never had any trouble with VIX. Been running it for a year and a half. The latest version raises the bar even higher... but each to their own.

 

[Captain Jack]

I am on VIX 2.3 - very, very stable. Plug and play. Had some issues with 2.4, though, so I am still on 2.3. If it works, don't fix it...... not that it matters in our case!

 

[Huevos]

I am on VIX 2.3 - very, very stable. Plug and play. Had some issues with 2.4, though, so I am still on 2.3. If it works, don't fix it...... not that it matters in our case!

If you are still on 2.3 you are missing out on loads of things such as the new blindscan plugin.

 

[Captain Jack]

Yeah, I know there are nice toys on the new one. The receiver just crashes if I try to do anything on Bulsatcom on 39E for some reason. Something to do with channel parameters I think... Still, odd though.

There's already a blind scan plug in in 2.3, though, which I use occasionally.

 

[digi247]

I used to drive a Ferrari, but after 3 crashes I've opted for a Mini Metro. :-righton

I've never had any trouble with VIX. Been running it for a year and a half. The latest version raises the bar even higher... but each to their own.

One of the Lucky ones then on 2.3 but as i say i tried it on mine and literally just had it installed and green screen of death, and from WOS forums there where plenty of others having similar problems so mine was not an isolated case.

Now 2.4 on the other hand i tried for a week on my Uno and its been fine far more stable than 2.3 and finally Vix have got around to PLI's way of thinking of letting everyone get hold of the latest build of the image now thats better.

 

[Huevos]

One of the Lucky ones then on 2.3 but as i say i tried it on mine and literally just had it installed and green screen of death, and from WOS forums there where plenty of others having similar problems so mine was not an isolated case.

Now 2.4 on the other hand i tried for a week on my Uno and its been fine far more stable than 2.3 and finally Vix have got around to PLI's way of thinking of letting everyone get hold of the latest build of the image now thats better.

A lot of it is what plugins and so on you have loaded especially when you do a system restore when you flash the image.

Anyway one thing is for certain, if you have a crash you need to post the log, that way the team are always working towards the most stable image.