Something I see more and more of late is ads offering me the chance to free myself from TV subscription bills like Sky but how do these systems work and what are they really offering? These are the questions most people are asking me and although I try to stay away from this whole area since as you’ll read later it’s a very murky subject legally speaking.
***** UPDATE 17th May 2017 *****
Over the last few months there has been a crack down on all these types of boxes and services. Laws across Europe have been amended and updated to a point where all these boxes can be considered illegal. Along side this Sky have started to shut down the card sharing services by blocking channels. If you buy any of these boxes be aware that they are illegal and as for the satellite boxes will probably loose all subscription channels over the next few months.
***** Original Article *****
To start with there is a way of getting rid of your TV bills if all you want is the Irish channels and the basic UK channels. This option just requires what is generally called a combo box. These boxes take a signal from your roof aerial and satellite dish, combine them together into one complete menu of Irish and UK channels all of which are free and always will be.
On the other hand if you still want the sport and movie channels you’ll need to go with one of the options you see advertised everywhere these days. These ads mostly advertise one of two types of device, either a satellite box or an android TV box.
Before getting into the details of these devices I want to point out that a lot of these are been sold under the name “Dreambox” which none actually are. Dream Multimedia is a company that make satellite boxes and only their boxes can be branded Dreambox. The Dreambox boxes were once the top box available and so the name is currently being used to describe other boxes that offer the same service to try and cash in on the good brand name but these other boxes are very different and are certainly not the same quality.
Tip No. 1: If someone is offering what they’re calling a “Dreambox” but it isn’t an actual branded Dreambox be careful as if they don’t know what they’re selling you could be in trouble.
Satellite Box
The satellite box offers the most straight forward of switches from a subscription TV package in that you simple swap your current Sky box with the new satellite box and you’re up and running.
The satellite boxes work on a system called Card Sharing. When you want to watch a subscription channel like sports or movies the box connects to a server online gets the code for the channel and unlocks it. Depending on the speed of your internet and the speed of the server online this can lead to freezing of the picture from time to time. The worse the connection or the server is the worse the freezing can become to the point of it being unwatchable. Anyone offering this service will normally state that their server have no freezing or very little but you won’t really know until you try it.
Tip No. 2: Card Sharing is illegal and in breach of Sky TV’s terms and conditions because of this anyone offering this service is breaking the law and so may disappear at some point. Sky continuously work to try to stop these people so be warned if you signup for this then be prepared that at some point in the future it will stop and may not come back.
The boxes themselves come in two variations. The first and cheaper boxes are normally named Sky Box or Openbox both will be given some version number like F5S or V8 but really they’re both the same. Although I hate these boxes they do get the job done and if you’re willing to put up with the menu and channel updates they’ll work fine just don’t pay too much for it. One of these boxes alone should only cost around €60 so a box plus subscription should come in around €100.
The second type of box is a more powerful and all round better running box. These boxes run a system called Enigma2 which gives the boxes more options and more closely resembles a Sky box. Enigma2 boxes have full 7 day program guide, auto channel updates, recording like Sky+, full streaming capabilities and can be updated and added to over time. The problem with these boxes is that the people advertising them tend to offer the cheaper ones, like iCloud Box and Zgemma, that really should be avoided. Those types of boxes are not supported by the software groups and so can’t be updated easily and many of them go on to have hardware problems over time. The brands to look out for when buying an Enigma2 box are Edision, Gigablue, Golden Interstar, Mut@nt, Technomate, VU+ or Xtrend. A standard Enigma2 box with subscription should come in under €200 which is twice the price of the first boxes but with what you get for that extra money is well worth it.
Android TV Boxes
The second device that gets advertised these days is the Android TV box. This box is basically an android phone or tablet in a box that connects to the TV so anything you normally do on the phone or tablet can be done on the box and vice versa.
Let’s start with the box itself, just as there are lots of android phones and tablets there are lots of android TV boxes but essentially they all do the same thing. Most people are offering boxes that are branded MXQ, M8s or MXV which all get the job done but watch out for older models which are outdated and if you have the option I’d suggest trying to get something different.
Tip No. 3: If you’re looking to get one of these boxes try to match the following specs Android 5.1, Octa Core CPU, 2GB RAM, 8/16GB Memory. If a seller doesn’t list the specs of the box they’re selling then presume that the specs are well below those listed and the seller knows not to advertise them.
Boxes with the specs listed above are the most current and up to date. They will run everything better and be future proof for the next while. The older boxes being offered have an older version of android which will run into problems soon with some apps and the lesser RAM means that they will run slower as apps start doing more.
Once you have the box sorted they all come pre-installed with the necessary software. Different boxes come with different menu systems but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the apps and even though some apps are there and others might not be everything can be installed from the Google Play Store. The main app you will want to have is Kodi. Kodi is a media app that can play your video and music files but with the help from some addons it can do so much more. If kodi is already installed on your box it will most certainly be setup and in most cases it’s setup using either TV Addons or XBMC Fully Loaded. Both these setups add apps for streaming movies and TV shows and also for watching live TV through IPTV services. If your kodi didn’t come setup, you want to switch between setups or you want to set it up on your phone or tablet then follow the instructions on their websites. At the moment my own preference is the XBMC Fully Loaded setup as it gives a better menu setup and the live TV works better on it.
Although they will be advertised as a Sky TV replacement they are not. Yes you will get your sports channels and movies are all there to stream but you don’t get the same channel lineup as you do on Sky. Alternatively you do get channels that are not available on Sky such as the American cable, sports and movie channels so if you’re into your American sports this is a plus. Like the satellite card sharing service the live TV streaming of most channels is illegal and again can disappear from time to time but are more likely to come back even if they are shut down.
Tip No. 4: If you’re planning on getting one of the android boxes I’d see it as a supplement to something else like the combo box mentioned at the start of this post. Don’t rely on an android box as your only source of TV.
I’ve tried to explain the options available to anyone looking to get rid of their subscription service but if I’ve missed something or you want to know more just leave a comment below or send me a message on my facebook page.
hi I did not know that live streaming was illegal, I thought that if you did not record and only watched It it was not illegal
Is the dreambox lreland or the dreambox Europe any good. If not what is the best box to buy
I don’t know anything about either of those companies but they both seem to selling the same cheap boxes so there’s probably very little difference between the service they’re offering.
Probably too late here, but don’t buy from Dreambox Europe. Very dodgy.
Good to know, Thanks
Dodgy? Why? I was just about to buy one myself…
Hi joe, looking for some advise not sure to get either a dreambox or android, I have been told mixed answers both seem ver similar what would be the best option with to support 4K viewing?
Short answer if you want 4K you’ll need to go with an android box.
As far as I know no dreambox subscription offers the premium channels even in HD channels due to the encryption so the 4K option is the same. The problem with the android box will be if you’re trying to stream a channel in 4K it’ll depend on whether the stream is available and how reliable the connection is.
I’m looking at a roku 2 xs or the android q box. I want to mostly use it for now tv and pay for sports on a day pass. Any recommendations?
Yeah for what you want to do it’s a good option. It gives you full support for the box itself plus the apps on it.
Roku bringing out new boxes http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/9/22/13024614/roku-express-premiere-ultra-photos-leak
New Roku boxes released today https://blog.roku.com/blog/2016/09/26/new-roku-streaming-player-lineup-roku-express-roku-express-roku-premiere-roku-premiere-roku-ultra/
Hi Joe,
I just bought a TP Link WiFi Booster to boost WiFi in the back room of my house. I want to put a dreambox in this room and keep one Sky box in the main room downstairs along with Sky Fibre Broadband. I have a friend that recently bought from DreamBox Europe who is quite pleased twitht he product.
I am wondering what box/product you suggest I get. I have a Sky Box that I just cancelled in the room in the back of the house and am wondering do I just use the cables that used to go into that box into the new dreambox when I buy it. Any suggestions for which box to get or links would be appreciated. Also, I want to get a quality product so thats what I aming for.
Thanks
There’s a lot of things in that post and I’ll try my best to answer them.
First thing to check is that people say card sharing and streaming services don’t all work through Sky broadband as they block anything that takes business away from them. So maybe get your friend’s box and test it at your house.
I’d suggest getting a box from http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk but if you don’t know how to set them up you’re better going with a company like Dreambox Europe.
The cables that are already in place will be fine for any box but if you plan to use WiFi then make sure the box you get has WiFi
OK
Thanks. I will check them out. Pity about Sky blocking it. If I had known that I would have signed up elsewhere for BB.
Hi Joe,
I tried a box solely through the wifi and it just wasnt user firendly. I am looking for a satellite box that will have the sky interface with sports but also have the capacity to search for box sets, etc. Is there something you would recommend on http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk that would do the job. I can ask a TV guy I know to install it perhaps?
R
What box was it that you tried?
Any of the satellite boxes will do the job but from what’s there my preference at the moment is this one
http://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/digital-receivers/edision/edision-os-mini-plus
Get the box with OpenVix installed, you can setup the channels the same as the Sky listing. To get streaming on it you’ll need to setup a separate plugin but I don’t know of any that work that well.
In relation to dream box Europe, avoid at all costs. They sell cheap boxes that freeze all the time. Very difficult to return or get money back.
Hi Joe. Great job your doing buy the way and I am sure we that have read it are all very grateful for your advice. Now can you please help me? I am a complete novice to all of this and have recently cancelled my SKY due to cost as they would rather throw TV’s and Q boxes at new customers than do a deal with there long paying regular customers so I got one have had it with them now. I feel I have paid my dues over the years so I am entitled to a bit of free SKY viewing! Can you please advise me on what I need to set me up with as little programming and messing about as I am not “in” with all of that. I just want a decent box that I can maybe record on ( not massively important ) but want to watch SKY sports and movies plus Eurosport’s for the cycling ETC.
If you could point me in the right dire Ti on and if to go god monthly subscription or yearly packages etc. Look forward to your comments.
Andy.
Andy, if you want “as little programming and messing about” as possible then I suggest you find a company that supplies the whole package. As I don’t deal with any company I can’t recommend one but a quick search of any classifieds website and you’ll find several. Check with your friends and anyone in your local area that is using a cardsharing box and find out who they got the box from.
If you want very little messing then as I say in the post stay away from the cheaper boxes and get one with an Enigma2 platform installed on it. That way it updates itself and there’s better support online.
Hope that helps.
HI Joe, What is IPTV and how is it related to all of this? I currently have a bog standard sky m3 and I have all the normal channels except for SKYS HD Channels. What are my options to get these. I assume I need a z gemma 2 but where would you recommend getting the sub? Do these use IPTV or is it still card share. Im confused as to how it works as the card share in conjunction with satellite cant decode the HD…..
Matt, as far as I’m aware the HD channels are not and will never be available through cardsharing so upgrading your box isn’t going to solve your problem. The IPTV services do offer HD channels but won’t give you the full range of channels available through cardsharing, they do give the most popular so chances are you’d never miss what’s not there. The only thing to watch is that IPTV streams everything over the internet so is very dependant on your connection and really should only be considered if you have unlimited download on your plan.
If you already have a cardsharing sub then the person you got that from is probably offering IPTV subs as well. Now you could go for the better box and add the IPTV channels to it along with the cardsharing channels but that means 2 subs and a lot of messing around to get everything setup right.
Hi Joe I’m looking at getting an Edision os mini 1 do you know if I could card share and get kodi on this ?
David, yes that box is capable of cardsharing but no you will not get Kodi on it. As of yet I haven’t seen a good android satellite box, which is what you’d need to do both.
Thanks for your reply Joe, can you tell me if it would be a problem using a firestick along side a cardsharing box and if this might cause problems of any sort ?
No problem at all. Both will work independent of each other and you just change the source on the TV to whichever you want to watch.
Thank you Joe you have put my old technophobe mind at ease. I’ve actually now got an idea what I need. Just need to find a decent card sharing site which is genuine now !
David, just found this and it looks impressive. It’ll do both card sharing and Kodi but might be a bit trickier to get used to. The WeTek Play 2 https://www.amazon.co.uk/WeTek-Hybrid-Media-Center-Android-Black/dp/B01NBBSCR8/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A32FVMZZP102D8&th=1&psc=1
Hey I bought a box from dreambox europe last year it’s been working fine, but then the last couple of weeks it’s started freezing loads.
I can’t figure out if/how to update it.
And strangely the company aren’t replying/seem to have disappeared.
Any advice?
Tia Jc
Firstly what box do you have?
Hi, it’s a zgemma H.2s
I’m not overly technical btw, but can follow instructions.
The freezing is probably due to problems on their side. If you search online or on facebook you should fine other companies offering the same service. If Dreambox Europe don’t come back to you then you’re better off going with one of the alternative companies.
Ok thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate.
Just means paying for another box
You don’t need a new box just the subscription
Wheres the best place to get the subscription from where I can just do it myself at home?
Hi joe
Could you help me. I’m looking at a box from dreambox Ireland. I want the basic sky channels. Not too bothered about movies or sports. I’ve a 15mb Vodafone wifi connection and a satellite dish i use for an ariva box. I’ve never had sky. Will my internet be sufficient for this.
Joanne.
Joanne, yes your internet should be fine for any box you get.
HI Joe i’m looking for a new nline for my openbox and have been told keep away from ebay – so i found the techkings forum and have found some nline providers there – rates vary from €20 to €40. I asked one of the providers how many subscribers they have on their servers and they replied ca 2000 across 4 servers !! Should i be worried about contention rates with this levels or would servers typically handle this with just the odd glitch now and again
Niall, this is a difficult one to answer it’s like asking how many people can fit in a car (depends on the size of the car). If they have good servers with good internet connection then it wouldn’t be a problem. I’d look at it another way, if they have 2000 customers then they must be doing something right and there’s a better chance that they wont disappear overnight. To pay a bit more to someone that knows what they’re doing is always a better bet than trying to save on an unknown option.
cheers yes – thought so – actually pricing was £25 for 12 months (satellite) which i thought was reasonable for a provider with their own servers
Hi Niall, Can you tell me who you went with from techkings and would you recommend them? i was going to go with a company i saw on FB but might be more reliable doing it myself. Thanks
Hi Joe, great blog by the way. Very helpful. I got a Mutant HD15 box from Dreambox Ireland yesterday, €170 for the box and €100 for the yearly subscription. I tested it last night. While it has great functionality with all channels on sky, new movies, tv series etc to choose from it does not give HD functionality, only SD but you cant rewind live tv. You can pause but not rewind. Both of which are a bit of a let down for me. It was really easy to set up and the menu works well. Basically 2 cables from the sky dish and the home plugs for the B/B wired signal. The record function is a bit tricky but works ok. I think i am going to send this back though due to no HD and also because you cant rewind live tv. Do you know of any box that gives these functions by any chance? Thanks in advance.
William, the live rewind should be available on that box but depending on what version of software it’s running it will either need to be turned on or installed. What you’re looking for is the permanent timeshift option.
As far as I’m aware no card sharing service can give the HD option for the subscription channels. The only way to get the HD channels is by going the IPTV route. It is possible to add the IPTV channels to that box you have but I don’t know if that’s something they’ll do for you.
Hi. I just got virgin media installed(2 boxes and broadband) in a house I’m renting. I’d like to get another “box” for streaming sports. No satellite dish is available. Can you recommend something please
Colin, what you’re looking for is one of the Android boxes. All come installed with apps like Kodi for streaming whatever you want but from what I hear to get the best results you’ll need an IPTV subscription from someone.
Hi Joe
Does the Edison OS Mini box on the world of satellite site come with the subscription for the card sharing or do I need to buy that separate
John
John, no that website only sells boxes you’ll need to find someone else to get a subscription from.
Hi Joe, I was recommended to go for one of these boxes – http://www.jarvisbox.com Have you had any experience of these? I understand this is not an android box? Would be looking to watch bt sport for motorbikes mainly, currently have Sky but the costs have gotten too much after the initial years subscription!
David, I’ve seen these boxes online but have yet to see one to test. There are 2 flavours of this box, a pure linux version and an Android version. No matter which you get it’s going to come with Kodi installed and so offer everything that Kodi does. What you get will depend on what they’re offering. If the box comes with Kodi and the standard addons then you’ll see the same issues everyone has with poor stream quality and not being able to find what you want but if they offer an IPTV service along with the box then you’ll get what you’re looking for.
Hi Joe, I’m getting rid of sky. Which is the more user friendly and similar to sky android or card-sharing?
Sharon, sorry for the late reply. The most similar to Sky are the card-sharing boxes. There are IPTV options out there that they say work through your smart TV without the need for another box but I’ve no experience of that so I can’t say how well it works.
I also have a smart tv. Can I stream through this instead of getting any box?
Have an android box but interested in getting freesat aswell. Will it work with my existing sky dish or do I have to get a whole new setup? Cheers
if sky and bt stopped ripping customers off at £150 a month plus and gave tv and broadband at a descent price to stop paying footballers a million pound a month people would not look for other options.lets face it no one does it better but its just way to expensive
Hi Joe,
Completely new to this but looking into getting away from subscription tv so was looking at getting a combo box with kodi, and also looking for something capable of 4k viewing. Was wondering if you had any recommendations for something with a nice interface, have been doing a bit of looking and have seen Amiko A4 and Ariva 4k combo boxes, amiko looks nice enough to use but if you had any thoughts on these or other recommendations that might be better. I don’t mind paying a bit more starting off if the quality is good
Laurence, both boxes look good. Both have similar specs but the Ariva one has better WiFi and room for an internal hard drive if that matters to you go for that one.
I had a T95m S905, Android 5.1 Quad Core 4K TV Box, 2GB+8GB, for about 9 months, which was fine. I upgraded a couple of months ago to a MECOOL BB2 PRO, Android 6.0 Octa Core 4K Smart TV Box, 3GB/16GB BT4.0. Great spec, fast and does a great job. At under £60, loaded with a good KODI build and MOBDRO you’re all set and it’s all free. Good for Android games too, though I don’t use it much for games. I would definitely recommend it.
Hi Joe, Looking to remove sky from our household due only to the cost vs how often it is watched. Most TV is watched via Netflix or shows D/L via NZB’s. However my wife does use it to watch the BBC’s / RTE’s etc. and before I can even go near the power down switch I need to ensure that anything that replaces sky has a decent EPG, Serieslink function, and can record and watch two channels in any order.
I have seen one or to Soarview boxes like this, but it doesn’t look like you can record a Soarview channel and watch another Soarview channel at the same time.
Essentially I need to get as close to Sky box functionality, ease of use, that I can with the monthly cost, everyones goal right!. The cost of the initial box, I am within reason not worried about as I’m thinking it would be paid back in 4-6 months anyhow.
If you or any of your readers have any recommendations I would love to hear them.
Dom, stick with Sky
The box you’re looking for is a Combo Satellite and Saorview box with 4 tuners (2 Satellite and 2 Saorview) that also has a hard drive, commonly called a quad tuner box. A box like that will cost at the low end around €350.
As for the software on the box, nothing is as good as Sky’s own EPG system but the alternative boxes can do most things well if you’re willing to compromise and be prepared to work with the box yourself.
Either of these should do what you want just add the tuners and hard drive
https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/digital-receivers/gigablue/gigablue_uhd_quad_4k
https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/digital-receivers/vu-plus/vu-plus-duo-2-duo2
Is getting SKY a total waste of time? I ordered it a few days ago but have a cooling off period so can cancel my order. The house I am moving into has a satellite dish and I have a spare sky hd box that works perfectly. Besides having thise, what can I buy that will give me all the sky channels plus sports without the bills? and the ability to record and watch different channels? And multiroom!!!
Bryan, based on what you’re looking for stick with Sky
hello joe,
was using moretv android app for some months now but website disappeared but was still running the app until my subscription ended today!
anyone heard anything as it was €12 a month and good value!
Hi Joe, your posts are very informative, keep up the good work. I am due to move in to a newly built house and I would like to avoid getting sky. I would like to get a box that has all the basic sky channels and all the sports channels which would work off the wifi. I will have a 4k ready tv, Could you please recommend one as my knowledge of this subject is limited. Thanks
Paul, most boxes now have WiFi and the higher spec boxes can do 4k (I’m not sure how much 4k content there is out there). You’re going to want to get an IPTV setup but that will depend on what internet you get in the house. Searching through facebook and classifieds lately the amount of ads has dwindled so I don’t know are people getting shut down or is there another problem. Have a look through the for sale ads in your area and see what’s on offer but for pure handiest and reliability it’s best to go with Sky if you want their channels and sports.
Live in midlands ireland have wireless connect internet what is best alternative fir us main sportinterest gaa golf football
I’m really pissed off with sky, but need my documentaries, sports and atlantic, can anything do that ?