Will Sky Q wideband LNB work with Freesat box?
Discussion
Steviesam said:
I am going to buy a Humax Freesat box (not new, but used)-will my current wideband LNB work or do I need to replace it with a different one?
Simple answer: NoBy far the cheapest solution is to change the LNB. Either go for a standard Quad LNB, or if you think there's a chance you'll go back to Q in the future (or change to an Arris (4K) Freesat box then get a hybrid LNB. This supports both the older and the newer sat receiver tech. There are 4 legacy (Sky-HD) outputs just like a Quad LNB and two of the newer wideband outputs. That'll cover your needs.
tight fart said:
The new Humax boxes work with the new Sky Q wideband twin lnbs allowing you to record up to 4 programs at once.
Are you sure about that? My understanding is that Freesat is part of a contractual agreement with a single manufacturer for the latest generation boxes, and Humax doesn't have that contract anymore. It passed to a French company called Arris. They are now the sole licenced suppliers of the third generation Freesat boxes. These are the ones marked as 4K Freesat. AFAIK, if it's Freesat and works with a wideband LNB then it's an Arris box and not a Humax.
Gen II boxes were still made by Humax for a while, but according to their website the latest ones - HDR-1100S and HB-1100S - are now discontinued. There is still some stock in the retail channel via Amazon, but the prices make the Arris 4K boxes look cheap.. What makes these "Gen II" boxes is the inclusion of Catch Up and streaming services. Gen I boxes don't have internet capabilities.
The HDR/HB-1100 boxes required a standard 'Sky+/Sky+HD" LNB. They don't work with the dual output wideband LNB as supplied for SkyQ. However, if someone's SkyQ installation includes a hybrid LNB where there are two wideband and 4x legacy outputs then it's a different story.
The Gen II (Arris) Freesat boxes will work with either a wideband or a legacy LNB. The box adjusts accordingly but the capabilities change.
Other satellite receivers: Freesat is more than just a name. It's part of the mechanism for delivering TV services to the UK population. 98.5% of the UK population is served by Freeview, but the channel choice and signal quality is still affected by geographic location. A second string to the bow is required. That's were Freesat comes in.
In order to offer consistency between the two platforms, the Freesat EPG follows a similar channel layout to Freeview. Therefore the EPG is a central pillar to both Freesat and Freeview. The manufacturers of any hardware bearing those logos have to abide by certain contractual obligations. This explains why Freesat Gen III production is only licenced one supplier. They need a sole-supplier agreement to make it commercially viable.
Anything bearing the Freesat logo will be licenced and therefore pay for the ability to use the label. Anything else offered as a satellite receiver won't be allowed to use the Freesat logo or to use the Freesat EPG. Some TVs have both Freeview and Freesat. Other's include a satellite tuner, but it's not Freesat and so the channel order doesn't have to follow the same listing style. For example, Sky's EPG is their own, and they're free to reorder it as they see fit, but sensibly they follow a similar principle of the Freesat layout for the common main channel listings so you get BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Ch4, Ch5 in order and first.
TL: DR You might want to check your facts. The new Freesat boxes are not Humax, which is what the OP was talking about.
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