Best Enigma2 box for IPTV & recording multiple streams 2022

There are 26 replies in this Thread which was already clicked 13,601 times. The last Post () by asaphus1.

    Hello.


    A friend recommended that I should look into enigma sat boxes instead of ATV boxes for my IPTV uses. He recommended that I come here and ask for help.


    I want to get a sat box to use strictly for IPTV. I am in Canada and Sat signal is not useful to me.


    I want it to be:

    - able to record 3 streams while watching a fourth one or at least record 2 while watching a third.

    - reliable and performant.

    - have timeshift on the current channel, that works well.

    - enough CPU and ram power to handle 3-4 simultaneous streams (iptv).

    - be 4K capable, even though most IPTV channels are not 4K.

    - Internal or External SSD capable, for the recordings. Internal caddy not a must, but preferred.

    - fast and snappy and not sluggish with the menus. quick channel change.


    Problem I have with ATV boxes:

    - remotes generally are not well integrated with the software, buttons dont work right.

    - recording ability is limited, not very good.

    - Scheduling recordings on EPG is clunky and iffy, box has to be on all the time. No self on, record, self off features.


    Mind you I'm a newbe to this, so if I mention things that are not important or stupid, forgive me.


    Would appreciate your help very much.


    I'm not looking to get the cheapest option available, I would rather buy a solid equipment that I can be sure I won't have any problems with. I don't wanna cheap out and regret it. I also don't want to needlessly overspend when it makes no difference.


    My friend recommended the SF8008. I'm wondering what other options I may have and if paying for anything more expensive will give any benefits above the SF8008. I'm not sure if I should have any CPU concerns with the SF8008 (multiple concurrent iptv streams) and not sure if more expensive products would have any benefits in that regard. Please advice me.


    Thank you kindly.

    I really dont consider E2 boxes any good for ITPV recording particularly if you are wanting to record multiple streams regardless of you having multiple connections recording IPTV on E2 is very it and miss.


    If your stream dropped for a second the recording stops. You can use keep alive plugins like Hamburger to try get around that but even then recordings are not reliable.


    If you really want to record IPTV then look towards the Formuler range Z8 and the GTV will do the job if you have multiple connection from your supplier.

    Edited 3 times, last by Compo ().

    Like 3

  • master G

    Changed the title of the thread from “Enigma box for IPTV, recording multiple streams” to “Best Enigma2 box for IPTV & recording multiple streams 2021”.

    That's funny, cause I was told the opposite by my friend. heh.


    I came here as a result of researching quite a bit on reddit and talking about what the best platform for IPTV watching and recording would be. Formuler fit the bill but my gripe was that it only allows watching 1 channel while recording another. Information on whether it tries to reconnect after losing the signal was limited and contradictory.


    My second option was a proper ATV box running full ATV (Nvidia shield, mecool MK6), and using PVRLive or IMplayer, both of which are said to allow multiple concurrent recordings and they do try to reconnect if signal is disrupted, but again, people said its not that reliable. Other problems with ATV box systems are that the box has to be ON all the time and can't wake itself up when scheduled to record, and, the original remote is useless and aftermarket ones' buttons cant be mapped that well and don't function as nicely as a formuler or an E2 box.


    I was then recommended E2 systems as my best bet. This was with the hope that the E2 systems can reconnect when signal is disrupted temporarily. And ofcourse it can record multiple streams which my friend told me they do, and the remotes work properly. His point was that overall the E2 boxes are still better and give the closest experience to a normal CableTV box.


    Now I believe you and appreciate your feedback. Could you enlighten me a little bit more what your experience has been?


    Software that instantly give up as soon as the signal is momentarily disrupted are a no no for recording, they will just have too many failures. TiviMate on ATV is like that. Are you certain that E2 boxes are this way? And in your opinion how well does this plugin mitigate that?


    Thank you.


    What a predicament I find myself in! :redface:

    Compo is pretty much spot on. e2 very good for watching IPTV and its overall interface. Whilst you can record IPTV, it is not reliable even if you do use plugins such as Quaterpounder to restart the stream immediately if it goes down.

    Implayer and Tivimate are probably the best 2 apps youll find for recording IPTV although in my experience they still dont come close to Mol2 on the formulers, i have lifetime accounts on IMplayer and Tivimate but they dont get a lot of use my Formuler and Mol2 do.


    Implayer gets updated so often it can become annoying and if you have a recording set the update process implayer uses will stop that recording. Its also annoying that you are forced to update with implayer you carnt just get it setup how you want it and settle for that.

    @Countermeasure , another point to record on enigma2 stream type has to be DVB (1) i.e. .ts not all providers use this normally 4097 (HLS)

    I have 4 providers and only one has DVB (1) that I can record from the other if i change stream type from 4097 to DVB (1) some do not play or take ages to show te stream.

    You will also need good internet connection.

    Thanks again guys.


    urie

    That's a very interesting point you mention, very important, but I didn't quite fully understand you. Can you explain this in more detail to me? It seems quite important.



    Compo.

    Are you saying the recording on those 2 apps doesn't come close to formuler, or are you saying the whole experience? Could you tell me more about why you find the formuler better, and what it is about the other 2 that you find less satisfactory compared to formuler/mol2?



    Let me ask a few specific questions.


    1. Do you guys find the WATCHING and TIMESHIFT experience to be better on E2 systems or on the MOL2?


    2. What is the more ROBUST system for recording? Nvidia shield + "IPTV-software" ...OR... E2 box ...OR... formuler/Mol2?





    See, my options are:


    1. Formuler box. 200$ CDN.

    • Good interface
    • Good Timeshift
    • Great remote
    • Con: it records only 1 channel (I would have been happy with formuler if it recorded more than 1)
    • Con: It does nothing other than IPTV
    • Con: people say the same thing about its recording, Usually good, but not reliable.

    2. E2 box. 220$ CDN.

    • Good interface
    • Great Timeshift
    • Great remote
    • Can do sattelite
    • Records unlimited streams
    • Con: You say recording is not good?
    • Con: has stream TYPE problems????

    3. Nvidia shield + software + extra remote. 290$ + 25-50$ + 25$ = 340-365$ CDN.

    • 3 to 4 times the CPU power of the above 2.
    • Has great image upsampling.
    • Full ATV box with the related benefits
    • Good interface
    • Good Timeshift
    • Records unlimited streams (software)
    • Recording reconnects
    • Con: people say recording not reliable.
    • Con: Crappy remote, has to be replaced.
    • Con: Replacement remotes don't work as good as formuler / E2
    • Con: Can't wake up to record. has to be on all the time.



    I understand that streams can generally fail no matter the platform. I currently have cablebox I pay 110$ a month for and 1 recording per month fails (not recorded properly, recorded blank, or doesn't playback).



    Given the limitations, just trying to figure which system still records better than the others. MOL 2 is my last option because of the limit of 1 recordring.



    I'm hoping not to have to resort to buying all 3 systems and test for myself. That's the worst.


    Thank you kindly.

    Countermeasure , if you just search forum on IPTV recording another point yes enigma2 can Multistream but that is only from satellites that have it.


    Con: You say recording is not good?

    wrong recording is good from satellite, cable, but you want IPTV different senario due to stream types'

    All you need to do is get test from iptv and try first, even better if you had friend with enigma2 box to try first.

    ZgemmaH7s good box for the price

    zgemma-h7s

    With the Formulers even with one connection you have a reliable recording, Implayer wont let you set a recording unless you have 2 connections. Mol2 does things differently in the recording department to Implayer. Ive missed 1 recording in 15 months of owning one. I guess some peoples IPTV suppliers are not up to it.


    And what do you mean by the Formulers only do one thing it is an android box it will do whatever any android device will do.


    E2 Box can recording Multiple streams that makes me laugh seriously it wont on IPTV.


    I have in total 4 E2 boxes and 2 other sat boxes the E2 boxes im very knowledgeable with and trust me E2 will let you down time and time again recording IPTV.


    The shield is overkill for IPTV it works well with Implayer and Tivimate but if IPTV is all your going to use it for its a waste of money.

    Edited 3 times, last by Compo ().

    Like 3
    Quote from Compo

    And what do you mean by the Formulers only do one thing it is an android box it will do whatever any android device will do.

    Well, its not ATV, its regular android 7, its outdated, over priced, subpar in specs compared to a mecool. Cant run certain apps (ex netflix, disney, etc) So its kind of a 1 function box, at least for me, I don't really have any other uses for it.


    Quote from Compo

    Ive missed 1 recording in 15 months of owning one. I guess some peoples IPTV suppliers are not up to it.


    I have in total 4 E2 boxes and 2 other sat boxes the E2 boxes im very knowledgeable with and trust me E2 will let you down time and time again recording IPTV.

    Wow, thats good to know. Thanks for sharing that. I definitely want to more.


    Quote from Compo

    E2 Box can recording Multiple streams that makes me laugh seriously it wont on IPTV.

    That's really interesting that you say that. This other person I'm calling friend is an online acquaintance, a really nice person and has been helping me figure this out, and he has a VU zero 4k, an H7S, and a sf8008, and has owned a bunch of other ones and owns 2 formulers and a shield. He said he has recorded 7 streams simultaneously just to test to see if it can do it on E2 box and he said it did fine. Although I might add, recording on a daily basis is different from a short term test. It's the long term use that really tells the tale not one time tests. He does admit he doesn't record much. He just wants to help.


    I guess only people with real experience who have actually relied on recording would know best. Seems to me you've (Compo) actually relied upon recording (iptv) with E2 boxes and formuler and have seen first hand clear side by side difference. Do I have the right impression? And you're saying the formuler is definitely better? Please give me some more detail if you don't mind, I'd love to hear your experience with recording iptv and which direction you think I should go.



    I know your point about the shield but if I have to get an And Box, I've already decided its the shield, because of the other benefits. Also as I mentioned before, I'd prefer to spend more than spend less and regret it. I want to make the right investment so I dont end up double doing.


    And also, number of connection is not an issue for me. I will have 3 to 5 connections.


    The reason I thought I should go for an E2 box is cause I thought it would give me a solid timeshift, a reasonably well 2 stream recording, and a good FF/RW experience with the remote. Those things are important to me (though within reason). Do you have a different suggestion?

    We seem to be going around the house's mate IPTV recording for me is better on a Formuler than my Duo2, Otagon sf8008, Gigablue Quad, and an Zgemma h9.


    Why not have the friend who asked you to join this forum post in this thread detailing his setup for me i may be missing a trick he knows.

    Hey there...I'm the "friend"! lol.


    So reading through this I want to say thanks to you guys for helping him out and offering opinions. As I had mentioned to him, his desired use case isn't exactly my use case. However, while I agree with many of the things you are saying here, there are a few things I disagree with.


    My setup, for clarity, is an AX HD61 running latest OpenATV as my main image. I also have a Zgemma H7S, a Vu+ Zero4k and have had multiple other boxes in the past, including the SF8008 and H9 Combo. I installed and use latest OpenVix for recording as it handles the multistream recording while ATV won't. While I don't record often, I've had very good success recording a DVB1 stream with the Default player on latest Vix. If the stream drops and the recording stops, the box restarts the recording in a separate event, but as long as your IPTV service is pretty stable that's rarely an issue. I have also recorded multiple streams simultaneously, which is this users primary desire! While the Formuler boxes may be a better option for single stream recording, they just won't do additional simultaneous recordings, while the Enigma2 will. I know in the past, I've had as many as 5 or 6 streams being recorded simultaneously but in testing this morning, I've struggled with any more than 2 while watching a 3rd. Not sure if that is image related or box related as it was on the H7S that I had more than that and the broadcom chipset might handle it better than the Hisilicon in the AX.


    I'm going to run some additional tests and see exactly how well it all performs on both boxes and I'll be sure to report back.

    What have you got running to restart the recording should they stop ?


    Try recording a few 2 hour football programs on IPTV and let us know how you get on mate.

    Edited once, last by Compo ().

    I installed no additional plugins to make it restart. I've just noticed that sometimes the recording will be split into two files, so I assumed it had stopped recording at some point then restarted. I don't record often, but I've seen this behaviour on the NFL football games that I've recorded in the past.


    I do have the Quarterpounder plugin from Xpto installed of course, but not sure if that helps with the recording situation or not.


    Also, if you have a good Catchup provider, the Heinz plugin from Xpto can also be used the record past events for watching later or archiving, which is another benefit over any of the android/Formuler options I believe.


    I'll set it to record the next ManU match and let you know how it does.

    S

    So, I've now tried recording on the Zgemma H7S as well and successfully recorded 3 programs simultaneously, again using latest Vix, DVB1 stream type and the default player. All 3 recorded fully and played back perfectly and I was able to watch a 4th stream without issue and flick between programs while they recorded without problems. Certainly better results with the H7S than with the AX HD61. I have a feeling the Broadcom chipset is better for this type of thing than the Hisilicon, but that's only speculation at this point. Spec-wise, the HD61 should be able to do anything the H7S can, but it locks up completely once a 3rd recording is activated.


    As mentioned in my previous post, I'll attempt some further tests with longer programs like football matches etc.

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