Originally Posted by
Ojustaboo
OK, lets look at things from my point of view.
I love tinkering with computers, been ruining Linux since I installed slack ware many years ago, so from that angle, I'm not bothered about having to tinker with the box to get it working in the slightest.
I've got a Thompson Sky HD box, upgraded the caps myself when power supply started playing up. Got such a good deal off of Virgin that I ditched Sky and went with them for a year.
Daughters now at Uni, son lives on his 360 so me and the wife had a good think and realised that 95% of what we watch is on FTA channels and the rest are repeats on the comedy channel etc, so decided to ditch pay TV altogether and go freeview.
Aerials crap so decided freesat was the way to go (installed a 80cm Triax when I brought my Sky HD box from ebay when they first came out). Had a look at various satellite web shops and their related forums and the idea of going motorised looked interesting.
Spent around £50 on a motor, £10 on a scaffolding pole and set it up using my PC's sat card.
Then I had a look at what I wanted. Was running out of space on my PS3 HD due to all the movies and TV programs stored on there, so wanted to take all the media off that and use it just for gaming.
I also wanted to be able to record while watching another channel.
So I do loads of research. I come across the Vuduo. I read up on it. It's not released yet. But looking at it, it seems to tick all the boxes.
Even now, if you go to any web shop including the sites sponsor and look at the Vuduo picture, it shows 'Internet' and 'VLC Player'.
Most people that have used VLC player know it will play virtually anything that's thrown at it. The description does not in anyway imply that the VLC player will only stream from a PC.
Anything with the Internet Explorer logo and the word "internet" would imply to almost anyone that you can browse the web with the device.
So I get the box home, install the HD, fire it up, scan for channels.
So far so good.
Then I start to play. No internet browser, hmm, sure there was an IE logo when I brought the box, checks, yes there is, must be a configuration problem. No, cant seem to find a browser plugin at all.
OK no worries, wouldn't be using it to browse the web much anyway. Lets transfer my media from my PS3 and PC.
OK lets fire up an avi file and show my wife how good it's been to spend £350 on this box.
Hmm, it's very very jerky. No worries, lets find VLC player and play it with that. Oh, I cant, even though it implied VLC player is included, it's a version that allows streaming from a PC, not a version that allows playing from the actual box.
Well hopefully it will improve in a few weeks with new driver support. Lets pause the avi, lets rewind, hmm, the rewind and fast forward buttons don't work. Hmm, I've un paused it but the sound hasn't started up again yet.
Time to look at the internet and find solutions.
What solution do I find, use the number buttons instead of the rewind/ff buttons as these don't work at the moment. AVI files don't play back properly, no one has any idea when this will be fixed.
I also notice that the picture quality isn't quite as good as the pic quality on my Freesat TV (Sony Bravia) that the duo is connected to.
I try every image out there, all have the same (or variations of the same) problems.
So I spent £350 on a box (got a discount code) when it was released.
I expected to have to play around with a lot of things, I had no problem with that. But I also expected a box that cost £400 to be able to do the basic things properly.
To be able to record 2 channels at once and play back something that's recorded without glitches.
To be able to playback avi files (and others) properly, pause/rewind etc.
To have a half decent epg on it (description says it has an epg). When I see the cheapo box my brother-in-law brought from somewhere like Argos and it has a nice simple to use EPG it's not too much to expect a proper working one on a £400 box.
To be wife friendly for the basic functions such as setting a record etc.
Maybe I expect too much from a £400 box that advertises its self with VLC and IE?
Then VIx is released. At last an image where things like the pause, ff/rw work (most of the time), my hopes are raised that at last someone who knows what they are doing is working on it. What's the first thing that springs to mind? To ask loads of questions regarding the fixing of other bugs that have been annoying me since day one.
But since it's release, personally and I mean no offence by it, I have noticed a change in this forum, in a way it seems to have become a little elitist, people coming down hard on anyone that dares ask a question about newer releases or advising people when they ask for help with other images to try VIx.
Every single week I'm getting problems with epg imports, pic breaking up, box hanging, remote stopping working etc etc etc. As are others.
Bearing in mind I am very technically minded, I am fast reaching the point where I simply want a box that can manage basic functionality without a constant hassle. Someone less technically minded will probably be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Such people will naturally want to know when the box will be able to do what it was effectively advertised to do at the point of sale.
As I and others have said numerous times, we DO appreciate all the hard work, time and effort that has been put into the Vix image.
BUT, at the same time, if someone puts their hand up to volunteer then volunteer is what they do. When someone volunteers publicly to do something, responsibility and accountability does come with that.
I have volunteered numerous times in my life, ran a youth club for a few years. I couldn't refuse to answer questions because it interfered with my private life or not attend meetings because it interfered with my private life, I chose to volunteer, hence had to accept the responsibility that came with that.
On a different level, I volunteered and until recently looked after a website for a charity organization. Again it was all my own spare time. And again, often I had to attend the charity to discuss what was going on etc. Often I would be contacted sometimes late into the night asking me to urgently update it with various info.
Volunteering to do something that helps others, has to be give and take. It cant be simply "I'm volunteering, it's my time, so I'll answer what I want only when I want and you can like it or lump it". because if that is the volunteer person or groups attitude, then to be perfectly honest, the world would be a better place if such people didn't offer to help in the first place.
Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking Andy at all. I do appreciate there needs to be a fair balance between volunteered time and personal life.
I'm just beginning to notice a tone from others in this forum that to be perfectly honest, I'm starting to dislike.
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