Interesting as when I updated the Server, im only on this version?
2024.04.04.1838
Up to date!
@tmm1 is this because im running the DVR server on my Synology NAS?
I think it is the client beta that you need to be on, not the server.
Guys, the updates on this thread have made me get my satellite TV back up and running fully... 3 satellites in 1!
I will now be able to provide FTA channel / M3U lists for:
Hotbird 13e (Europe)
Astra 19.2 (Germany)
Astra 28.2 (UK Freesat)
We need to think about how we can make channel lists available to everyone running SATIP. Any thoughts welcome. I was hoping that the developers may let us pin a post on this forum where we can all have access (noting that this is to provide a list / M3U for your own SATIP, not offering any sort of free IPTV).
Any ideas / comments on how to share channel lists etc would be appreciated.
As I write this, I am currently scanning 3 satellites simultaneously and already up to +700 FTA channels!
Thanks.
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Put it on github. I'm sure others may need this for their setup
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I know I’m the OP for this thread 
, but I’m a little out of date since my digibit broke.
What is the current status of Sat-ip in Channels (specifically for UK Freesat content), is it suitable as a daily driver? Do you still need an intermediary tvheadend server? Any suggestions on a good reliable replacement for my digibit?
Thanks!
I'm running a Kathrein EXIP418 as my "daily driver" for FTA channels in the UK. There were some initial issues with slow tuning, but a combination of the devs tweaking stuff in the software and me finally getting a decent set of SATIP data, it is now totally reliable.
I'm not using TVHE or any intermediary just a M3U Satip file. It works better than HDHRs in my opinion as you have complete control over channel numbers. Also there are more channels than terrestrial and quite a few are of better quality. I reckon it's now the best solution in the UK.
Neil has posted a comprehensive M3U file for UK freesat here
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I did see you posted about that device in another thread - it looks very good. Maybe a bit more than I hoped to pay, but open to it if it's reliable.
Do you load the m3u in channels or in the device? In terms of channel management I guess you just hand edit the m3u?
And last question - are channel changes as quick / quicker than HDH? Randomly I configured the channels addon in kodi today and that seems quicker than the app.
You just set it all up in Channels as a custom source. You obviously need to set the IP to that of your device in there. I've also changed the channel numbers to my own preferences. On the Kathrein all you have to do is make sure the settings match your LNB. I use 2 ex-Sky Q wideband feeds, so just set it to wideband and all tuners to dynamic, which is the default and that's about it. It then just receives all the tuning info from the Channels M3U.
Channel changes are now nearly, but possibly not quite, as quick as they were on the HDHRs. 2 to 3 seconds max I would say.
It is expensive but with 8 channel feeds it's the same number as 2 HDHR quattros which would be around the same price (ish!)
If you're looking for an easy life and tweaking with your TV setup isn't for you, I don't think Sat>IP is - a Freeview receiver like the HDHomeRun will auto discover/scan etc.
Although I agree, the off-air quality of a satellite is probably better and more choice, especially in HD, you have a lot of channels to get through and also have to work out whether the region is correct, something you don't need to worry about with terrestrial as it's coming from your local antenna. One also needs to check whether any frequencies have moved and one of the benefits for me using TVHeadend is I can check this quite easily. We have 35 channels carefully selected and in the order I'd like them, with the channel logos I want and Channels is perfect for this.
Plug and play = no, but I prefer it and I agree with @GeoffT, the EXIP418 is an excellent piece of kit and has been very reliable for me.
It's early days but the UK's new online streaming service looks promising, Freely, and may come to an app on a 3rd party device one day rather than built into a tv.
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Hi @tmm1 - I'm trying again with an m3u channel list rather than going via TVHeadend. After your changes, I'm still getting slow tuning with the URLs (using @neild7744 list - thank you!)
I'm using an Apple TV 4K latest version, using the latest version of Channel and I've tried channels Beta on TestFlight and I get ~10 seconds tuning tine, compared to ~3-4s going via TVHeadend with the same EXIP418 tuner.
Any chance you could suggest any solutions? Thank you
Just stumbled across this thread and thought you all might be interested in this post I made a few years ago, about how to use TVH for Freesat in the UK with a SAT>IP tuner. There are a few non-obvious things in there that once I learnt really helped my setup and now I don't touch it at all - rock solid.
I will say that while theoretically I also would like to have a standalone M3U so I don't need TVH in the middle, actually it has a tiny footprint and has valuable services that would either have to be recreated elsewhere, or just missing. I'm already running Channels DVR in a container, so a TVH container next to it is trivial.
What I did wonder though is how to grab whatever the URLs are that TVH makes to passthrough from the SAT>IP tuner to Channels - if there was a way to get them then a workflow could be to spin up TVH, create a channel list using it's tools, grab the actual direct URLs in the background and use them directly, then shutting down TVH and only revisiting to 'retune' every so often.
But in any case, I have no trouble running TVH at all, it does have a steep learning curve and a mental UI/UX paradigm, but maybe my little guide will help. Happy to expand/update it also - in fact I will move it to Github and repost later.
Here is the guide on Github so it can be followed and commented on:
Hi Neil, I've just ditched Sky Q and after successfully trying a HDHR for freeview with Channels, as with everyone else, I'm thinking that SAT->IP for freesat (UK) will be perfect for more HD channels and better quality in general.
I see you are really supportive in this thread, so just wondering if you can advise if the Kathrein EXIP418 is really the best current option? I have the SKYQ Wideband LNB and can't seem to find any other well supported SAT->IP boxes. I have 2-3 TVs in the house, so think the 418 is adequate with the 8 tuners.
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Hi @Snubbers - I have a Sky dish with a Wideband LNB from Sky Q usage and an EXIP418, works very well. I just adjusted the LO frequency to 10.41 GHz (10410 MHz) on the EXIP setup page. Works flawlessly.
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Ditto - I also use a "Sky" Wideband LNB with an EXIP418 and it too has been flawless for me. Never had an issue with needing more than 8 tuners, especially as Channels will share a feed/tuner if 2 rooms are watching the same thing anyway. I tested it when I first set it up and it ran 7 simultaneous recordings while I watched another channel with no problem.
The only issue with SATIP is that you do need to keep on top of any satellite channel changes yourself.
I had some recordings set up on a Channel we very rarely watch live (Quest) and discovered when I came to watch them there was nothing there because that channel had changed Satellite Frequency. I checked and a few had moved at the same time so needed the custom M3U file updating.
I use this website for the satellite data but I haven't discovered a way of getting a notification of any changes which would be ideal.
I even thought about setting up my own channel scan where I automatically cycle through each SATIP channel and somehow look for errors in the log, to see if the tuning was still OK, but it never got beyond the thought bit!
Thanks @GeoffT and @alex_m , The EXIP418 is winging its way from Germany was we speak, will be here early next week.
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As Alex & Geoff have mentioned 
Regarding this Geoff... I have a friend who is helping me (possibly.... its in the early stages), scan that website & automatically update the m3u list that Channels DVR looks at. The problem will be that when the M3U list gets updated, any changes seem to shift the EPG mapping, meaning your channel EPG is not correctly assigned to the updated list. A way round this (again, but is in the early stages) is to tag up the M3U so that Channels DVR server will automatically map to the correct channels by tags - So like how HDHomerun devices work with the DVR server. I asked my friend about doing this months ago, we just need to look into again!
That is very interesting and would be a great solution if it was possible.
I actually already "hard code" my SATIP channels to a specific channel number, channel ID and the guide station id so it always picks up the correct EPG etc and all I need to change is the satellite data if and when it updates. I store the data for this in an Excel spreadsheet so I can quickly make any changes and then copy and paste the whole thing across to the Custom Source as a text entry. I've also created and host my own channel logos to make them as clear as I possibly can for my wife who has eyesight issues. So really all I would personally need is the raw SATIP data for any channel that changes and everything else could stay the same.
EG This is my M3U entry for BBC1 SW.
EXTINF:-1 tvg-chno="1" tvc-guide-stationid="120576" channel-id="KATSAT1" tvg-logo="http://192.168.1.4:1880/Logo/BBC1" tvg-name="BBC ONE SW HD", BBC ONE SW HD
http://192.168.1.20/src=1&freq=10788&pol=v&ro=0.25&fec=34&msys=dvbs2&mtype=8psk&plts=on&sr=23000&pids=0,259,5200,5201,5203,5204,5205
Tried this... just out of interest... Yes tuning seems to be quicker, but seems a bit of a chore to setup. In addition, does not give me all FTA channels from 28.2E - Which im assuming is due to "Freesat" TAG. The EPG mapping in Channels DVR does not populate correctly - So for me, its easier just to M3U a connection direct to the SATIP server. Thanks for sharing this.