Beyonwiz Forums

gibster · Post by **gibster** » Sat Oct 15, 2022 22:50

Hi.

Just wondering who is hosting the forums. If Beyonwiz is gone as someone stated in another post will these forums be going away? Just wondering since the online store appears to still be there even though it's just about out of everything. It appears all things Beyonwiz are hosted by the same server. So I'd guess if the store goes it all goes.

Gib

Gully · Post by **Gully** » Sat Oct 15, 2022 23:12

I think it's all speculation for now until we get a more official word on what's happening. The only ones who could answer are owner/operators of Beyonwiz who do post here but rarely.

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Sun Oct 16, 2022 06:47

Gully wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 15, 2022 23:12
I think it's all speculation for now until we get a more official word on what's happening. The only ones who could answer are owner/operators of Beyonwiz who do post here but rarely.

We will just have to wait and see. It is difficult for users as a group to put in place contingency plans. When Topfiled went bust, because the forum was hosted externally it sayed around for some time supported by advertising. We managed to recover a lot of information; and there was the standalone oztoppy wiki which was "resurected" after the previous Topfield forum died. At the moment the future of oztoppy forum is unceratian due to increasing costs, so any replacement would have to have a robut funding model.

Ian

prl · Post by **prl** » Sun Oct 16, 2022 08:03

gibster wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 15, 2022 22:50
Just wondering who is hosting the forums.

The forums (and the Beyonwiz home page) are hosted on sucuri.com.

I've already taken a small step towards backing up critical information on the forum by starting a Whirlpool topic that has links to the current firmware downloads, though if they go, too, then it will depend on people having their own archived copies of the Beyonwiz firmware (which I recommend that people make).

The firmware downloads are hosted on dreamhost.com.

Twizzle · Post by **Twizzle** » Sun Oct 16, 2022 09:08

Great suggestion. Just in case.

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Sun Oct 16, 2022 16:39

I have latest firmware for T2, U4 an V2 which, when I get a chance, will add to the oztoppy firware archive as another backup. Will also place latest firmware for T3 and T4. Is the firmware for old DP series still available?

Ian

prl · Post by **prl** » Sun Oct 16, 2022 16:45

IanL-S wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 16, 2022 16:39
Is the firmware for old DP series still available?

It's a bit ugly, but the most recent few firmware files for all the DP models (and the FV-L1) are here:
https://www.beyonwiz.com.au/media/downloads/

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Mon Oct 17, 2022 09:32

Thanks Peter
Ian

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Mon Oct 17, 2022 10:32

IanL-S wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 09:32
Thanks Peter
Ian

These initiatives are very worthwhile and appreciated. I am deeply concerned that there will come a day this forum is lost. I wonder though when it occurs how will others find us for support and advice and locate the firmware. Apart from the firmware, it seems that it is access to the true experts and senior regulars that is the most useful resource to newbies. It is a role I enjoy where I can help and I'm sure I'm not alone in that outlook.

Whirlpool seems the most likely alternative as a replacement but I doubt casual users will automatically think to look there and whether the regular contributors will monitor it in the same way. Google will fill in some of the gap I suppose but it can be hit or miss.

I'm curious if it is feasible to save a copy of the forum in an archive somewhere, noting that it may be impractical and ultimately, of limited utility. Any thoughts on that point?

prl · Post by **prl** » Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:37

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 10:32
Whirlpool seems the most likely alternative as a replacement

There are already some Beyonwiz-specific topics on the Whirlpool PVRs area:
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/126?g=184

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 10:32
but I doubt casual users will automatically think to look there

I think that's the main problem with Whirlpool - there's no obvious connection to it apart from an occasional link in the Beyonwiz forum.

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 10:32
and whether the regular contributors will monitor it in the same way.

I have a look at the Whirlpool PVR area most days, and I'd probably follow it more closely if it became the main forum for Beyonwiz. There are a few other forum regulars who post there, but I don't know how often they look at it.

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 10:32
I'm curious if it is feasible to save a copy of the forum in an archive somewhere, noting that it may be impractical and ultimately, of limited utility. Any thoughts on that point?

That's probably only something that the forum admins can do.

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Mon Oct 17, 2022 16:30

Thanks for the detailed replies Peter.

I agree strongly with your assessment / view on each point. We are not masters of the future of the forum and are basically powerless to do much, especially about archiving the forum. I doubt there is sufficient interest and organization to crowd-fund it should it eventually fold.

The historical forum posts for older models are, perhaps, the more valuable resource for aging memories since we have ongoing experience with more recent models (T3 on) and the firmware is common across the "2nd generation" models. On the other hand, as their numbers dwindle so do the queries.

gibster · Post by **gibster** » Mon Oct 17, 2022 22:35

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 17, 2022 16:30
Thanks for the detailed replies Peter.

I agree strongly with your assessment / view on each point. We are not masters of the future of the forum and are basically powerless to do much, especially about archiving the forum. I doubt there is sufficient interest and organization to crowd-fund it should it eventually fold.

The historical forum posts for older models are, perhaps, the more valuable resource for aging memories since we have ongoing experience with more recent models (T3 on) and the firmware is common across the "2nd generation" models. On the other hand, as their numbers dwindle so do the queries.

So does anyone have any idea what monthly hosting would run for the site other then the owners? Guess we'd need the stats for storage space and monthly data usage to get some idea what the cost would be.

Can the admins supply this data?

I've got a couple of my own sites that are minimal in size and data usage so don't cost much. But without that information it would be very difficult to calculate a cost.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Thu Nov 10, 2022 18:31

Well then!
We appear to be back for the time being!

I was missing my second home

.

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 09:02

prl · Post by **prl** » Fri Nov 11, 2022 09:05

sub3R wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 11, 2022 09:02

Sort of. See viewtopic.php?f=16&p=200464#p200464

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 13:11

As a standby, there is the Wayback Machine which occoisionally crawls the Beyonwiz Forum; davidmorr gave the following link on the oztoppy forum for Beyonwiz:
http://web.archive.org/web/202200000000 ... .au/forum/

Ian

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 15:41

IanL-S wrote: ↑
Sat Nov 12, 2022 13:11
there is the Wayback Machine which occoisionally crawls the Beyonwiz Forum

That's a great fallback for the public part of the forum, but doesn't give any access to the restricted areas, where there's a great deal of detailed technical information that's not available elsewhere.

gibster · Post by **gibster** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 15:45

It would still be nice if we could figure out what it's costing for the site and maybe be able to support it in some way.

Gib

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 15:57

Cannot say how much it cost. It cost me US$20 a month to host the oztoppy forum - recently went up fromUS$48 a year.

I think many users would be happy to contribute to the cost of maintaining the forum. With the oztoppy forum I can fund the forum via advertising or membership fee (paid via PayPal), but so far have not resorted to doing so.

Ian

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 16:14

The Web page goes to sucuri.com as a firewall, which then presumably redirects requests to the actual server, if they look OK to Sucuri.

Sucuri's Web firewall services range from USD200 to USD500/year. I don't know about the actual hosting costs.

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Tue Nov 15, 2022 11:09

MrQuade wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 10, 2022 18:31
Well then!
We appear to be back for the time being!

I was missing my second home .

I felt like an addict who had been forced into cold-turkey rehab. But now it's more like a jilted lover who has reconciled!

Jan · Post by **Jan** » Wed Nov 16, 2022 18:47

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Tue Nov 15, 2022 11:09

I felt like an addict who had been forced into cold-turkey rehab. But now it's more like a jilted lover who has reconciled!

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Nov 20, 2022 07:59

Good grief! You're back! Just stumbled on the web page not expecting anything.... So is the shop working as well with stock? I would love to get another V2 if they are still making them... I'm mainly on the Zidoo forum these days, same name with a pussy cat

gibster · Post by **gibster** » Sun Nov 20, 2022 13:51

netmask wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 20, 2022 07:59
Good grief! You're back! Just stumbled on the web page not expecting anything.... So is the shop working as well with stock? I would love to get another V2 if they are still making them... I'm mainly on the Zidoo forum these days, same name with a pussy cat

Store seems to be the same, most items are out of stock. Nothing about when anything might be arriving. I'm with you, I'd like to get a spare V2 but will probably end up buying the VU+ Duo 4k as mentioned in another thread.

Gib

IanL-S · Post by **IanL-S** » Sun Nov 20, 2022 17:08

If you want an Enigma2 unit the VU+ Duo 4k seems to be the best option.

I am holding off while I evaluate if the IceTV IceBox meets my needs - main issue for me is that it does not use Enigma2 (which I have invested a lot of effort in gaining an understanding).

Ian

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Nov 20, 2022 20:04

gibster wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 20, 2022 13:51

netmask wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 20, 2022 07:59
Good grief! You're back! Just stumbled on the web page not expecting anything.... So is the shop working as well with stock? I would love to get another V2 if they are still making them... I'm mainly on the Zidoo forum these days, same name with a pussy cat
Store seems to be the same, most items are out of stock. Nothing about when anything might be arriving. I'm with you, I'd like to get a spare V2 but will probably end up buying the VU+ Duo 4k as mentioned in another thread.

Gib

Who is selling them and do the tuners require modding for Australian TV?

prl · Post by **prl** » Mon Nov 21, 2022 08:21

netmask wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 20, 2022 20:04
Who is selling them and do the tuners require modding for Australian TV?

World of Satellite in the UK sells them. You may be able to get them elsewhere, but not, AFAIK, from an Australian distributor.

The one I have for testing has 2 dual DVB-T tuners that I understand were bough stock for WoS, and they work just fine on AU frequencies (though I'm only able to test on VHF channels).

The only downside of the tuners is that there is no internal or external feed-through between the tuners - you need to connect them using a splitter.

You can run either OpenViX or OpenATV on it. OpenATV already has IceTV support. IceTV for OpenViX is in the pipeline of the ViX developer/release pipeline. I've been away on the weekend and I haven't had a chance to check where the ViX IceTV release is up to in the process.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Mon Nov 21, 2022 13:02

Many thanks for the information.

gibster · Post by **gibster** » Wed Nov 23, 2022 14:40

netmask wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 20, 2022 20:04
Who is selling them and do the tuners require modding for Australian TV?

Here is a link to the VU+ Duo 4k SE2 at World Of Satellite https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/vu-plus-duo-4k-se

Nice looking machine.

Gib

prl · Post by **prl** » Wed Nov 23, 2022 16:54

gibster wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 14:40
Nice looking machine.

It's a bit on the large size: bigger than a U4, but smaller than a T3/T4.

One nice feature is that the 2.5" internal HDD is in a caddy that unlatches and slides out of the back of the box, so if you buy it without HDD, or want to upgrade to a bigger HDD, you don't have to take off the cover. The HDD caddy is the black rectangle on the right-hand side of the image of the rear of the box.

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Wed Nov 23, 2022 17:05

prl wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 16:54

gibster wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 14:40
Nice looking machine.

It's a bit on the large size: bigger than a U4, but smaller than a T3/T4.

One nice feature is that the 2.5" internal HDD is in a caddy that unlatches and slides out of the back of the box, so if you buy it without HDD, or want to upgrade to a bigger HDD, you don't have to take off the cover. The HDD caddy is the black rectangle on the right-hand side of the image of the rear of the box.

Not that I need one but does one have to pay both the English tax and the Australian GST on importation?

prl · Post by **prl** » Wed Nov 23, 2022 17:19

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 17:05
Not that I need one but does one have to pay both the English tax and the Australian GST on importation?

I don't know the answer to that, but I'd assume VAT, no, GST, yes. The Web page shows a pre-tax price.

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:10

prl wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 17:19

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 17:05
Not that I need one but does one have to pay both the English tax and the Australian GST on importation?

I don't know the answer to that, but I'd assume VAT, no, GST, yes. The Web page shows a pre-tax price.

Thanks, I thought the same but it's been ages since I bought anything pricey from the UK.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sat Nov 26, 2022 15:01

I think as it originates in the UK but it is exported to a foreign port (Oz) it is VAT exempt but will attract Australian GST on entry due to the "Harvey Norman" tax the previous government introduced on imported items. Maybe there is a lawyer member who can comment?

I'm happy to pay our GST at 10% but the UK VAT is currently 20%.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sat Nov 26, 2022 15:10

From the official UK VAT information page to businesses

an excerpt

How much VAT you must charge

There are 3 different rates of VAT that can be added to products. Which one applies depends on the goods and services, and how they’re used.

Most goods and services are charged at the standard rate of 20%. You should charge this rate unless the goods or services are classed as reduced or zero-rated.

Get a list of reduced or zero-rated goods and services.

Examples of zero-rated items include:

books and newspapers
children’s clothes and shoes
motorcycle helmets
most goods you export from England, Wales and Scotland (Great Britain) to a country outside the UK
most goods you export from Northern Ireland to a country outside the EU and the UK
goods you supply from Northern Ireland to a VAT-registered EU business - you can check if the VAT number is valid

https://www.gov.uk/how-vat-works/how-mu ... ust-charge

BigbobOz · Post by **BigbobOz** » Sat Nov 26, 2022 18:10

prl wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 23, 2022 16:54
It's a bit on the large size: bigger than a U4, but smaller than a T3/T4.

One nice feature is that the 2.5" internal HDD is in a caddy that unlatches and slides out of the back of the box, so if you buy it without HDD, or want to upgrade to a bigger HDD, you don't have to take off the cover. The HDD caddy is the black rectangle on the right-hand side of the image of the rear of the box.

Does it work out of the box or what do you have to do to get it to work?

prl · Post by **prl** » Sun Nov 27, 2022 10:59

BigbobOz wrote: ↑
Sat Nov 26, 2022 18:10
Does it work out of the box or what do you have to do to get it to work?

I didn't get my Vu+ Duo 4k SE "out of the box". It had already been set up by someone else. However, I'm pretty sure that the hardware was all "as supplied" and there's no need to do anything special. In particular, I understand that the DVB-T tuners were as supplied by World of Satellite.

That is, apart from the external power supply and the antenna connection.

The World of Satellite page shows the box as being supplied with a 2-pin Europlug-to-UK power plug adapter, so I assume that the original power supply came with a Europlug. That had been cut off and replaced by a standard Australian 3-pin plug by the people I got the box from. The power supply itself has 100-240V 50/60Hz input and 12V 5A DC output. The AC power input side of the power supply is a standard "figure-of-eight" plug. Replacing the power cable may be a better (and safer) solution than replacing the power plug on the cable or using an adapter.

If you get a 4-tuner setup (2 x dual tuners), there is no feed-through (internal or external) between the tuners. You have to use a splitter to feed the two antenna inputs of the two tuner modules.

On OpenViX and OpenATV, if you want to use IceTV, you have to download the IceTV plugin through the Plugins menu) and set it up. On OpenViX, downloading the IceTV plugin will also download the Series2Folder plugin from the list of SystemPlugins. If you want to use Series2Folder otherwise, yoo need to download it specifically from the list of Extensions plugins. The OpenViX IceTV plugin is still only in developer releases, but I should appear in the next public release.

If you want to have the equivalent of the Terrestrial TV LCN bouquet that you get on the Beyonwiz firmware, you have to download the TerrestrialScan plugin and use that instead of the normal scan. The bouquet that that creates is just called Terrestrial, but it has the correct padding in the bouquet file for it to have LCN channel numbering. It is able to scan for the same set of TV regions as the Beyonwiz firmware does.

cwiggles · Post by **cwiggles** » Sun Nov 27, 2022 17:10

Removed content as PRL had already covered most of what I said. I should learn to read all the posts before posting.

stevebow · Post by **stevebow** » Thu Dec 08, 2022 22:06

Nice to be back again!

prl wrote: ↑
Mon Nov 21, 2022 08:21
You can run either OpenViX or OpenATV on it.

What is the difference between these 2? Does one have more features than the other generally, or is better supported?

prl · Post by **prl** » Fri Dec 09, 2022 10:19

stevebow wrote: ↑
Thu Dec 08, 2022 22:06
Nice to be back again!

prl wrote: ↑
Mon Nov 21, 2022 08:21
You can run either OpenViX or OpenATV on it.

What is the difference between these 2? Does one have more features than the other generally, or is better supported?

They're different versions of the basic enigma2 firmware, just as the Beyonwiz firmware is. I have a slight preference for OpenViX, but I'm not really familiar with either to give a detailed run-down of the differences between them. Both are being maintained and regularly updated.

BigbobOz · Post by **BigbobOz** » Sun Dec 11, 2022 20:56

prl wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 27, 2022 10:59

I didn't get my Vu+ Duo 4k SE "out of the box". It had already been set up by someone else. However, I'm pretty sure that the hardware was all "as supplied" and there's no need to do anything special. In particular, I understand that the DVB-T tuners were as supplied by World of Satellite.

Thanks Peter, very helpful info

Good to see there is an option after my T4 and V2 die. I wasn't sure if there needed mods to work in Australia (hardware or software).

Thanks,
Rob

About the Forum

Join us