What freeview box etc...
Discussion
My aging freeview box bit the dust sometime on saturday, not bad for a £20 job that took 4 years to die.
Now I need a replacement, but know nothing about them anymore, I dont want a subscription one otherwise I would just get sky.
I would like a good one, with/without harddrive that is not going to become obsolete in the next year or so if freeview is shut off or something like that.
(see my knowledge is that of grasshopper on this)
so tell me what I should look at.
Now I need a replacement, but know nothing about them anymore, I dont want a subscription one otherwise I would just get sky.
I would like a good one, with/without harddrive that is not going to become obsolete in the next year or so if freeview is shut off or something like that.
(see my knowledge is that of grasshopper on this)
so tell me what I should look at.
cjs said:
You should be looking at a Freeview HD box at least, also a built in HDD will allow you to record. The Humax ones are pretty good.
One person recommended this one:http://www.trustedreviews.com/home-cinema/review/2...
if you were happy with a £20 4 year old job, then you'll probably be equally happy with another £20 simple one from Tesco etc..
They sell a Phillips one that seems to work ok here...
If you are thinking of freeview HD, then check when it will actually be broadcast in your area, ( eg, its 2 years away where I am in Oxfordshire ! ).
Recording ones are a whole different kettle of fish, but I'm guessing you dont need that if you've already managed 4 years without
They sell a Phillips one that seems to work ok here...
If you are thinking of freeview HD, then check when it will actually be broadcast in your area, ( eg, its 2 years away where I am in Oxfordshire ! ).
Recording ones are a whole different kettle of fish, but I'm guessing you dont need that if you've already managed 4 years without
I can give you some insight into the Recorders.
The HUMAX HDR-FOX T2 is the best of the current HD Freeview Recorders. It's coming in at £279 to £329 at the moment with a 500GB drive and £369 with a Terabyte. It has a few problems but most seem to be fixable with an update that HUMAX have distributed.
The Tesco Technika 8320 is a lot cheaper but I gather it's still a bit "buggy". If you persist it seems to do the job though.
The Philips 8520 is £299 and needs a good software update as most seem to freeze a lot.
The TVonics DTRHD500 £249 is pretty stable but a few got out with the "old" firmware and they can freeze.
The Sharp, Digital Stream and SAGEM have smaller disks at 320GB and seem OK but the disk is a bit small and nobody has exactly raved about them.
Personally I'm waiting for the Terabyte Humax to come down a bit and then dive in.
The HUMAX HDR-FOX T2 is the best of the current HD Freeview Recorders. It's coming in at £279 to £329 at the moment with a 500GB drive and £369 with a Terabyte. It has a few problems but most seem to be fixable with an update that HUMAX have distributed.
The Tesco Technika 8320 is a lot cheaper but I gather it's still a bit "buggy". If you persist it seems to do the job though.
The Philips 8520 is £299 and needs a good software update as most seem to freeze a lot.
The TVonics DTRHD500 £249 is pretty stable but a few got out with the "old" firmware and they can freeze.
The Sharp, Digital Stream and SAGEM have smaller disks at 320GB and seem OK but the disk is a bit small and nobody has exactly raved about them.
Personally I'm waiting for the Terabyte Humax to come down a bit and then dive in.
I got one of these in the end:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/freeview-frees...
has a usb slot that suposedly I can plug my external HD into and use for my films... if not I have 14 days to take it back
http://www.richersounds.com/product/freeview-frees...
has a usb slot that suposedly I can plug my external HD into and use for my films... if not I have 14 days to take it back
It's the best HD STB out there and there is an upcoming Firmware release that will allow the USB devices (including disk drives) to record direct from the box.
See www.Hummy.org.uk for the latest news
See www.Hummy.org.uk for the latest news
I have one of these. Bought about 2 weeks ago. Mighty fine piece of kit.
http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_st...
http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_st...
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