What's the best PVR

[wjwren]

Just cancelled Virgin after they put the price up. So looking for a replacement freeview HD recorder. What is the best one currently? I have a digital aerial & wouldnt mind a box that can do catchup via the internet.

Also looking at the Humax site what is the difference between the Freeview boxes and the Youview ones?

Edited by wjwren on Wednesday 28th October 11:42

[mph999]

I've got one of these ...

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertain...

... and it's actually very good.

Although branded 'BT' it's actually a Humax box underneath.

[8bit]

The Humax boxes are really good. I've got a HDR-Fox T2 which is a couple of years old now but it works really well. It's been superseded but I would probably just pick up the replacement version if I was in the market for a new one. It does have iPlayer and a couple of other catchup services built in but I normally use those things via apps on the Sony smart TV.

Youview is basically like Freeview evolved; the catchup services like iPlayer etc. integrate with the programme guide, so you can scroll backwards and select a programme that's already finished and the box will just start the catchup service and play the selected programme for you. This, obviously, is channel dependent.

[Rosscow]

wjwren said:

Just cancelled Virgin after they put the price up. So looking for a replacement freeview HD recorder. What is the best one currently? I have a digital aerial & wouldnt mind a box that can do catchup via the internet.

Also looking at the Humax site what is the difference between the Freeview boxes and the Youview ones?

Edited by wjwren on Wednesday 28th October 11:42

What's your TV like?

I bought a new Smart Samsung for £500 earlier this year (40" 6700 - http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/tv-audio-video/... ).

4 weeks ago, I cancelled our Sky package (have had the 50% off deal for 3 years but thought sod it, even at £40 a month it's too much).

I then bought a 2TB Samsung D3 external HDD. The TV has a twin freesat tuner. So we can pause, record, series link etc. directly on the TV. The HDD turns itself on and off with the TV.

What with the Smart capabilities (iPlayer, 4OD, ITV Player, Youtube, apps, Netflix, Amaazon, etc.) we're spoilt for choice and we're not missing Sky at all.

What I'm basically getting at is that it might actually be more worthwhile to buy a decent new Smart TV if you haven't got one rather than a PVR.

[sjg]

mph999 said:

I've got one of these ...

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertain...

... and it's actually very good.

Although branded 'BT' it's actually a Humax box underneath.

I have the same. Plenty on ebay for much less as BT seem to just send them out whether people need them or not.

Easy to avoid all the BT stuff, works really well as a freeview PVR plus all the UK catchup services and netflix.

[telecat]

HUMAX have just launched the FVP-4000 Triple tuner recorder. A fair number of catch up services and a "rewind" capability if Network connected. The Twin tuner T-2000 and T-1800 are still available and are very good as well. The HUMAX Youview Boxes are tied to the Youview catch up services but if you like the features are considered the best Youview boxes.

[FlossyThePig]

wjwren said:

what is the difference between the Freeview boxes and the Youview ones?]

Freeview uses an ordinary aerial
Freesat uses your old Sky dish

I have got both but where I live (Ipswich) BBC4 is not available in HD on Freeview. I mainly use Freesat but still haven't bought a PVR yet. Humax do have all bases covered.

BT, TalkTalk and Plusnet have TV options that use Freeview. If any of them is your current broadband supplier they offer a cheap way of getting a YouView box.

[probedb]

I have a Humax HDR-Fox T2, awesome, especially with custom firmware.

Having got free Sky through work I have to say Sky's Sky+HD box isn't a patch on the Humax even though it's much older.

[Matt106]

Up until last week I used a Humax Foxsat which was running off an old sky dish. It had all the usual PVR functionality and a couple of catch up players. I think you could tweak them with some custom firmware but I left mine standard. Only downside was the terrible sensor on the remote/box which required you to be face on to change a channel.

[marctwo]

probedb said:

I have a Humax HDR-Fox T2, awesome, especially with custom firmware.

+1

Everything you need to know is here:

http://hummy.tv/forum/forums/hd-hdr-fox-t2-customi...

[Mr Pointy]

marctwo said:

probedb said:

I have a Humax HDR-Fox T2, awesome, especially with custom firmware.

Everything you need to know is here:
http://hummy.tv/forum/forums/hd-hdr-fox-t2-customi...

Damn. Why did I find this the day after ordering an HDR-2000T. Have I cocked up?

[marctwo]

Mr Pointy said:

marctwo said:

probedb said:

I have a Humax HDR-Fox T2, awesome, especially with custom firmware.

Everything you need to know is here:
http://hummy.tv/forum/forums/hd-hdr-fox-t2-customi...

Damn. Why did I find this the day after ordering an HDR-2000T. Have I cocked up?

That rather depends on whether you need the features of the custom firmware or not. Otherwise the HDR-2000T is a newer model so it will probably perform better out of the box.

[wjwren]

I ended up getting a BT youview box off ebay. Seems good so far, quicker than my old virgin tivo box.

[page3]

I have a Humax HDR-Fox T2 with custom firmware.

It's rubbish. Just far less rubbish than anything else out there.

The old (10 year plus) TiVo is far, far better.

So, best of a bad bunch really. Don't think manufacturers have any interest in the market any more.

[telecat]

The FOX series is an old box now the 2000 that replaced it was similar but many thought it inferior to the FOX. The New 4000 is looking like a step forward again and is not silly money.

[Mr Pointy]

Well my 2000T turned up yesterday so I set it up last night & I have to say it's a bit average. Yes it means I can now get the Freeview HD channels but the EPG is just ghastly & I miss the fine control of skipping forward & backwards through the adverts when watching a recording.

Given that the EPG is the primary means of interaction with the Freeview system the size of the font used means that there is very little information about each program so scanning for what's on is very slow. At one point C5 was showing a series of 30 minute programmes & the description was just four dots for each. I have to admit I'm coming from a Topfield with it's customised TAPs but if a bunch of amateurs can develop a highly readable skin why Humax don't is beyond me. I think I'll need to look elsewhere.

There are a lot of mixed feelings about the 4000 & while I was willing to risk £140 I'll wait until they have sorted some of the issues out. EPG interaction is described as very slow & that would drive me nuts.

[NelsonP]

I've got a 2000t, which replaced a Topfield with MyStuff etc.

Honestly I think the 2000t is a pretty decent replacement, although I liked the Toppy much more.
The EPG is OK, once you get used to it. Agree that smaller font would help though.
Ad skipping is possible, just press the right arrow key twice and that usually takes you to the right spot. You can always use FF/RW buttons if not.
I don't like that both standby and record show a red led and it does weird stuff with CEC connections. And I miss the MyStuff automated search functions for recording.

Seems like the market has moved beyond PVRs a bit. As previously mentioned with the advent of SMART TVs with PVR functionality, Netflix etc you can see why.
Still room for one in my house though!