Any PVR recommendations?

[Husky]

MY PVR died yesterday after 16 months. Can anyone recommend a good reliable mid-range Freeview machine (£100 - £150)? Not sure whether I should take the opportunity to move to Freesat - has anyone installed Freesat themselves? Is it straightforward? Recommendations for a reliable Freesat recorder?



Cheers

[Windthrop]

name='Husky']MY PVR died yesterday after 16 months. Can anyone recommend a good reliable mid-range Freeview machine (£100 - £150)? Not sure whether I should take the opportunity to move to Freesat - has anyone installed Freesat themselves? Is it straightforward? Recommendations for a reliable Freesat recorder?



Cheers

I would get a freeview dongle for your computer (and use and extension harddrive if necessary).

[autolycus]

There's a lot of information about (self) installation of freesat here.



I got mine installed by comet, who were reasonable, but it's not a difficult DIY job in most respects. Remember if you want to record freesat, you'll need at least a twin lnb set up. If you want to record HD, it's still Hobson's choice with Humax the only manufacturer and a cost of around £300.



Although i have a freesat box, i still record in SD from freeview using a humax 9200t, although this model has recently been superceeded. There's a dedicated forum, and although not perfect, I've been fairly happy with the performance and reliability of this pvr. (Whch is more than i can say for some others i've tried). I'm not sure about the archiving capabilities of the new models. I find the USB on the 9200t very useful in this respect.

[Howse]

I use a Digihome PVR80. I have found it to be excellent and find that the programme guide to be very user friendly. I bought mine about 2 years ago from Argos so would think that this model has been superseded. Think I paid about £85 for it.



Howse

[Howse]

Here is a link to where you could get one or certainly have a look:-



Digihome PVR80 80GB Hard Drive Recorder Grade A - Ebuyer



Think that they are refurbished models at £44.95. There are a few reviews from customers as well for you to look at. At that price, I am thinking of getting another one myself.



Howse

[sippog]

Two basic tips when buying a PVR are to buy a model with at least TWO TUNERS and the BIGGEST HARD DRIVE you can find - you always need more space.



I still like my Humax after two years - except for the fact you can't edit recordings neatly with it; the picture breaks up - and it can "top and tail" programs on occasion. Nevertheless a much, much easier way of not missing a show than any alternative before.

[Husky]

Thanks for the tips folks. I don't fancy watching TV on my PC, so the dongle idea is not an option for me (guess I could hook my PC up to the TV, but that means lugging my desktop machine downstairs, too much hassle).



My existing PVR is a Digihome 160, after some initial problems which seemed to be sorted by firmware updates, I was really pleased with it until it died at the weekend after only 16 months, so I'm wary of getting another Digihome. I'll have to do some research on the Humax.

[Husky]

Hmm, I'm looking at 2 Humax machines at Argos, Humax PVR9300T 320GB and Humax PVR-9150T 160GB. The 320GB machine is a bit pricier than I wanted at £196.00 (further reasearch reveals can be bought for £165 elsewhere online), but it obviously has a larger disk BUT it also upscales to 720p, so that sounds interesting. The only thing is my TV is 1080p, so will I see a benefit from upscaling to 720p? Cheers.

[BillTurner80]

And a still small voice said: Why not try a Topfield 5800 or 5810?

Both twin tuners and the 5810 comes with a 500gb hard drive.

More expensive than the Humax but IMHO a lot quiter and the real bonus is a superb website that will help you with absolutely any problem with workarounds, advice etc etc. - toppy.org.uk.

[Husky]

name='BillTurner80']And a still small voice said: Why not try a Topfield 5800 or 5810?

Both twin tuners and the 5810 comes with a 500gb hard drive.

More expensive than the Humax but IMHO a lot quiter and the real bonus is a superb website that will help you with absolutely any problem with workarounds, advice etc etc. - toppy.org.uk.

Cheers - I had a quick look at the Topfields, but as you mentioned, they're more expensive, so I think I'll go with the Humax. Apparently the Humax noisy fan issue has been resolved now. Fingers crossed!

[BillTurner80]

Good luck with that then.

Incidentally, as I started out in the world of Humax, a good forum is to be found at

Freeview set-top boxes in the UK

[BillTurner80]

Hmm just checked that link and you'll need to scroll down to the Humax 9300 - sorry!

[Husky]

Ta!!! (sorry about the excessive exclamation marks but the forum won't allow posts of less than 5 characters)

[autolycus]

Husky - I've not had problems with a noisy fan on the humax, and i've had three of them. Incidentally, Humax do sell grade A machines direct here in case you're interested.



Oh, and the dedicated forum is here.

[Husky]

Thanks, Autolycus. I have ordered a PVR9300T via Amazon for £174 inc p&p, delivery in 3-5 days. Cheers for the forum link.

[harryshand]

I've recently bought a 9300T and the fan noise issue is fine - really nice piece of kit. Only problem is finding time to watch all the recording.

[Husky]

I ordered it yesterday afternoon and my 9300T arrived at 11:00 this morning. All looking good so far, need a few more hours with the manual to get the best out of it no doubt, but machine is nice and quiet.