[Justmadeit]

My mum is looking for a freeview recorder to replace her video recorder. Something under a hundred that is relatively easy to use and offers good performance and reliability where she can record tv programs

Any advice is greatly appreciated, any places like asda, argos or similar is ok to buy from, somewhere easy to get a good one from that fits the description, thanks guys

[krooney]

The best ones are well over £100. Just purchased the Humax HDR for £244.99. All the ones in the £79.99 - £199.99 bracket in Argos were getting poor reviews on indpendent websites. Also, HD ones start about £149.99.

[Justmadeit]

Originally Posted by krooney

The best ones are well over £100. Just purchased the Humax HDR for £244.99. All the ones in the £79.99 - £199.99 bracket in Argos were getting poor reviews on indpendent websites. Also, HD ones start about £149.99.

ok, just a regular one, doesnt have to be HD.

Is there anything around the £100 mark then thats ok?

[technologist]

look at the reports on usability by Ricabiliity... see http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk/

[Paddy C]

On a side note looking at the Argos website, this Philips box is probably the ugliest STB I have ever seen - http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Search...ms/5323067.htm

Here is a Bush Freeview HD recorder for £115. Might as well get a HD receiver, the technology is going that way and you don't want to buy an SD receiver then have to get a HD one again down the line. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...CORDER+BOX.htm

[Justmadeit]

Originally Posted by Paddy C

On a side note looking at the Argos website, this Philips box is probably the ugliest STB I have ever seen - http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Search...ms/5323067.htm

Here is a Bush Freeview HD recorder for £115. Might as well get a HD receiver, the technology is going that way and you don't want to buy an SD receiver then have to get a HD one again down the line. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...CORDER+BOX.htm

her tvs not hd, its a crt one still, so maybe not worth getting hd? Shes 70 so not sure whether its worth getting hd ?

[technologist]

Originally Posted by Justmadeit

her tvs not hd, its a crt one still, so maybe not worth getting hd? Shes 70 so not sure whether its worth getting hd ?

one feature of Freeview HD STB is that they handle retunes very elegantly - so no need to pop round and do it for her.
Secondly it does future proof what she has and becomes familiar with
Thirdly any new TV will be HD - and even my 85 year old mum can tell the difference...!

[gwynne]

Originally Posted by Justmadeit

My mum is looking for a freeview recorder to replace her video recorder. Something under a hundred that is relatively easy to use and offers good performance and reliability where she can record tv programs

Any advice is greatly appreciated, any places like asda, argos or similar is ok to buy from, somewhere easy to get a good one from that fits the description, thanks guys

I have 2 Humax PVR's-one an SD model the PVR-9300T and the other the HD version the HDR FOX T2.
Both are superb machines and very,very easy to use-your Mum would love one!
The PVR -9300T (350GB disc) is about £169 new from places like Humax direct or Jl.
At Humax direct you can buy reconditioned machines which are as good as new for less than £169 but quite frankly the difference in price is only around £40 or so.
E bay use to be a good source but they are now so popular that they go for near to the 'shop' price very often.
You will not be disappointed if you buy a Humax-no other brand is in the same league-go for it!

[kasg]

If you're going to get a Humax you might as well get the 9150T, cheaper than the 9300T and you should be able to pick one up for around £100. I've had one for nearly three years - it's an excellent box.

[David (2)]

dont buy one which isnt HD - *they* will move more channels to the new signal "as soon as they can get away with it" - the HD signal is also able to carry SD channels, with a very significant saving on bandwidth compared with the orignal SD service, so there is real reason why *they* would want this to happen.

Digital tv is very much like the PC market these days. Upgrade every few years, lots of changes etc.

A HD freeview box can still display its channels on a regular CRT, provided the box has a Scart connection. Clearly you wont get a HD quality pic, but no reason why it cant display all channels at SD quality.

[gomezz]

Someone mentioned this week about John Lewis "remaindering" Digitalstream Freeview HD PVRs for around £120 I think. Which, if true, is a steal.

[Rolland_Brown]

Saw brand new top up boxes in argos clearance £60 the controls just like skys go to the link in top up tv section

[Justmadeit]

Originally Posted by David (2)

dont buy one which isnt HD - *they* will move more channels to the new signal "as soon as they can get away with it" - the HD signal is also able to carry SD channels, with a very significant saving on bandwidth compared with the orignal SD service, so there is real reason why *they* would want this to happen.

Digital tv is very much like the PC market these days. Upgrade every few years, lots of changes etc.

A HD freeview box can still display its channels on a regular CRT, provided the box has a Scart connection. Clearly you wont get a HD quality pic, but no reason why it cant display all channels at SD quality.

Any ideas when they are going all hd? And does this mean the freeview recorder wont work at all ?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Justmadeit

Any ideas when they are going all hd? And does this mean the freeview recorder wont work at all ?

I wouldn't worry about it - any PVR you buy now will long since have been scrapped before all goes HD, or indeed all goes DVT-2

[scruffpot]

http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pr...imit=10&page=1

ebuyer will have the list to what you need

[Spot]

I don't see many channels moving to HD if a slot costs twice as much as its SD equivalent due to the operator being able to only fit half as many channels into a mux. Where would the extra revenue come from to justify paying for this?

[DX30]

Originally Posted by Spot

I don't see many channels moving to HD if a slot costs twice as much as its SD equivalent due to the operator being able to only fit half as many channels into a mux. Where would the extra revenue come from to justify paying for this?

It's not just about HD. DVB-T2 can also be used for SD channels, and you can fit many more of these in a DVB-T2 mux than a DVB-T one.

As time goes on the % of DVB-T2 capable TV's and PVR's will increase. The question for a COM mux operator then becomes at what point will the revenue lost by excluding the remaining DVB-T viewers be outweighed by the extra revenue gained from all those the extra channels.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by DX30

It's not just about HD. DVB-T2 can also be used for SD channels, and you can fit many more of these in a DVB-T2 mux than a DVB-T one.

As time goes on the % of DVB-T2 capable TV's and PVR's will increase. The question for a COM mux operator then becomes at what point will the revenue lost by excluding the remaining DVB-T viewers be outweighed by the extra revenue gained from all those the extra channels.

Indeed, I agree with that, but we are talking about SD channels, as opposed to everything migrating to HD.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Spot

I don't see many channels moving to HD if a slot costs twice as much as its SD equivalent due to the operator being able to only fit half as many channels into a mux. Where would the extra revenue come from to justify paying for this?

That's why there's not so many HD channels on Freeview

You're obviously got a similar difference on satellite, but the costs there are only a fraction of DTT costs, so you could have multiple HD channels for the price of one SD DTT one.

[David (2)]

Originally Posted by Spot

Indeed, I agree with that, but we are talking about SD channels, as opposed to everything migrating to HD.

its not about wether the channel(s) are in HD picture quality - the "HD" broadcast system, "DVB-T2" on freeview can also be used to broadcast SD channels, but using far less bandwidth than the same SD channel currently uses on the current DVB-T1. Which means more channels can (could) be fitted in. It may also be the case that an SD channel on DVT-T2 may look a bit better than on DVB-T1 (less lego effects due to newer encoding on DVB-T2).

I wonder how they will go about it as for PSB use, only 2 are now in DVB-T1 (the 3rd being DVB-T2 in HD). If they switch another of the remaining DVB-T1 streams to T2 that would leave very little on the PSB service on the old tech (which works on the old non-hd freeview kit). A full switch of the remaining 2 DVB-T1's to T2 would see the old freeview sd kit kick the bucket overnight. People in freeview Lite area's and for who this is their main tv service will be hit hardest.

This is why relying on a tv's built in tuner is no longer a good option for many people - with the exception of standalone tv's.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by David (2)

This is why relying on a tv's built in tuner is no longer a good option for many people - with the exception of standalone tv's.

You're scaremongering without reason - a move to DVT-2 'may' happen, but it won't be any time soon (if at all). If it does happen for a good few years before (at least 5 and probably 10) all sets will be supplied with DVT-2 tuners, and the older SD only sets/boxes will have been scrapped.

[David (2)]

sooner, as the move to roll out 4g mobile will further fill up the "tv bandwidth".
Next few years, maybe 5 at most.

If you look back into the recent past, making tech changes to the service which renders some existing equipment obsolete has never stopped them making those changes.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by David (2)

sooner, as the move to roll out 4g mobile will further fill up the "tv bandwidth".
Next few years, maybe 5 at most.

If you look back into the recent past, making tech changes to the service which renders some existing equipment obsolete has never stopped them making those changes.

I would suggest you'd wildly out out on your estimates, DSO has taken MANY years, and that (plus 405 to 625) are the only two such changes to have taken place (ignoring pre-WWII of course).

You guess at 5 at the most, I would guess at 5 at the absolute minimum - and even assuming that early, it would be a good number of years to a staggered completion, just as with DSO.

I don't see what 4G has to do with it?, they aren't going to reduce the existing number of multiplexes, so no pressure on Freeview.

[Muzer]

I would say that five years would indeed be the absolute minimum for commercial mux migration (all of the commercial muxes this is - I'd give that it's just possible that *one* commercial mux, probably with the lowest-paying channels, could migrate a bit earlier, four years at the earliest I'd say). Probably eight years i'd say is most likely for COM mux abbreviation, and more like 15 or 20 for PSB. The earlier figures are educated guesses based on 4G stuff, the 15/20 years is completely plucked out of the air

[stej86]

One of these would do here perfectly. Freeview HD recorder that is reliable at £109

http://www.ebuyer.com/391976-tvonics...der-dtr-z500hd