Echostar debuts Freesat Slingbox
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New Freesat PVR with built in SlingBox. It's "SlingLoaded". See
LINK.
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blueplatinum
Posts: 1,620 blueplatinum
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Dan.
Will be interesting to see what price they launch at.
You can pre-order today at A**zon at £349.99 so not exactly cheap!
Search Amazon for HDS-600RS to home-in on the product.
Automan.
It seems that it is back to record ONE channel while watching another though.If this is true then it will be retrospective in more than just looks!!
I have a slingbox at home, and when I bought an iPad, I thought it would be great to install the slingplayer on it, so that I could watch (freeview) TV anywhere in the house. However, the app costs £18 for the iPad, which is *very* expensive for the App Store. I might have been tempted were it not for the fact that people who have bought it are leaving very critical reviews.
From what little we know it sounds like its a step towards the kind of network functionality that we want to see but perhaps not a giant stride.
We know you've had issues with your box, in our household its pretty well loved, and now we can stream recordings over the network with the hooky firmware, I for one am going to hold firm until something clearly streets ahead comes along.
From a quality standpoint I'd be happy to go Humax again, although I have to say that their attitude towards more advanced functionality hasn't been great thus far, so a manufacturer with a more open attitude is where I'm likely to go.
This years gadget spend is going on a camera instead, hooky firmware has added 18 months to the life of the product.
Does have two tuners though, so should in theory allow recording of two channels.
obvious limitations:
no usb export
"view anywhere" only one tuner is available. so if someone is viewing the box at home and another on the net, then you will view what is being out putted to the TV.
Plus points: remote record and view anywhere. That for me outweighs the limitations. Miles ahead of the humax. J
But is most certainly a gauntlet put down for the whole industry.
Copied from the user manual:
"Record two channels simultaneously or watch one channel while recording another."
You can download the manual, and see a lot more information at:
http://www.myechostar.com/
1. Is DiSEqC available and if so which versions? 2. Is timer or epg driven recording available in non-FreeSat mode. 3. If timers can be set in both freesat and non-freesat mode to record at the same time will both recordings succeed or will one mode be prioritised over the other or will some form of auto-switching between modes take place? 4. Can different sets of satellites be connected and set up to each of the 2 lnb inputs, for example 28.2E and 19.2E to lnb1 and 13E and 28.2E(second feed from dual/quad lnb) to lnb2 input? 5. Is there any advanced menu / manual for the above operations as they are not decribed at all in the standard manual?
http://www.techradar.com/news/television/hands-on-echostar-slingloaded-hds-600rs-review-938291
...it's just a "first look", though it does show it in action on an iPad.
No reviews on Amazon yet...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004S9OT92
Cheers,
David.
Can record two channels simultaneously. You CAN'T switch to any channel other than the two being recorded (Humax will let you switch to anything on the same transponder as a recording).
Recording the current broadcast will save from the start of the live buffer.
Very limited testing of recordings tonight seems reliable. Not tested behaviour when power is removed.
Put up warning when watching a channel, and second recording was about to start. Waited a while for it to auto-switch - looks like it did a fraction before I pressed OK, but I can't swear to it.
Faster than the Humax (much faster to come out of standby, enter guide, etc.)
Setting a recording on an SD programme will prompt for the HD alternative, but recording the HD won't offer the option of SD.
Can locate alternative broadcasts of a programme, but not as intuitive as the Humax.
No screensaver (ie. when pausing recording), could be an issue for plasmas.
After using a Humax, I would say it's not quite as intuitive, although that may just be because the operation is slightly different to what I'm used to.
Sling functionality works across the local network, but I was unable to get it working using VPN into the office network. This may be due to restrictions on the machine I was using, will try again tomorrow with different systems.
what is your opinion on the overall quality of the box and the remote, the look of the box is quite unusual but i think it will work as long as it is of high quality and not cheap and nasty looking, its unlikely i will be able to see one before i buy it. also what is the remote like does it have a good feel to it and is it easy to use all the buttons in the right places, and lastly something which is important to me is it quiet in operation, no hard drive or power supply noise.
Thanks
Thanks for this.
The box is light, but well built.
Not keen on the remote, but you get used to it (although I'll be moving everything over to a programmable remote soon).
I can't really vouch for it's noise level due to the environment it's in, but I can't hear it.