I'm thinking of buying the 9200T, and would like to know if it runs quiet, and if the is fan noisy. Does the fan turn off when the machine is in standby.
A bit of noise on startup for a few seconds and then you can't hear it at all. It does not switch off in standby but as it can't be heard unless you have the box strapped to your head it doesn't really matter.
In particular, there’s two things I’d like clarifying..
1. What EXACTLY is chasing playback? Suppose I’m watching a program, I get called away to the phone, so I start recording it. I’m on the phone for 10 minutes. I come back to my TV. I want to rewind to where I left off and carry on watching my program. While I’m watching, my PVR keeps on recording it.
That is what I had always thought of as chasing playback, and thought it was one of THE MAIN REASONS for getting a PVR, but I’m still not sure from all this discussion whether the 9200T actually performs this feat.
If it doesn’t, surely this isn’t a minor point that will hopefully be cured by a software download…. It’s a major deficiency !!
2. Is it REALLY true that it can take 30 minutes to load the EPG ? So if I’m about to rush off somewhere for the weekend and suddenly remember I need to record something, I can’t just turn it on, select the prog from the EPG and then go out. I have to turn it on and wait 30 minutes for it to load or else program it manually?
The bottom line is this: Apart from the bigger hard drive I'd like to know, as the average punter who just wants to record his favourite programs in true widescreen then replay them in widescreen, then probably delete them shortly afterwards...... why is the 9200T worth 60 quid more than the Fusion FVRT200 ?
Looking at the replies to your Qs, it seems to me no-one has actually addressed the issue of chase-play as described in your scenario.
So, with the 9200 ...
You are watching a prog and you're called away to the phone. You can now just hit the 'pause' button (this is the easiest option); the screen freezes until you come back and hit the 'play' button, whereupon you continue watching from the point you left off - no need to rewind to the beginning. BUT you do have the faclility to fast forward, skip the ads etc. Alternatively you can hit 'Instant record' when the phone rings - and this is where I beg to differ with those who say the 9200 can't chase play - now, when you come back, the prog has moved on whilst you've been away, but you can rewind at least to the point you hit the 'Record' button, fast forward, pause again, go back to the beginning of the recording again as often as you like and the box will still be recording the live action up to the end of the programme. I've tested it and it works! If you've been watching the prog for a while when the phone rings, it's also poss that you may be able, once you've hit 'Instant record' to rewind backwards into the buffer and then hit record again so you have the whole prog on record (I have not tried this myself, but reliably reported!)
It may be different if you've set up a 'scheduled recording' that starts while you're away, and that is what the bitching has been about.
I can reiterate what others have said about picture and build quality, but it's the only PVR of which I have experience.
Also confirm what others have said re EPG loading - nothing like 30 mins. Make sure you tune to the channel (or at least the mux) that you want to see the guide for and it's a 'while you wait' job.
Also confirm what others have said re EPG loading - nothing like 30 mins. Make sure you tune to the channel (or at least the mux) that you want to see the guide for and it's a 'while you wait' job.
Barry
Do you not think there is something wrong with having to tune to the mux of the channel you want to see the seven day epg for ?
My Freeview box and IDTV both use the same seven day freeview epg, and have every channel fully populated without any need to switch to a particular mux.
Do you not think there is something wrong with having to tune to the mux of the channel you want to see the seven day epg for ?
It would be if you had to tune to the relevant mux. I was only suggesting this as a way of ensuring that the channels he wanted to see the guide populated for were populated first. They all get populated in the end it seems!
Clearly it will all be better if the folk at Humax implement putting the EPG onot the hard drive as a recording so at least the previous version is already there when you come out of standby. But it hasn't proved a real-wrold issue for me.
.........................it's also poss that you may be able, once you've hit 'Instant record' to rewind backwards into the buffer and then hit record again so you have the whole prog on record (I have not tried this myself, but reliably reported!)
Barry
I have done this. As I understand it if the box is tuned to a particular channel a buffer is created , a maximum of 2 hours. So if you leave the box on BBC1 you could start to watch the 6pm news at any time up to just before 8pm.
Comments
A bit of noise on startup for a few seconds and then you can't hear it at all. It does not switch off in standby but as it can't be heard unless you have the box strapped to your head it doesn't really matter.
Looking at the replies to your Qs, it seems to me no-one has actually addressed the issue of chase-play as described in your scenario.
So, with the 9200 ...
You are watching a prog and you're called away to the phone. You can now just hit the 'pause' button (this is the easiest option); the screen freezes until you come back and hit the 'play' button, whereupon you continue watching from the point you left off - no need to rewind to the beginning. BUT you do have the faclility to fast forward, skip the ads etc. Alternatively you can hit 'Instant record' when the phone rings - and this is where I beg to differ with those who say the 9200 can't chase play - now, when you come back, the prog has moved on whilst you've been away, but you can rewind at least to the point you hit the 'Record' button, fast forward, pause again, go back to the beginning of the recording again as often as you like and the box will still be recording the live action up to the end of the programme. I've tested it and it works! If you've been watching the prog for a while when the phone rings, it's also poss that you may be able, once you've hit 'Instant record' to rewind backwards into the buffer and then hit record again so you have the whole prog on record (I have not tried this myself, but reliably reported!)
It may be different if you've set up a 'scheduled recording' that starts while you're away, and that is what the bitching has been about.
I can reiterate what others have said about picture and build quality, but it's the only PVR of which I have experience.
Also confirm what others have said re EPG loading - nothing like 30 mins. Make sure you tune to the channel (or at least the mux) that you want to see the guide for and it's a 'while you wait' job.
Barry
Do you not think there is something wrong with having to tune to the mux of the channel you want to see the seven day epg for ?
My Freeview box and IDTV both use the same seven day freeview epg, and have every channel fully populated without any need to switch to a particular mux.
It would be if you had to tune to the relevant mux. I was only suggesting this as a way of ensuring that the channels he wanted to see the guide populated for were populated first. They all get populated in the end it seems!
Clearly it will all be better if the folk at Humax implement putting the EPG onot the hard drive as a recording so at least the previous version is already there when you come out of standby. But it hasn't proved a real-wrold issue for me.
I have done this. As I understand it if the box is tuned to a particular channel a buffer is created , a maximum of 2 hours. So if you leave the box on BBC1 you could start to watch the 6pm news at any time up to just before 8pm.