I got an email from Maplin today regarding their sale. In it was the following: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...A92JJ&T=224879 .

Anyone have any thoughts, comments, any experience of the unit? OK, it's only SD, and yes, it's an FTA rather than Freesat PVR but at that money?

I'm tempted, to say the least!


Clem

The unit is unlikely to be compatible with the Freesat EPG. A recorder without an EPG won't change the way you watch TV in the way one with an EPG can. I don't consider an SD recorder without EPG a bargain at nearly £170 as it doesn't offer the advantages that "+" boxes do on the various digital platforms. If you want a Freesat PVR you'd be much better off saving for/paying the extra for the Humax HDR, the forth coming Grundig Freesat+ box, or waiting for another brand, alternatively if Freeview is an option for you Freeview+ boxes can be had at "bargain" prices.

There's no mention of it being a Freesat box and therefore compatible with the Freesat EPG and I wasn't expecting that. For £170 it, to me, looks like a potential bargain if (a) you don't mind not having a 7-day EPG (b) you're OK with having access to SD material only and (c) are prepared to take-on an unknown brand. I've never heard of 'lemon' as a manufacturer of DSAT kit, perhaps other forum members have.

As for Freeview verses Freesat the channel mix is different, so the comparison here isn't necessarily valid.

In the end, I think that this will be academic: none of the Maplin stores that I can get to have any stock, so it looks like that it's a mail-order job only. If that's the case it would be better buying something from the likes of SatEuropa.


Clem

Blow up the picture, it says it's a Lemon

No EPG means it a pain to schedule recordings and find them in the library/archive at a later date
Yes, the HD offering on Freesat isn't very compelling yet that's why I haven't switched from Freeview yet.
Lemon use the Inverto brand in some territories as Lemon is a slang synonym for unreliable. They launched a Freeview PVR under the Inverto brand but haven't specifically targeted the UK for satellite because Sky had a stranglehold on the market until Freesat came along.


The major channels with content worth recording are on both platforms. Freeview has a slight edge in quality channels with a few satellite subscription channels on it and Freesat has the edge on quantity of channels.