What is generally considered, hereabouts, as the best Freesat PVR (twin tuner, HD compatible) ?

I was looking at the Panasonic DMR-BS780EBK 250GB HDD Blu-Ray Recorder with Twin Freesat HD Tuners ?

Thanks

The Humax Foxsat is the one that most people here will tell you is the best.

I've had one for over two and a half years now and been very happy with it.

Some minor UI niggles but it is reliable, and that is the main thing.

I've had the previous model the DMR-XS350 for just over two years and I'm extremely happy with it, if you're not bothered with DNLA or Blu-ray you may be able to find the XS350 at a good price.

It is also worth looking at the Samsung and Echostar boxes. Both are fairly new and they are still ironing out the bugs in the software but they are starting to look very good.
I have the Humax Foxsat HDR which has held the top spot for some time, unfortunately that is not saying much, it was just the best of a very poor lot. A number of poor design choices and bugs in the software can make it very frustrating to use though there are generally clunky 'workarounds' for most issues.
The Samsung and Echostar look like they may have the legs to knock Humax down a peg or two.
Oh, and just one other thing to add: The Humax is an end-of-life product, there are no further software improvements planned. So what you get is all there will ever be. Humax are now focusing on the next product.

I am also looking and had decided on the Humax, but perhaps I should wait a bit. Does anyone have any idea if Humax are about to launch something new?

There have been rumours for a while but nothing definite. The only thing that they have clearly stated is that they are not going to develop any new features for the existing HDR.

That would be very good news indeed if it meant they were concentrating on fix the bugs in the existing features. But alas, I fear as is there habit they will instead be rushing headlong into producing yet another half-baked product.

Well I need to purchase within the next month, so I will see how the samsung goes with the updates.

I got an echostar because my grundig stopped working after the bbc f***ed up the recording on it after changing the hd channels. Didnt want a prehistoric turtle speed humax so decided to buy an up to date machine. Not doubted it for one single second since i got it up and running, despite the first one sent to me being a dead one lol. Fast and reliable and you can watch what you've recorded and set the timer to record anywhere in the world. Nice.

Can anyone tell me how easy the Sumsung would be to network? Could I Play back recordings in another room ?

Nice to hear your current opinion on the Echostar.*

I find it interesting that you call the Humax "prehistoric" but you blame the BBC for ruining your Grundig box, because they switched to the up-to-date *S2.*

At least the prehistoric HDR was Freesat future proof (at that time) unlike your primordial Grundig.

I personally don't think you should be blaming the BBC for Grundig's lack of aptitude and vision.

Matt

I think he was referring more to the speed of the Humax machine It really is ponderously slow.

But that is true, Grundig should've read the Freesat spec.

It's odd in that it's slow in some places and not in others.

But worse, it's inconsistent even within the same function.

I really hate setting recordings over multiple channels because of the inconsistency in the response to cursor movement within the guide. Sometimes is fast as lightning and sometimes it's like wading through treacle. And the worst part is that that varies from one keypress to the next so that sometimes you can think it hasn't responded, press the button again and after a pause it leaps right over what you were aiming for.

Are you getting to the EPG by pressing the EPG button or the recommended Schedule then Red buttons method?

To be fair to Gary Glimmer I knew he was referring to the speed (prehistoric turtle was a bit of a give away), I take it he used the term prehistoric because the HDR is 30+ months old now.

Mordern day Tortoises and turtles are infact prehistoric, they have been in*evolutionary stasis for millions of years. (same as Croc's) This is probably because they are perfectly adapted to the wide range of environments that they live in, so no need for change.*

With the Humax HDR also stuck in evolutionary stasis, you would of thought the competition would of taken over and killed it off by now.*

I know it's not perfect I've had one since they came out. Let's hope Echostar an Samsung can give them some competition.*

I was indeed refering to both the speed and the age of the machine.. How old is it now?

And yeah, the Echostar walks all over the Humax. But as it's well overdue a replacement it should do.

The ability to log in and set recordings and watch anything anywhere on the planet is awesome.

This absurd obsession with continually updating functioning products is one of the main causes of our always having to put up with products that don't work properly.

For someone who just wants a PVR (and not a media server) the Foxsat HDR is almost there. Unless they change some transmission method it will probably work perfectly satisfactorily for many years.

Sorting out the remaining UI niggles shouldn't take more than a man-month at the absolute most. More major features to complete it as a PVR such as remote recording setting, background deletion and file transfer, faster boot, and maybe a third tuner would make it just about perfect but are not really necessary.

But the chances of us ever getting a fully functional PVR from any manufacturer are about nil because they always have to move on to a new product - complete with all its teething problems - to satisfy the sort of buyer who says they won't buy something that is a two year old design.

People really are their own worst enemies.

Hi The Panasonic bs850 which I have is a 2008 version

It is worth getting 500GB and recordeable blu-ray if you can
afford it

1. Paansonic is v reliable
2. upscaling of SD pictures to 1080p
is brilliant quality as Panasonic have there own integrated chips for this.

Or in my case, just because it's so damn sloooooow...

I am ready and wating to get a better Freesat HD PVR than the "old" Foxsat.

I want one that makes watching Sky News and other non-freesat FTA easy to do.

When will Humax manage to come up with the next gen?

I have both a Humax Foxsat & the Echostar which I bought for the Slingbox functionality. I would guess that the vast majority of Freesat PVRs out there are the Humax. It's pretty reliable but a bit slow through the menus. The Echostar is much faster & has basic Slingbox functionality (not HD surprisingly) but is more expensive.

Why does Foxsat say that ITV player is coming soon in 2011? Do they need a calendar at Humax?

All Freesat PVRs are HD capable, as Freesat do not sell any SD PVRs like Freeview do

The best one is the Humax Foxsat HDR as it also connects to the Internet for BBC Iplayer and soon for the ITV Player

Nothing to do with Humax, it's down to ITV to make it a production version. The ITV player beta works now on a Foxsat has done for months.

Surely the term PVR is now vague.. even it was ever clear?
My Panny TV is in every sense a first class PVR with HD.. albeit single channel tuner..
Full search for a week ahead and UmpteenFAVs combinations..
I can think of nothing that our Humax does that the Panny does not do just as well if not faster..
I recall way back in the 1950s that we had a Set-top box for ITA as the main TV only received BBC1..
There is surely no justification with nationwide coverage after we get Digital around our Capital city.. for any sort of set top box..
My TV connects instantly to the Net..
What external add-ons have we now got for PCs or Ipods for that matter..possibly the Humax we have is the last of a line..like the man with his Red Flag was?