Which PVR meets my needs?

Y Me · 06-10-2011, 20:43

I'm getting bogged down in the technical descriptions.

I want a FreviewHD twin tuner device which either has a built in DVD recorder or the ability to download recordings to memory stick, HD card or any connected USB recording device.

Does such an animal exist?

I don't mind if the downloaded media is not HD although I would prefer the twin tuners to record in HD if this is possible.

I would like all this to work after my region digital switch-over in April 2012.

Any help will be much appreciated.

porkpie · 06-10-2011, 21:47

Panasonic do dvd/ Bluray recorders with twin tuners and a choice of built in Freeview HD or Freesat HD.

Most other recorders with dvd burner in don't have twin tuners.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DM...7933995&sr=8-1

captainkremmen · 07-10-2011, 11:00

Fot a twin tuner model with HD you only have ONE manufacturer to choose from, Panasonic. They have some models that are twin tuner Freeview HD recorders with a choice of either a DVD recorder or a BluRay recorder depending on model. Only major problem is they are NOT cheap.

However, for downloading to a USB device you have a choice.

Sagemcom, Digitalstream, and Humax all do devices that are twin tuner PVRs that can download SD content to externally connected hard discs drives.

The Sagemcom and Humax can use Fat32 HDDs I believe, which makes transferring recordings to Windows PCs for burning to disc easier. However the Sagemcom isn't the most reliable machine, despite many recent software updates. It's a fairly basic PVR with no other media playback options, but, it can be bought quite cheaply online so the odd problem might be worth putting up with.

The Humax is the most expensive of the three makes, but it is very reliable and well respected. It also has some good media streaming features allowing playback of media from a PC if connected to your home network. There's also a way to get HD content copied off the machine too, although it isn't supported by Humax.

The Digitalstream sits somewhere in the middle. It is also, like the Humac, very reliable as a PVR as it shares the same chipset but it too cannot stream media from a PC. However, it does allow playback of DIVX/XVID content (as well as photos and music) from an external HDD. It's also possible to copy SD content to an external HDD but it has to be at least 160Gb and the machine insists on formatting the drive to the Linux XFS filesystem. This makes transferring content to a PC a little convoluted, but not difficult.

Check out the various threads here in the Freeview+ section, and over at AVForums in their PVRs section, for more information.

06-10-2011, 20:43	#1
Y Me Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Milton, Hampshire. Posts: 2,449	Which PVR meets my needs? I'm getting bogged down in the technical descriptions. I want a FreviewHD twin tuner device which either has a built in DVD recorder or the ability to download recordings to memory stick, HD card or any connected USB recording device. Does such an animal exist? I don't mind if the downloaded media is not HD although I would prefer the twin tuners to record in HD if this is possible. I would like all this to work after my region digital switch-over in April 2012. Any help will be much appreciated.

06-10-2011, 21:47	#2
porkpie Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 2,484	Panasonic do dvd/ Bluray recorders with twin tuners and a choice of built in Freeview HD or Freesat HD. Most other recorders with dvd burner in don't have twin tuners. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DM...7933995&sr=8-1

07-10-2011, 11:00	#3
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Fot a twin tuner model with HD you only have ONE manufacturer to choose from, Panasonic. They have some models that are twin tuner Freeview HD recorders with a choice of either a DVD recorder or a BluRay recorder depending on model. Only major problem is they are NOT cheap. However, for downloading to a USB device you have a choice. Sagemcom, Digitalstream, and Humax all do devices that are twin tuner PVRs that can download SD content to externally connected hard discs drives. The Sagemcom and Humax can use Fat32 HDDs I believe, which makes transferring recordings to Windows PCs for burning to disc easier. However the Sagemcom isn't the most reliable machine, despite many recent software updates. It's a fairly basic PVR with no other media playback options, but, it can be bought quite cheaply online so the odd problem might be worth putting up with. The Humax is the most expensive of the three makes, but it is very reliable and well respected. It also has some good media streaming features allowing playback of media from a PC if connected to your home network. There's also a way to get HD content copied off the machine too, although it isn't supported by Humax. The Digitalstream sits somewhere in the middle. It is also, like the Humac, very reliable as a PVR as it shares the same chipset but it too cannot stream media from a PC. However, it does allow playback of DIVX/XVID content (as well as photos and music) from an external HDD. It's also possible to copy SD content to an external HDD but it has to be at least 160Gb and the machine insists on formatting the drive to the Linux XFS filesystem. This makes transferring content to a PC a little convoluted, but not difficult. Check out the various threads here in the Freeview+ section, and over at AVForums in their PVRs section, for more information.

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Which PVR meets my needs?