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Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison


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Old 09-02-2005, 21:00
emsee
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I've been looking around for a number of months now for a dual tuner freeview PVR & am now waiting for the Inverto & Panasonic models to be released (I know I might be in for a long wait for the latter!).

While I was waiting, I constructed a comparison table & thought others might find it useful.
Someone did create something similar (in PDF format), but it didn't have all the latest dual-tuner models which is what inspired me to create this table.

If you spot any mistakes or can fill in any of the blanks, please reply to this post & I'll try to update it.

Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison
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Old 09-02-2005, 21:29
chiliblue
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Looks good, just wanted to add that the Thomson does indeed do compression retrospectively. It also has repeat recordings, daily and weekly. It does play and record radio, and the timeslip function does pause and rewind live tv within the buffer without the update, after the update you can sort of chase play< but it is a little messy and unrelieable >

I like the way it looks...but then I have very little visual taste
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Old 09-02-2005, 21:47
emsee
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Originally Posted by chiliblue
Looks good, just wanted to add that the Thomson does indeed do compression retrospectively. It also has repeat recordings, daily and weekly. It does play and record radio, and the timeslip function does pause and rewind live tv within the buffer without the update, after the update you can sort of chase play< but it is a little messy and unrelieable >
Thanks - I've updated the page
(I think I had added the daily/weekly repeat recordings into the Panasonic column by mistake).
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Old 09-02-2005, 22:28
slimgym
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If you spot any mistakes or can fill in any of the blanks, please reply to this post & I'll try to update it.

Great page! For the Thomson;
PIP: No (but probably OTA upgradable to do so)
Record Subtitles: Y with software 1.7.7
Scart Lead Supplied: Y
Skip x Seconds: Yes. By default 30 seconds, or per user setting (if you create thumbnails as an option with software 1.7.7)
Edit Recordings: No
Silence in Standby: The fan still runs (software 1.7.7)

I have seen in several places that the Inverto uses the same chipset as the Thomson/Fusion and it is likely it will share many of the features of both units.
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Old 09-02-2005, 23:19
Barry
 
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Noticed you have left off the Pace twin



Someone did create something similar (in PDF format),
See it here
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Old 09-02-2005, 23:19
chiliblue
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Oh you can edit the recordings on the Thomson, in so much you can edit the adverts at the begining and delete up till that point. Although it has to be pointed out that it doesn't actually delete the editted out video, it just jumps passed it, and strangly if you set it up to play via the archive function it will play with the editted part back in...hoohum
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Old 09-02-2005, 23:31
TrevorPH
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I don't believe the Fusion models have an S-Video out socket. The Thomson does.

I'm not sure of the value of rating the various boxes for noisiness as one person's noisy could be someone elses quiet. I'd mark my Thomson as a 2 for example where you have it as 4-5. This'll only have value if the author of the stats has heard all boxes themselves.

I believe that all Fusions can record subtitles as long as they have software >= 1.7.3. The Thomson can also do so on its 1.7.7 version.
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Old 09-02-2005, 23:45
emsee
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Originally Posted by Barry
Noticed you have left off the Pace twin
I did think of including the Pace but the fact that it's not widely available any more, only has a 20Gb hard drive and I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) Pace said they are pulling out of the PVR market, put it out of the running in my view (though others may disagree ).
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Old 10-02-2005, 07:57
Ang
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Originally Posted by TrevorPH
I don't believe the Fusion models have an S-Video out socket. The Thomson does.
In the Fusion setup, the choices for the "VCR Scart" are S-Video or Composite... if that's what you mean.
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Old 10-02-2005, 08:01
Ang
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You can archive from a Fusion, but not very elegantly in that it doesn't have an archive timer... so basically you have to set Fusion to play, set DVDR to record and wait. Some people ask the question "Can it archive to DVD" and the short answer is yes it can. Maybe you should have two rows - 1) Can it archive? 2) Archive scheduling

... or something like that.

Kind of along the same lines, do any of them have a timer function to set it to tune to a particular channel at a particular time? This would help with DVD recording from Freeview. Fusion does not have it.
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Old 10-02-2005, 08:30
aybeesea
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Isn't it wonderful how on the Fusion it will play the current title in an endless loop?

A?B...C!!
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Old 10-02-2005, 09:03
TrevorPH
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In the Fusion setup, the choices for the "VCR Scart" are S-Video or Composite... if that's what you mean
No, I mean it has an SVHS socket on it and the Fusion doesn't. Thomson has 3 video output sockets, Fusion has only 2.
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Old 10-02-2005, 10:10
TonyMo
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Very interesting comparison table - thanks!

But the colour scheme is very dark and dingy with low contrast. Could you brighten it up a bit?
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Old 10-02-2005, 13:44
peejay
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Isn't rewind live TV different to timeslip? I understand the latter to mean that you can start watching a recording before it's finished recording.

Forgive me if I've got this wrong - I'm a Sky+ user. My interest in Freeview PVRs is that I'm trying to work out which one to recommend to my family.

Thanks for the comparison table by the way - this is incredibly useful.

Incidentally, something I haven't been able to find online which I would find helpful - manuals and/or shots of the EPG/remotes. I know the table has lines for these as well - mostly empty - so I'm guessing they just don't exist online...?

peejay
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Old 10-02-2005, 15:52
jatkins
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Originally Posted by peejay
Isn't rewind live TV different to timeslip? I understand the latter to mean that you can start watching a recording before it's finished recording.
I doubt there are any standards for these words but Chase Play or Chase Playback seems to be the phrase to describe watching a recording before it's finished recording.

John.
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Old 10-02-2005, 16:18
chiliblue
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Originally Posted by peejay
Incidentally, something I haven't been able to find online which I would find helpful - manuals and/or shots of the EPG/remotes. I know the table has lines for these as well - mostly empty - so I'm guessing they just don't exist online...?

peejay
For the thomson there is this page that has a bunch of screen shots, I think they are from the earlier software but astheticakky they are identical.
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Old 10-02-2005, 16:29
Kepler
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Try here: http://dtt.opennet.co.uk
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Old 10-02-2005, 17:18
chiliblue
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lol I actually had the URL all copied ready to paste... just forgot to before posting the message
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Old 10-02-2005, 18:00
emsee
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Originally Posted by TrevorPH
I don't believe the Fusion models have an S-Video out socket. The Thomson does.

I'm not sure of the value of rating the various boxes for noisiness as one person's noisy could be someone elses quiet. I'd mark my Thomson as a 2 for example where you have it as 4-5. This'll only have value if the author of the stats has heard all boxes themselves.

I believe that all Fusions can record subtitles as long as they have software >= 1.7.3. The Thomson can also do so on its 1.7.7 version.
Thanks for the info.

Yea, I know the noise thing is very subjective but it was only ment to be a rough guide to show the general concensus of opinion as to whether the noise (at the distance shown) is intrusive or not.
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Old 10-02-2005, 18:49
riko
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emsee, under connectivity you have a row for S-Video out socket. you have indicated "no" for the fusions but "only via SCART" for the inverto. Shouldnt you either change the inverto to "no" as it doesnt have this socket or change the fusions to "only via SCART"?. Just to make it all equal

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Old 11-02-2005, 09:18
Phil043
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Emsee, I think you should include the Pace Twin, its strong point is it's lack of noise in operation, this then could be the benchmark to judge the others.
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Old 11-02-2005, 10:23
Ang
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Emsee, your table is truly excellent.

A few things:

Fusion FVRT100 - archive scheduling function - N; scart lead supplied - N;

And I think you've made a typo - "Like" to ... should be "Link" to I'm guessing.

I'm surprised to see the Thomson has a skip 30 seconds capability - is this regardless of scene generation? Fusion does it only if you remove scenes.

And your CON listed for the FVRT100 - playback endless loop - is truly an annoying one! Hopefully we'll get that "feature" removed, like Thomson did.
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Old 11-02-2005, 10:27
chiliblue
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Originally Posted by Ang
I'm surprised to see the Thomson has a skip 30 seconds capability - is this regardless of scene generation?
I'm alittle puzzled by this too, I'll have a read through the manuals and confirm it.

Ok nothing in the manual about it so perhaps it is a new feature that works only when you have the thumbnails turned off. I have thimbnails on so I really wouldn't know.
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Old 11-02-2005, 11:47
Ang
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Originally Posted by chiliblue
Ok nothing in the manual about it so perhaps it is a new feature that works only when you have the thumbnails turned off. I have thimbnails on so I really wouldn't know.
Yea, that's probably it... But I think I've read in the Thomson threads that if thumbnails are turned off, you can't add a scene anymore... that's not very helpful! Fusion hasn't got the ability to turn off thumbnails yet, but if it ends up like Thomson's, then I wouldn't be able to use it as you never know when you might want to add a scene. I've heard with the Fusion (and probably the Thomson even before the update) that if you delete all the scenes for a recording, the skip button goes by 30 seconds. That's handy but I've never bothered to remove the scenes. It would probably be worth getting in the habit of that before viewing as it would make skipping adverts easier. I whiz past the end of the adverts every time and have to stop and go back.

So I guess the point of all this is that if you're going to say the Thomson has 30 second skip, then the Fusion does too.
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Old 11-02-2005, 12:22
aybeesea
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Have you ever tried to remove the scenes on a Fusion from a 2-hour programme?

A?B...C!!
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