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Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison


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Old 05-03-2005, 14:08
tellyfiend
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With the price of the inverto and topfield and (if it arrives the Panasonic) well over £200, anyone considered getting 2 x Humax 8000's.

These are available for well under £150, use freeview epg and appear to have less bugs than the Fusion or Thomson.
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Old 06-03-2005, 10:04
GLAM
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Wouldn't that cause problems with the remotes as both machines would respond to commands - or is there an easy way round this?
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Old 07-03-2005, 10:20
tellyfiend
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Perhaps, but I remember someone on this forum coming up with a way round it, or maybe the humax has a function like a lot of dvd recorders to use different codes if they clash
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Old 15-03-2005, 19:27
emsee
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Originally Posted by sablade
emsee, I know windows xp media center is more complex and expensive but can you add it to your chart please, as i believe it prob is the best. I also have a tivo which is brill but getting dated
I did think of adding the Media Center but it's really a bit too much of a different beast to be included in the comparison as:
a) Media Center's are well over double the cost of a average PVR.
b) Media Center's have DVD drives so in this respect they would be better compared with PVR/DVD recorders.
c) Some spec's of Media Centre's are vendor specific (e.g. single or double analogue or digital tuners, A/V inputs/outputs, size & appearance, etc) so I couldn't really show these aspects in the table.

Sorry
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Old 15-03-2005, 19:46
emsee
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Just uploaded another slight update to the comparison table.

Does anyone know when the Fusion 200 will be out?
I haven't heard much about it recently.
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Old 16-03-2005, 07:16
Ang
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Originally Posted by emsee
I did think of adding the Media Center but it's really a bit too much of a different beast to be included in the comparison as:
a) Media Center's are well over double the cost of a average PVR.
b) Media Center's have DVD drives so in this respect they would be better compared with PVR/DVD recorders.
c) Some spec's of Media Centre's are vendor specific (e.g. single or double analogue or digital tuners, A/V inputs/outputs, size & appearance, etc) so I couldn't really show these aspects in the table.

Sorry
I agree, media center doesn't really fit as a comparison. I am considering getting a media center - is there a forum within digital spy which discusses the various options?
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Old 16-03-2005, 09:30
roxy
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Hi,
After looking around the web for info on the above PVR I'm coming to the conclusion that it is a single tuner system. Can you confirm this? Amazon have it on their web site as such.. (although it's not for sale at the moment) Also, there is no mention of it being a dual tuner on Panasonic's web site...

Should this therefore be removed from the comparison table?

Roxy.
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Old 16-03-2005, 13:58
emsee
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Originally Posted by roxy
Hi,
After looking around the web for info on the above PVR I'm coming to the conclusion that it is a single tuner system. Can you confirm this? Amazon have it on their web site as such.. (although it's not for sale at the moment) Also, there is no mention of it being a dual tuner on Panasonic's web site...

Should this therefore be removed from the comparison table?

Roxy.
There does seem to be quite a bit of confusion over the Panasonic spec - even Panasonic themselves don't seem to know (at least not their customer services department).
From what I've been told and from most of the unconfirmed specs previously available, it does have two tuners but I guess we'll just going to have to wait and see to be sure.
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Old 16-03-2005, 14:23
R00kie
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Originally Posted by roxy
Hi,
After looking around the web for info on the above PVR I'm coming to the conclusion that it is a single tuner system. Can you confirm this? Amazon have it on their web site as such.. (although it's not for sale at the moment) Also, there is no mention of it being a dual tuner on Panasonic's web site...

Should this therefore be removed from the comparison table?

Roxy.
No, but Panasonic do say you will be able to "View Live TV service while recording alternative service" which does suggest its dual tuner.

I'm not sure thta at the moment even Panasonic know what it will be like - which suggests its a lot earlier in development then they are letting on.
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Old 16-03-2005, 14:29
roxy
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Thanks for the update - also, I meant to ask - do any of these systems have PDC? (or their own version of it) It seems a little odd that you have to add some time either side of your recording in this day and age... What if a footie match overruns by 1/2 half are you gonna miss the end of the film that followed it?

Thanks,
Roxy.
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Old 16-03-2005, 14:56
Snail
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Roxy,

No, none of these have any equivalent to PDC. This is not a Shortcoming of the hardware however, the broadcasters have no equivalent (yet) on DT tranmissions, they have to transmitt a signal at the beginning and end if each programme to let a recorder know it has started/finished. Until they do something we left with the current situation.

Snail
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Old 16-03-2005, 15:06
roxy
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Thanks, I guess (and hope) it's something that a firmware update would sort out in time...

Roxy.
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Old 16-03-2005, 15:28
Snail
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Roxy,

No, you miss the point. No amount of software/hardware/firmware updates can provide this service until the Broadcasters provide the additional information needed with each and every transmission. Only when this happens can we start to consider how the machinery is going to handle it, and lobby manufacturers accordingly.

Snail
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Old 16-03-2005, 15:36
roxy
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Actually I understood what you meant I just hope that when it does become available via the broadcasters - we then don't have to upgrade our hardware - just the firmware.

Thanks anyway.

Roxy.
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Old 16-03-2005, 16:50
DX30
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Originally Posted by Snail
Roxy,

No, you miss the point. No amount of software/hardware/firmware updates can provide this service until the Broadcasters provide the additional information needed with each and every transmission. Only when this happens can we start to consider how the machinery is going to handle it, and lobby manufacturers accordingly.

Snail
No additional information is needed - the broadcasters have supplied the necessary information ("Now/Next" EIT data) since 1998. There are concerns over how reliable this data is, but it is there.

We should start to lobby PVR manufacturers now.
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Old 17-03-2005, 07:34
auslan
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There's a Humax PVR out there in the UK shops. Two versions, the original (PVR 8000T) with a 40GB disk. And the PVR 8000T/80, this with a 80GB disk.

I acknowledge that this is actually a single-tuner PVR, but it would help - perhaps as a footnote? On your (emsee) Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison chart. Just to compare things or identify which PVRs to steer away from!

I've got this PVR from Comet for £170 and will be returning it this week for a full refund. Two problems:
a) Unable to view a saved recording whilst PVR is recording a new programme.
b) When using the timeslip feature, you can't just go to the start or end of a recording. You have to press the Fast Rewind or Fast Forward button constantly and watch the timeline mark creep slowly until you're at the start or end. Duh!

Humax PVR 8000T product details = http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/pvr-8000t.asp

-auslan
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Old 17-03-2005, 09:11
Ang
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Originally Posted by auslan
b) When using the timeslip feature, you can't just go to the start or end of a recording. You have to press the Fast Rewind or Fast Forward button constantly and watch the timeline mark creep slowly until you're at the start or end. Duh!
This is how the Fusion and Thomson time slip works also, but you can watch the timeline mark move ever so quickly until you're at the start or end!
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Old 21-03-2005, 09:45
rrog
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What is this (emsee) Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison chart. How do I view it?
Roger
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Old 21-03-2005, 09:46
rrog
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What is this (emsee) Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison chart? How do I view it?
Roger
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Old 21-03-2005, 10:22
CJL
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Originally Posted by rrog
What is this (emsee) Dual-Tuner Freeview PVR Comparison chart? How do I view it?
Roger
Go back to page 1 of this thread and click the blue link in post #1

Cliff
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Old 29-03-2005, 20:55
emsee
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Just done another update for my Dual-Tuner comparison table to reflect the fact that the Topfield is now available.
Also added a link to the UK remote which seems to have quite a few of its buttons reassigned.
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Old 29-03-2005, 21:23
Barry
 
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Originally Posted by emsee
Just done another update for my Dual-Tuner comparison table to reflect the fact that the Topfield is now available.
Also added a link to the UK remote which seems to have quite a few of its buttons reassigned.
emsee

Your link is not working at this time
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Old 29-03-2005, 21:28
emsee
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Originally Posted by Barry
emsee

Your link is not working at this time
It should be working again now (my web host has been having a few problems tonight)
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Old 29-03-2005, 21:33
Barry
 
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Originally Posted by emsee
It should be working again now (my web host has been having a few problems tonight)

Fraid not..........well not for me anyway, anyone else?
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Old 29-03-2005, 21:44
Firespire
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I've got no problems in loading the site.
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