I've just returned my Humax 2000T to John lewis, and I'm looking for a replacement. The best machines seem to be Panasonic, and I'm looking at the HWT 130EB and 230EB.

1. Is the only difference thae fact that the 230 has a 1TB disc drive (which doesn't matter to me) and built-in wifi.

2. If I get the 130, is the wifi dongle easy to get hold of? The ones I've seen via google seem to cost about £49.

3. Do they have aerial loop through when the set's in standby

4. Does it have skip forward ( 1 minute, 2 minutes) and skip back (15 seconds, say)?

5. Are these good sets, generally, or do they have known faults?

At the moment, I'm using my old BT box, which BT don't want back at the end of the contract. It works, but still has all the BT faults.

I have the 130 in my bedroom which works pretty well except it now ignores guide data and does not start or stop recording when the program does.

Not used the apps on it much as from what I recall it says it cant record while they are being used!

My one is hard wired to my network so I have no need for a WiFi dongle.

Program guide is okay and no space wasted with empty adverts (as in earlier models).

It is slow to navigate with only an option to go forward or back 24hrs

Recording management is poor for a unit that can record lots of programs.

You will spend quite a time scrolling through the list of recordings especially when you are recording a series.

No user sort option

Lastly, if you use and of the streaming features or remote record, it no longer becomes green as it has to stay pretty much powered on all the time for them to work rather than using under 0.5watt.

Thanks Automan. It sounds as though it has a number of annoying small things, rather than any major problems. Most of them don't bother me, but do I take it that series recordings are listed individually, rather than lumped into a single entry which you can open up?

We generally watch recordings within a day or two of making them, except when we come back from holiday to find 10 episodes of Corrie, etc.

I take it that picture quality is good?

Series recordings are listed in sub folders but if you have lots of recordings you have to page down through the main list to find the folder with them in.

There are a couple of options to change the view and list unwatched items.

Also if you do want to keep a recording you can edit it removing adverts etc.

Another small negative is that you can not view the program synopsis when you are watching it, just the name and run time.

Thanks, Automan, there's nothing I can't live with, though not being able to see a programme synopsis while watching it is strange. Is that only for recordings, or all programmes?

You can see the synopsis for live programmes and from the playback list. It is only when you start playing back recorded programmes that the synopsis is unavailable.

The most surprising omitted feature for me is the ability to search the EPG.

The second feature I miss is a mute button.

automan: I have not seen your issues with accurate recording.

jsmith99: to answer some of your original questions:

2. I opted to buy a couple of powerline adapters. They are more reliable than WiFi and can cost less than £20 for the pair.

3. Yes, the Panasonic does loop through. AFAIK it was only a Humax feature/bug not to do so.

4. Skips are fixed at 60s forward and 10s back. There is also a time slip to move forwards or back in 1 or 10 min increments.

My old Humax 9200 had done many years of good service but cannot keep up with the quantity of channels nowadays. I weighed up the 2000T and HWT130 and went for the latter; I do not regret that decision.

Hi petef,

2. I had a pair of powerline adapters for nearly three years with my BT Vision box, and I found the constant flickering very annoying. I don't anticipate using the internet facilities very often, so I'm sure I'll be happy with wifi.

In fact, I've just discovered how to download programmes onto my laptop from iPlayer, so I'd hardly use it at all.

3. I'm glad it loops through, though Humax did introduce the feature in the latest software version.

4. Skips are useful. When using the EPG to set recordings, can I move forward in, say, two-hour segments, and can I move forward 12 or 24 hours?

You can only move in 24 hour increments forward and back. Then you are limited to the 30 min steps of the cursor keys. That combined with a lack of search makes it a pain to set an evening slot in the morning.

I don't have HWT 130 but have older HW-220 model and I can say it is a great PVR and probably one of best HD displays I have seen.

But my understanding is that the new models, the one you are about to buy, do not allow archiving of HD recordings anymore. It is a very silly omission from Panasonic.

Currently I can transfer HD recordings to a registered external USB Hard drive if I need more space but somehow the new models do not allow this anymore.

It is really shame because I like Panasonic quality but considering I only record in HD, I will not be buying another Panasonic HD PVR in future because of this restriction.

Thanks for the replies. I'm off in the morning for a few days away, without my laptop, so as soon as I'm back next week I'll pop down to John Lewis and buy a 230.

I should say that my problem with recording only seems to apply to HD versions of channels.

e.g. every BBC HD channel.

If I record the SD versions instead, the recording starts at the correct time and the program end is not cut off.

If I use powerline adaptors, do they have to be always switched on? If so, is there a cost in data usage?

If not, and I can use them only when needed, do I have to switche the router and/or box off while I connect them, then on again?


I've got a Sony 32", and the difference between SD and HD is barely noticeable. So that's no problem.

Am I right in thinking that any recording I move to a (registered) memory drive can only be played back via the box? I can't watch even SD programmes on my laptop?

Leave them powered up. They consume next to no electricity so the impact on your leccy bill is probably not that huge.

Not sure what you mean by data usage? I presume you mean counting towards any data allowance on your broadband connection? Powerline adapters just transfer data from the remote device to the router and vice versa. So only when the remote device is accessing something over the internet is there any impact on your data allowance.

The only cost in leaving them powered on 24/7 is your electricity bill.

You could switch them on and off if you like. You don't have to do anything to the router. The two adapters should re-pair OK, that would be a minor pain if they didn't. Also the box should re-connect to the router OK, more so if you have the box in standby then power up the adapters then turn the box on (don't need to turn the box off at the mains or anything like that).


If you go to the Panasonic support website you can download the manual

http://www.panasonic.eu/Downloads/en_GB/popup.html

enter DMR-HWT230 as the model number.

Page 61 explains what you can and can't do with a registered USB drive. Basically you can only use the drive with the Panasonic.

However if you look at page 56 it explains how you can use the DLNA server function to display recordings on a computer or any other DLNA compliant device. Though that does obviously require both the PVR and client device to be attached to the same router and the PVR must be switch on. But if you wanted to stream recordings to a telly in the bedroom from the PVR in the living room it might be an option.

You should be able to see the difference between SD and HD regardless of TV size.


Correct. You can only play it back via the same box it was recorded to and unfortunatley you can move only SD recordings, as somehow only older models allow HD material to be moved.

Thanks Young Turks. I'm beginning to think these models are of note more because of what they can't do than what they can.

I returned a Humax 2000T to John Lewis because there were times when it wouldn't come out of standby while it was recording. I'm beginning to wonder whether I should buy another one, and hope it was a one-off problem. Or just leave it on from about 30 minutes before a recording starts.

The reasons have been explaine to you in absolute detail on the Sky forum!