Hi all,

I've been looking for a twin tuner digital tv recorder for the last month. I've looked on Argos and the Digihome DTR80 has caught my eye.

I don't want to be spending anything over £100, and I realise I therefore can't get the best PVR.

Can anyone recommend this product or any others for the same kind of price.

I also need to make sure that freeview comes with it, can someone confirm this for me please?

Any more information would be greatly appreciated, but I'm not too great on technical terms.

Thanks very much

I just did you a huge reply and lost it all when searching for a lost link Here's a substitute link for you to check, before anything else, that your Freeview signal will be good enough for a Digihome (or Digihome clone): http://www.digitaluk.co.uk. Maybe someone will add the site I'm thinking of.

You need a decent signal for Digihomes. I'm fine using a cheap indoor aerial (am not far from Crystal Palace) but most people will tell you to get a roof aerial fitted if you haven't one already.

That said, Digihomes are the most user-friendly and reliable of all the brands I've had (a lot!). They have their glitches and support is not great, which is why I would go for the Hitachi - a big brand that should offer better support, but basically it is the Digihome with a different coat on. I had a freeze-up once but that was due to hitting buttons too quickly one on top of the other, and that was sorted out with a re-boot and I didn't lose anything. Other brands I've had have frozen to death!

You will be able to:
- Record 2 progs and watch another already recorded;
- Record 1 prog and watch a live programme;
- Search for upcoming programmes by name (also by Genre, but some say that that freezes, I don't bother with it);
- Schedule recordings in the EPG by just pressing the red button;
- Schedule recordings by setting the start and finish times (but you won't have a programme name then, just the channel and times).

If that's all you want to do, without sophisticated editing or transferring of recordings, the Digihome will do the job. You can 'archive' stuff you want to keep for ever by attaching a VCR or DVDR to the Video SCART of the PVR, playing the relevant recording and setting the VCR/DVDR to record from the AV channel.

I don't bother with 'favourite' lists etc, but deleting channels you'll never watch is a good idea, it gives the machine less to do so your EPG (programme guide) will load faster.

If you get on with it you can get another one and attach it to the second SCART on your TV and operate them both with the same remote, it's great

Let us know if there's anything not covered, I've got a bit tired now, been setting up new Humax - loadsa money and I like the Digihome better!

parthena

I'm having second thoughts about the Hitachi - their website lists it as "watch one, record one" and doesn't have the Freeview Playback logo, so I'm wondering if it could be the old model... the User Manual isn't available.

Maybe someone else can advise.

parthena

The Asda Durabrand (which is the Digihome t816 under another name) is now £69. It must be one of the cheapest twin-tuner/twin record boxes around now.

The Hitachi HDR161 is dual record. This is the one I have which I bought from Argos before Christmas when it was reduced to £84.99 briefly. Link here. It has Version 3.7 software. It's nothing special compared to any other T816 IMO. In fact it has a tiny green dot indicating "recording" on the central display which is invisible more than about a metre away. The Asda Onn is the best T816 I have seen in this respect. It has a nice bright red recording LED mounted on the top rail of the case which I miss on the Hitachi.

I believe the Hitachi single record T810 was the HDR160 but that's from memory so I can't be sure.

Colin
Last edited by creddish : 09-01-2008 at 17:33

But is this the 80GB version or the 160GB version - anyone know?

It is the 80gb T816

Yes, and that's the only one they've got on their website, how strange. And Argos have conflicting info re the 81/161, one says Rec1/Watch1, the other says Twin Record - but that's typical of Argos.

I'm only choosing the Hitachi because there's a sub-£100 model with a brand name attached that should offer better support than Digihome. As most of you know, Sharp do one from the same stable but it's too dear for our purpose.

The Hitachi definitely does not have Series Link, does it Colin? And you have the same probs with the REW 'delayed/jamming'? Gosh I'm so addled I can't think of the other T816 niggles, I'm so engrossed in whether to return/not my new Hummy

parthena

I have a .pdf of an Hitachi 2007/2008 Product Brochure which shows the HDR161 in it. I think I got it from the "www.hitachidigitalmedia.com" website but I can't locate a link to it now. I can confirm that the Hitachi HDR161 that I got from Argos is definitely dual record, the Argos website is wrong. It has Version 3.7 so has Accurate Recording but not Series Link. The other main niggles about T816 are that they occasionally freeze on Live TV but I haven't had that since about the first day I got the Hitachi. Also the sound of the current programme is flakey whilst in the menus. I think you have also complained previously about the loss of autopadding which your T810 has.

I did have an email from a supplier the other day offering the 160GB Sharp TU-R160HA for about £140. The latest production of these (post Oct 2007) has Version 6.7 software which offers Series Record. However, there has been very little information on the forums about these units so I have been unable to assess whether Version 1.7 suffers from the same problems as the Series Record Version 1.7 on the T825 HDMI hardware.

Colin

Edit:- I have now found a link to the Hitachi brochure/Spec mentimed above here. The HDR161 is on the last page.

There seem to be a lot of stories about the T816 freezing early in its life and settling down, so i am tempted to let it run for a few days at my house and then take it to the inlaws in Feb. Is this advisable?

I presume it will need retuning up in Coventry, i am in hertfordshire and just in range of crystal palace, but like cov according to freeview website i cannot get anything other than the BBC mux, but that's lies, I get them all usually, with no boosting.

I have had three differently branded T816 units, two with Version 3.7 software and one with Version 4.7 which have all exibited that behaviour. I can't offer a logical explanation other than maybe freezing is encouraged by the heavy button pressing that occurs whilst trying out a new unit.

It will need re-tuning if you move from one transmitter to another.

Colin

This is the site I was thinking of on which to check Freeview reception in your area (OP - though it looks as though they're not coming back, why am I bothering )

http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

parthena

By the way, Colin, I'm having a wonderful time with my skip buttons since you wised me up On the T816 two skips is often exactly what's required for dead accurate ad-missing.

I hadn't found them before because my T810's <> navigation buttons only functioned the same as FF and REW, I hadn't thought of trying the up/downs on that one and didn't try the <> on the T816.

I've sent my Humax back and am making do with the two above PVRs (isn't life hard?), supposedly* until a decent, unbuggy Series Link Digihome (or clone) comes out.

Not that that's anything to do with anything, am just posting my latest position without starting a new thread.

*Until I change my mind

parthena

If you like the Skip on the T816 you would have love the one on the Technotrend PVRs I had. On them, most of the Remote buttons repeat so holding down the Skip buttons produce a supercharged FF or RW of something like 600X. Very useful for rapid scanning of recordings. Unfortunatley the Technotrends have little else to recommend them.

Colin