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Non-buggy Dual Tuner Sd Pvr?

MrGadget

By MrGadget
in Media Servers & Source Units

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MrGadget Experienced

MrGadget

Posted
Posted

Hi guys, I want to join in with the 'PVR Club' but from reading the posts on here it seems that they are all buggy to some degree and it makes it impossible to decide on which one to buy.

For me these features are important (in no particular order)

1. Great picture quality (RGB via SCART)

2. Sensitive tuners that don't make a squealing noise when subjected to interference

3. PIP

4. Chase play (don't they all do this?)

5. ease of use (especially for the wife)

6. fast channel changes

7. At least 160 Gb

8. under $500

9. ability to arrange the channels the way i want them

Any other features that I should be looking for?

Wish list

----------

* Ability to transfer files to PC without removing the HDD.

So what are the main PVRs that would satisfy me?

Thanks.

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ozdoc Mentor

ozdoc

Posted
Posted
Hi guys, I want to join in with the 'PVR Club' but from reading the posts on here it seems that they are all buggy to some degree and it makes it impossible to decide on which one to buy.

For me these features are important (in no particular order)

1. Great picture quality (RGB via SCART)

2. Sensitive tuners that don't make a squealing noise when subjected to interference

3. PIP

4. Chase play (don't they all do this?)

5. ease of use (especially for the wife)

6. fast channel changes

7. At least 160 Gb

8. under $500

9. ability to arrange the channels the way i want them

Any other features that I should be looking for?

Wish list

----------

* Ability to transfer files to PC without removing the HDD.

So what are the main PVRs that would satisfy me?

Thanks.

Point 8 might be the stickler.

My suggested list to choose from:

Arion AT-9300PVR / Mediastar (pretty much the same)

Dick Smith 160 GB PVR $449

Toppy 4400 (but no USB / PC transfer and no TAPS)

or..

Wait a few weeks* until the HD toppy PVR is out, and drive a hard bargain on a Toppy 5000PVRt when the prices continue to fall.

(* few weeks in the sense of meaning maybe a few weeks, maybe not..... )

Things I could not do without: True 2.0 tuners, PC transfer, ICE tv, Chase play, MP3 play.

Things I really like: TAPS

Personally, I have a Toppy 5000, 320 GB HDD, range of TAPS, ICEbox2 / ICE tv subsription, networked to PC. Very wife / kid friendly (except when they leave a MP3 'screen saver' on the plasma - can adjust with a specific TAP)

Don't wait until the 'bug' free bit of equipment arrives. Once you get the PVR you wonder why you waited so long.

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MikeGred Explorer

MikeGred

Posted
Posted
Hi guys, I want to join in with the 'PVR Club' but from reading the posts on here it seems that they are all buggy to some degree and it makes it impossible to decide on which one to buy.

For me these features are important (in no particular order)

1. Great picture quality (RGB via SCART)

2. Sensitive tuners that don't make a squealing noise when subjected to interference

3. PIP

4. Chase play (don't they all do this?)

5. ease of use (especially for the wife)

6. fast channel changes

7. At least 160 Gb

8. under $500

9. ability to arrange the channels the way i want them

Any other features that I should be looking for?

Wish list

----------

* Ability to transfer files to PC without removing the HDD.

So what are the main PVRs that would satisfy me?

Thanks.

I would reccommend the Arion 9300, excellent value at under $500 AT the www.Metatronics.com.au.

Suggest you have a browse at the Arion forum, just to see how others appreciate this uniit.

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=44393

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pgdownload Grand Master

pgdownload

Posted
Posted

Under $500 really pushes things right at the moment. The Topfield 4400 fits all (although only a 80G drive). Mediastar and Arion at $550 is probably your best bet. The Topfield 5000 has much more capacity to be customised for 'ease of use' via TAPs but will set you back $600 or so - Suspect OzDoc might be right in qualifying any iminent price crash coming - but models such as the Arion/Mediastar might start to bite.

Ease of use actually covers two categories:

1) Vanilla Machine (out of box) - The Toppy/Arion/Mediastar all provide some ad skipping abilities, ability to off load shows to a PC and in general are pretty simple to use. High WAF. Each machine has true 2.0 dual tuners so simple usability is maximised.

2) You can add 7 day EPG ability to each machine to really make them hum. Sos just pick and click to set new timers and see what's on. The Topfield has a few really good TAPs that are much more powerful than the limited FW offerings (such as better EPGs, much better ad skipping, fully automated timer setting (ie just type in key title words and shows will be picked and timers set automatically)

In the end any of these three will provide an excellent viewing experience and you won't be thinking you should have bought another model / machine at any point down the track. The Topfield is the more powerful of the tree and you can have lots of fun customising it (its as easy as uploading a single file, once, and quite addictive)

Regards

Peter Gillespie

PS Forget the arranging channel names requirement. LCNs are almost always fixed. Normally you can put your key 6 channels in a favourite, select the favourite, and then just CH+ or CH- a couple of times to get where you need to.

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Public Image Ltd Contributor

Public Image Ltd

Posted
Posted
Any other features that I should be looking for?

A lot depends on your TV. If it has a digital tuner and PIP capability, then maybe those features on the PVR aren't so important. A lot of people say they don't need file transfer, but they probably do. In other words, both broadcast download and firmware upload. RS-232 ports won't cut it, although these are fortunately disappearing.

Depending on the number of AV connections on the telly, component or VGA pass-through for the DVD player, games boxes, etc, may be required. Almost no PVRs feature this, ie, they don't have video inputs. Another slightly unusual one is driving multiple video devices, of differing video standards, simultaneously.

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mrmac01 Newbie

mrmac01

Posted
Posted
He meant the Arion 'thread', which is the link he provided.

Regards

Peter Gillespie

Hi All,

I am new to this forum, have spent the past couple of hours trying to get across the ins & outs of PVRs. I hope you can help me: One of the things that I would like to be able to do with PVR is to digitise & record to DVD old analogue home vids made on VHS-C. So I would need a PVR that I can hook a VCR into, to play the vids and then burn them direct to DVD. Is this possible? Do all PVRs have this facility? If not which ones do? I had originally looked at a PCI card for my computer to do this work, but for the extra $$$s of a PVR seems to me I can get lots of that extra functionality/versatility.

Thanks

MM

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techo Proficient

techo

Posted
Posted
Hi All,

I am new to this forum, have spent the past couple of hours trying to get across the ins & outs of PVRs. I hope you can help me: One of the things that I would like to be able to do with PVR is to digitise & record to DVD old analogue home vids made on VHS-C. So I would need a PVR that I can hook a VCR into, to play the vids and then burn them direct to DVD. Is this possible? Do all PVRs have this facility? If not which ones do? I had originally looked at a PCI card for my computer to do this work, but for the extra $$$s of a PVR seems to me I can get lots of that extra functionality/versatility.

Thanks

MM

Not that question again. I suggest you start by reading ALL the pinned posts at the beginning of this topic, especially Tassie Devils "Answers To Faqs On Stbs, Pvrs, Dvd-rs, Hdd, Hd..." If you can't find it HERE is the link. Hint you need a DVD recorder [HDD IMO] not a PVR.

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pgdownload Grand Master

pgdownload

Posted
Posted
Do all PVRs have this facility? If not which ones do? I had originally looked at a PCI card for my computer to do this work, but for the extra $$$s of a PVR seems to me I can get lots of that extra functionality/versatility.Thanks
Have a read of the PVR FAQ. You'll find PVRs can only record FTA digital broadcasts. You could get a hybrid PVR/DVDR (or just a DVDR) which will accept an input from your VCR however once your tapes are transfered these may not be the most appropriate boxes for the next 5 years. Does anyone you know own a DVDR? - ask them if you can't come over an burn some DVDs one day. Otherwise a cheap analogue TV card on the PC would be your best bet for this one off transfer. Get a PVR for all the amazing things a PVR does.

Regards

Peter Gillespie

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mrmac01 Newbie

mrmac01

Posted
Posted
Not that question again. I suggest you start by reading ALL the pinned posts at the beginning of this topic, especially Tassie Devils "Answers To Faqs On Stbs, Pvrs, Dvd-rs, Hdd, Hd..." If you can't find it HERE is the link. Hint you need a DVD recorder [HDD IMO] not a PVR.

Thanks that link has clarified the issue. What was confusing me was a statement on one of the posts that I read that PVR / DVD-R "was just semantics". Clearly there is a difference, & n.ow I know what I need

Sorry to be a pain the arse.

Have a read of the PVR FAQ. You'll find PVRs can only record FTA digital broadcasts. You could get a hybrid PVR/DVDR (or just a DVDR) which will accept an input from your VCR however once your tapes are transfered these may not be the most appropriate boxes for the next 5 years. Does anyone you know own a DVDR? - ask them if you can't come over an burn some DVDs one day. Otherwise a cheap analogue TV card on the PC would be your best bet for this one off transfer. Get a PVR for all the amazing things a PVR does.

Regards

Peter Gillespie

Thanks Peter. The PC card was gonna cost around $150 & would be pretty much useless once I had done the tapes, which is why I was looking to PVR/DVD-R, which although dearer, provided ongoing versatility.

Will f/up your suggestion re finding a friend with DVDR & look to buy a PVR.

Once again thanks for your patient response,

Kind Regds,

Pete

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wrangler Collaborator

wrangler

Posted
Posted

A fair question, I think. A quick read of the forums shows lots of bugs and problems out there.

If you want a relatively hassle-free time, can I suggest you buy from a store which is convenient to make a return/ exchange/ refund?

I have a very buggy YESS brand PVR (bought on ebay) and the postage to have the machine serviced under warranty is about $40 to go interstate. I'm not at all confident that the problems would be fixed, either, as the bugs seem to be intermittent.

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dixitr Collaborator

dixitr

Posted
Posted

I bought a mediastar for $440 from HN Moorepark.

Now my wife wonders why the h@@##ll I did not buy it before.

Extremely easy to use (my 6yr old can use it), no dramas, worked straight out of the box and took total of under 10 minutes to connect & setup.

twin tuner, chase play, 120gb hdd (u can put a bigger hdd), epg upload facility, trnasfer to pc/laptop via true usb 2.

worth a look for sure.

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