Options
Heeeelp! Can't buy a twin tuner freeview pvr for love or money
![[Deleted User]](https://wf.vanillicon.com/v2/fa7d0d8abf7138422b6767e123d5833f.svg)
[Deleted User]
Posts: 23 Forum Member
✭
Ok, basically up to recently my parents have been using a 20 quid freeview box and a dvd recorder that I had lent them. However, they were getting fed up with not being able to record one channel and watch another, or record two channels at once (they are pensioners, and TV is just about their life).
I found a comparison chart on a website (emvee, or something?) which listed twin tuner models which could perfom this task. My parents asked me to sell the dvd recorder which I did and they wanted to use the money to buy a twin tuner pvr box.
We got a Digifusion 100 model from Bennets, but they decided the hard drive was too small (10% was used out of thebox, and just recording 1 25 minute program took 3%).
We took it back, and started to look for an 80Gb model. this is where the problems started. I have been on the web and telephone for about 3 solid hours with no luck.
We decided to get the digfusion 200 model but couldn't find it anywhere. Then went to Argos to pick up a 145 model (it was a new catalogue, so they were bound to have it). They didn't have one and didn't know when they would get one.
I looked at a Goodmans that Argos sold, but my mother needs a timer recorder that she could set to record Neighbours every day ( :rolleyes: ) and the Goodmans didn't have it.
Went to Dixons, said all digifusion boxes were discontinued.
Came back and tried the internet. Amazon - out of stock. Tribal, in stock. Rang them. Out of stock. Argos, out of stock. John lewis, Out of stock.
Eventually rang Digifusion. They insisted that everywhere had stock. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with them, where they would send me to a website, which would then say either discontinued or out of stock. Eventually they started to get really nasty and impatient with me, so the call was terminated.
So, I am in the situation now where my parents have no TV (we sold the box - stupidly) and I can't source a replacement anywhere.
It doesn't have to be digifusion, but their budget is £180 Maximum and just cant be stretched beyond that.
I cannot believe that this potential market is so small, and fragmented that only one company (Digifusion) make models and that you can't actually buy them anywhere.
So, please can anyone help me out? I need an 80gb twin tuner freeview pvr with the facility to record two progs at once. It must have a timer fuction to record daily.
Is there ANYTHING out there at £180????
I found a comparison chart on a website (emvee, or something?) which listed twin tuner models which could perfom this task. My parents asked me to sell the dvd recorder which I did and they wanted to use the money to buy a twin tuner pvr box.
We got a Digifusion 100 model from Bennets, but they decided the hard drive was too small (10% was used out of thebox, and just recording 1 25 minute program took 3%).
We took it back, and started to look for an 80Gb model. this is where the problems started. I have been on the web and telephone for about 3 solid hours with no luck.
We decided to get the digfusion 200 model but couldn't find it anywhere. Then went to Argos to pick up a 145 model (it was a new catalogue, so they were bound to have it). They didn't have one and didn't know when they would get one.
I looked at a Goodmans that Argos sold, but my mother needs a timer recorder that she could set to record Neighbours every day ( :rolleyes: ) and the Goodmans didn't have it.
Went to Dixons, said all digifusion boxes were discontinued.
Came back and tried the internet. Amazon - out of stock. Tribal, in stock. Rang them. Out of stock. Argos, out of stock. John lewis, Out of stock.
Eventually rang Digifusion. They insisted that everywhere had stock. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with them, where they would send me to a website, which would then say either discontinued or out of stock. Eventually they started to get really nasty and impatient with me, so the call was terminated.
So, I am in the situation now where my parents have no TV (we sold the box - stupidly) and I can't source a replacement anywhere.
It doesn't have to be digifusion, but their budget is £180 Maximum and just cant be stretched beyond that.
I cannot believe that this potential market is so small, and fragmented that only one company (Digifusion) make models and that you can't actually buy them anywhere.
So, please can anyone help me out? I need an 80gb twin tuner freeview pvr with the facility to record two progs at once. It must have a timer fuction to record daily.
Is there ANYTHING out there at £180????
0
Comments
Also have a look at http://www.tribaluk.com/catalogue/vision/freeview - they often have the FVRT200 for about £155 (best to phone as people have had mixed results with the stock status shown on their web site!)
Cliff
PS That VERY useful resource was www.emsee.co.uk/pvr by the way
Same with Argos on the 145.
For just £9.99 more you could get a Humax PVR-9200T with 160GB for £189.99 inc delivery from Heathrow Systems - http://heathrowsystems.net/.
Cliff
Rang a nice bloke at heathrow systems who had a little chat with me about it.
What exactly is this Chaseplay it is lacking? What does that mean?
And exactly how reliable is the machine?
Is it user friendly for pensioners? They were ok with the Digifusion as it was highly pictorial.
Sorry for so many questions but I feel really guilt as I have ended up costing them more money than I expected and want to make sure I make no mistakes this time!
As for reliability just pick any day then go to the Fusion, Thomson, Topfield, Inverto or Humax forums above and see how many "lost", "wiped", "locked up", "Can't do this", "can't do that" threads there are on the front page - this maybe gives you a taste for a machine's reliability (actually reading ALL the detail of ALL the posts is probably better though!). On this basis the Humax currently seems to have quite a high hit rate on the "wiped"/"lost"/"locked" count but it does sound like the new software could be here by June at the present estimation (back in late October when the machine first launched I predicted April 3rd but it doesn't look they are going to meet that now)
I think user friendly wise the Humax rates at least as well as the Fusion and the plainer backgrounds are probably actually better for older folks eyesight (I'm only 42 and I have problems with an un-modified Fusion!)
Cliff
Chase play means you can pause and rewind live TV, as the machine constantly records (or buffers) whatever is being watched. Sometimes called chasing playback and people use it to pause the live broadcast to say pickup the phone, then come back to the programme and un-pause from where they left off. You can also catch up to the live broadcast by fast forwarding, especially through the adverts.
I think the feature that cliff is alluding to is being able to sit down to a programme that is currently being recorded and start watching it from the beginning, while the rest is still recording. Neat trick. Again this is also chase play but from a programme that is currently recording. The Humax cant do that, unless you use the live buffer, and this will not be implemented along with a host of new features for a few months. There is a workaround people use to start watching a programme before it has finished recording the end on the Humax which is easy and acheives the goal with the same number of remote control button presses as that on the Fusion with the feature built in.
I have both Fusion and Humax and paid extra to get the Humax. It is worth the extra money however at the recent price drop at Heathrow Systems, the price of £189.99 is a real bargain at the moment if your folks can afford the little extra. The user interface is one if its strong points and may suit your elderly folks better. It sounds as though they may be just needing a freeview device that can watch and record TV with two tuners. In which case the Humax may be a little overkill.
Cliff
But the only alternative seems to be the digifusions which right now seem to be mirages!
So they can still pause live tv with the humax? They do this quite a lot but i dont think they would need to watch a recording they had started very often.
Your advice is really appreciated guys!
yeah you can pause live TV on the Humax and if they like to do that then this is possible up to 2 hours if need be. Good luck Gibb.
I don't understand how you got this information. I presume that you are talking about the Goodmans twin tuner PVR (Goodmans GHDD1785DVBT) in the Argos catalogue. This is believed to be identical to the Technosonic 101 PVR (which although not completely bug free) is a very versatile and user friendly machine. I have seen manuals for the Goodmans and 101 PVR and they are identical. Therefore the Goodmans should be able to record Neighbours daily via the 8 day epg or you can set daily record times via the timer menu. The only downside is that the Goodmans (according to another thread) is being shipped with 1.2 software, whereas the Technosonic 101 has just received the 1.5 version. If you had bought the Goodmans you could probably have updated to 1.5 software before the update finishes at 0900 wednesday.
It was the fact that with the goodmans you couldn't record two channels at once. That was the problem. The timer record was fine!
We have a Richer sounds in our town, and they have these in stock.
What's the problem with the installed software?
Where do you want to start
I could not recommend the Panasonic anymore....yes once I defended this machine (see Panny thread), but the updates have turned my once reliable machine into nothing better than a door stop.....so in all honesty I would not go down that route.
If you can stretch to the price of the Humax then that is the one to go for, the only downside as marc has already stated is the lack of watching a recording in progress.
Very much appreciated.
Have just bought the Hummy from Heathrow after being very impressed with their manner and helpfullness on the phone.
Thanks to all of you as well. If my Mum complains about this one, well I'll just
I think we should all swap parents for tech support to remove the personal element.
Richard
Cliff
Exactly, now continually locking up for no apparent reason, and with that of course, missing numerous recordings, others who at first praised the update are also now having second thoughts.......however all is not lost as I have other PVRs.
I can only report what has happened to mine, and accept GG is more than thrilled at the update.
As an aside, the contact I had with Panny via e-mail has dissappeared also, e-mails now bounce. Tried the support line but got very little help there, tried placing a message via Panny website....no response in over a Week.
Edit...
Just powered it on from St/By, and new immediately that there was going to be a problem with last nights recordings as the picture was instantaneous instead of the usual Panny greeting screen. All recordings (4) set for last night not there.
Cliff
Would have to agree, but if you really wanted a larger disc and to spend £180 then as the OP go for the Humax. (missing some bells and whistle presently, but we live in hope)
They are still ripping people off with the larger Hard Disk size. The real price difference between 40G & 80G is next to nothing. In fact disks of that size are being discontinued but I guess with the samall PVR market they may be buying up the last production runs at a knock down Price. Retail price difference between a 40G & 80G is about £6.
I think I remember something that Cliff posted about these companies buying massive quantities even as long as a year ago - that are still being put in PVRs rolling off the pruction line now - I guess at a year agos' prices. Say a 160gb hard disk was 50% dearer a year ago for example.
Now gotta go over to my parents and spend my birthday afternoon setting it up for them!