Best off-the shelf TIVO replacement

Forums › TiVo › Best off-the shelf TIVO replacement

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 10

697 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1828737 24-Jul-2017 22:12

mattwnz:

I am pretty sure that tivo sold an external add-on drive for the nz tivo. Was quite pricey though. Maybe some people here have one

Ahh, I meant as part of a new system to replace the tivo, not to add a drive to the tivo :)

cafeg

697 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1828746 24-Jul-2017 22:32

red89mx: I have the WD 1 TB external drive for one of our tivos. Expensive and a bit noisy.

The Panasonic and some of the other pvr's take USB external HDD's.....much cheaper option.
guanxi

Cool, that would be worth investigating, Pity the panasonic has a slow interface/not user friendly as people are saying.

I used to plug a USB drive into an old satellite dishtv box i had and that would do pause and record ok but it only had 1 tuner.

Oh well, hopefully one of the major companies like LG or Sony will come up with something to that works as well as Tivo

red89mx

81 posts

Master Geek

#1828756 24-Jul-2017 23:29

Whilst the Panasonic is not as good as the Tivo interface, it is an acceptable second choice for me. Just need to live with and manage the known issues (rolling series link, black screens on live TV, limited changes during recording etc).

The reality is that NZ is a very small market and there is going to be no great new PVR device just for us. With streaming services becoming the norm the investment is not getting put in PVR's.

At best we will get a similar offering as the Aussie market (but no Fetch TV here yet) plus re-branded and tweaked Chinese devices (Kudos to Dish TV who appear to have local NZ tech support). Failing this we need to roll up our sleeves and build/support/maintain Computer based solutions.

Tivo has had many years developing their UI so that their North American customers can easily operate it, and unless Apple were to add Freeview support to their Apple TV offering then I am not hopeful of getting a PVR with a good UI.

allan

2044 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1831883 26-Jul-2017 21:57

red89mx:

Whilst the Panasonic is not as good as the Tivo interface, it is an acceptable second choice for me. Just need to live with and manage the known issues (rolling series link, black screens on live TV, limited changes during recording etc).

The reality is that NZ is a very small market and there is going to be no great new PVR device just for us. With streaming services becoming the norm the investment is not getting put in PVR's.

At best we will get a similar offering as the Aussie market (but no Fetch TV here yet) plus re-branded and tweaked Chinese devices (Kudos to Dish TV who appear to have local NZ tech support). Failing this we need to roll up our sleeves and build/support/maintain Computer based solutions.

Tivo has had many years developing their UI so that their North American customers can easily operate it, and unless Apple were to add Freeview support to their Apple TV offering then I am not hopeful of getting a PVR with a good UI.

I'm wondering if there are different interfaces on different models of the Panasonics, because on the DMR-BWT760GN that I purchased, I definitely can see programme recordings grouped by name, which you mentioned in your first post that you couldn't. I haven't seen any evidence of the black screen issues that a number of people have commented on. Also in the very long "Tivo Service Ending 31 October 2017" thread, someone seemed very surprised that the 760 had a grid interface in the programme guide and asked me to post some photos to confirm that it had.

However, I do also agree that it has some quirks and not as easy to use as the Tivo.

old3eyes

9120 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1832076 27-Jul-2017 09:53

Saw this one on a site . Interface looks OK but a bit expensive

http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/xcruiser-xdsr600hd500-pvr-digital-satellite-receiver.html

Regards,

Old3eyes

cafeg

697 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1832082 27-Jul-2017 10:14

Yes, I saw that as well but it has 2 satellite tuners and only one terrestial tuner and as someone pointed out satellite is only sd so only one tuner is hd for recording, I would rather have everything HD.

red89mx

81 posts

Master Geek

#1832109 27-Jul-2017 11:13

Allan - I am only just getting to know the Panasonic HWT260.

Re the on program groupings I can now see that the Panasonic HWT260 does do groupings of sorts. I now have 2 x Westside shows in one folder (recorded via series link) and a separate Westside where I recorded a Sunday repeat one off (missed setting record for first show of season). Our Tivo's would have recognised these as the same show and put them in one folder. Based on this the Pana seems to group series recordings, rather than individual recording of the same show in a series.

I think the UI between Panasonic units will be similar....my older Pana TV menu is not dissimilar in structure than the PVR for the same type of functions.

The HWT260's have a nice grid EPG guide (similar to Sky) as well as a single channel guide (can cycle between modes). Whilst I do find this nicer and quicker to use than the Tivo.......the disciplined steps Tivo takes you through to record results in less user error :)

I have not yet experienced any issues with black screens as forum members on the HWT-260N thread indicated it was only when watching live TV via the PVR (we use the TV's built in freeview for this) and it could be resolved by disabling FreeviewPlus (which I have done, mainly as it was useless without captions for us).

In summary.....the Panasonic HWT260 works but is not quite as developed UI wise as the Tivo and we are in the early days of transitioning from our Tivo's.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

red89mx

81 posts

Master Geek

#1832115 27-Jul-2017 11:20

I did a quick call to Sky to price up their Mysky for Free to Air (FTA) use only.

1. Need sky dish install (if not already present)

2. Require a months subscription to Sky basic ($49.91) and MySky fee ($15) - $64.91

3. Downgrade basic after first month, then FTA is $18.70 month plus the $15 MySky - $33.70

The Sky consultant confirmed FTA channels that are broadcast in High Def will be delivered in High Def without the need of a HD ticket.

So at over $400 per year this would be quite an expensive Tivo replacement.

clive100

236 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#1832124 27-Jul-2017 11:32

red89mx:

Allan - I am only just getting to know the Panasonic HWT260.

Re the on program groupings I can now see that the Panasonic HWT260 does do groupings of sorts. I now have 2 x Westside shows in one folder (recorded via series link) and a separate Westside where I recorded a Sunday repeat one off (missed setting record for first show of season). Our Tivo's would have recognised these as the same show and put them in one folder. Based on this the Pana seems to group series recordings, rather than individual recording of the same show in a series.

I have earlier Panasonic models ( pre freeview plus) and they will group a series record. There is an option (under options) to group titles so you can add that missed recording into the existing group. Also you may have a few movies all listed individually & these can also the grouped using the select function & then option group titles. The name of the group will be the first movie in the group but you can rename that to "my movies "or what ever you wish. As more movies are recorded you can add these to the group by selecting firstly the movies group & then selecting the other(s) to add then go options, group titles. You can make & name any group of recording. This is a very useful feature & helps organise you recording into managable groups so speeding up finding a specific recording.

tdgeek

29753 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1832127 27-Jul-2017 11:36

red89mx:

Whilst the Panasonic is not as good as the Tivo interface, it is an acceptable second choice for me. Just need to live with and manage the known issues (rolling series link, black screens on live TV, limited changes during recording etc).

The reality is that NZ is a very small market and there is going to be no great new PVR device just for us. With streaming services becoming the norm the investment is not getting put in PVR's.

At best we will get a similar offering as the Aussie market (but no Fetch TV here yet) plus re-branded and tweaked Chinese devices (Kudos to Dish TV who appear to have local NZ tech support). Failing this we need to roll up our sleeves and build/support/maintain Computer based solutions.

Tivo has had many years developing their UI so that their North American customers can easily operate it, and unless Apple were to add Freeview support to their Apple TV offering then I am not hopeful of getting a PVR with a good UI.

Isn't this a Freeview issue? And not Panny etc? All devices use the Freeview UI, they arent using the Panny UI or Samsung UI. Isnt freeview managed somehow by the Govt? Could they not offer a choice of UI? Or is it not that simple?

tdgeek

29753 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1832129 27-Jul-2017 11:39

red89mx:

Allan - I am only just getting to know the Panasonic HWT260.

Re the on program groupings I can now see that the Panasonic HWT260 does do groupings of sorts. I now have 2 x Westside shows in one folder (recorded via series link) and a separate Westside where I recorded a Sunday repeat one off (missed setting record for first show of season). Our Tivo's would have recognised these as the same show and put them in one folder. Based on this the Pana seems to group series recordings, rather than individual recording of the same show in a series.

I think the UI between Panasonic units will be similar....my older Pana TV menu is not dissimilar in structure than the PVR for the same type of functions.

The HWT260's have a nice grid EPG guide (similar to Sky) as well as a single channel guide (can cycle between modes). Whilst I do find this nicer and quicker to use than the Tivo.......the disciplined steps Tivo takes you through to record results in less user error :)

I have not yet experienced any issues with black screens as forum members on the HWT-260N thread indicated it was only when watching live TV via the PVR (we use the TV's built in freeview for this) and it could be resolved by disabling FreeviewPlus (which I have done, mainly as it was useless without captions for us).

In summary.....the Panasonic HWT260 works but is not quite as developed UI wise as the Tivo and we are in the early days of transitioning from our Tivo's.

Tks, I didnt know that

cafeg

697 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1832142 27-Jul-2017 12:15

I have a question for the panny owners.. I'm thinking of getting a panny..

are you able to play dvd's or blueray discs while recording off the tv channels or doing a series recording without the recording stopping while the disc is playing ?

red89mx

81 posts

Master Geek

#1832143 27-Jul-2017 12:16

tdgeek - I believe that it is each manufacture who decides the investment and ultimate quality of their UI through leveraging of the Freeview platform. Tivo had some advantages by using their own custom EPG (but I am sure they were connected to a similar source as the Freeview EPG. Note that Tivo was still utilising the freeview platform.

You can see the difference where Tivo was designed as a service, and needed a good UI to survive (note NZ is now 8+ years behind Nth American Tivo), MySky is similar - hence the uproar when they messed up with their upgrade. The PVR manufactures make money through many consumer electronics devices and their PVR's just need to be Ok....there was little incentive for them to invest into UI, and less now with streaming services.

tdgeek

29753 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1832155 27-Jul-2017 12:38

red89mx:

tdgeek - I believe that it is each manufacture who decides the investment and ultimate quality of their UI through leveraging of the Freeview platform. Tivo had some advantages by using their own custom EPG (but I am sure they were connected to a similar source as the Freeview EPG. Note that Tivo was still utilising the freeview platform.

You can see the difference where Tivo was designed as a service, and needed a good UI to survive (note NZ is now 8+ years behind Nth American Tivo), MySky is similar - hence the uproar when they messed up with their upgrade. The PVR manufactures make money through many consumer electronics devices and their PVR's just need to be Ok....there was little incentive for them to invest into UI, and less now with streaming services.

Ok. From my readings on here, I took it that they all used the stock FV UI. And that the main issues were no grid layout, and that the Pannys have a slow response, which they do. We have a Tivo, I never cared for it, as I had to fix it every now and then when it stopped recording.

The Sky issue was a silly uproar, they made some fonts smaller than many liked, and fair enough but that's all it was.

Can u take a pic of the HWT260 grid?

Cheers

shk292

2858 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1832163 27-Jul-2017 12:55

cafeg:

I have a question for the panny owners.. I'm thinking of getting a panny..

are you able to play dvd's or blueray discs while recording off the tv channels or doing a series recording without the recording stopping while the disc is playing ?

I have the pre-freeview plus Bwt730 and I'm 99% sure that disc playback is completely independent of recording. I had heard reports that playing back one recorded programme from HDD while recording one or two others causes problems, but I have never experienced this.

My experience with the Panasonic unit as a replacement for Sky has been very positive. The only downside for me is that the online apps are useless, but I believe the newer ones have Netflix etc. I've never had a problem with the UI - it's an improvement on the MySky that it replaced in that programmes are grouped. The EPG can be slow to load sometimes

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 10