PlayTV update out for PS3....

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429 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 23

#281903 13-Dec-2009 10:07

So if/when PlayTV does launch in NZ would the costs involved be:

$200 for an NZ issue DVB-T tuner
$130 for a 500GB 2.5" hard drive
$50 for a PS3 remote

So approx $380?

That's about half the price of the MyFreeview 500GB recorders.

Seems like a good deal at first but for the extra cost of a MyFreeview you get an all in one box dedicated device (with aerial pass through) and an extra tuner.

PS3 seems to be jack of all trades, master of none

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#281908 13-Dec-2009 10:54

Gemini: So if/when PlayTV does launch in NZ would the costs involved be:
$200 for an NZ issue DVB-T tuner
$130 for a 500GB 2.5" hard drive
$50 for a PS3 remote

So approx $380?

And, of course, you will need a PS3 as well - that bumps up the cost a bit.

SNicolle

543 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 6

#281914 13-Dec-2009 11:26

can't say enough about a good screwdriver set to change the hdd. Sony screwed the HDD in tight tight tight

lchiu7

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#281963 13-Dec-2009 15:45

Gemini: So if/when PlayTV does launch in NZ would the costs involved be:

$200 for an NZ issue DVB-T tuner
$130 for a 500GB 2.5" hard drive
$50 for a PS3 remote

So approx $380?

That's about half the price of the MyFreeview 500GB recorders.

Seems like a good deal at first but for the extra cost of a MyFreeview you get an all in one box dedicated device (with aerial pass through) and an extra tuner.

PS3 seems to be jack of all trades, master of none

Tivo is $900 so the PS3 with PlayTV and a new drive is still under that.

And as for the PS3 as jack of all trades, maybe but it's a killer games console (probably the best out there) and the best BD player.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

Gemini

429 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 23

#281986 13-Dec-2009 18:05

lchiu7:
Gemini: So if/when PlayTV does launch in NZ would the costs involved be:

$200 for an NZ issue DVB-T tuner
$130 for a 500GB 2.5" hard drive
$50 for a PS3 remote

So approx $380?

That's about half the price of the MyFreeview 500GB recorders.

Seems like a good deal at first but for the extra cost of a MyFreeview you get an all in one box dedicated device (with aerial pass through) and an extra tuner.

PS3 seems to be jack of all trades, master of none

Tivo is $900 so the PS3 with PlayTV and a new drive is still under that.

And as for the PS3 as jack of all trades, maybe but it's a killer games console (probably the best out there) and the best BD player.

Have you compared using PlayTV to Tivo, or are you just comparing prices?

lchiu7

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#281988 13-Dec-2009 18:17

Have you compared using PlayTV to Tivo, or are you just comparing prices?

I have the Play TV and love it, and spent time in the Telecom store with Tivo. Apart from the full EPG and the streaming of TV shows (which only really makes sense if you're on Telecom broadband which I am not) PlayTV is just as good as Tivo and has much more additional functionality.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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lchiu7

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#282093 14-Dec-2009 07:56

I just discovered a minor PlayTV gotcha. Possibly because it's my screen resolution (1280x720) but when you set a manual record to repeat say weekly, it actually defaults to repeating only twice. On my screen without scrolling the last option is the repeat frequency (daily, weekly) and below that, seen only if you scroll down, it the number of times the repeat should occur. So I initially couldn't work out why all my repeats disapeared after a couple of recordings.

It's slightly unusual behaviour since most PVR's when you set a manual record to repeat, will repeat indefinitely until you stop it.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

Jaxson

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#282163 14-Dec-2009 10:14

lchiu7: Possibly because it's my screen resolution (1280x720) but when you set a manual record to repeat say weekly, it actually defaults to repeating only twice.

It's slightly unusual behaviour since most PVR's when you set a manual record to repeat, will repeat indefinitely until you stop it.

No, not a 720p thing. It's hidden down the bottom and also has a maximum of 10 repeats too which is kinda odd too.

Play TV only makes sense if you already have a PS3 and live in a HD boradcast area. It's a limited PVR in that it can record only one thing at a time, but you'll always be able to watch something else.

If you don't factor in a new hard drive etc it's a very cheap way to add some reception to your PS3. In that respect it's far cheaper than even a stand alone freeview HD receiver box. It shouldn't really be compared to other PVR's because it does have it's limitations. Really it's an option if you have a PS3 already, simple as that.

If you don't have a PS3, or want a full blown easy to use TV recorder than you may be better to spend your money on a dedicated box that starts up straight away, has a standard IR receiver for the remote control, can record two channels at once and has a full working approved EPG.

testing123

176 posts

Master Geek

#282219 14-Dec-2009 11:39

anyone else notice that the tv3 based channels (tv3+1, c4 etc) seem to crap out every few seconds (sometimes only in a minor way, more often in a major) for a second or two?

TVNZ based channels are all fine, as are prime and the radio stations.

anyone?

could just be bad reception for that network of channels, but i'm in Kingsland/Mt Eden... which shouldnt have any issues i'd have thought.

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#282237 14-Dec-2009 12:19

lchiu7: Tivo is $900 so the PS3 with PlayTV and a new drive is still under that.

lchiu7: PlayTV is just as good as Tivo and has much more additional functionality.

I understand that PlayTV will only allow you to record one programme at a time, and it lacks a proper EPG so at best it's half as capable as a PVR.

Perhaps a better comparison would be one of the Freeview|HD set top boxes that provides PVR functionality via an external disk drive, but those often have EPG support.

lchiu7

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#282249 14-Dec-2009 12:34

Deev8:
lchiu7: Tivo is $900 so the PS3 with PlayTV and a new drive is still under that.

I understand that PlayTV will only allow you to record one programme at a time, and it lacks a proper EPG so at best it's half as capable as a PVR.

Perhaps a better comparison would be one of the Freeview|HD set top boxes that provides PVR functionality via an external disk drive, but those often have EPG support.

It can record one and you can watch one at the same time but apparently that's a limitation of the software, not the USB tuner since folks have got the USB tuner to work under Windows accessing both tuners.

The epg is a pain but nothing that can't be fixed by Sony if they ever get around to doing it.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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Jaxson

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#282273 14-Dec-2009 13:28

Deev8: Perhaps a better comparison would be one of the Freeview|HD set top boxes that provides PVR functionality via an external disk drive, but those often have EPG support.

PlayTV is sort of somewhere in the middle. The basic set top boxes allow you to record, but only what you're watching anyway as they are single tuner units. PlayTV allows for always watch one and record one. If you want more functionality then you'll need to look elsewhere.

Some people are really pushing PlayTV as the greatest thing ever, but I personally think it's just a cool add on for someone who has a PS3 already, not necessarily a reason to go and buy a PS3 outright. The PS3 is the best bang for buck unit out there IMO but you suffer the problems of trying to use a games machine to do everything. It is also not officially supported here so you're limited for support comeback, especially in my case where I have a larger 500Gb hard drive and significant stuttering on my PlayTV unit when recording.

lchiu7

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#282308 14-Dec-2009 14:18

Well I have never encountered stuttering on my Play TV but do get the occasional pixellation in the picture but I attribute that to the reception I have since it occurs on recordings I make with gbpvr (same aerial connection) and on live broadcasts (using a DVB-T tuner and same aerial).

But this is a 60G drive only and I am planning to upgrade to a 500G. Is WD still the flavour of the month here?

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

lackie

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#282967 15-Dec-2009 23:31

@don't panic42 re. black border issue

I am having a similar border issues to you and pjshark, different television though: my PlayTV and PS3 are outputting via HDMI to a Panasonic TH-42PY800AZ.

When PlayTV is running the picture has a black border on the left2cm wide, and around the other three sides just under 1cm. The screen is full HD, native 1080 pixel resolution. BluRay discs and PS3 games all fill the screen completely under the same settings, yet PlayTV output does not - regardless of settings I have tried on PlayTV and the PS3's own video and display settings. (The TV is set to 16:9 and all other kinds of upscaling are off).

The only solution on my set sounds similar to that for you: under settings, turn on 'Picture Overscan'. This takes the image and stretches that last bit to full screen, which still looks excellent, but is not the optimum setting for my TV. Does this mean that PlayTV is not sending out a full 16:9 picutre?

dontpanic42

1574 posts

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#282974 16-Dec-2009 00:00

lackie: @don't panic42 re. black border issue

I am having a similar border issues to you and pjshark, different television though: my PlayTV and PS3 are outputting via HDMI to a Panasonic TH-42PY800AZ.

When PlayTV is running the picture has a black border on the left2cm wide, and around the other three sides just under 1cm. The screen is full HD, native 1080 pixel resolution. BluRay discs and PS3 games all fill the screen completely under the same settings, yet PlayTV output does not - regardless of settings I have tried on PlayTV and the PS3's own video and display settings. (The TV is set to 16:9 and all other kinds of upscaling are off).

The only solution on my set sounds similar to that for you: under settings, turn on 'Picture Overscan'. This takes the image and stretches that last bit to full screen, which still looks excellent, but is not the optimum setting for my TV. Does this mean that PlayTV is not sending out a full 16:9 picutre?

That's what I suspect. I have about the same "black outline" measurements around my TV too. I have actually been using the mode that doesn't exhibit the blacks lines and have gotten quite used to it. But I still don't like the fact that it does it. Like you said, the PS3 and Blurays all fit the screen perfectly in "Full Pixel" mode (as my Sony TV calls it), so I don't see any reason why PlayTV shouldn't as well. Maybe because there are no official specs for NZ broadcasts at the moment they have not factored in the NZ broadcast picture margins (NB: it looks like the picture is slightly to the left across all channels). Hopefully they will when it actually officially gets lauched in NZ (whenever that is). Sad thing is though we will probably lose the ever so useful 1min skip when it goes official.

On another note, I have noticed that some of the Manual recordings that I have scheduled seem to be picking up the EPG info when it comes to record it. NB: There was no EPG info assigned when I set the recording, just "Manual Recording". Anyone else experience the same thing?

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