Best Freeview Satellite PVR?

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jarledb

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#141300 7-Mar-2014 18:01

Considering giving Sky the boot as we are hardly watching any live TV anymore. BUT would like to be able to watch the open Freeview channels.

No (good) coverage for Freeview terrestrial where I live and no way to fix it (not allowed to put up antennas).

Which would the best Freeview Satellite PVR be? A Dish model or DTV? Any others?

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#1000969 7-Mar-2014 19:05

DTV Smart 1 (android based) $399

4x USB 2.0 port

HDMI out

a host of apps and other bits like DLNA you do don't have to reformat large HDD or sticks it can read/write to NTFS

with the new update it's just a damn nice little box for everything

http://www.dtvs.co.nz/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=103

jarledb

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#1000972 7-Mar-2014 19:18

Athlonite: DTV Smart 1 (android based) $399

Yeah, nah. Single tuner is a dead end for me. But thanks for the suggestion.

Gilco2

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#1000982 7-Mar-2014 19:51

i have had a few and the one I like best is my DishTV S7090pvr. Been excellent. twin tuner and freeview certified. Can still tune non freeview channels as well. I had tuned Aussie ones as well before. With the new firmwares you can even copy the recordings from the hard drive to a usb drive. It is standard mp4 format

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

Dunnersfella

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#1000986 7-Mar-2014 20:00

Gilco2:
I had no idea the S7090PVR was capable of copying from the HDD to USB...
Will it accept an external powered HDD? Or is it USB drive only?

Gilco2

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#1001002 7-Mar-2014 20:50

havent tried but dont see why it wont work with an external powered usb hard drive.

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

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#1001021 7-Mar-2014 21:47

jarledb:
Athlonite: DTV Smart 1 (android based) $399

Yeah, nah. Single tuner is a dead end for me. But thanks for the suggestion.

where does it say it's only a single tuner I can't find any reference in the manual under specifications

scuwp

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#1001025 7-Mar-2014 21:55

Go the Dish TV model. Local support a bonus.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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#1001033 7-Mar-2014 22:07

scuwp: Go the Dish TV model. Local support a bonus.

DTV has local support if by local you mean within NZ they're only an email or 0800 call/message away and they're pretty quick to answer

jarledb

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#1001037 7-Mar-2014 22:11

Athlonite:
where does it say it's only a single tuner I can't find any reference in the manual under specifications

"The main disadvantage of the Smart1 as a satellite receiver is that it only has a single tuner. While it does not particularly impact on your real time TV watching, it does limit the use of the unit as a PVR."

Source: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=13325

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#1001042 7-Mar-2014 22:21

jarledb:
Athlonite:
where does it say it's only a single tuner I can't find any reference in the manual under specifications

"The main disadvantage of the Smart1 as a satellite receiver is that it only has a single tuner. While it does not particularly impact on your real time TV watching, it does limit the use of the unit as a PVR."

Source: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=13325

Ah yes I forgot about the review DOH you'd think this is something they should have put in the manual under the specs or talked about in the PVR setup/use guide in the manual although most single tuner pvrs will usually let you record 1 channel and watch another in the same group I'll give a try and see never really thought about it much

KiwiTim

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#1001168 8-Mar-2014 10:35

My brother has a UltraPlus X-9200HD PVR Digital Satellite, which has two tuners. You can opt for terrestrial or satellite tuners.

http://www.ultrapower.co.nz/product_receiver_hd_satellite_pvr_ultraplus-x9200hd-pvr.html

But this device is over $700. Seems to work well.

I use a Windows 8.1 HTPC with a dual DVB-S2 tuner:

http://www.tevii.com/Products_S480_1.asp

I use DVBViewer with Recording Service, and the picture looks far better on my system than on my brother's UltraPlus X-9200HD PVR.

I did have the DVBViewer Recording Service configured for decrypting Sky for my paid subscription, but with all the streaming content around now, it wasn't worth the cost, so cancelled Sky.

With DVBViewer you can record all channels on the same frequency on one single tuner, and be free to watch or record something else on the other.

In my opinion a HTPC is better value for money than a dual tuner set top box.

Apsattv

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#1001403 8-Mar-2014 19:42

KiwiTim: My brother has a UltraPlus X-9200HD PVR Digital Satellite, which has two tuners. You can opt for terrestrial or satellite tuners.

http://www.ultrapower.co.nz/product_receiver_hd_satellite_pvr_ultraplus-x9200hd-pvr.html

But this device is over $700. Seems to work well.

I use a Windows 8.1 HTPC with a dual DVB-S2 tuner:

http://www.tevii.com/Products_S480_1.asp

I use DVBViewer with Recording Service, and the picture looks far better on my system than on my brother's UltraPlus X-9200HD PVR.

The video quality from the Ultraplus 9200 changed depending on the firmware version being used. Does he keep it updated?

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#1001407 8-Mar-2014 19:47

In my opinion $400 is way too much to pay for a single tuner satellite box. Despite the multiple multimedia functions. You could buy a single tuner stb + tablet or rasberry pi device and still get some change for $400

jarledb

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#1001712 9-Mar-2014 14:36

So, it looks like maybe DishTV S7090pvr will be the box of choice. Anyone have a good reason to stay away from it?

tangerz

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#1004541 12-Mar-2014 20:31

The DishTV S7090 is only $299 at Noel Leeming right now, just so you know! Haven't owned one myself. I bought an Ultraplus F-9000HD a few years back. Had nothing but trouble with it from day one. Would crash/freeze at least a couple of times a week, often recorded the wrong channel until it eventually wouldn't even boot up!

Replaced it last year with a Vu+ Solo2. This thing is damn near bulletproof. Hasn't missed a beat since I first turned it on nearly a year ago. Had to import it from France since I couldn't find any supplier in NZ. Only cost just over NZ$600 landed including shipping. Couldn't be happier with it!

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