Freeview PVR Advice

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pk12

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#141400 11-Mar-2014 16:06

Hi
i'm new to the freeview pvr world and finding it more confusing than expected.

I'm looking to get a PVR with a few basic requirements:
- UHF
- dual tuner
- decent usability
- reliable EPG with booking and series link recording
- ability to skip ahead

best candidates seem to be:
- panasonic DMR-XW390
- dishtv t1050 (seems to have some reliability issues)
- Magic TV MTV3700TD (more expensive)

as far as i can figure, the freeview accreditation/approval process does nothing to protect the consumer with regard to quality/functionality, rather it is about protecting the content providers by stopping fast forward/skip type functionality. is this correct?
as much as i'm keen to skip ads i can understand that this is counter interests of the tv channels, however i get incredibly frustrated with the way many programs (shortland st being among the worst) always run overtime so if i set to record in time to be sure not to miss the start of a show i normally end up having to skip through several minutes of that rubbish before it actually starts.

i really don't want to have to go down the PC based route though as its more complex and expensive.

i see that the panasonic DMR-XW390 in nz has minimum 10 minute skip whereas the aussie model can skip 1 min. will an aussie model work here?

any other solutions i'm missing?

thanks in advance

jarledb

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#1002874 11-Mar-2014 16:09

Hang on, are you saying that Freeview approved PVRs can't fast forward commercials? Works perfectly nice with my Sky PVR.

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wellygary

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#1002891 11-Mar-2014 16:26

They fast forward just fine, it is just that freeview has enforced a "no skip" rule,

In the "good old days" my analog DVR had a 30 sec skip button, hit it 8 times and a 4 min ad break was over, rather than having to fast forward and still actually see the ads ( although with no volume and a much shorter time period)

B1GGLZ

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#1002924 11-Mar-2014 17:24

I use a panasonic. Does averything I want. Just use fast forward in place of skip. Oz models normally don't work in NZ due to different channel spacing and different EPG protocols etc.

Gilco2

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#1002953 11-Mar-2014 19:15

I have both the Dishtv 1050 and the magicTV 3700. The 3700 is now in the closet. The first T1050 I bought was faulty but that was quickly rectified by Dishtv. I also bought a refurbished T1050 which also excellent. The magic wouldnt play files from home server. The DidhTv T1050 plays from my home server and has been excellent. Before the latest firmware it wouldnt play them but plays nicely npw

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

bfginger

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#1004421 12-Mar-2014 16:53

Try the Panasonic BWT835GZ over the XW390. It reads and writes Blu-rays, supports Freeview Plus for future proofing, has a larger hard drive and costs less than $200 more at $588.
http://www.panasonic.com/nz/consumer/home-entertainment/blu-ray-dvd/blu-ray-recorders/dmr-bwt835gz.html

Have they added timer recording to the T1050?

doug3

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#1004537 12-Mar-2014 20:19

The Panasonic Recorders have a consistent 60x fast-forward which you can use with a sequence on a Harmony remote to get a 4min virtual skip with one button press, this is good for channels 1,2 and 3. I use a Harmony 600 which they don't make any more, a Harmony 650 at about $60 would be the lowest priced remote that could do this. Unfortunately these only do a 5 step sequence, you need 7 (Harmony Touch does 10) but using the Harmony 7.7 software it is possible to quickly press (not to quick) the fast-forward button 5 times to learn this as one button. You also need a short delay for this I added a button from an unused remote, some experiment needed here as different buttons will produce a different length delay.
Sequence is (5 F-F button) (delay) (play) this gives 4min +/- 7sec if done right.
Also (F-F) (F-F) (F-F) (0) (play) skip 35sec forward.
(Rewind) (Rewind) (Rewind) (0) (play) skip 35sec back. (0) is from the panasonic remote.
So a bit of a hassle to setup but it is worth it, fast and accurate and you don't have to look at the screen.
The Panasonic DMR-BWT835 has 60sec skip forward 10sec skip back using the Diga Player App this works ok but it is a bit inconvenient for various reasons.

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Gilco2

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#1004586 12-Mar-2014 21:55

bfginger:
Have they added timer recording to the T1050?

Just checked mine and no. But then I have never found a need for it as the builtin guide is adequate.

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JimmyH

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#1004612 12-Mar-2014 22:12

Any of those units should meet your requirements.

Personally, I would go with the Panasonic because it offers external inputs (which is useful if you have other sources like a Sky decoder), a DLNA server (which only matters if you want to network it to other media players), and the ability to burn discs (which is useful if, say, you want to watch a recording on a telly in your bedroom).

But if none of those matter to you then you should probably go with the cheapest option. Downloading and perusing manuals, if available, can also help making a choice like this.

And yes, I agree that the loss of 60-sec skip (which my older units had), is annoying. No FV-accredited boix will do this. I mutter a profanity directed at Freeview everytime I have to fast forward instead of just hitting skip.

Dunnersfella

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#1004621 12-Mar-2014 22:20

The 835 is the best of the bunch if you can get one for the right price. I love the ability to stream live TV (well, 10 seconds delayed) to my iPad!
But the rest of their range is pretty much rock solid now, they've had them in the range for years now, meaning a lot of upgrades to the hardware / software over time. I think the remote could be a little less complex, but apart from that it's all good.

bazzer

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#1004697 13-Mar-2014 09:30

Dunnersfella: The 835 is the best of the bunch if you can get one for the right price. I love the ability to stream live TV (well, 10 seconds delayed) to my iPad!
But the rest of their range is pretty much rock solid now, they've had them in the range for years now, meaning a lot of upgrades to the hardware / software over time. I think the remote could be a little less complex, but apart from that it's all good.

I heard that this will be replaced by the 840 in May. Not sure what new features it will have but the downside is it will probably be back at full price. You can get the 835 for under $600 at the moment. THat's what I'm looking to get, probably not worth waiting for the 840.

Duddyx5

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Master Geek

#1004788 13-Mar-2014 11:31

Have they added timer recording to the T1050?

There is a timer record option, this option is under Menu / System Config / Wake-up timer.

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Gilco2

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#1004849 13-Mar-2014 12:55

I never even looked under system configuration for timer record. Yes it is there.

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B1GGLZ

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#1004989 13-Mar-2014 14:55

Just spotted the BWT835 in JB HiFi today on special at $598. That's only $150 dearer than the XW390 so excellent value.
Cheaper than my BWT720 that I bought a year ago on sale. I figured there must be a new model due.

pk12

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1005017 13-Mar-2014 15:11

thanks for all the advice guys.
i've gone with the panasonic DMR-XW390 - $399 from noel leeming. for my purposes couldn't justify the extra $200 for the higher spec model.

gustov

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#1007082 17-Mar-2014 10:04

A downside of the the Panasonic XW-390 is it handling of the timer recording regime when wanting to use the EPG to record any of the +1 channels - TV One+1, TV2+2 and TV3+1. If you book a programme from these channels (perhaps because the dual tuners are in use for that time recording other channels), then it will default to recording TV1, TV2 or TV3 and then tell you there is a conflict with the other timers. The solution is to programme the +1 channel manually.

Another hint. If you use the EPG to record two programmes on the same channel, one after the other, then this will use up the two built-in tuners. The reason for this is that the XW390 begins recording 3 minutes before the scheduled start time and records on until 3 minutes after the advertised end time. Because of the overlapped recording between the ending of the first programme and start of the next programme the recorder needs to use both tuners. The solution, if you need one of the tuners for another channel, is to set the up the programming manually, to record both programmes continuously.

Other than these two issues, which are easily managed, the XW-390 is a reliable recorder and the built-in DVD recorder allows for the transfer of programmes to disc, which many other reorders don't have.

On one final thing, XW-390 must have a slow (cheap) processor installed because bringing up the EPG is painfully slow compared to my UltraPlus X-9200.