Ditching Sky need Mysky replacement

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wombus

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Topic # 151618 30-Aug-2014 18:22

I have finally convinced my wife to ditch sky, she says as long as the new box will do the same as Mysky.
Looking at Dish Tv, Magic Tv and Panasonic recorders which one functions close to Mysky so that we can have two programs recording while watching one that is already recorded or live TV? also a good remote is important and being able to easily fast forward and an easy to use PVR interface

Looking at the Panasonic such as the 835GZ/840GZ which is my preference although i already have a blue ray player and don't plan to record to optical disc. the blurb states 'Twin HD tuner to record one channel while watching another' but i want 2 programs recording

What about Magic TV will this record 2 programs while watching something else recorded?... i'm assuming this is the closest thing to to Mysky but are they reliable and work as they should?

Are their any other boxes i have not considered? i don't want HTPC as too much to configure and my past experience with EPG is too much hassle.

Stu

Hammered
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Reply # 1118674 30-Aug-2014 18:29

The Panasonics will record 1 channel while you watch another live channel, or record 2 channels while you to watch a previously recorded program. We have the 835 as an extra unit and it's a fine unit. We have 3 x TiVo units around the house doing the main job of recording programs.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 1118700 30-Aug-2014 19:21

BigHammer: The Panasonics will record 1 channel while you watch another live channel, or record 2 channels while you to watch a previously recorded program. We have the 835 as an extra unit and it's a fine unit. We have 3 x TiVo units around the house doing the main job of recording programs.

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I have the BWT720 and can record two at once while watching a recorded program or playing a disc but can only watch one of the 2 channels being recorded at the same time and not a 3rd, even if it's on the same mux. If I want to watch another channel while recording 2 channels then I just use the TV's tuner to watch. One drawback I found is you can't play a Blu Ray disc while recording from an external input.

PoHq

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Reply # 1118828 31-Aug-2014 08:04

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Just my opinion but I think it's very rare to get ONE program worth watching on standard NZ TV let alone three simultaneously unless of course you like house renovation cooking and talent contests.

wombus

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Reply # 1118849 31-Aug-2014 10:01

PoHq: Just my opinion but I think it's very rare to get ONE program worth watching on standard NZ TV let alone three simultaneously unless of course you like house renovation cooking and talent contests.

Well i don't but my wife and teenage daughter do... drives me mad how many talent shows can their be?... That aside still some good stuff goes to air as long as you can FF the ads. The Mysky box is a fantastic unit/setup and the only reason I stuck with them this long, You can happily watch any channel while 2 are recording.

Zippity

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Reply # 1118853 31-Aug-2014 10:16

Am I correct is assuming that you are not interested in watching any sport?

wombus

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Reply # 1118937 31-Aug-2014 13:14

Zippity: Am I correct is assuming that you are not interested in watching any sport?

Yes Correct I have no interest in Sport except maybe some English Premier football, I'm happy with the odd game and highlights I get free to air.

wombus

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Reply # 1118949 31-Aug-2014 14:14

I went to JBHifi today, the salesman says he has the BWT835 but has had no joy getting the network functions working and believes that these functions perhaps are not compatible with NZ EPG? Can anyone confirm, Panasonic States that the Remote Recording Service in not compatible with NZ EPG for the DMR-BWT835 however they do not state this with the highest model BWT840. Will remote record EPG functions work here? plus would be nice to watch recorded stuff on the Ipad. Should I buy the 840 considering i have no interest in 4K and not likely to buy a new TV for many years? Is the 840 more compatible with Freeview EPG in terms of their Panasonic IOS or Android app?

FOCUS0

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Reply # 1119400 1-Sep-2014 10:37

An important item to note

Sky and MySky is Satellite based only (Igloo is the terrestrial cousin)

Are you in an area that has good reception for UHF Aerial signal, if so check you have the aerial and cabling in place.

If you are not then your options are limited as I don't think Panasonic have a Satellite unit.

shk292

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Reply # 1119441 1-Sep-2014 11:14

I have the BWT835, which was my replacement for MySky. I'm very pleased; I had concerns re usability and WAF but it scores well on those counts. Picture and sound quality are excellent, I would say subjectively better than Sky. I have a Samsung smart TV and with the BWT connected via HDMI, playback controls all work from the TV remote.

To confirm, it will happily record two channels but if you want to watch a third, then you'll need to use the TV's tuner. Recording from the EPG works very well, including series recording. With a 1TB HDD, we're no longer juggling programmes to free up space like we used to with MySky. I haven't tried disc burning yet but I thought that was a useful feature for archiving stuff, which wasn't available (easily) with Sky

The network functions allow me to use a tablet or WDTV live to view recorded programmes in other rooms, this works very well, streaming HD and you can pause/rewind etc. I haven't tried the remote recording function yet, I only used this a couple of times in the five+ years we had MySky.

The only bit I'm not impressed with is the "smart" feature set. This seems clunky, and despite using Unotelly to get BBC etc on the TV, I've been unable to get these apps on the BWT. And, there are no NZ TV apps.

Hope that helps

wombus

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Reply # 1119852 1-Sep-2014 19:05

Thanks for all your replies, I'm going to buy the BWT840 as it is the best option available and hopefully will serve me well for a number of years or until FTA dies. I found it difficult to find reviews on the specific models available here locally, maybe once I've driven the unit for a month I should try my hand at writing a review, especially in terms of operating with the Freeview epg.

Cheers