TViX 6500a DVB-T PVR Review

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r0bbie

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#41577 18-Sep-2009 16:56

The other day I got my hands on a TViX 6500a DVB-T PVR - and just thought id share my thoughts about it if anyone else was thinking about buying one

The model I got was a single tuner with a 1TB internal HDD, but apprently a twin tuner has just come out.

Pros
Freeview HD
Plays any media file (VOB,DIVX,AVI,JPG etc)
Comes with a 1TB HDD is easily swapped out
Connects via USB or wired or wireless(but only supports a few usb cards on WEP) network
Can record Freeview from EPG (but the epg doesnt display correctly (as below))
HDMI or component or s-video
Optical Audio

Cons
Its not Freeview certifed
The EPG only has names of programs for the next 5 programs (but does have time slots and duration for the rest)
No timeshifting
Cant view other media files while recording something on HDTV

Overall its not to bad if you can handle some of those cons and you want it for basic freeview recording anyway - they need to fix up a few things but its promising and works for me

If your interested http://www.tvix.co.nz/ or on trademe under the username tvix

Hatch

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#259258 29-Sep-2009 08:36

Hi,

Thanks for posting this, would you say the interface is slow? I had a media player a few years ago that was terribly slow when you moved from one media player to another, the CPU must have been woefully inadequate as it would try to preview video from each media file as you moved from one to another. Was so slow it was unusable.

Would you say this unit has a similar interface performance issue due to humble CPU?

Cheers

Kraven

738 posts

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#259266 29-Sep-2009 09:06

Thanks for the review!

I have owned a TVIX HD M-4000PA for a few years. This is purely a media player and plays pretty much anything from my NAS. Doesn't have support for H.264 though, so it is in need of replacement at some stage.

I was considering the 6500A with freeviewe tuner a few months ago, but decided against it. My main reasons were that it was expensive and the freeview support was unknown, as it wasn't certified. From what you're saying about freeview recording, it sounds a little clunky and as I don't currently have any H.264 stuff, it is a lot to spend to simply upgrade my existing unit.

As a media player though, the TVIX units are great!

Still yet to find my dream unit, outside of a HTPC. All I want is something that will record freeview from the EPG, play/save content to my NAS and most importantly is wife-friendly. Simple, huh?

r0bbie

259 posts

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#259450 29-Sep-2009 18:18

Hatch - No the interface isnt slow its nice and quick the only problem was switching between TV and the file player but just the other day a new firmware has just come out - it now swaps in 3 seconds :) At the moment everything ive thrown at it was worked well.

Kraven - I didnt think it was to expensive with other things out there and the recordings do work really well recorded a few movies and mythbusters on prime every week lol its just the EPG that needs some work now....

I only wish it had a dvd or blue ray rom drive (as it plays blue ray files (well so they say))

mcraenz

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#259651 30-Sep-2009 11:06

No timeshifting?? As in you can't pause "live" TV?

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r0bbie

259 posts

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#259740 30-Sep-2009 14:29

mcraenz: No timeshifting?? As in you can't pause "live" TV?

Yep thats right - hopefully they fix this down the track but its a nice to have not a show stopper

mcraenz

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#259944 1-Oct-2009 08:22

Yeah, that would be a show stopper for me. To me the 2 core functions that make a good PVR are ability to record from EPG, and timeshifting. But it's early days yet it seems likely that they will add that functionality.

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broozm

48 posts

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#260327 1-Oct-2009 21:14

r0bbie: Hatch - No the interface isnt slow its nice and quick the only problem was switching between TV and the file player but just the other day a new firmware has just come out - it now swaps in 3 seconds :) At the moment everything ive thrown at it was worked well.

Kraven - I didnt think it was to expensive with other things out there and the recordings do work really well recorded a few movies and mythbusters on prime every week lol its just the EPG that needs some work now....

I only wish it had a dvd or blue ray rom drive (as it plays blue ray files (well so they say))

Yes, if it had DVD I would be buying one - can it play a DVD over the USB connection with a USB dvd player? Sounds a bit number8 wire for this level of machine though :(

Price-wise its about comparable with other larger brand-name HDD/DVD recorders, but has Freeview built-in which none of them do.

Hmm... 3 second player changes are bearable (maybe) especially if it actually does all it says it does. (But 3s CHANNEL changes would NOT be bearable).

With a dead DVD player, I am waiting for "pressuer" form SWMBO to "go get something" to play dvds on ;)
So I have to be ready to find something that will hook up to my nas, record, and if Freeview is part of the deal, all the better! Any ideas?

richms

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#260379 1-Oct-2009 23:03

There were $35 or $40 dvd players at JB when I was last looking for one. Cheap nasty top loading thing, with component out.

That should tide you thru till someone makes something that does all tasks well. Plays the dodgey pirate dvds from asia my mate has that the much more expensive onkyo doesnt want to as well which is a bonus.

Richard rich.ms

r0bbie

259 posts

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#260610 2-Oct-2009 15:59

broozm:
r0bbie: Hatch - No the interface isnt slow its nice and quick the only problem was switching between TV and the file player but just the other day a new firmware has just come out - it now swaps in 3 seconds :) At the moment everything ive thrown at it was worked well.

Kraven - I didnt think it was to expensive with other things out there and the recordings do work really well recorded a few movies and mythbusters on prime every week lol its just the EPG that needs some work now....

I only wish it had a dvd or blue ray rom drive (as it plays blue ray files (well so they say))

Yes, if it had DVD I would be buying one - can it play a DVD over the USB connection with a USB dvd player? Sounds a bit number8 wire for this level of machine though :(

Price-wise its about comparable with other larger brand-name HDD/DVD recorders, but has Freeview built-in which none of them do.

Hmm... 3 second player changes are bearable (maybe) especially if it actually does all it says it does. (But 3s CHANNEL changes would NOT be bearable).

With a dead DVD player, I am waiting for "pressuer" form SWMBO to "go get something" to play dvds on ;)
So I have to be ready to find something that will hook up to my nas, record, and if Freeview is part of the deal, all the better! Any ideas?

Hey thats a really good idea - it can play media files on a flash drive so I dont see why it cant do that - ill give it a try and get back to you

Also they say it can play from a network shared dvd rom drive but havent tired that

No the channgel chaning is just like any other freeview device