Dual tuner Freeview Terrestrial with the option of PVR via External HDD

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GReX

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Master Geek

Topic # 66229 15-Aug-2010 10:45

hey guys

im thinking of upgrading my Freeview box soon

any recommendations for Freeview Terrestrial box with Dual Tuner (so can record 2 channels at the same time) and capable of recording via external HDD ?

i have bought the hyundai dual receiver (sat and terrestrial in 1 box) that can record to externall HDD but the EPG on it is dreadfull. it crashed to from time to time whenever i tried to replay something and FWD or rewind

JB hifi has this one on special : http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/tv-lcd-led-plasma/media-players/zinwell/250gb-freeview-digital-television-recorder-sku-23250/ , is it any good ? do you know if it can record to external HDD too since it's got a built-in HDD already ?

appreciate any recommendations

sbiddle

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Reply # 367769 15-Aug-2010 11:17

I don't believe there are any Freeview certified boxes that support an external HDD yet. This is because very few support the DRM requirements that are imposed on Freeview by content owners regarding copying of content.

There is a Zinwell external HDD unit available but I'm unsure if it works with this particular Zinwell model. I believe it will only work with the regular Zinwell STB.

GReX

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Master Geek

Reply # 367778 15-Aug-2010 11:39

hmm that's odd. i can't see any differences between internally built-in hdd and external hdd in this case ? both serves as storage media, whether it's built-in or not. am i right or ?

Handle9

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Reply # 367793 15-Aug-2010 13:01

GReX: hmm that's odd. i can't see any differences between internally built-in hdd and external hdd in this case ? both serves as storage media, whether it's built-in or not. am i right or ?

You can't plug an internal HDD into a PC - at least not as easily as a thumb drive.

No it doesn't make jack all difference to piracy but that's the way that the content owners think...

Wills1

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Reply # 367829 15-Aug-2010 14:08

sbiddle: I don't believe there are any Freeview certified boxes that support an external HDD yet. This is because very few support the DRM requirements that are imposed on Freeview by content owners regarding copying of content.

There is a Zinwell external HDD unit available but I'm unsure if it works with this particular Zinwell model. I believe it will only work with the regular Zinwell STB.

The Teac does. I have one. Recently upgraded to a JC Matthew 320t though

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/products/detail/teac_hd-b6t

swalker5872

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Master Geek

Reply # 367831 15-Aug-2010 14:16

Would the TiVo with the Home Networking Package meet your needs? Know you can export recordings to laptop and import from computer to TiVo for watching on the TV.

GReX

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Master Geek

Reply # 367832 15-Aug-2010 14:26

wills1 ... has that teac unit got dual tuners or only single ?

swalker5872.. i have thought about it, but it is too pricey and it has to be tied up with internet connection all the time, so i prefer not to

Wills1

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Reply # 367834 15-Aug-2010 14:31

GReX: wills1 ... has that teac unit got dual tuners or only single ?

swalker5872.. i have thought about it, but it is too pricey and it has to be tied up with internet connection all the time, so i prefer not to

Just a single tuner. But it does have the ability to record to an external HDD or flash drive. There is a firmware update on the direct imports website to enable this option

GReX

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Master Geek

Reply # 367835 15-Aug-2010 14:33

wills... thanks for the pointers, but im particularly looking for dual tuners one, so the teac is no good for me

thanks anyway though :)

sbiddle

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Reply # 367839 15-Aug-2010 14:45

If long term storage is important then a PC based PVR is really the most logical option. Storage is limited only by the number of HDD's you want to add to your system!

sultanoswing

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Reply # 368625 17-Aug-2010 13:11

I'm going through the same contemplation at present, and the answer seems to be [...drum roll... ]

HTPC.

As many tuners as you like, as much storage as you need, can also do internet videos (youtube etc), games console replacement (PSX, N64, MAME emulation), music jukebox and photos.

All without format restrictions.

Nety

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Reply # 368643 17-Aug-2010 13:49

sultanoswing: I'm going through the same contemplation at present, and the answer seems to be [...drum roll... ]

HTPC.

As many tuners as you like, as much storage as you need, can also do internet videos (youtube etc), games console replacement (PSX, N64, MAME emulation), music jukebox and photos.

All without format restrictions.

All this is true. Only caveat is that it is not a consumer device. Things will break and you will need to work out what is wrong and fix it yourself.
But I can say that once you get it up and working you do find yourself laughing at all the restrictions that people have to put up with their consumer devices

Media centre PC - Case Silverstone LC16M with 2 X 80mm AcoustiFan DustPROOF, MOBO Gigabyte MA785GT-UD3H, CPU AMD X2 240 under volted, RAM 4 Gig DDR3 1033, HDD 120Gig System/512Gig data, Tuners 2 X Hauppauge HVR-3000, 1 X HVR-2200, Video Palit GT 220, Sound Realtek 886A HD (onboard), Optical LiteOn DH-401S Blue-ray using TotalMedia Theatre Power Corsair VX Series, 450W ATX PSU OS Windows 7 x64

sultanoswing

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Reply # 368671 17-Aug-2010 14:18

Things will break and you will need to work out what is wrong and fix it yourself.

Oh yeah, I forgot that additional benefit - and I'm not being sarcastic! For those of us who like to fiddle, tinker (and yes, occasionally break) i.e. those who tend to read geekzone - knowing how something ticks and having the non-proprietary ability to fix it is an added bonus when compared to a closed-source box. :)

GReX

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Master Geek

Reply # 368692 17-Aug-2010 14:52

yep, that is my final goal

to have a reliable htpc machine to run everything for me

but at this stage, i can't even get the hdmi output to work in my new card, so until that problem is sorted i am stuck

timbosan

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Reply # 368729 17-Aug-2010 15:55

sultanoswing:
Things will break and you will need to work out what is wrong and fix it yourself.

Oh yeah, I forgot that additional benefit - and I'm not being sarcastic! For those of us who like to fiddle, tinker (and yes, occasionally break) i.e. those who tend to read geekzone - knowing how something ticks and having the non-proprietary ability to fix it is an added bonus when compared to a closed-source box. :)

LOL!

That's the problem with the DIY approach - it WILL break and it WILL need feeding and watering.

I have just moved from Sky (too much money for crap quality repeating content) and back to a HTPC, a new build, and I am still at the 'at least one problem per day' stage.

But in the end it is more than worth it. As mentioned the flexibility of the solution far outweighs any other option in the market.

Need more space? Just add another hard drive
Don't like the Interface? Choose another or use a different product
Want to copy recordings to your server? Just check one option in Windows 7 MCE
Want to access movies? Just point to the location of the files
Want to include music, weather, web content etc, etc?

No other option can give you this, but you WILL have to do more work.

I am currently dealing with issues with a WinTV Nova 500 HD dual DVB-T that has artifacts on the display every 30 sections of so, which doesn't happen on my USB tuner. Plus I am still trying to get the channels from my DVB-S tuner integrated properly. But I will get there.

Oh, don't forget - a WORKING HTPC has a high WAF, a BROKEN HTPC can end a marriage ;-)