HD Set top box from Australia

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aussiedean

52 posts

Master Geek
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Topic # 67095 27-Aug-2010 19:27

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone knows if I bring a HD set top box from Australia will it work in NZ at all please. Looking at a USB recording type.

Any recommendations or suggestions appreciated.

I believe my Aunty in NZ has an antennae so would that be UHF? not really sure about NZ TV setups

Thanks

andrewcnz

913 posts

Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 373720 27-Aug-2010 19:36

aussiedean: Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone knows if I bring a HD set top box from Australia will it work in NZ at all please. Looking at a USB recording type.

Any recommendations or suggestions appreciated.

I believe my Aunty in NZ has an antennae so would that be UHF? not really sure about NZ TV setups

Thanks

It won't work here.

aussiedean

52 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

Reply # 373913 28-Aug-2010 12:48

Ok thanks for that. I have been doing a bit of research and it appears that the NZ digital TV is somewhat different from our set up in Aussie.

So if I was looking to buy one in NZ for her that is a terrestrial type (UHF) if thats right, where would be the best place to get one for her.

Was looking at a USB recording type unit due to the cost of the hard drive types.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

freitasm

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Reply # 373926 28-Aug-2010 13:54

Best bet is go to a mainstream store and get one of the Freeview certified models. They all have USB adapters for external drives but come with internal storage. Buying cheap Chinese imports on Trade Me will not give you the same results.

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bfginger

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Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 373934 28-Aug-2010 14:46

aussiedean, you can see a list of NZ Freeview boxes here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_%28New_Zealand%29

Most of the Freeview STBs without internal HDDs don't support recording even if they have USB. Those that can do so via an external HDD or USB key only do so like a VCR; the NZ DVB-T doesn't use a standard EPG so timer record must be set as these devices can't use the EPG for setting recordings. They also only have a single tuner. Sales of Freeview terrestrial STBs have been bad so most models are no longer available or at least not at a reasonable price.

For a DVB-T recorder the best option is one of the MyFreeview|HD units. They all can be a touch flakey except perhaps the new $1200 Panasonic one but there's no other real option short of a dedicated PC. It might be worthwhile going for the Panasonic if she doesn't have a Blu-ray player. But otherwise, the MagicTV (available for $639) is usually the highest regarded (must update firmware though).

But the first thing you need to do is to make sure your aunt lives in the Freeview terrestrial reception area; 1/4th of people aren't. If she isn't, she'd need a satellite PVR.

sultanoswing

734 posts

Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 374359 30-Aug-2010 01:00

Teac HDB6T (~$250) records to USB, with a firmware upgrade - and is MHEG5 compliant i.e. uses the official Freeview guide to record. It's only a single tuner device though, so you can't record and watch 2 different streams at the same time.