tivo magictv or homecast

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hasole

383 posts

Ultimate Geek

#73298 11-Dec-2010 09:25

Hi guys

What's everyone's thoughts on the best freeview hd pvr at the moment.

Based on what I've seen, I'm leaning towards the tivo.

Thanks

Jaxson

8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#416382 13-Dec-2010 09:14

Have a look around here, there are a lot of threads already on this.

Tivo seems best for the price if it is still $360 or so. Needs EPG via internet though and doesn't have EPG for Maori or Prime channels.

Magic TV has the best reputation out of all of them, though this might be marketing as there is a huge thread on some issues with it here.

Not much is known about the homecast.

The Zinwell one works ok now but has a small hard drive size. It requires a firmware update though which it wont have if it has been sitting on a store shelf. You need to take it or send it to Next Electronics to get this update applied and there are only so many stores around the country.

The JC Matthew box works great but can be hard to find now.

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#416446 13-Dec-2010 11:43

I'd definitely add the JC Matthew box into the mix if you can... but the hard drive size may limit you a little?
The Magic TV box has a great interface, the Tivo is a bit of a PITA without the full EPG... but for me, that's not as a big of an issue as it is for others.
I'd buy a Magic TV box personally... but hey, variety is the spice of life.

Mech

11 posts

Geek

#417585 15-Dec-2010 12:44

I've recently stumped up for the Homecast box and can say i'm pretty happy. The UI isn't quite as polished as some others, but it works well.

The main selling point for me was the ability to shuttle through ads (not skip unfortunately), by using the arrow buttons. This is as close to ad-skipping as you can get with a Freeview certified recorder and it has made the loss of my beloved skip button bearable.

Also, using one of the firmware tricks off the Geekzone forums, you can also attempt to extract recordings to your PC, so that might be handy for some.

Jaxson

8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#417603 15-Dec-2010 13:27

Mech: using one of the firmware tricks off the Geekzone forums, you can also attempt to extract recordings to your PC

I had high hopes for something similar for the JC Matthew box too. The JC Matthew one looks to be extremely similar software/hardware to the Zinwell one, and there was some development underway on that box.

Frustrating I know in that all these devices have ethernet ports as standard hardware.

hasole

383 posts

Ultimate Geek

#417667 15-Dec-2010 15:00

Yes, I came from running w7mc to a tivo and going back to the vcr ff/rwd sux.

I liked being able to skip 10sec forward to get through ads.

Lurch

1061 posts

Uber Geek

#417710 15-Dec-2010 15:43

Magic TV box, had mine since Xmas. Regular updates, beta firmware out there so you can get recordings off the box.

Interface is great, well apart from the horrible freeview epg... 1080p upscaling is always a plus. The remote also senses wether it's dark or not, when it's dark the backlight switches on, glowing buttons all good :)

Jaxson

8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#417727 15-Dec-2010 16:00

Lurch: beta firmware out there so you can get recordings off the box.

Do tell more please..... Official freeview thing? (they were hinting at this)

Equinox IT

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Mech

11 posts

Geek

#417757 15-Dec-2010 17:00

hasole: Yes, I came from running w7mc to a tivo and going back to the vcr ff/rwd sux.

I liked being able to skip 10sec forward to get through ads.

The Homecast box allows you to skip in increments depending on the length of the recording. The manual states:

7.7.3 Jump by Seconds in Playback Mode

This function is available in Playback and Time Shift mode.

1. Your move the play position indicator back or
forwards by “x” seconds with a quick press of the
left/right buttons.

• At the default 2 hour record time setting, the jumps are approximately 30 seconds.
• In a 90 (to 120) minute recording, the jumps are approximately 25 seconds.
• In a 60 (to 90) minute recording, the jumps are approximately 20 seconds.
• In a 30 (to 60) minute recording, the jumps are approximately 15 seconds.

Works a treat too...

wallop

367 posts

Ultimate Geek

#417772 15-Dec-2010 17:27

I have 2 Tivo's and find them to be very good. I rarely watch Prime and don't watch Maori tv so the lack of a epg for those 2 does not bother me. Also I have the home networking package so I use the Tivo's to watch material from from my pc. They are also very wife friendly. The box is a bit clunky looking though.