DishTV T1020 - USB PVR firmware

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Mac2008

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Master Geek
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Topic # 84156 25-May-2011 21:22

I notice that the DishTV T1020 Freeview|HD (UHF/terrestrial, not satellite) receiver now comes with USB PVR firmware and that the firmware is available on their website for download http://www.dishtv.co.nz/Freeview%7CHD-aerialBox/1-DishTV-Freeview%7CHD-1080p-Receiver.htm.

A couple of questions for those who have one or are more familiar with Freeview specs than me.

1. What is it like? Can you book off the EPG? Series link?

2. Can you pull recorded programs off the HDD onto your PC?

3. What is the playback like? Smooth? Is the HD good?

Thanks for the info.

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Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 474182 25-May-2011 22:04

I've got one of these and have updated to the PVR firmware. It's pretty good, but still a bit buggy.

You book recordings through the Freeview EPG and can record either a single show or a whole series. It also records your live TV stream so you can pause/rewind/skip ads etc. Seems to have a bit of a bug with the series record- when I try to record 3 News on TV3 as a series, it tries to record 3 News on TV3+1 as well. Remember this is a single tuner box, so you can only watch channels on the same frequency as the one you are recording.

Not sure if you can play the recordings on your PC- I tried and couldn't get it to work.

Playback is smooth. Mine hiccups occasionally, but I think its more because of my slightly marginal reception. With the previous firmware, I had real problems with voice and video sync on channel One. These seem to be more or less fixed with this version of the firmware.

Mac2008

121 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 474218 26-May-2011 06:18

Thanks froob, I have heard that you should have free access to SD content on the USB HDD, but not to HD content. So in theory (if this is correct) you should be able to record off say Prime and that file will be available on the USB HDD to access on your PC. But if you record an HD program from TV3 or TV1/2 you will not have access to it on your PC.

I am guessing the file format will be .ts (guessing) so maybe VLC media player will play it? Perhaps someone with more knowledge of playing .ts files can assist here, but I think VLC will do it. It would be interesting to know if you can just see the files and copy them to your PC.

With the TV3/TV3+1 problem - does it actually try to record both? Or does it just mark both in the EPG? I believe that marking both in the EPG is normal, but it should just record one. The receiver will only choose to record the TV3+1 version if you also book a program on another channel at the same time as 3 News. So it will record the program on the other channel that is at the same time as 3 News, but then switch over to TV3+1 and record the 3 News an hour later. Without asking you about it. At least this is how it is meant to work.

When you say it records the live stream, do you mean what some people call time-shift? So it is constantly recording and you can pause live TV? Or you can just rewind live TV and rewatch something?

Thanks for the info

giollarnat

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Master Geek
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Reply # 474456 26-May-2011 15:25

I just put an enquiry in on the dish tv website asking a few of these questions.

Also I wanted to know:

if it can record at the press of a button off the 8dayEPG.

if it could play divX mkv etc vids off the USB drive

And if it was compatible with a self-powered standard 3.5" HD (seems obvious but a few of these STBs seem to be having problems).

If it does all this without too much fuss, why bother with the more expensive MagicTVs Homecast Ultraplus JCMatthew Panasonic approved MyFreeviewHDs?

(especially if you don't care about recording and watching off 2 channels and you have plenty of old 3.5" HDs lying around).

Mac2008

121 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 474464 26-May-2011 15:47

Great, look forward to the reply. Thanks for the info

giollarnat

129 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 474470 26-May-2011 16:06

mind you Froob here might be able to answer all of these questions ...

have a feeling that dishtv will wait a week then give vague replies - whereas Froob is our hand's on tester ;-)

froob

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Reply # 474538 26-May-2011 20:07

Just to run quickly through the answers to some of your questions:

- You are right, you can watch the standard def recordings on your computer using VLC.
- Recording is via a push of a button in the standard 8 day EPG. You can choose to record either a single show or a whole series.
- When not recording a booked show the unit is constantly recording the live stream onto the HD so you can pause, rewind, fastforward etc. I did reset my unit to factory settings to try and fix the recording issue with 3 News, but haven't figured out how to turn this feature back on.
- I remember it being advertised that the unit can play video off a usb disk, but haven't tried this myself and am not sure about the formats.
- I'm using it with a bus powered usb 3.5" HD, and it seems to work fine. Not sure why the manufacturer recommends a self-powered drive.

I guess the advantage of buying a more expensive recorder (on top of the two channel recording) is that they are built for purpose, and probably wouldn't have the same little glitches that I'm experiencing with this unit (for example sometimes if a booked recording starts when you are watching another channel, it will leave you with a black screen and no ability to switch to anything else without a reset).

Mac2008

121 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 474541 26-May-2011 20:12

froob: little glitches that I'm experiencing with this unit (for example sometimes if a booked recording starts when you are watching another channel, it will leave you with a black screen and no ability to switch to anything else without a reset).

Thanks froob, sounds like a nice unit overall. I would suggest you flick an email to DishTV via their website about that glitch, they may be able to resolve it with an update.

Nice about the SD content being available, especially as so much of the Freeview content is still SD.

giollarnat

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Master Geek
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Reply # 474786 27-May-2011 13:34

hey froob, thanks for that, brilliant. still no word from dish tv themselves of course.

i have read about other PVRs having problems with tv3+1 here on geekzone (can't remember which ones but another brand methinks) so its obviously a bit of a tricky area for the manufacturers - maybe someone on forum has found a solution?

As for the other glitches, that booked recording freezing the unit is pretty bad. Are there any other serious issues like that?

if not, at $195 new from reputable stores i'm tempted to break the piggy bank.

p.s. is it user friendly to operate? (eg for technophobe wife)

froob

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Reply # 475085 28-May-2011 12:09

It's fairly standard to operate, recording is certainly not difficult. Restoring the factory settings and turning off live recording seems to have fixed the blacking out issues, but still has the glitches around TV3 / TV3+1. I saw in the forums that other recorders also have similar problems. No really serious issues.

I think this model is at JBHifi at the moment for something like $186, if you're looking for a lower price.

giollarnat

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Master Geek
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Reply # 475204 28-May-2011 18:18

thanks again froob.

they got back to me with good answers c/o tech support. some of them already in this thread but copying it all across.

"Just wondering if the t1020:

A - can connect and record on to external USB drives
- yes with the latest USB PVR firmware loaded. If you already own a T1020 you can download the firmware form our website at the bottom of the T1020 page.

B - if so, in what formats does it record and at what resolutions (720p, 1080p etc?)
The T1020 records the entire stream so it records in whatever resolution Freeview is broadcasting in. The highest Freeview broadcasts in is 1080i, but there is also 720p and 576i. The T1020 however will up-scale to 1080P during playback.

C - what HDDs are compatible? E.g. would an externally powered 3.5" HDD with standard USB 2.0 cable work? We have tested a number of commonly available USB HDDs and they all work fine. We always recommend an externally powered USB HDD (3.5" is fine) as if you force the T1020 to power the USB HDD it can lead to some funny issues with some USB HDDs.

D - Can it read video off the USB HDD, if so in what formats (.mkv .avi .divX etc?)
Yes. At this stage with the current firmware it will play MKV and Mpeg2 files. We intend to add more formats in future versions.

E - Does it have an 8day freeview guide that can be used to program recordings at the press of a button?
Yes it uses the standard Freeview EPG and you can book directly off the EPG, including series linking.

F - Does it do live pause?
Yes it does."

The last question i have which is probably a Big Fat No is can you live stream to it via USB...?

froob

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Reply # 475581 29-May-2011 21:11

Do you mean can you plug it into a computer via usb and send video to it? I don't think so, but I don't have a cable with a usb-a plug on each end to try it in any event. One new feature it does seem to have is media streaming from a DLNA media server, via its ethernet port. Again, haven't tested this.

giollarnat

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Master Geek
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Reply # 475707 30-May-2011 12:02

... wasn't expecting DLNA streaming as well. A bit far from my router to connect via ethernet but have a wireless laptop that will do the job nicely.

To read the online brochure you'd think it's just a freeview STB but now i'm left wondering ... what can it not do?

Found one on T Me for $80, with a CRT tv, told em to keep the telly i'll take the dish tv only thanks. They couldn't believe it asked me to confirm (do you really want this no name brand box?) ... twice.

giollarnat

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Master Geek
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Reply # 478509 7-Jun-2011 12:47

froob: One new feature it does seem to have is media streaming from a DLNA media server, via its ethernet port. Again, haven't tested this.

That's funny, when i asked for detailed features/capabilities they just pointed me back to the basic info page :

For features please visit http://www.dishtv.co.nz/Freeview%7CHD-aerialBox/1-DishTV-Freeview%7CHD-1080p-Receiver.htm

and when i asked about DLNA streaming:

"The added feature with the latest firmware is USB PVR support. However no network streaming has been added."

So is there anything that can be done with this ethernet port other than their email-weather client thing? I've got one now and just updated the firmware but wouldn't quite know how to test it the port out.

froob

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Reply # 478762 7-Jun-2011 22:00

What I think is media server access is under menu > connectivity > media center > network. When I load it up it recognises my media server (a Synology Diskstation), but unfortunately crashes when I select it, causing the DishTV to reboot. You might have more luck.

Mac2008

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Master Geek
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Reply # 479235 9-Jun-2011 10:56

froob: What I think is media server access is under menu > connectivity > media center > network. When I load it up it recognises my media server (a Synology Diskstation), but unfortunately crashes when I select it, causing the DishTV to reboot. You might have more luck.

In talking to the techs at DishTV about it, the chipset has the provision for it, but the software is not setup yet for it. They need more time to fully develop it and iron out the bugs. That is why it is not listed as a feature.

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