Ultraplus x-9200

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Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#95578 8-Jan-2012 18:30

After having an Ultraplus F-9000 for 2 years I now have the Ultraplus x-9200. Initially with the F-9000 and minor niggles it was a nice unit until a file deletion problem occurred. On 19th december I installed firmware v1.9.90 and I can say it has made it as close to perfect as you can get.
I have also now bought a x-9200 with plan to replace the f-9000. Main reason is freeview losing channels and the internet tv and freetv+ on the new model.
The new model is smaller and quieter than the old model. Also very nice unit. Only problem I have so far is I connect external hdd and when I go to the folder with video files the machine locks up and power off is only way to get out. This may be due to the drive being Seagate Goflex 750GB or a problem on the Ultraplpus. If problem with the Ultraplus, it will be fixed in a later update.
I am sold on Ultraplus and wont get anything else now. I also have a dishtv s7090 but that is nowhere near the quality of the Ultraplus and has many other problems.
Some people expect a machine to be perfect. Well sorry to say we dont live in a perfect world and doesnt matter what you have it will have faults. No pvr will be perfect but for me the Ultraplus is the best unit around. I know many will disagree but thats the great thing. We have a CHOICE.
Mine is Ultraplus

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

gwf

29 posts

Geek

#567057 10-Jan-2012 20:17

So does it have an EPG for the non freeview channels? Can u record and series link directly from that epg, on sbs for example. That would be very sweet. Last question: are its basic functions pretty usable for the wife, or is it a bit of a techie beast?
Cheers

Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#567065 10-Jan-2012 20:28

gwf: So does it have an EPG for the non freeview channels? Can u record and series link directly from that epg, on sbs for example. That would be very sweet. Last question: are its basic functions pretty usable for the wife, or is it a bit of a techie beast?
Cheers

Yes it has full epg for non freeview channels. You choose epg and it shows most channels for next 4 hours. Scroll across to get later hours, scroll down to see the other channels. To record one you see you would like say in 5 hours just click okay twice and it will be recorder. press different buttons for next day etc epg. Very easy to use and excellent picture. Pop in usb key/drive and in recorded files select copy and choose device and it copies over.

connect ethernet cable then go to utilites and choose internettv or freetv to watch internet. So far I have watched some youtube movies and earth tv documentary

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

gustov

197 posts

Master Geek

#567293 11-Jan-2012 11:56

I've had the X-9200 since August 2011. It includes twin tuners so I chose to have one Satellite tuner and one Terrestrial tuner installed, plus the internal 500Gb HDD fitted. With this combination I can record up to two channels simultaneously, or three channels if two are on the same mux, whilst still being able to watch a previously recorded programme at the same time - very versatile!

It's important to have the "right" hdd for your machine, whether it be an internal or external hdd. Not all drives are equal and some do not have good enough specs to keep up with all this similtaneous recording and playback. Best to discuss this with your retailer. That old hdd you have lying around may not be up to the job.

The EPG for satellite is good, about 8 days in advance, but the EPG for Terrestrial is only a couples of hours, so if you want to set up a High Def recording (eg TV 1 or TV3) on Terrestrial a few days in advance you must first use the Satelitte EPG for that channel and then change it to record from the Satellite tuner to the Terrestrial Tuner.

Even after owning the machine for several months I was still finding features on it that I did not realise it had, like using the EPG to locate all programmes with the same name, or genre, and with the press of a button setting those up for timer recording. You can also permanently have an extra few minutes automatically added at the start or end, or both, of each recording you set up, so you don't miss the ending of programme because it has run over time.

The access to various internet TV services is a great feature now that NZ's ISP's offer better data caps. I think this will attract great interest as more are added with firmware upgrades.

The blind scan feature is superfast - a little over two minutes to scan and load all of D1.

One feature I do enjoy when playing back recorded programmes is the ability to skip the advertisements. In NZ, most broadcasters seem to have a 4 minute advertising break in peak viewing hours so when an ad break begins you just press the "4" button on the remote and the playback will jump four minutes, taking you almost to the restart of the programme. Press "9" and it weill jump nine minutes, and so on. Great fetaure.

The X-9200 comes with two card slots so if you have Sky or an Iredeto card you can have both installed at the same time. Sometimes the cards are not always recognised and withdrawing them and reinserting them, or doing a hard reboot will overcome the problem. Maybe a future firmware upgrade will fix this this issue, which is about the only problem I've experienced with this model.

The RJ45 socket on the rear allows you to transfer programmes from the attached hard drive back over your network onto your PC, and it has no less than 3 USB slots as well.

This is a high-end machine with a price to match, but it is a superb piece of equipment. The handbook is excellent and specifically written for a NZ market - even the screenshots in the book are from TV One and other NZ channels.

Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#567611 11-Jan-2012 21:35

how do you activate the ad skip. I press 4 and nothing happens. Have tried pressing 4 and then fast forward etc but it doesnt work

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

gustov

197 posts

Master Geek

#567641 11-Jan-2012 22:32

Select: Configuration / Recording Option / Playback Numeric Function / Commercial Skip

The instructions are on page 42 of the handbook entitled 'Playback Numeric Function"

gustov

197 posts

Master Geek

#567647 11-Jan-2012 22:56

gustov: Select: Configuration / Recording Option / Playback Numeric Function / Commercial Skip

The instructions are on page 42 of the handbook entitled 'Playback Numeric Function"

I forgot to add that for the commercial skip to function you have to have the "Playbar" visible on the screen at the time, which you achieve by pressing the white triangular play button on the remote.

So once the function is enabled, when an ad break begins you press your PLAY button (to bring up the playbar) and then the numeric button for the number of minutes you want to jump forward.