PVR advice please!

[MJ10]

Hi everyone,

I am slowly building up my ultimate TV set up and have been picking up lots of cool stuff from FJ/Kudos over the last year (eg the TV, BluRay player etc etc!)

Now I need a PVR.

At the moment I have a 500GB HDD plugged into the back of my Samsung TV, which allows me to record 1 channel at a time (but I can't watch another channel ). This is very frustrating and is only useful when I go out and need to record one programme at a time.

I have looked around at some players to see what features I can realistically look at and have come up with the follow list of what I want and suggestion of what players can achieve this:

• Twin (or more) Tuner PVR
• Freeview+ HD
• 500gb or 1tb
• Archive/Record to BluRay Disk
• 3D BluRay Player (If it had this then I'd probably sell the one I have)
• Wifi

Samsung BD-D8900 - £350 ish
Good:

• Twin Tuner
• Freeview+HD
• 1TB
• Wifi
• 3D BluRay
• Would be able to use the TVs remote rather than have 2
• Keeps my set up one brand throughout

Bad:

• Has had some bad reviews. Mainly poor SmartTV software (which I have on the TV anyway)
• No archive/record to disk function

Panasonic DMR-BWT800EB - £500ish
Good:

• Twin Tuner
• Freeview+HD
• 500GB
• Archive/Record to BluRay
• USB Playback

Bad:

• Very expensive

Humax FoxT2 - £290 ish
Good:

• Twin Tuner
• Freeview+HD
• USB Playback

Bad:

• Reports of it breaking down after a while

So does anyone have any other suggestions, recommendations, comments, experience etc etc? Would really appreciate the input as I really don't know what to get!

Thanks all

[goggz1888]

ever heard of kryptview ?

a litttle of subject but should be part of any ultimate tv package

[chigley]

Have you considered an HTPC?

[mrplow]

Originally Posted by chigley

Have you considered an HTPC?

If so, stop, because purpose-built consumer electronics, whilst you might imagine not as versatile, always blow HTPC setups out of the water eventually. Because they 'just work'.

You seem pretty clued up so I imaging you have already looked here, but on the off chance you haven't.. be sure to read the avforums section on pvrs PVRs and VCRs | AVForums.com - UK Online

I'd go for a Sony because the interface on their modern AV equipment is lovely (I have a Sony standalone bluray player) and they have some nice internet stuff (although I imagine your television already does it all). I don't know any Sony model numbers sorry...

---

Having re-read your initial post (at a sensible speed this time) I would, in your shoes, go for the Samsung. The ability to have one less remote control lying around is a MASSIVE PLUS if you ask me! And you did!

---

Your sammy is 300 at richersounds Samsung BDD8900 | 3D Blu-ray Player 1TB HDD Twin Freeview+ HD | Richer Sounds

[MJ10]

@Goggz: No I haven't. Will see what it is!
@Chiggs: Yes I have. I was looking at the Acer Revo, but think a dedicated device will be better.
@mrplow: Thanks for the link, I usually look on there but missed it this time! Thanks for your opinion. I'm just put off by some of the reviews on the Samsung... plus when I found out the Panasonic could record to BluRay I thought that was very cool! (my girlfriends house is getting the Panasonic so may wait and see how it works for them!) Otherwise I'll get the Samsung I reckon.

[Scribbler]

Originally Posted by mrplow

If so, stop, because purpose-built consumer electronics, whilst you might imagine not as versatile, always blow HTPC setups out of the water eventually. Because they 'just work'.

A HTPC should be completely separate to a TV broadcast system.

I use a Mac Mini running the Plex client; a 2TB HDD contains all my HD content - movies, tv series, etc - plus I can add media using a web browser plugin to a queue to watch later. When I want to watch TV I then switch over to my Virgin TiVo box. Everything is then routed via HDMI & optical through my 7.1 receiver.

Simples!

[mrplow]

Most blu-ray players will now stream content from any DLNA server, be that built-in like WMP or a 3rd party app like TVmobili or similar. I'm sure most of the products above will do such things. Plus I imagine his fancy new tele does it itself (plus I think he has an apple TV already which is sorta like a pre-made 'just works' htpc anyway, apart from the pathetic inability to do HD).

I'm being miserable I guess. The idea of these fancy HTPC setups is great. But there's more chance of something getting 'b0rked' than with a nice super-box like these blu-ray / freeview / dnla jobbies.

[MJ10]

This is the thing... So far the TV set up means I can:

Watch TV
Stream stuff from the laptop
Play DVDs, BluRays, USBs, 3D whatever
Play the iPhone through AppleTV and rent movies
Got SmartTV so have BBCiPlayer, Lovefilm etc (no iTV/C4 on demand though)
But record only one channel

So what it really comes down to is 1: Do I get something that is just a Twin Tuner PVR or 2: Get something that does the full shabang with all the bells and whistles and reduce the rest of my set up somehow?

[MJ10]

Anyone have or used NextPVR? NextPVR | A free PVR and Media Centre application for Windows

Might be worth finding and adding an old computer (or similar) to the TV and adding this to it?

And what about this: Windows Home Server 2011??

[ryan1087]

Don't know if you solved this however i found this on HUKD and thought it might interest you:

Novatech Vision Media Centre Case | NOV-VISION

Nice HTPC/Media centre case with PSU & remote - £52.37 delivered @ Novatech - HotUKDeals

Will have to buy components to go inside though.

[mrplow]

Originally Posted by MJ10

Anyone have or used NextPVR? NextPVR | A free PVR and Media Centre application for Windows

Might be worth finding and adding an old computer (or similar) to the TV and adding this to it?

And what about this: Windows Home Server 2011??

Don't use anything too old, it will just make you angry and frustrated. I still stick to my guns in that you should grab something off the shelf rather than trying to use an HTPC, or if you really must do it I'd recommend (and believe me, it hurts me to say this) a nice modern mac mini and XBMC or BOXEE (although I believe boxee has gone commercial, xbmc is still free and potentially better)

[MJ10]

Decided to get the Humax 500GB. Just waiting for a £51 Amazon Voucher from Kudos tomorrow then add it to the rest of my voucher and order it!