UKC

Looking to ditch (at least unbundle) my expensive Virgin cable TV.

Freeview and PVR seems to be the way to go. Ideally I'd like a triple tuner (all the few good TV programmes seem to be broadcast at the same time...) and wifi for on demand content. And a good EPG.

Consenus seems to be that YouView is pants.

Any recommendations from teh UKC cognescenti?

In reply to iksander:

"Consenus seems to be that YouView is pants."

Consensus from whom? I think it's brilliant - the software is far nicer than Sky+, IMO. I find it hard to fault it.

A cheap way to get one is via BT rather than 300 quid up front.

Neil

In reply to iksander:

Humax. The interface is a bit 'old' but you can get reconditioned ones for a great price. There is also an option to load new firmware on with lots of extra useful functionality. See www.hummy.tv

In reply to mattrm: Agreed. I've had a Humax for about 4 yrs. Brilliant.

Youview is only Freeview+ on a stable platform with the ability to run extras.

My Humax youview box gets an update every month - much better than any other freeview device I've had.

In reply to iksander:

I love the Humax, the only improvement would be an auto skip advert rather than me guessing how far to skip.

Cheers

Toby

In reply to iksander:

Have you thought about a computer with one or two TV cards connected to your TV with a couple of TV Ariels on the roof?

If you got a couple of TV cards with 2 channels then you would be able to record 4 programs at the same time.

You can either have Windows Media Centre or xBox Media Centre powering it.

My computer is hooked up to the TV and I get all the freeview channels along with 14 day listings, live pausing and other such stuff.

Just a thought.

In reply to Neil Williams:

If you are with either BT or TalkTalk and use catch up services a lot (e.g. Iplayer, ITV Player, 4OD, 5OD) then its a no brainer to go YouView as these are integrated and the box is free (in exchange for a 18 to 24 month broadband contract).

Other option is switch to Virgin (if your in a cable area) and get a Tivo which get good reviews, plus their broadband is genuinely fast (e.g. you get what you pay for not a fraction of it).

If not then as per other suggestions for a PVR.

In reply to jonfun21:

12 month even. You also need to pay £5/month for the BT service.

In reply to Toby_W:

My Humax remote control packed-up. I got one of the multi use ones from Maplin which is OK, but doesn't do all the functions.

In reply to Philip:

A year worth of £5/month plus £40 connection fee is a third of the retail price of the box (and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have to be returned at the end).

FWIW, YouView is based on Humax hardware.

Neil

In reply to blurty: You can get a genuine Humax replacement remote for a reasonable price eg item number 390448949447 on a well-known auction site.

To the OP: I'd echo the recommendations for the Humax HDR-FOX T2. It's only got two tuners, not three (I don't know any PVRs which have three tuners) but it's basically a rock-solid box. I've had mine more than two years and it's been 100% problem free. There are some reports that the 1TB version is a bit flaky, so I'd suggest steering clear of that one. You can get reconditioned ones from Humax' direct sales web site.

Don't get the Humax wifi adaptor, there are cheaper ones that will work available on Amazon and elsewhere. I used the Edimax EW-7711UTn before I ran a proper LAN cable to my AV stack.

Oh, and there is a slightly convoluted way to "record" three programmes on the HDR-FOX T2 if you really need to (although you do have to be present for the end of one of them).

There's a good user community for the HDR-FOX T2 online with a number of forums where people share ideas and advice.

In reply to Philip:

Thanks I hadn't spotted that change in pricing...they were bundling for a while.

TalkTalk is still free and they are experimenting with self install (may have to request it) so you may not have to pay the £50 install; 18 month contract for new, 24 month for existing

In reply to all: Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm wondering about Freesat now - looks like choice of channels is much better? Installation costs for a dish look comparable to an aerial. I've found one PVR that has 2 satellite tuners and one DVB terrestial tuner. Seems a bit OTT, but maybe a possibility.

In reply to David Myatt:

Same here. Before that I had a Panasonic sommat or other, it was dreadfully glitchy and often crashed (and could only be reset by pulling the plug), very annoying. I gave it away in the end and bought the Humax to replace it. Money well spent.

In reply to iksander: I've got freesat and I like it. The latest (and more expensive) freesat recorders allow you to go back and view programmes in the past that you didn't record.

In reply to Toby_W:


Generally ad breaks are bang on 4 minutes. If you've an on-screen timer facility, just use that - I do this with my HDD Panasonic recorder.