Can anyone recommend a sub-£100 PVR?

dandandan

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Hi everybody.

I'm looking for a new PVR to replace my Thomson TUTV box (which finally kicked the bucket after about 11 months - if only I could find my receipt). The Thomson box had some great features, but it was glitchy as hell.

So I have £100 (max) to spend on a new one. I'm not really bothered about the disk size. The Thomson box had 160GB, and that was more than enough.

I have a few requirements:
- Must record 2 channels at once (obviously)
- Must let me rewind live TV
- Must let me save whatever is in the recording buffer (if I decide to tape something halfway through watching it)
- Series link
- An accurate recording, PDC-type feature
- Must let me hear/see what I was watching while I'm browsing the EPG
- Must have a large, easy to use timeline-type EPG (the EPG on my Thomson box used to infuriate me because it only used about a quarter of the available screen)
- Above all else, it must be RELIABLE. I lost track of number of the times my Thomson box screwed me over. The times it froze, the times it stopped responding to the remote, the times it missed a recording, the times it made inexplicably massive recordings that used up all available space (leading to yet more missed recordings), the times it deleted my series links for no reason at all, the times I pressed the rewind button and the recording jumped right back to the beginning. ARGH! MUST RIP HAIR OUT!

So reliability is VERY important.

Here's a few things that aren't vital, but would be nice anyway:

- A programme search facility
- The ability to link it to my computer and transfer my recordings, via USB or an easily-extractable hard drive (I don't want to void the warranty)
- The ability to organise recordings into folders, so I don't have to spend ages scrolling up and down
- The ability to control my TV volume with the PVR remote (as bad as the Thomson box was, its remote was amazing - I'm not sure that I can go back to using two remotes)

So I think that's pretty much everything. I hope I'm not asking for too much.
 
have alook at the 250gb luxor at johnlewis or comet .
Bought from jl at xmas for £ 78 now £99 with 2 year guarantee.
used for a month now no problems , recorded everthing from epg guide ok
2 channel record ok
series link not used it
64 x search speed
hand controller works my samsung 40r88
set buffer to 1hr
dont install any top up tv stuff when you get it ( unless you want to)
epg lets you watch tv whilst viewing guide
with top uptv removed i get 110 hr recording time
got usb but not in operation yet (doubt it ever will be)
can set start finish times a couple of minutes before start and after end.
no fan completely silent.
so far highly satisfied with it

only drawback is mines in a cabinet and tends to get hot so I leave the doors open when watching it or recording and unplug when not in use
takes about 2mins to load from being unplugged.plug it in overnight and leave doors open if I m going to record the following day
hope this helps:thumbsup:
 
Corsair,

Just wondered if after a few weeks you're still pleased with it.
I'm thinking of getting one from JL.

Thanks
 
I got one of these at the weekend, and I've done dozens of recordings with it. I'm really trying to get it to go wrong after the hassle I had with the Thomson (when I first got it I loved it).
So far the only recording it missed was when we had a power failure, so I can't blame it for that can I? Especially when it was American Idol for the wife (honestly!).
The remote is the same as the Thomson, which I agree is brilliant and the best remote I have ever used, and it controls my Philips LCD TV straight out of the box. So far it hasn't skipped during searches like the Thomson, and the EPG seems to run faster once fully populated. You can also try the Freeview+ EPG if you like, but it's only 8 days and I'm used to 14 now. It says I have 180 hours free recording time, but don't know how they can say that as different channels use different amounts.

I know it's only first impressions, but so far so good. But I will be watching for its "foibles".
 
With the cheap Bush one I tried I didn't like the fact that the HDD was spinning contantly even in standby. I also hated the Top TV downloads that happened overnight.

I'd put in a little bit more dosh and get the Humax PVR-9150T, much better in my opinion.
 
reply to wannaplasma
Hi M8,
Had the Luxor since 29th Dec and not had a single problem. records everything fine and thats even when Ive had it unplugged for a few days.For a no name machine with 2year guarantee you cant go wrong

CHEERS
 
Hello. I've got two Digihome/ Goodmans pvr80's. Their great. Simple to use and have never let me down. I think there are a lot that are the same as when you look at them the casings are the same. Only the fascia's different. I got mine from Argos. They've got some now (Hitachi and Bush that look the same. There is a square of holes in the middle and a row at the back (Top). I've tried others and they're not as good as mine. Twin tuner, pause live tv etc. The Sony's only have one digital tuner,my mate's got one and it's not as functual as mine and cost him nearly £300.
 

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