confused - would appreciate recommendation for PVR/ DVD combo

juliusa

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I recently bought a new Samsung LCD TV (LE26B450C4) and would like to upgrade my PVR to do it justice. Having done some research there seems to be more pitfalls than ever!

Ideally I'd like to be able to:

* view/ record freeview TV in a quality that the new TV will not resent (!) (currently pixelated and saturated colours)
* record to HD - 2 tuners vastly preferrable. Series record a plus point.
* play DVD's & enjoy HD picture & sound
* no dish installation
* Ability to backup HD films to DVD would be nice
* silent operation
* EPG
* pause/ rewind live TV

is there anything out there (sub £500) that ticks all these boxes with a reasonable interface/ operating speed???

many thanks

Julius
 
Short answer to the question at the end of your post - no, there is nothing that will do what you want.

For a start, there is no device that will record/play DVDs with twin Freeview tuners. DVD/HDD recorders (dealt with in the forum immediately above this ) all have only one Freeview tuner. And none of them will record in HD - the only recorders anything like this are two Panasonic Blu-ray recorders with twin Freesat tuners.

PVRs do have twin tuners, but none can record/play DVDs. But you probably know this, because you already have a PVR - it's a pity you don't say which, as it might avoid recommending the model you already have!

Incidentally, you imply that the problems you describe - pixellating & saturated colours - are due to some incompatibility between the PVR & your new TV. This seems rather unlikely - the pixellation could be due to signal/aerial problems; & the saturation to a wrong Scart or colour setting.
 
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thanks GeofBob

I suppose it might be too much to ask for in one box. It's gotta happen one day soon though?

I have a Humax 9200T which has done me proud. However the new LCD TV has a noteably worse picture than its old Sony CRT predecessor & I'm told this is because the TV's spec is vastly superior to the signals it is receiving (terrestrial analog/ digital --> Humax --> TV (via SCART). I have tried a very expensive SCART cable and no improvements... so I'm wondering if a new improved PVR with HDMI might do the TV justice.

any thoughts?

Julius
 
Hi Julius - A few thoughts, as requested.

Forget about HDMI - necessary for HD - as & when Freeview HD transmissions plus hardware are in your area - but no panacea for SD problems.

Your new TV may be a marked improvement on your old one - but the notion that it's somehow too "powerful" for your signal or PVR isn't really plausable. I'm sure that many 9200T owners use them successfully with TVs "superior" to yours. Also - & this may surprise you - many AV experts maintain that the PQ on CRT TVs is superior to that on LCDs.

I note that a spec of your TV I found online stressed that the colours are highly saturated (as a good point), so are you sure that this isn't simply a difference from your old TV - & perhaps you can tone it down in the settings menu.

The pixellation is more of a problem - & this could be due to the PVR - especially if you live in the North West, which underwent Digital Switch Over (DSO) in December - since when quite a few models of PVR have been playing up.

All that said, there is one thing you could try (assuming you haven't already). Your TV has a Freeview tuner in it - disconnect the Humax; run the aerial directly into the TV; & see what reception is like. If, in fact, it's much the same as with the Humax connected, you'll know it's not the PVR causing the problems. But if reception is improved, then clearly the PVR is the culprit.
 
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The pixellation is more of a problem - & this could be due to the PVR - especially if you live in the North West, which underwent Digital Switch Over (DSO) in December - since when quite a few models of PVR have been playing up.

Since completion of dso here in the NorthWest the Humax PVR9200T works perfectly now all transmissions are using the 8K mode. The problems were caused by mixed transmissions on both 2K & 8K mode during the interim period between start & completion of switchover.

The problems with the pixellation are, as you state, more likely to be caused by inadequate aerial signal. Perhaps a TV booster may improve this situation.
 

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