Freeview HD PVR with "Live Buffer" - "Rewind Live TV"

[The Wagster]

Hi all,

I hope you're having a good Christmas!

I'm looking for a Freeview HD PVR for my mum. She's used to a Sky box and it's not unusual for her to watch, fall asleep, rewind, watch, fall asleep, rewind etc etc so I'm looking for a box that has the ability to buffer and rewind live tv (without previously pausing the show). When I was last looking at PVR's 3 years ago this was a rare feature.

Has this feature become more common? Which are the "most reliable" and best with that feature. 320 or 500 GB HDD is acceptable. My Dad has a penchant towards Panasonic - are their offerings any good?

Thanks for your help.

Wagster

 

[PhilipL]

Hi

Most HD PVRs will do this, usually buffering around 2 hours worth.

It isn't the most reliable way of watching something, for example if you swap channel you lose the buffer on the previous channel. In other words, its very easy to clear the buffer by mistake.

Far better just to go through the EPG and select what you want to watch, then watch from the library at your leisure rather than watching TV live.

DigitalStream would be a good option.

Regards

Phil

 

[Captainkremmen]

All Freeview +HD PVRs have this feature, as it is part of the spec.

Panasonic have only recently launched their own proper Freeview +HD PVR, the DWR-PWT500, their models prior to it were also DVD or BluRay recorders so consequently pretty expensive. The Panasonic goes for close to £300 so by todays standards it is still expensive for a Freeview +HD PVR.

Others worth considering are the Humax HDR Fox T2 (around £230-250 brand new), the Digitalstream DHR8205 (£199 brand new) and the TVOnics DTR-HD500 (just price dropped to £199).

The Humax is the most advanced, an excellent PVR with a wealth of media streaming features. The TVOnics is a basic PVR with no media playback features and unconventional looks which most people either love or hate. The Digitalstream sits somewhere in the middle as an excellent PVR with basic media playback features from external USB sticks and hard discs.

 

[iaint]

Hi.
Don't know about this new panasonic, but be aware that many of their FreeviewHD receivers have commercial advertising on the programme guide.
The DigitalStream is somewhat tinkerable; you can switch timeshift mode off if you like, and choose between 0.5hr/1hr and 2hr buffer sizes, though that seems based on file size so half those figures for the HD channels.
--
Regards, Iain.

 

[Gavtech]

Panasonic have only recently launched their own proper Freeview +HD PVR, the DWR-PWT500, their models prior to it were also DVD or BluRay recorders so consequently pretty expensive. The Panasonic goes for close to £300 so by todays standards it is still expensive for a Freeview +HD PVR.

Just to clarify - The DMR-PWT500 is a hybrid machine that includes a 3D Bluray Player deck which explains the price.

The equivalent twin HD tuner PVR is the DMR-HW100 which is somewhat cheaper.

 

[Captainkremmen]

Just to clarify - The DMR-PWT500 is a hybrid machine that includes a 3D Bluray Player deck which explains the price.

The equivalent twin HD tuner PVR is the DMR-HW100 which is somewhat cheaper.

Oops, you're right I got the model number wrong.

A quick updated Google search shows the 320Gb Panasonic model can be bought for around £200 online.