Manhattan T3-R. Wow!

[scgf]

I've mentioned before on here how impressed I am with my Manhattan T3-R. It's what the Humax Freeview Play devices should have been. I previously has the Humax FVP-4000T and boy was it slow and clunky!

Having used the Manhattan for a few weeks I have experienced no issues at all, but I have found a couple of gems.

The Watchlist is an excellent way to 'store' catchup programmes. Clearly they're not downloaded, but they are all in your watchlist, whatever service they come from. They only appear in the watchlist if you added them from a Manhattan menu, like search. If you go directly to, say, iPlayer, you can't add a programme to the watchlist. Today I discovered that if you go back in the EPG, select a programme you'd like to watch, you can add it to your watchlist from there too. The watchlist feature is the icing on the cake. It's really useful. Only one issue, catchup programmes which aren't from iPlayer can't remember where you were if you didn't watch to the end. I'd say 95% of my catchup is BBC based so it's not a problem for me.

As far as I know Watchlist doesn't have a dedicated remote command. I have a Harmony Hub so created a quick macro to give me a one-button access to the watchlist. Menu > Right > Right > Right > Select. This gets you to the watchlist no matter where you were previously.

The Manhattan hasn't failed me in nearly two months and the feature integration is top class. I highly recommended it!

 

[Rodders53]

Others don't entirely share your joy. But nice to hear a positive experience for a change.

Manhattan T3-R failing to record specific programmes

I’m posting this here because I have searched everywhere and can’t get an answer. I’ve also contacted Manhattan but as with everyone else it’s “we might take a while to respond due to COVID-19”. Plus it’s a weird problem that I can’t understand why it is happening and wondered if any of the...

www.avforums.com

 

[scgf]

Yes, I read that but can honestly say I have not had a single recording error. It's clearly important to remember the Manhattan has only two tuners, but when I attempt a third recording in the same time slot I am warned of the problem and given the option to cancel this or a previously set recording.

 

[Clem_Dye]

For me, the jury’s still out between the T3-R and the Humax 5000. Both have their pluses and minuses. I’m waiting to see what the promised September firmware update for the Manhattan will bring. From memory, padding, a CEC fix and a few other tweaks, but no manual recording option, ever, something that I occasionally rely upon and which the Humax offers, along with three tuners.

 

[scgf]

I suppose if one device has a must-have feature for a particular user and the other doesn't it's a no-brainer. Since the demise of the VCR I have never needed a manual timer so the lack of one is not even on my radar. I love the way the recordings on the T3-R start in exactly the right place, where Sky Q, for example, started recording a good minute or more (sometimes up to 5) before the programme actually started. The Humax Freeview Play boxes are just too sluggish for me - so much so I found them painful. For anyone used to Sky Q it would be like going back in time, or in computer terms going from an Intel i5 to a pre Pentium 386. The Manhattan also does the backward EPG thing like YouView, where you go back through the EPG in the exact same way as you go forward. Humax changes to a different format when you go backwards going from linear to vertical for the one channel and in UI terms it jars. For its advantages (for me) I am prepared to forgo the extra tuner. The Watchlist is a deal-maker, it blows me away and is a feature which gives more than a nod to the way broadcasting is going when it will all be online.

 

[rafletcher]

I’m a new T3-r owner and so far impressed. I have a simple question - can I add back a single channel that I deleted at set-up WITHOUT a complete retune?

 

[Clem_Dye]

Can you not tune manually on just the frequency/mux that has the channel that you need, then delete, for a second time, the guff that you don't need?

 

[Deleted member 859633]

I’ve finally got my T3-R setup properly today and yeah it’s great. I’m happy to have it and save £30 a month from SKYQ but it’s also not perfect.

im surprised search only brings up on demand content. No future recordings so means I’ve almost got to lookup the times of programs in the tv times and the. Find it in the guide to setup recordings.

i Tweeted them about it and have put it forward to the right teams, so fair play for listening.

other than that, it’s fast and easy to use.

 

[GadgetObsessed]

Looks like we finally have a decent alternative to Sky Q!

I have previously bought my Mum a Humax 5000T and while it is OK it seems a little clunky and did not do a good job of persuading me that it was worth switching to.

I phoned Sky today and their best offer for me was £71 for everything - Sky Q, Sports, Cinema, HD/4K, multiroom in 2 other rooms. So I have cancelled Sky and am now looking to get a couple of Manhattan T3-R or Humax Aura boxes. I already have Apple TV 4k for streaming and will switch to NowTV HD for the rest of this Premier League season.

Still seeing reports of issues with the Aura. Without Netflix it is a fail for me on the streaming services so as it cannot replace my Apple TV it has few feature advantages over the Manhattan.

 

[zAndy1]

Looks like we finally have a decent alternative to Sky Q!

I have previously bought my Mum a Humax 5000T and while it is OK it seems a little clunky and did not do a good job of persuading me that it was worth switching to.

I phoned Sky today and their best offer for me was £71 for everything - Sky Q, Sports, Cinema, HD/4K, multiroom in 2 other rooms. So I have cancelled Sky and am now looking to get a couple of Manhattan T3-R or Humax Aura boxes. I already have Apple TV 4k for streaming and will switch to NowTV HD for the rest of this Premier League season.

Still seeing reports of issues with the Aura. Without Netflix it is a fail for me on the streaming services so as it cannot replace my Apple TV it has few feature advantages over the Manhattan.

You say it's a decent alternative but these are the shortcomings that are making me hesitate...
a) search only looks at on-demand content not forthcoming programmes
b) no easy option to watch live TV or recordings on a TV in another room ** this is my main bugbear **
c) no access to HD content catch-up for some channels
d) the initial outlay for an alternative PVR being a good few months Sky sub (especially without movies / sport)

Realistically the cheapest I'm probably going to get sky q for when I renew is £35pm and that's without movies and sports but with uhd and netflix premium and multiroom and access to a lot of channels I won't get with a T3-R. If I cancel I'd have to factor in paying £14pm for Netflix (unless I cancel that and dive in occasionally when there's something worth watching which is an option I suppose) and if I want the Sky stuff Now TV for £13pm with boost. Hmmmm decisions decisions....

 

[Deleted member 859633]

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a slight back step from a good SKY Q setup but then you have to weigh it up long term with it being ‘free’ TV.

6 and half months of SKY Q savings covers the cost of my T3-R box and I have no multiroom.

the lack of search on future programs is my biggest bug bear but I think once you have set up a program to series record then your all set

 

[zAndy1]

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a slight back step from a good SKY Q setup but then you have to weigh it up long term with it being ‘free’ TV.

6 and half months of SKY Q savings covers the cost of my T3-R box and I have no multiroom.

the lack of search on future programs is my biggest bug bear but I think once you have set up a program to series record then your all set

Yeah it's an easier decision without the multiroom factor in the equation, my daughter will not be impressed one bit if I cancel sky and she loses the sky q mini box

 

[Deleted member 859633]

For the hassle mate, you may be better just trying to negotiate a better deal. My lot are moaning that Sky is gone but they’ll get used to it

 

[Clem_Dye]

Is NowTV an option to get access to Sky on the cheap?

 

[Deleted member 859633]

Some channels yeah. Would imagine it’s mainly for SKY Atlactic

 

[zAndy1]

Is NowTV an option to get access to Sky on the cheap?

Yes, you get sky one, sky witness, sky atlantic , sky comedy, sky docs, sky crime Fox, sky nature live with the entertainment pass (£9.99pm , extra £3 for the HD boost giving you 1080p/5.1). For extra (cinema pass or sports pass) you can get the movie or sports channels but you need to get a decent deal on those cos they can be expensive. But for the normal sky channels it's fine and all the sky content is there really including box sets