Taking the plunge but unsure about boxes

majorstare

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SKY HD has now gone (never to be used again!), so im going to use their dish for FreeSat.

I want to be able to use HDMI, receive HD broadcasts, record programms.

Budget is roughly £200.00

Any suggestions?
 
Hi majorstare,

I am currently looking for the same item as you and the best price I have found (at the moment) is the Humax Foxsat HDR from Dixons for £239.99 (inc postage) - Link Here.

Here is the list of Freesat recorders that I have found...

Make Model Price Shop HDD Size
Humax Foxsat HDR £239.99 Dixons 320
Sagem DTR94250S £249.99 PC World 250
Panasonic DMR-XS350EBK £377.00 Amazon 250
Panasonic DMR-BS850EBK £661.91 Amazon 500
Panasonic DMR-BS750EBK £534.97 Amazon 250

Excuse the mess but forums and Excel just don't go! lol
 
SKY HD has now gone (never to be used again!), so im going to use their dish for FreeSat.

I want to be able to use HDMI, receive HD broadcasts, record programms.

Budget is roughly £200.00

Any suggestions?

You might need to stretch the budget by a tad to get probably the most widely used of the HD recorders, which is the Humax Foxsat-HDR (not to be confused with the Foxsat-HD - which is just an HD receiver with no internal disk). These can be picked up for around £230.

Sagem have introduced a HD recorder recently, but so far there's not been much feedback on here as to what it's like.
 
...main advantage with the sagem is ...i think... it's got 'component out' something the humax recorder has'nt.
 
Unfortunately, Freesat HD is no replacement for Sky HD simply because of the limited number of channels available. :thumbsdow On Freesat, BBC HD only transmits for part of the day. ITV HD transmissions are sparse (and then some are poor quality:() which leaves Luxe HD if you can be bothered to find it. Regrettably, the number of available channels is unlikely to increase in the near future.

Given that though, Freesat is gaining in popularity and it seems the most popular piece of kit to receive it is the Humax Foxsat HDR. True, it does have some pitfalls, but is generally a nice piece of kit, IMHO, the best available.:)
 
...main advantage with the sagem is ...i think... it's got 'component out' something the humax recorder has'nt.

Does anybody know if component out works for HD channels on the Sagem. I ask because the Foxsat-HD also has component out but you can't use it for HD as the freesat spec allows it to be turned off as an anticopying measure. Both BBC HD and ITV 1 Hd do so, if it does work I would not assume it will continue to do so.
 
Budget is roughly £200.00
Any suggestions?
It doesn't have to be Freesat - that's only an EPG.
And marrtin's right - HD broadcasts, plural, is almost an exaggeration.
So:
Technomate 6800 receiver £150.
External hard drive for recording £50.
 
Last edited:
It doesn't have to be Freesat - that's only an EPG.
And marrtin's right - HD broadcasts, plural, is alnmost an exaggeration.
So:
Technomate 6800 receiver £150.
External hard drive for recording £50.

Logi - maybe a little off-topic here, but I'm interested in how the Technomate EPG actually works.... is it just purely a "now and next" afair? Or is there something to get more functionality out of it, so that it works like a full 7/8 day EPG with series-link etc....?

Thanks!
 
Hi majorstare,

I am currently looking for the same item as you and the best price I have found (at the moment) is the Humax Foxsat HDR from Dixons for £239.99 (inc postage) - Link Here.

Here is the list of Freesat recorders that I have found...

Make Model Price Shop HDD Size
Humax Foxsat HDR £239.99 Dixons 320
Sagem DTR94250S £249.99 PC World 250
Panasonic DMR-XS350EBK £377.00 Amazon 250
Panasonic DMR-BS850EBK £661.91 Amazon 500
Panasonic DMR-BS750EBK £534.97 Amazon 250

Excuse the mess but forums and Excel just don't go! lol

You can get the Sagem at argos for £229 at the moment
Buy Sagem DTR94250S HD Freesat Recorder. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .
 
Cheers guys.

I have reviewed how much recording i have done over the last year..... hardly any, with occasional BBCi Player on the PS3.

So today purchased a TechniSat HDFS.

It has found 114 channels plus Radio stations.

We are curently watching BBC1 and the picture quality is as good as Sky.

Having called VM for a TV package, the TechniSat will pay for itself in 5 months:smashin:
 
SKY HD has now gone (never to be used again!), so im going to use their dish for FreeSat.

I want to be able to use HDMI, receive HD broadcasts, record programms.

Budget is roughly £200.00

Any suggestions?

How about just using your old Sky HD box (or get a 2nd hand one if your old one is gone) for the FTA channels. AFAIK you need the Sky box for Channel 4 HD anyway as it's not on Freesat.

True there's the £10 p/m charge from Sky to get the thing to function, but you'll get a lot of months for your £200 budget.

I'm new to to HD Freesat etc as I just got a 37" TV at the weekend but have come to the conclusion this is the best option.

RDB :)
 
how the Technomate EPG actually works.... is it just purely a "now and next" afair? Or is there something to get more functionality out of it, so that it works like a full 7/8 day EPG with series-link etc....?
OK Tony:
I don't use it much but it seems to vary by channel. Most have now-and-next, some the full EPG though I haven't checked any for more than a day or two ahead, no series link, though there are the usual options for recording - daily, Mon-Fri, etc.
It's not really a choice for anyone who relies on EPGs. As I don't rely on them at all I didn't even check that point before buying, as everything I did want was there, at a fair price which is now discounted.
HTH - Logi.
 
OK Tony:
I don't use it much but it seems to vary by channel. Most have now-and-next, some the full EPG though I haven't checked any for more than a day or two ahead, no series link, though there are the usual options for recording - daily, Mon-Fri, etc.
It's not really a choice for anyone who relies on EPGs. As I don't rely on them at all I didn't even check that point before buying, as everything I did want was there, at a fair price which is now discounted.
HTH - Logi.

Thanks for the info there Logi! Appreciated. :thumbsup:
 

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