Freeview box, but which one and where to purchase?

trinidadone

Happy new year all,

I want to purchase a freeview box. I need a box which can record programmes, so I am assuming I need a freeview PVR (Personal Video Recorder) or freeview plus (is a PVR and plus the same thing?)

I want a machine which is easy to install, and has a good memory. The machine will be used by a older person, so needs to be easy to use.

As well as establishing the type of box, I also need some pointers on who is doing good buys at the moment.

hope someone can help with identifying what machine I need and where.

thanks in advance

split_second

humax and topfield are the best ones, topfield are the best but are harder to get hold of and are very pricey. had a humax 9120 for a couple of years and it has been great, previously was sending cheaper freeview boxes back every 6-9 months as they arent built to last

trinidadone

ok, where are these models stocked?

macman

Humax PVR 9300T every time (though you won't get the HD channels on this model).
Go to either Richer Sounds or online via the Humax Direct site:
http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/

Moneymaker

trinidadone wrote: »

ok, where are these models stocked?

Online sellers such as Satcure are worth a look. Unlike some high street stores, they can provide technical help should things go wrong. Humax have a bit of a reputation for unreliability at present but are generally OK. Topfield, as stated, are a bit dearer.

Have you decided whether you want a twin-tuner PVR or something cheaper? Also what do you mean by "memory"? (I suspect that you mean "Hard Drive storage capacity").

UncleZen

The TVonics Freeview PVR also has good reviews.

Kurtis_Blue

UncleZen wrote: »

The TVonics Freeview PVR also has good reviews.

The TVonics boxes look nice but when we have dealt with tech issues and faulty units the customer service/tech support is horrendously bad.

macman

Humax every time. I'm not aware of any reliability issues, and I have both freeview and Freeat PVR's. The early problems with fan noise and slow EPG retrieval on the PVR 9300T were resolved long ago with an OTA software upgrade.

UncleZen

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

The TVonics boxes look nice but when we have dealt with tech issues and faulty units the customer service/tech support is horrendously bad.

Well, the one and only time I ever called support they answered immediately and diagnosed a faulty scart cable of mine within minutes, and proved to be correct. So like all things support related, eveyone will have good and bad experiences.

Kurtis_Blue

UncleZen wrote: »

Well, the one and only time I ever called support they answered immediately and diagnosed a faulty scart cable of mine within minutes, and proved to be correct. So like all things support related, eveyone will have good and bad experiences.

However as we install hundreds of boxes yearly and experience lots of contact with OEMs my experience is as stated and is relative to other stb manufactures rather than one sole contact taken in isolation.

My experience of TVonics support is not just poor, it is horrendous.