Which box with live pause. Which box for recording

lonestarfan

I need a bit of help understanding kit and packages other than Virgin and Sky for my pensioner mum. She has virgin tv xl with TiVo box at the moment. She uses a lot of entertainment and news and sports channels due to it being the hub for us all at different points. She doesn't use films or box sets. She can't have a sky satellite dish due to trees in the vicinity and yes they are very big trees in the whole area. She's very unhappy with TiVo box as its so slow and just does its own thing. She's been offered the new box but is dragging her feet due to wanting to keep her recordings or at least get time to watch some of them. Her box is 500 mb I think and it's always on critical because as I says it's the hub of the family! I realise that losing access to current recordings will be the same issue if I get her a new recorder and switch off Virgin. I need to look into that a bit more to see if I can do anything. She is always using record and live pause and catch up. So I was wondering about Now TV and their smart box at £49.99 but it doesn't record from what I can tell. So then I thought about digital tv recorders. Looking in Argos one of the humax has to have a satellite dish but some of their others don't. So do I need a Now TV smart box so she can pause and a humax recorder so she can record? Or just a Now Tv box and a humax recorder? Any advice and learning you can pass my way about this will be great thank you. I have Sky with a satellite dish at my home so am a bit unsure of non satellite solutions. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

If the trees cause a problem with Sky then I'm guessing you're going to have the same problem with a Freeview aerial. I'd get her to bite the bullet and upgrade to the V6 box, it is a definite improvement.

Anthorn

Humax YouView box available for Freeview or Freesat has one-touch pause, rewind, fast forward and record via the remote control.

lonestarfan

I'm at Grandmas now trying to watch an episode of lives at sea from her TiVo box recordings. It's an episode that is on her TiVo box but has come from bbc I player. It will not play constantly without interruption. Instead it buffers every few seconds and then we can watch a bit more. I don't know what buffering is or why it happens but am I going to get the same with Now Tv if that too is delivered down the cable internet? Thanks.

Nick_C

The TiVo box has its own Internet connection and its not very good. Typical download speed is about 4Mbps, which is very poor.

A Now TV box will use the proper BB connection which on Virgin should be at least 12 times faster.

I find iPlayer and catch up hopeless on TiVo, but they work fine on my Now TV box.

[Deleted User]

Anthorn wrote: »

Humax YouView box available for Freeview or Freesat has one-touch pause, rewind, fast forward and record via the remote control.

...but none of the subscription channels the OP wants, nor will it work if the large trees mentioned block the signals to the box!:eek:

lonestarfan

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

...but none of the subscription channels the OP wants, nor will it work if the large trees mentioned block the signals to the box!:eek:

Grandma has virgin cable 100Mbps. It's not down a phone line. We are planning in keeping Virgin cable internet and telephone. I just want a method of digital tv channels that she can live pause and record whcih isn't Virgin TiVo as its not very good for the money we are paying. We don't intend at all to change internet provider as we are very happy with virgin cable internet. My understanding was that you can have a Humax model so long as you don't buy the one which must have a satellite dish. I understood they produce a non satellite dish version to use with cable Internet.
I am not clear on whether a Now TV Box needs a satellite dish or not.
Can someone help explain it to me as I thoughr I could still get her digital tv stations like sky news, Alibi, Sky Atlantic but via cable internet via a Now Tv Box or a personal recorder like Humax and just pay the Now Tv pay as you go monthly subscriptions. Thanks.

lonestarfan

Bump
Any information would be most appreciated thanks.

LadyDee

I've had Humax boxes for years and they are so easy to use (definitely recommended for Grandmas), but I have absolutely no idea if they do all the things you want as I only use the Freeview through an aerial - there's a Humax forum somewhere, might be on the AVforums.

lonestarfan

I have learnt today that if I get Now TV and buy a humax aerial type box then it will allow grandma to record free view channels however it will not allow her to record Now TV channels which aren't free view channels. So this makes me think I need a now tv smart box so grandma can pause and rewind, and a humax box so she can record free view channels but if she wants any of the paid for channels she gets on virgin then she can watch them on Now TV but can't record them. Have I understood this correctly? Grandma watches and records non free view channels so will need a mechanism to be able to record these channels so am I back to a pay for channels subscription ? Thanks.

[Deleted User]

lonestarfan wrote: »

Grandma watches and records non free view channels so will need a mechanism to be able to record these channels so am I back to a pay for channels subscription ? Thanks.

You need to understand the difference between streaming services and those broadcast.

You can't record streaming services, but the programmes can often be accessed "On Demand" which largely negates the need to record unless she keeps an archive of recorded shows which are no longer on Catch Up.

In your situation, I think it might be wiser to arrange for grandma to negotiate a retention deal with her current TV supplier, especially as she has no plans to actually leave Virgin.