A good basic TV recorder which displays a "programme timeline"

Mistral001

My 18 year old Sharp TUR160HA TV recorder is faulty and I want to replace it.  I was very pleased with my Sharp recorder.  It displayed one of those lines like a mercury thermometer on its side where you could see at a glance how far into the programme you were.  I have called it a "programme timeline" but I am not sure if that is its right name.  I do not think all recorders have such a feature, but I find it essential. 

I have searched specifications of several recorders and none mention this "timeline" feature.  Has anybody got a any recommendations? It does not need to be a "smart" recorder or any advanced features.

Alderbank

My Humax has a cursor which progresses from left to right across the bottom of the screen so you can see at a glance how far into the programme you are. Would that do?

I think all Humax have that

RumRat

Modern ones usually show the 'timeline' on screen when you press 'OK' or similar. 

Mistral001

Alderbank said:

My Humax has a cursor which progresses from left to right across the bottom of the screen so you can see at a glance how far into the programme you are. Would that do?

I think all Humax have that

Thanks.  I was looking at Currys and Argos's websites and the Humax or Manhattan are the two brands I am considering.  

outtatune

I have the Humax Aura and I bought the Manhattan T3R for my mum. They are both great boxes. The Aura has more features but if you don't need the extras then stick with the T3R.

Mistral001

outtatune said:

I have the Humax Aura and I bought the Manhattan T3R for my mum. They are both great boxes. The Aura has more features but if you don't need the extras then stick with the T3R.

Does the Manhattan T3R display the timeline or cursor to show how far you are into a programme?  If it doesn't, it is a deal-breaker for me.  I switch a lot through the channels to find a programme that is just started and then I record it and play it back latter to avoid the adverts.  It takes ages to do this if you have to read the time the programme started and compare it with the present time.

droopsnoot

I'm using a BT Youview box as a TV recorder, I'm just using the Freeview part of it without a BT subscription. That will show the timeline that you describe for a few seconds when you press the ">" button during playback. I don't use it to watch live TV on so I don't know if it will do it then - I suspect it does. It's Humax firmware and they're cheap to source second-hand for the HD version - my latest one was free from a local FB recycle group. 

Mistral001

Thanks everyone for your input. 

Today I bought the HUMAX FVP-5000T recorder from Currys.  I have been getting familar with it for a few hours now. 

It has the timeline.  Not as clear as my old Sharp machine, but I am resigned to that and suspect that no recorder could be as clear as my 18 year old Sharp.  The remote control layout is very straight-forward and easy to use.   There is no info. button which is annoying, but there are plenty of recording features, including being able to record four channels at once. 

RumRat

If you press the 'OK' button while watching a programme it will show the information,.

35har1old

Mistral001 said:

My 18 year old Sharp TUR160HA TV recorder is faulty and I want to replace it.  I was very pleased with my Sharp recorder.  It displayed one of those lines like a mercury thermometer on its side where you could see at a glance how far into the programme you were.  I have called it a "programme timeline" but I am not sure if that is its right name.  I do not think all recorders have such a feature, but I find it essential. 

I have searched specifications of several recorders and none mention this "timeline" feature.  Has anybody got a any recommendations? It does not need to be a "smart" recorder or any advanced features.

Mistral001 said:

Thanks everyone for your input. 

Today I bought the HUMAX FVP-5000T recorder from Currys.  I have been getting familar with it for a few hours now. 

It has the timeline.  Not as clear as my old Sharp machine, but I am resigned to that and suspect that no recorder could be as clear as my 18 year old Sharp.  The remote control layout is very straight-forward and easy to use.   There is no info. button which is annoying, but there are plenty of recording features, including being able to record four channels at once. 

Did you check Currys price promise  Argos £209

Mistral001

Bought the FVP-5000T in Currys for £189 which was the same price as Argos.  You are quoting the Argos price for HUMAX FVP-5000TB.  The FVP-5000T was out of stock in Argos on Friday so might not be coming up now on searches.