TV recorder setup for elderly person. Youview?

Rodders53

More recent units will be more future proof wrt the catchup apps availability and use HbbTV rather than MHEG for interactive services --- Freeview Play cf You View (tho the latest BT Pro boxes are probably using HbbTV, but those are rented not given to the users as older ones were).

Some older Freeview boxes have lost ITV X for example.

1TB may be sensible if they are likely to record mainly the HD channels and keep them for a time before viewing?  Although 500GB is sufficient if much will be recorded from the SD channels.

FYI we are sitting at 60% full on our 1TB Humax freesat box where we seldom record anything SD.  (There are a few recordings we may never watch, though).

outtatune

I have the Humax Aura, I got my mum the Manhattan T3R.

They are both great boxes.

The Aura has more features but is a little bit more complex and unless your relative specifically wants something that only the Aura offers then the Manhattan if you can get one would be fine.

But don't pay stupid money for it, I paid £166.80 for it new on Amazon and that wasn't any kind of offer, the price now is showing as £350 which I assume is because they aren't producing the old model any longer but still haven't started selling the new one. Note that the T3 box is not a recorder, it's the T3-R that you want.

How quick do you need it? If the new model is delayd much more it may be worth getting an old YouView box from ebay as a stopgap.

greenery

Thanks for that. I do want it quite quickly -  she is missing it!. I was ready to buy the Humax 5000T refurbished direct from Humax. It was in stock yesterday but not today!
I don't want to get a stopgap because she will need to get used to it. 
Being able to use catchup over WiFi would be better than hardwired.
I could get a refurbished one from amazon, or Argos have this

Freesat Recordable 500GB 4K TV Box

for £229 which I think is the same, if she would prefer new but £200 was really the max.

bob_a_builder

But that one is going to require a satellite dish,  whilst its not stated in the posts I think the assumption is we've been talking about ones with normal TV tuners in rather than Satellite receivers 
i.e. Freeview not Freesat

bob_a_builder

They've got Auras in stock @ 199
https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/refurbished/humax-aura-4k-android-tv-recorder-1tb-refurbished.html

Manual
https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/amfile/file/download/file_id/4/product_id/1111/

greenery

bob_a_builder said:

But that one is going to require a satellite dish,  whilst its not stated in the posts I think the assumption is we've been talking about ones with normal TV tuners in rather than Satellite receivers 
i.e. Freeview not Freesat

yes you are correct

greenery

bob_a_builder said:

They've got Auras in stock @ 199
https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/refurbished/humax-aura-4k-android-tv-recorder-1tb-refurbished.html

Manual
https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/amfile/file/download/file_id/4/product_id/1111/

Thanks. that may be worth consideration, but may be more memory than is needed

GDB2222

People keep talking about HD recording and 4K, but we just do SD. Although our TV is capable of HD, it is quite a small screen, and for most purposes SD is absolutely fine. 

Could I ask what size screen mum has, and what sort of programmes she watches? 

One thing I would like in my next recorder is automatic skipping over the adverts on commercial television. Would mum appreciate that? Do any of the recorders mentioned do that? 

greenery

GDB2222 said:

People keep talking about HD recording and 4K, but we just do SD. I agree Although our TV is capable of HD, it is quite a small screen, and for most purposes SD is absolutely fine. 

Could I ask what size screen mum has, and what sort of programmes she watches? 

One thing I would like in my next recorder is automatic skipping over the adverts on commercial television. Would mum appreciate that? Do any of the recorders mentioned do that? 

I agree that HD i is not a requirement. She has a fairly small TV and watches BBC, ITV CH4 mostly

bob_a_builder

I have a Humax HDR-Fox-T2 Freeview recorder. It very old now, but can still be had on Ebay
Its major benefit for me is its ability ( via custom firmware ) to skip adverts in recordings  so that an Advert block can be skipped by a single button press 
As far as I know its the only one that can do that

https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Main_Page