Cheap TV recording device

[BrumJim]

Us? We use TiVo. Mum? not on cable, so is looking for something to record TV programmes when she is out.
What sort of budget are we looking at, what is available and any recommendations? Cheap is probably quite important (she hardly uses it), as is ease of use.

 

[ColinJ]

You can get decent Freeview hard disk recorders for under £100. I have a cheapo ALBA one which works well. I can record two channels at once and watch a previous recording at the same time! (Make sure you get one with dual tuners to allow that.)

 

[Svendo]

I have a Humax with dual tuners, very happy with it. You can also watch a recording or a channel on the same multiplex as a channel being recorded, £120 ish with a 320GBdrive from Richer Sounds. I see similar spec from budget/no name brands in ASDA for less than £100. I'd research online for ease of use, although any device with multiple functions like a PVR is going to have a certain learning curve. I'd be insane to try it with my mother for instance!

 

[ColinJ]

Definitely check for ease of use - criticisms I'd make of my Freeview PVR are:

1. It can only step forwards/backwards 2 minutes at a time which is not as handy for skipping through ad breaks as the +/- 30 seconds/1 minute/2 minutes/3 minutes of my old analogue PVR.
2. It doesn't do instant pause/replay of live TV. The best I can do is to start recording, press play and then pause it.
3. When using the TV guide to schedule recordings, sometimes it will also schedule repeats e.g. on 4+1 or ITV1+1!
4. I managed to crash the software! I was reverse-playing at high speed and repeatedly stop-starting. I had to unplug the box and reboot it.

 

[potsy]

Bought my mum one last birthday, omg the amount of times I had to show her how to use it
She loves it now though, think it was around £90 but personally if I was buying another I would go for something like the Humax that Svendo mentions.
Great for those of us that don't have/want Sky+

 

[swee'pea99]

I highly recommend digihomes like this one. I've had two, both off ebay, both for about £20 all in. One lasted two or three years, t'other's still going strong. Reviews rave about their easy-to-use menu system, and with good reason. Actually this is the exact model we have. If I didn't have one, this is the one I'd get.

 

[goo_mason]

If you go onto the Humax site they have a 'Manager's Specials' section of reconditioned units where you can sometimes pick up some great bargains - might be something there that suits your Mum's budget. It does depend though - sometimes they have a lot, other times just a few items.

 

[marinyork]

If you go onto the Humax site they have a 'Manager's Specials' section of reconditioned units where you can sometimes pick up some great bargains - might be something there that suits your Mum's budget. It does depend though - sometimes they have a lot, other times just a few items.

Yes. Also maplin do a few refurbs from time to time (but I have a lower opinion of these).

Have confidence in you mum. If she's tasted tivo, once she gets used to her own PVR, her use/expectations may well change.

 

[thnurg]

I don't think it's the most reliable or user-friendly creature on the planet, but it may well be the cheapest option for recording TV. Just plug in a usb stick or SD card.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-F...onEle_SatCableFreeview_RL&hash=item2a14f98b86

My mother in law has one for the bedroom TV and it's a decent freeview box but I've never seen it used for recording.

Personally I love my MythTV system (http://mythtv.org) which enables me to have one freesat receiver and three freeview receivers in the same box, and to make recordings available to any computer on the network (including the old xbox in the bedroom). MythTV may be an option if you have a powerful enough PC lying around that is not used for aything else.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

if she doesn't use it often, and is a bit technophobic, what about an old vcr? available for buttons…

 

[ianrauk]

if she doesn't use it often, and is a bit technophobic, what about an old vcr? available for buttons…

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Us? We use TiVo. Mum? not on cable, so is looking for something to record TV programmes when she is out.
What sort of budget are we looking at, what is available and any recommendations? Cheap is probably quite important (she hardly uses it), as is ease of use.

My mum, who's 80 next year, is quite at home on the internet. I know that this isn't the general rule but if your mum does use a PC or a laptop, then a PCTV USB thingummy would set you/her back less than £40. She'd have to leave the computer on though.

 

[ohnovino]

I've got 3 PVRs in the house: a Sony that's okay, a Humax that's useless (keeps missing recordings) and a £40 Hitachi that's perfect.

A lot of the cheap PVRs (including my Hitachi) are made by a company called Vestel, who then just put them in a different casing depending on which brand it's being sold as. For example my model is also available as a Bush, Ferguson, Luxor or Technika. As they have such a huge user base they have a reputation for catching and fixing problems far sooner than you get with other makes.

I'd highly recommend a look on avforums.com to see what the current Vestel models are - in my opinion it's one of the few areas in technology where you really can spend less and get more.

 

[marinyork]

I've got 3 PVRs in the house: a Sony that's okay, a Humax that's useless (keeps missing recordings) and a £40 Hitachi that's perfect.

A lot of the cheap PVRs (including my Hitachi) are made by a company called Vestel, who then just put them in a different casing depending on which brand it's being sold as. For example my model is also available as a Bush, Ferguson, Luxor or Technika. As they have such a huge user base they have a reputation for catching and fixing problems far sooner than you get with other makes.

I'd highly recommend a look on avforums.com to see what the current Vestel models are - in my opinion it's one of the few areas in technology where you really can spend less and get more.

I wouldn't describe vestel as having an excellent reputation. I would say they are okay (having owned vestel boxes). Nevertheless discounting refurbs and pot luck of finding one for £50 or less there is always a vestel knocking around such as this at argos. If that isn't to your liking there are 4 others at £100 or below. You can always get them cheaper, it's just things sell out quickly and there's a rush as people go off on the latest bargain hunt - that box was going for less elsewhere.