Another PVR Question.

[Trem]

I want a PVR due to me being fucking useless at remembering to watch anything I want to. I want it to auto record the shows I want to watch.

I am getting the feeling the only one that does this is Tivo, I don't have Sky so I don't have the Sky+ option. I have NTL so I am wanting a PVR that will have NTL's channel listings on it and I need it to record stuff off NTL. Is this possible?

I was thinking of an Archos thingy, can they do the PVR thing?

Jesus spending money on crap has never been so confusing.

Cheers in advance.

Love and kisses.

Trem.

 

[dysfunction]

NTL are bringing out a PVR sometime this year so may be worth waiting for that...

http://www.saeurope.com/newscenter/...atlanta.com/newscenter/releases/05Oct20-1.htm

 

[Trem]

No Dys, NTL will bring it out n the year 2037. They are useless.

I wouldn't buy any NTL hardware though tbh, I have read around and it seems that Tivo does do NTL.

I am awaiting Toms reply because he has Tivo and NTL.

 

[dysfunction]

I thought NTL would just "rent" the hardware to you like they do their current set top box. You dont have to buy that....so you'll be saving you a bit of cash.

But you cant buy TiVo's so easily these days. You might be able to get one off of e-bay I guess....at your own risk.

 

[DaGaffer]

Now that NTL and Telewest have merged, you should start to see "TV Drive" (TW's new PVR) rolled out across NTL as well. The problem with cable is that its purely down to your postcode which services you get; NTL was always utter shit in my area, which is why I switched to Sky.

You can get a Tivo on eBay (I recently sold mine) and it will work the NTL STB, but a couple of things to watch out for; if you get one on eBay, make sure it has the "IR blaster" kit so you can change channels on the STB through Tivo. It works, but channel changing is reeeeally slooooow, and the Tivos you can get in the UK are only single tuner, so you can't record something and watch another channel at the same time. I thought Tivo was the greatest thing since sliced bread when I got it, and the EPG is still much better than Sky+, but in truth its actually a bit clunky when used with NTL. (I had a Pace STB with NTL, don't know if Tivo works better/worse with other boxes, but the Pace box is the most common NTL digital one anyway).

 

[Tom]

make sure it has the "IR blaster" kit

You only need one of those if you have the older black Pace box, which I doubt Trem has as hes likely on 43 million MB broadband (Pace box limited to 1MB). The newer Samsung box can be controlled with just the ordinary Tivo IR lead, or the front blaster (a little LED in the case of the Tivo that just bounces the signal off the nearest wall)

If you're after a Tivo, try this Tivo UK forum which I've used in the past, its dead helpful. There are tons of mods you can do, including installing a network card in the Tivo box and mucking around with all kinds of stuff. Mines just standard though.

The only issue is that about 1% of the time it automatically records the wrong channel - this isn't actually a Tivo problem, its the Samsung NTL box that people reckon has poorly written software. Its get-around-able by removing all the on-screen titles and graphics from the NTL setup screen. Some people even have a mains timer on the Samsung box, turns it off for a minute or two every night. This (in theory) keeps the box's memory nice and fresh, and people report never having recorded the wrong program again.

The Archos units only record in low resolution 320x200 IIRC (at least the AV400 did), so I wouldn't bother just yet Trem.

You could always consider a Windows media system, and that will have the added bonus of being HD compatible, you can download content from the internet and play it back. Its one thing I'm looking into at the moment.

 

[dysfunction]

If you really want a Tivo Trem then you could buy one from here:

http://www.tivoheaven.com/

Looks like its a good idea to upgrade it with a few extras such as a bigger hard drive and a CacheCard and 512mb SDRAM Module for the cache card...this will speed up the Tivo and link it to your PC...

 

[Chilly]

build your own, or pay me to do it?

 

[dysfunction]

build your own, or pay me to do it?

I wouldnt pay you even if you paid me...

 

[Tom]

Yeah cheers Trem, nice one. You big spaz.

 

[Trem]

Been looking into windows media centres and they seem quite sexy. Got the media remote at work that I can....ahem.....lend. I was thinking of building a Shuttle to do the job, I ain't using the proper dvd sized cases for it as they are stupid dear.

Cheers for the offer Chilly, I'm ok when it comes to building pc's(work in a PC shop).

Tivo are looking a very dear option by the day.

My internet is not with NTL btw Tom and I'm only on 2 mb