New PVR wanted

If it's Freesat my Freesat-4k-Recordable-PVR2020 records up to 4 channels at a time and holds the previous 2 hours broadcast for winding back.

I'm not sure that there is a great choice any more, as streaming has made PVRs less necessary. On that point, quite a few channels (particularly the minor ones) are streaming only, and as far as I'm aware no PVRs can record those, even if you have an internet connection.

You might also find that some of the functions available to you on the Humax now aren't available on the new cheaper PVRs (slo-mo, pause and step frame forward or back), so if those are important to you it cuts the choice down even more.

Whatever you decide on, download the manual first to have a good browse before you buy.

Thanks Jeff. Perhaps I should also have said that I don't have a satellite dish, so terrestrial only I suppose. Will your Freesat do terrestrial? Not by the sound of the name!

No, Freeview would do that :-)

As I thought. But does any Freeview recorder record up to four channels? It doesn't look like it! If anyone knows of one, please tell...

Twin tuners will usually let you record two channels but watching the third will depend on that one being on the same multiplex as one of those being recorded. I get around that by watching the third on the TV’s own tuner. Humax produced one with four tuners so you could record four and subject to the multiplex restriction watch a fifth, called the Aura it really dented their reputation for reliability with frequent crashes . It is still available but I don’t know if the software has been updated. A lot of long time Humax users like myself replaced my old Humax with a Manhatten PVR. Two tuners and available with different storage capacities. Mine has been rock solid since install in Early December. Some people may advocate Freeview rather than freeview but Freesat uses the same satellites as Sky and they have not ordered any more from the operator to replace the existing ones which are not expected to be serviceable from about 2029-2030. Sky want to switch their customers to Broadband delivery and it is unlikely the consortium running Freesat which also run freeview could afford new ones on their own. So you might only get 4or 5 years from a freesat install.

GH

As mentioned in the body of my other post

But conduct your own research on its problems when it was introduced and decide if you want to risk it, I wasn’t but maybe they have improved them.

GH

BT/EE TV box pro records three and you can watch a fourth.

I am way out of touch with all of this (my Topfield 5800 is still serving me well ;-) but can't you get an Enigma box and plug multiple tuners into it?

They’re pretty repairable. Has it ever had a new hard drive? If not, possibly overdue. Main board can be recapped and I think new power supply boards are available, or perhaps were available.

We had the same model and apart from the hard drive, it’s chugged along nicely all these years.

Tim

If the unreliability is a powering on problem, it's worth replacing one particular capacitor that gives this problem. I did this and it's running fine.

Now you mention it, I've been down that road before. I should have a pack of those 4u7 capacitors somewhere. I'll try replacing the one in question a second time! Thanks.

Silicon Dust to a quad network connected TV tuner. Pair that with software like Plex server, and you can gang up as many tuners as you want within reason.

There is a walk though of some options here:

Previous Topfield user here...

Topfield boxes suffered initially from a single capacitor failure and just replacing this single capacitor gave boxes a couple of years of extra life.

After a few years it was discovered that other electrolytic capacitors in the power supply were failing in a similar way and the recommendation was to replace all the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply (except the physically large 400V capacitor smoothing the rectified mains voltage).

For some considerable time it was possible to purchase from a Topfield user a kit of higher quality capacitors for a DIY repair.

If left too long with a failed capacitor one of the internal voltage lines went too high and took out a transistor in the tuning circuit. There were instructions on how to replace this component.

Bottom line: it may not be a previously failed capacitor but others of a similar build vintage.

When replacing capacitors in a power supply always select one with a

Thanks, but beyond my rapidly-diminishing skill-set these days I'm afraid.

There is the ultra-simple way - Buy two PVRs which will each do two concurrent recordings and daisy-chain the aerial from one to the other.

I bought one when my previous Humax failed.

It will record 4 channels, has a generally better EPG, has Freeview Play, and lots of capacity.

Compared with the old one it is slower to respond to the remote.

It does not allow you to create folders or rename recordings.

There is no slow-motion or frame stepping.

Files cannot be trimmed.

It appears to reboot itself randomly, forgetting where you were if in the middle of playback.

It will occasionally fail to record usually claiming "power interruption"

On balance, since failures can usually be covered by "on demand", I think it is the best option for an easy to use bit of domestic equipment. There is very little choice these days.

If I was alone, I can see a bespoke bit of nerdery might be a better alternative.

I guess most of the "broadcasters" would prefer us to be online and under their control, no skipping the ads etc.

Chris

• 1 for the Aura. I bought one within a month of release in 2020. Some minor hiccups on the way but no real problems.

However, the Humax Aura EZ (FHR-6000T) was listed on the Euronics stores website last year, apparently by mistake, there were no details and they had no stock. It is now listed by Richer Sounds at £249; the listing has the specification and the user guide for download so I suppose that they have stock. The older one has been discontinued. The new device has three aerials and is enable for the Freeview replacement Freely; I suppose remaining stocks will be sold off cheaply.

I have had an Humax Aura for about 3 years now and suffer exactly the same problems with it that you have described. However, having researched the alternatives when I bought it, I don't think I could have done much better. The faults are a bit frustrating but I can live with them. The biggest problem in the early days was the occasional failure to display a programme citing a missing bit of software on the TV (can't remember the name). This still occasionally pops up, then rights itself but the problem has mostly gone away. On the whole, I'm happy with it and it is much better than the TalkTalk TV box I had before.