Hardware PVR Recorder

[Bathman]

The old folks currently use GBPVR and yours truly keep it updated. Unfortunately/fortunately (delete as appropriate) I am having to move further away so I'm not going to be around as much.

I'm therefore thinking of buying them a Hardware FreeView recorder. However in the past the ones I have seen have been somewhat disappointing - no series record etc.
Has anyone got any experience/recommendation of any decent units.

[martint123]

Sadly no, the only ones I have come across are not very intuitive to use.
There is supposed to be a new Freeview standard that includes series linking, but I haven't seen one.

Just put VNC on it and do remote support. If sub could fix my machine and try to get an unsupported tuner working you can do the same
Or just pay up and get them Sky+ (which I hear is fairly easy to use).

[McBainUK]

I thought Freeview+ boxes could do series link. Try avforums, whathifi.com, hcc.techradar.com for info on good boxes.

As far as the need for this - I had GB-PVR running for at about 2 years before with no changes until I updated to nPVR. If it ain't broke don't fix it

[bdgbill]

GBPVR doesn't have to be a hobby. I put my last machine together in 2007 and didn't open the case until a month ago when the PS finally burned up. The only crisis i had in all that time was when Zap2it died and we all transitioned to Schedules direct.

[HarryH3]

Install something like TeamViewer, LogMeIn, UltraVNC, etc. on the PVR and you'll be able to log into it from anywhere.

[Bathman]

The current box has been up and running for about 3 years. In that time its only failed and that was due to a memory fault. At present the channels are hopelessly out of date and I suppose thats one of the problems.

Unfortunately my parents don't have an Internet connection and I would rather not fork all the cash just for me to update there GBPVR box

[Pob]

I got an elderly relative a Freeview+ box, and despite being a 84 & complete technophobe she never has a problem using it. They do have series-link and acurate record (the recording start & stop times change if the broadcaster remembers to transmit a signal). The model I got was one of the many cheap Vestel clones (Hitachi, Grundig, Logik etc), and although they are known for bugs / quirks she has never had a missed or failed recording. Although it does a good job of finding new channels & deleting expired ones automatically, I have had to do complete re-scans a couple of times, but only because of work on the impending digital switchover. Even though I got a SD box, it has HDMI out and the picture quality is very good on an LCD screen. Freeview rate some of the boxes here;
http://www.freeview.co.uk/Freeview-Plus/.../(dir)/asc

[herbs]

My parents have a humax 9300t and manage just fine. All the pvr's have issues but most are minor, the topfield with taps are suppose to be good but need setting up.