Which Next PVR after Toppy ?

[fricken]

Hi Guys,

I've had a Topfield 5800 for about 6 years. It’s been a great machine, but it's time for an update.

I've been waiting for Toppy to bring out a newer current model – but apart from the ‘not so great’ 5810 – there’s been nothing.

This is the only PVR that I’ve owned or used, & I’m a bit spoilt by this make & model (along with the TAPS & great help from Toppy-UK forum)

As Toppy can’t be bothered to upgrade, what do I look for next ?

I’m disabled and 95% of my TV watching is terrestrial Freeview, in the lounge. I’d like to say “the sky’s the limit” but it ain’t. What I do want, is value for money. If it costs a bit more to get a better unit, then the budget has to stretch.

What do you guys recommend that I look at ?

Thanks for reading.

[Graham]

The cheapest way to get a result would be something like a Kworld USB tuner ...

KWorld 499u USB Dual Digital Stick is about £30 (I got mine on offer at Maplins for 20 quid). Maplin have there own brand tuners for about £20. There are other brands at similar prices.

If you have a computer that is less than about five years old, it should be powerful enough for TV recording and playback. Nobody around here is likely to recommend any software other NPVR.

[fricken]

Many thanks mate,

I've never used a PC TV tuner.
Where can I get some unbiased opinions of the whole thing ?

F

[Graham]

Where can I get some unbiased opinions of the whole thing ?

Dunno. But the folk in this forum are a reliable bunch.

[bgowland]

As Toppy can’t be bothered to upgrade, what do I look for next ?

I can't help feeling you may have got the wrong idea about these forums. NextPVR is the name of a Windows PVR application (see the NextPVR Home Page).

If you're looking to setup your own PC-based PVR then fair enough, go for it.

If you're looking for advice on the best off-the-shelf consumer units, however, I'm not sure you'll find many people here that can advise.

After years of using my PC as a PVR I haven't the slightest idea of what has come and gone in the consumer world, but maybe that's just me, perhaps there are others more familiar with the market.

[Lao Pan]

And GBPVR was the forerunner to NextPVR and not Great Britain PVR (as I originally thought)

[fricken]

,,,,, yep, it initially looks like I might be in the wrong place,,,,, but that's how I fell into PVR in the first place.

Whilst I'm not a great fan of watching TV on a computer screen, I have just bought my first Media Player (Coopa TV001).

Soooo, my immediate thoughts are: by using NPVR & my M.P, I can get a great chunk of what I want to watch by using NPVR to gather stuff & the M.P to watch it on TV.

Does that sound about right ?


Thanks for putting up with me,,,,, but we gotta learn somewhere.


cheers

[Lao Pan]

I had a look at the spec of the media player and it will play freeview files and possibly HD Freeview (depends on the flavour of aac that it supports)
It would certainly be possible to use npvr as a recording pvr only, although it can do so much more - I use a 50" plasma over HDMI from the graphics card to watch all Live TV, recorded TV, Blu-Rays Stored Video Music Collection etc. all through the Nextpvr menu.

If you are going to use it only for recording and network playback, the computer doesn't have to be that powerful, just requires a tuner and reasonably large hard drive.
If you decide to go down the Nextpvr route you will find most people on the forum (including Sub who writes the main program) helpful and friendly.

[NumberFive]

To be honest, it sounds like you may be better off with a standalone PVR system from an established manufacturer. NPVR is fantastic software, but it does have a bit of a learning curve and it helps if you are a bit of a computer hobbyist. The main advantage for me of NPVR is that it can combine terrestrial and satellite services, and it has all sorts of cool network features allowing other PCs to become clients on the system.

If you don't need that level of functionality, NPVR may be overkill for your needs.

[fricken]

Many thanks guys.

I think I'd better leave it at the moment,,,, but it's something that I'll certainly look into now i know about it. I didn’t know it existed.

All the best