Question for the Experts: Television Hard Disk recorder and Internet box for tv

[doodab]

ok htpc,

I haven't got time to build my own

but I want one which can take tv/digital satellite and 2 x normal satellite connections

and a big feckorf hard disk and capacity for more disk

anyone recommend a good make ?

and it's gotta be plug and play and p!ss easy to understand

ta

Milan.

I'm not aware of any well known off the shelf brands, I suppose someone like scan or one of the other PC system builders might do them, but it does seem to be a bit of a DIY endeavour. It took me a day or so to put mine together and get everything installed and configured plus the occasional hour or two of tinkering subsequently to figure out how the missus has managed to stop it working and when the satellite tuner card died.

[b0redom]

humax HD PVR and get a laptop if you want to surf...

This. Humax are the market leaders in terms of simplicity.

If you REALLY want a HTPC, get a MacMini, and install Plex

Plex - A Complete Media Solution

It's small, low power, will play anything you throw at it, including 1080p, and has plugins for Youtube etc.

Top it all off with a Logitech Harmony One - programmable remote control - tell it what TV etc you have and throw away all your other remotes.

Even my 4 year old can work it.

[doodab]

Sas,

maybe I am not making myself clear

in my private time I have no interest to play with technology

my interest in working with technology is only motivated by $

and working with some wacky home cinema system and not getting paid for it
is not my idea of fun

Milan.

You would probably feel differently if you had a shed and nothing to do in it.

[b0redom]

....plus the occasional hour or two of tinkering subsequently to figure out how the missus has managed to stop it working and when the satellite tuner card died.

This is why Humax is the way forward. I can't be bothered playing around configuring stuff. I do that all week for other people. Just buy a box which will work when you plug it in.

[milanbenes]

It took me a day or so to put mine together and get everything installed and configured plus the occasional hour or two of tinkering subsequently to figure out how the missus has managed to stop it working and when the satellite tuner card died.

this is what I want to avoid especially the last part :-(

Milan.

[milanbenes]

You would probably feel differently if you had a shed and nothing to do in it.

quite

Milan.

[milanbenes]

This. Humax are the market leaders in terms of simplicity.

If you REALLY want a HTPC, get a MacMini, and install Plex

Plex - A Complete Media Solution

It's small, low power, will play anything you throw at it, including 1080p, and has plugins for Youtube etc.

Top it all off with a Logitech Harmony One - programmable remote control - tell it what TV etc you have and throw away all your other remotes.

Even my 4 year old can work it.

I'll have a look at humax

just found this...

Media Centre | HTPC | Media PC | Computers | Entertainment PC | Windows Media Centre


mac not interested

thanks

Milan.
.

[doodab]

This is why Humax is the way forward. I can't be bothered playing around configuring stuff. I do that all week for other people. Just buy a box which will work when you plug it in.

It was worth the effort IMO.

One of the main motivations for building it was because at the time I was working overseas. AFAIK no "off the shelf" PVR allows you to copy a months worth of recordings to an external hard drive and watch them on another box in another country. Actually AFAIK no single box PVR allows you to watch & record DVB-T, DVB-S, blurays, DVDs and streaming TV, or to edit recordings to trim the adverts out so you can archive them. I believe some of them might let you stream the recorded TV around your house now though.

I'm sure the humax boxes are great but wouldn't have done what I needed, plus they didn't sell freesat ones at the time.

[milanbenes]

jayzuz I looked on that Media Center website and feck me configure the thing and the prices run away

maybe htpc is not for Chateau Benes ! yet

perhaps it's time for the short term solution, get the panasonic tv recorder thing

and go for home theatre pc whatever it is in a few years time

if I get the panasonic hard disk recorder is there a cheap box I can get for having internet on the television ?

Milan.

[b0redom]

You've been able to copy recorded shows to USB disks for years now. Point taken about a combo DVB-T/DVB-S/Bluray etc though. I tend to rip my Blurays and play them back through Plex anyway. Saves the kids scratching them to death.

I've never bothered stripping out ads etc. It's not that onerous pressing fast forward, and it probably takes more time to strip out the ads anyway.

Milan as far as the Mac goes, you never see the OS, it boots straight into Plex. TBH though, it doesn't sound like you really need an HTPC, more likely just a set top box.

Anyway each to their own.