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Humax PVR-9150T or?

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T i m

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Nov 12, 2011, 5:03:04 PM11/12/11
to
Hi all,

The Mrs has been plodding away with an old Maplin 'Bare bones' dual
Freeview PVR I put together for her some time ago now and whilst it
works pretty well (and may well be retired to the bedroom) she seems
keen on getting something a bit better now.

Amazon have the PVR-9150T for £120 and that seems fine specwise for
her (she watches her TV via capture card in her PC), however reading
around some of the reviews there does seem to be the odd problem with
Humax's locking up and missing recordings (or missing front / back of
recordings) etc.

We have had a Topfield TF5800PVR for a good few years now and I'd have
to say <touching wood> that it has been pretty good / predictable.

However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
experiences on it please?

Cheers, T i m




Robin

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Nov 12, 2011, 5:29:43 PM11/12/11
to

At a slight tangent, we have had a Humax 9200T for years and support
another for MiL. UI is indeed simple. MiL learnt aged 86 with no
problem. They are going cheap as chips (well �30~40) on eBay as people
upgrade to HD. I know as have just bought one as an insuarnce policy: I
shall stack it above the one MiL has now so if that fails we can just
instruct her to turn one off at the mains and turn on the other. A lot
better than a 125 mile dash to try to sort it out before it becomes a
real crisis (ie she misses Deal or No Deal) and she won't even need to
change her remote :)
--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid


Max Demian

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Nov 12, 2011, 5:31:15 PM11/12/11
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"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
It should do fine. You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.

--
Max Demian


T i m

unread,
Nov 12, 2011, 6:19:09 PM11/12/11
to
I've had a quick scan on eBay and I've got my eye on a couple
(thanks).

I'm not sure if on her current box she can record two channels
simultaneously but she can record one whilst watching another so you
would think you could (as the 9200T can).

With some good advice from here a while back I sorted out my Mum and
Dad (both 80+) with a new HD FV TV and BlueRay player (to be able to
get iPlayer etc) and I'm not sure they even bother to watch the HD
channels, let alone the catch-up stuff. ;-(

Cheers, T i m



T i m

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Nov 12, 2011, 6:33:45 PM11/12/11
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On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:31:15 -0000, "Max Demian"
<max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:


>> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
>> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
>> experiences on it please?
>
>It should do fine.

Thanks.

>You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
>and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.

OOI , is that because they actually record quite 'tight' to the
scheduled (EPG) times then the actual transmissions are off by a bit?

On the Toppy I think it's generally quite generous re the time meaning
you generally don't miss much unless it's changed by quite a bit?

Or so it seems anyway?

Cheers, T i m



Message has been deleted

Max Demian

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Nov 13, 2011, 4:55:57 AM11/13/11
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"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
news:mnvtb7pet5kvdbr9q...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:31:15 -0000, "Max Demian"
> <max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>
>
>>> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
>>> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
>>> experiences on it please?
>>
>>It should do fine.
>
> Thanks.
>
>>You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
>>and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.
>
> OOI , is that because they actually record quite 'tight' to the
> scheduled (EPG) times then the actual transmissions are off by a bit?

You can set it to start when the programme starts, and stop when the
programme stops (called "accurate recording" or "auto tracking"), but it
sometimes misses a few seconds (I think because of the way it's implemented
by the Humax).

Or you can set a fixed amount of padding either end of the scheduled times.
But this disables the accurate recording and series link. I prefer to use
the first method.

--
Max Demian


T i m

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 5:41:59 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:55:57 -0000, "Max Demian"
<max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:


>> OOI , is that because they actually record quite 'tight' to the
>> scheduled (EPG) times then the actual transmissions are off by a bit?
>
>You can set it to start when the programme starts, and stop when the
>programme stops (called "accurate recording" or "auto tracking"), but it
>sometimes misses a few seconds (I think because of the way it's implemented
>by the Humax).

Ah, so with those options it would still follow the actual timings if
say the show was delayed by an hour or whatever (if you had set it to
record a single show or series)? I'm not sure my Toppy has that or if
has it's always worked (so I've not missed anything to know that it
may have, if you know what I mean).
>
>Or you can set a fixed amount of padding either end of the scheduled times.

So that is what I think the Toppy may do.

>But this disables the accurate recording and series link. I prefer to use
>the first method.

Ok and thanks. I know how frustrated she is when she uses the TV
Choice / Quick and it turns out that shows may have been swapped so
she's missed it (and may not be on catch_up_tv till the next day).

Maybe if the Humax(s) have a decent / responsive / accurate EPG she
might stop buying the TV guides. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

T i m

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 6:42:01 AM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:48:17 +0000, Chris Hogg <m...@privacy.net> wrote:

>On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:31:15 -0000, "Max Demian"
><max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>
>>"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
>>news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>
>>> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
>>> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
>>> experiences on it please?
>>
>>It should do fine. You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
>>and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.
>
>I agree. We have a Humax 9200T.

I think I might go for one of those off eBay as well as I'm still
thinking of something for Mum and Dad. [1]

> Been using it since DSO over two years
>ago. Easy to use, even SWMBO can use it easily.

I'd have to give my Mrs 10/10 for dealing with this
less_than_intuitive basic Maplins PVR. It doesn't even save the show
name in the recordings, just the channel and date. ;-(

> No major problems
>apart from the occasional late start or early finish by a few
>seconds*, which may be more the fault of the transmissions rather than
>the Humax. I assume the 9150 would be similar.

Ok and thanks.

>*a bit annoying when it's a whodunnit and you never find out
>whodiddit.

Doh! (don'tcha just hate that).

Cheers, T i m

[1] And 'aunty' (she's not but I've always referred to her as 'Aunty
Joan' even though I'm 55 <g>) went for one of these offers off the TV
and had a PVR supplied and fitted to replace the straight STB I'd
supplied and fitted a couple of years ago. She seemed insistent that
the old box wouldn't work after switchover (it wasn't one of the few
that wouldn't) but she did need a PVR to replace her video recorder in
any case so I didn't argue. However, she told me (when I popped up to
take her though the functions again (the installer had done so on two
different days)) she mainly only watched the main 5 channels and on
analogue TV as the 'picture was better' (she has a 32" wide screen CRT
TV).

I think the first thing I noticed with the early digital was the
lipsync issues but wonder if I am now less bothered by it (but it's
often still there)?

Yellow

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Nov 13, 2011, 7:14:08 AM11/13/11
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In article <70tub7h2t6pjg31cd...@4ax.com>, m...@privacy.net
says...
>
> On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:31:15 -0000, "Max Demian"
> <max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>
> >"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
> >news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
> >> Hi all,
> >>
>
> >> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
> >> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
> >> experiences on it please?
> >
> >It should do fine. You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
> >and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.
>
> I agree. We have a Humax 9200T. Been using it since DSO over two years
> ago. Easy to use, even SWMBO can use it easily. No major problems
> apart from the occasional late start or early finish by a few
> seconds*, which may be more the fault of the transmissions rather than
> the Humax. I assume the 9150 would be similar.
> *a bit annoying when it's a whodunnit and you never find out
> whodiddit.

Out of interest, I have a 9200T but have just bought a new HD Humax box
and that seems to have solved this issue.

So if you have £280 for the 500GB version or £350 for the 1T version
(probably cheaper online) then I would highly recommend.

Dr Zoidberg

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 8:42:37 AM11/13/11
to

"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
> experiences on it please?
>
The 9150 doesn't do anything over and above a 9200, so I'd look at picking
up a used one for about a third of the price, or spend the extra for a HDR
and get the freeview HD channels.

--
Alex

Ian

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:01:12 AM11/13/11
to
In message <43avb797obv2s97nl...@4ax.com>, T i m
<ne...@spaced.me.uk> writes
I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.

Yours for �40.

Postage will be �10.

Interested?
--
Ian

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:23:51 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:14:08 -0000, Yellow <ye...@please.no.spam.com>
wrote:

>In article <70tub7h2t6pjg31cd...@4ax.com>, m...@privacy.net
>says...
>>
>> On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:31:15 -0000, "Max Demian"
>> <max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>>
>> >"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
>> >news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
>> >> Hi all,
>> >>
>>
>> >> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
>> >> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
>> >> experiences on it please?
>> >
>> >It should do fine. You may occasionally lose a few seconds off the start
>> >and/or the end of the programme, but it's generally a useable machine.
>>
>> I agree. We have a Humax 9200T. Been using it since DSO over two years
>> ago. Easy to use, even SWMBO can use it easily. No major problems
>> apart from the occasional late start or early finish by a few
>> seconds*, which may be more the fault of the transmissions rather than
>> the Humax. I assume the 9150 would be similar.
>> *a bit annoying when it's a whodunnit and you never find out
>> whodiddit.
>
>Out of interest, I have a 9200T but have just bought a new HD Humax box
>and that seems to have solved this issue.

Yeah, reading the reviews and other feedback it seems there were some
issues with fan noise on some(?) of the models and a lockup think that
can often be resolved with a power-cycle and sometimes needed a
factory reset. Whilst this Maplin thing she's got seems to be pretty
reliable it really is a bit too basic (these days and now she's into
the idea) but I don't want to take her out of the frying pan and into
the fire (I get no brownie points for effort). ;-(
>
>So if you have £280 for the 500GB version or £350 for the 1T version
>(probably cheaper online) then I would highly recommend.

Unlike me she isn't a hoarder so the capacity would really be worth
the cost. Plus our biggest TV is only 19" (she watches a 15" computer
monitor quite near to her (and often 'windowed') so it looks like a
52"!). I'm not sure our main TV is real HD and we don't have any HD
sources in any case (or that it would be noticeable on that sized
screen in any case). So, the only reason / advantage I can see re
going to something that supported HD right now would be a bit of
future proofing and who knows how short that might be (before they
bring out some new std etc).

Also, I don't believe everything is or will ever be in HD so as long
as stuff isn't only watchable on an HD setup then I'm not sure what we
might be missing (other than the future proofing etc).

If we were changing any of the apparatus around our main setup then it
could make more sense.

However, if someone was local, (to Nth London / Herts) was selling
something like a 9200T cheap and it was as good (reliability wise) as
the newer models then it might be worth a gamble. It turns out I have
a £10 voucher off Argos and that makes them cheaper than Amazon for
the 9150T and we get a years warranty etc?

I guess the issue could be 'do we go to the next / first model up that
supports HDMI at least as it's only the /difference/ in price that we
are then talking about?

PVR9300T at £159 (minus my £10 so £149), £33 over the 9150T for the
HDMI (upscaling to 720) and extra 170G?

The HD-FOX T2 threw me for a second (£85 with a voucher) but I noticed
it's not a pvR as std? The Ethernet / media player feature could be
handy were it not that she has all that (and more) via her PC?

So do you have to go to the Humax HDR-Fox T2 500Gb (as you say at
nearer £280) before you get real HD?

As with all things it's a tricky balance between what you need (now),
what you might need (future proofing) and what might be nice (but you
never use / appreciate).

Cheers, T i m



T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:32:41 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:01:12 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

>I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.
>
>Yours for £40.
>
>Postage will be £10.
>
>Interested?

Hmm, it would be nice if you were localish to Nth London / Herts and I
could collect (at 40 it quid might be worth a punt)? If you are on the
road between Dumfrise (Scotland) and Nth London, daughter is just
leaving for home. ;-)

Thanks for the offer.

Cheers, T i m

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:43:26 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:42:37 -0000, "Dr Zoidberg"
<AlexNOOOOO!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote:

>
>"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
>news:a8qtb7h71m0393gin...@4ax.com...
>> However, it is said that the Humax boxes have a easier UI so does
>> anyone here have the PVR-9150T and if so what are your thoughts /
>> experiences on it please?
>>
>The 9150 doesn't do anything over and above a 9200, so I'd look at picking
>up a used one for about a third of the price,

Ok. (Other than it having a years warranty so a 'safe' �116 V �40
with 'some risk'?) [1]

> or spend the extra for a HDR
>and get the freeview HD channels.

So there /are/ some channels that are HD only?

Cheers, T i m

[1] Daughter and b/f were looking to do her nieces next b/d party and
is putting a small mobile disco together on the cheap. Mixx VirtualDJ
on Linux laptop, amp, speakers etc. I found a pair of suitable s/u
speakers on Gumtree, they went and got them (tested them while they
were there) and when we tested them again at home /I/ noticed the two
10" drivers in one cab were probably blown (coils rubbing). So, it's
cost us another �35 for a pair of new drivers and the time and effort
to replace them. That puts us about 30 quid short of a new pair. The
kids weren't to blame as they did all the could to check they were ok.
I would probably have spotted the problem at the time and walked away.
Some people are lucky and some are not.

Bill Wright

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:44:48 AM11/13/11
to
T i m wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:01:12 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>> I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.
>>
>> Yours for £40.
>>
>> Postage will be £10.
>>
>> Interested?
>
> Hmm, it would be nice if you were localish to Nth London / Herts and I
> could collect

None of my business, but when you take your time, fuel, and
wear-and-tear into account it wouldn't be worth saving the tenner unless
he was very close.

Bill

Ian

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:51:09 AM11/13/11
to
In message <0ukvb7t2diiu7omb5...@4ax.com>, T i m
<ne...@spaced.me.uk> writes
Unfortunately, Cirencester, Glos..

I've just had a look at the Humax site, and in all honesty, I would
consider these,

<http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10101>

with an external Disk drive for recording, with the proviso that you can
only watch a recording or a programme on the same mux as the one you're
recording, or this,

http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10104

--
Ian

tim....

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Nov 13, 2011, 9:58:30 AM11/13/11
to

"Ian" <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:JfDu2wCd...@nospam.demon.co.uk...
> In message <0ukvb7t2diiu7omb5...@4ax.com>, T i m
> <ne...@spaced.me.uk> writes
>>On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:01:12 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.
>>>
>>>Yours for £40.
>>>
>>>Postage will be £10.
>>>
>>>Interested?
>>
>>Hmm, it would be nice if you were localish to Nth London / Herts and I
>>could collect (at 40 it quid might be worth a punt)? If you are on the
>>road between Dumfrise (Scotland) and Nth London, daughter is just
>>leaving for home. ;-)
>>
>>Thanks for the offer.
>>
>>Cheers, T i m
>>
> Unfortunately, Cirencester, Glos..
>
> I've just had a look at the Humax site, and in all honesty, I would
> consider these,
>
> <http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10101>

do it allow you to set up multiple recordings in advance

or just start them if you are sitting next to the box.

The "recording" feature seems to be very much advertised as a simple add on,
so I'm suspecting that it's crippled in some way

tim


T i m

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 10:21:52 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:44:48 +0000, Bill Wright <bi...@invalid.com>
wrote:

>T i m wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:01:12 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.
>>>
>>> Yours for £40.
>>>
>>> Postage will be £10.
>>>
>>> Interested?
>>
>> Hmm, it would be nice if you were localish to Nth London / Herts and I
>> could collect
>
>None of my business,

Hey, all input considered Bill. ;-)

> but when you take your time, fuel, and
>wear-and-tear into account it wouldn't be worth saving the tenner unless
>he was very close.

That was the hope, and / or I was going his way anyway.

But you are right and why we /normally/ order stuff online and
especially with free / cheap delivery (the two replacement 10" disco
drivers I bought the other day were only £1.50 delivery). ;-)

That said, and given some things are more likely to develop some
bizarre / technical issue (like these PVRs etc), I would rather buy
stuff locally where I can easily take it back and stand there being
'assertive' (if required) than faff about posting stuff off into the
blue-yonder and then have to deal with some customer service
department (that could be in India).

Whilst we don't have money to throw away we don't like gambling
either. A second hand paving slab or brick is unlikely to 'have
issues' whereas a PVR needing a new hard drive could easily reduce the
'value' (especially with drive prices as they are) to a level that
wouldn't have made it even a consideration with that hindsight.

There is nothing more comforting that standing there in front of them
saying "I bought this here 6 months ago and here's the receipt". ;-)
[1]

Cheers, T i m

[1] That's not to say I haven't enjoyed loads of 'working' second hand
or even repaired faulty kit back to working and had it remained fine
for /years/ but in most cases the stuff would have been given to me or
were really, really cheap.

T i m

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 10:26:25 AM11/13/11
to
On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:51:09 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

>In message <0ukvb7t2diiu7omb5...@4ax.com>, T i m
><ne...@spaced.me.uk> writes
>>On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:01:12 +0000, Ian <ne...@nospam.demon.co.uk>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>I've have a 9200T, silver, packed and ready to be labelled.
>>>
>>>Yours for £40.
>>>
>>>Postage will be £10.
>>>
>>>Interested?
>>
>>Hmm, it would be nice if you were localish to Nth London / Herts and I
>>could collect (at 40 it quid might be worth a punt)? If you are on the
>>road between Dumfrise (Scotland) and Nth London, daughter is just
>>leaving for home. ;-)
>>
>>Thanks for the offer.
>>
>>Cheers, T i m
>>
>Unfortunately, Cirencester, Glos..

Ah, oh well, thanks anyway (and not ruled out by post either). ;-)
>
>I've just had a look at the Humax site, and in all honesty, I would
>consider these,
>
><http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10101>
>
>with an external Disk drive for recording,

Not cheap at the moment or as nice as everything contained in one box
(all be it more flexible etc). Plus as she watches TV though her PC
anyway she has all the other features in place (she can watch stuff
I've saved off my Toppy onto the Server etc).

>with the proviso that you can
>only watch a recording or a programme on the same mux as the one you're
>recording, or this,

Hmm, again, more or less what she can do now with the Maplin thing.
>
>http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10104

£199, ouch! ;-)

Thanks though ..

Cheers, T i m

Robin

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 10:42:22 AM11/13/11
to
> whereas a PVR needing a new hard drive could easily reduce the
> 'value' (especially with drive prices as they are) to a level that
> wouldn't have made it even a consideration with that hindsight.

A Humax 9200 would only need a 160G IDE drive which puts it some
generations behind the ones affected by the floods in Thailand. OTOH it
is only fair to say the Humax is a bit fussy about its disks: the 2 I've
opened came with Seagate U series 9 (ST3160022ACE) but the Seagate DB35
series is recommended. On the third hand, I picked up one of them (a
ST3160215ACE) as a spare for £10.50 incl. postage a couple of weeks
ago.

Bill Wright

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 11:20:53 AM11/13/11
to
T i m wrote:

>
> That was the hope, and / or I was going his way anyway.
>
> But you are right and why we /normally/ order stuff online and
> especially with free / cheap delivery (the two replacement 10" disco
> drivers I bought the other day were only £1.50 delivery). ;-)
>
> That said, and given some things are more likely to develop some
> bizarre / technical issue (like these PVRs etc), I would rather buy
> stuff locally where I can easily take it back and stand there being
> 'assertive' (if required) than faff about posting stuff off into the
> blue-yonder and then have to deal with some customer service
> department (that could be in India).
>
> Whilst we don't have money to throw away we don't like gambling
> either. A second hand paving slab or brick is unlikely to 'have
> issues' whereas a PVR needing a new hard drive could easily reduce the
> 'value' (especially with drive prices as they are) to a level that
> wouldn't have made it even a consideration with that hindsight.
>
> There is nothing more comforting that standing there in front of them
> saying "I bought this here 6 months ago and here's the receipt". ;-)

Yes, I couldn't agree more. I try to buy locally for the same reason,
even if the the price is sometimes a bit higher. I was very glad I did
when my brand new camera* from Jessops packed up after a week. The
swapped it for another one, also in a sealed box, and I was in and out
other shop in five minutes.

The psychology of going and fetching versus having delivered is
peculiar. T'other day I drove 20 miles to collect some little items
because (a) I fancied a chat with the bloke I buy them from, (b) I
wanted to take my dad out of the house (c) I felt like a ride.

The ultimate must be the day in 1969 when I collected a dual standard
Sony portable TV from Middlesex (165 miles downhill) so I could watch
the first moon landing whilst camping in Edinburgh (230 miles uphill).

*this was ages ago. New cameras etc are now off the agenda until trade
picks up.

Bill

Bill Wright

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Nov 13, 2011, 11:24:47 AM11/13/11
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Bill Wright wrote:

> The
> swapped it for another one, also in a sealed box, and I was in and out
> other shop in five minutes.

I've been writing intensively for the last few weeks, and it's
interesting to see that I'm now producing typos that are inaccurate
verbalisations. I've also got lumps on my finger joints.

Bill

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 11:31:11 AM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:42:22 -0000, "Robin" <rb...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>> whereas a PVR needing a new hard drive could easily reduce the
>> 'value' (especially with drive prices as they are) to a level that
>> wouldn't have made it even a consideration with that hindsight.
>
>A Humax 9200 would only need a 160G IDE drive which puts it some
>generations behind the ones affected by the floods in Thailand.

Can you still get them new then (that size)? Don't know, just asking.
;-)

> OTOH it
>is only fair to say the Humax is a bit fussy about its disks: the 2 I've
>opened came with Seagate U series 9 (ST3160022ACE) but the Seagate DB35
>series is recommended.

Similar talk around the Topfields etc. However, you can get lucky and
run what you brung. ;-)

> On the third hand, I picked up one of them (a
>ST3160215ACE) as a spare for £10.50 incl. postage a couple of weeks
>ago.

Result. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 11:45:51 AM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:20:53 +0000, Bill Wright <bi...@invalid.com>
wrote:

>> There is nothing more comforting that standing there in front of them
>> saying "I bought this here 6 months ago and here's the receipt". ;-)
>
>Yes, I couldn't agree more. I try to buy locally for the same reason,
>even if the the price is sometimes a bit higher.

Yup.

> I was very glad I did
>when my brand new camera* from Jessops packed up after a week. The
>swapped it for another one, also in a sealed box, and I was in and out
>other shop in five minutes.

(Only after reading your follow up did I spot your typo. But then I
think I suffer from a form of word blindness so .. ). ;-)
>
>The psychology of going and fetching versus having delivered is
>peculiar. T'other day I drove 20 miles to collect some little items
>because (a) I fancied a chat with the bloke I buy them from, (b) I
>wanted to take my dad out of the house (c) I felt like a ride.

Yup, there is more to much of this than people may consider
consciously. For me it's interesting to see the 'surroundings' of some
of the items for sale on ebay. I saw a DVD once that was nicely
composed on top of their dustbin with dog mess in the foreground. ;-)
[1]
>
>The ultimate must be the day in 1969 when I collected a dual standard
>Sony portable TV from Middlesex (165 miles downhill) so I could watch
>the first moon landing whilst camping in Edinburgh (230 miles uphill).

That must be a record of some sort?!

I'm 55 and I still get the same Xmas / birthday / collecting new
gadget / car / motorbike (even if only new to me) adrenalin /
excitement thing. I guess it's the same reaction that makes you bid
over the_odds at / on auctions or drive more miles than the fuel cost
/ time would typically make sense?

We are about to order a temporary garden store(s) where the 'delivery'
is going to be £175+Vat for the 60 mile trip. The Mrs said 'just pay
it' whereas I'm checking out mates with vans , trucks and trailers
etc. However, being realistic, 2 x 60 miles, time x 2, Dartford tolls
x 2 and I'll probably treat whoever to some grub, how much cheaper
would it be, even if I only pay their fuel? [2]
>
>*this was ages ago. New cameras etc are now off the agenda until trade
>picks up.

Shame. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[1] When selling an inflatable dinghy a while back I took it to the
Aunty Joan's house (I mentioned elsewhere) and took the photos of the
boat in her immaculate back garden. ;-)

[2] BIL has a suitable vehicle and is happy / willing to work and in
spite of me spending *many* (unpaid) hours helping them with PC stuff,
I still don't want to waste his time?


Jeff Layman

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Nov 13, 2011, 12:37:48 PM11/13/11
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On 13/11/2011 10:41, T i m wrote:


>
> Maybe if the Humax(s) have a decent / responsive / accurate EPG she
> might stop buying the TV guides. ;-)

They do.

But I still buy the Radio Times as it's a lot easer to scan the
programmes over all the common channels. Also, it reminds you that
there are the +1 channels available. That helps when you just *know*
there are 3 progs you will want to record at 9pm! The 9200T will tell
you there's a clash, and offer to resolve it by deleting one of the
reserved programmes. But the software isn't intelligent enough to tell
you to look at, eg C4 +1 at 10pm instead of C4 at 9pm to resolve the
problem.

--

Jeff

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 1:51:18 PM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:37:48 +0000, Jeff Layman
<JMLa...@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>On 13/11/2011 10:41, T i m wrote:
>
>
>>
>> Maybe if the Humax(s) have a decent / responsive / accurate EPG she
>> might stop buying the TV guides. ;-)
>
>They do.

Good, thanks.
>
>But I still buy the Radio Times as it's a lot easer to scan the
>programmes over all the common channels.

Radio Times eh, there's posh. ;-)

She picks up whatever's cheapest and shakes all the flyers out.

> Also, it reminds you that
>there are the +1 channels available. That helps when you just *know*
>there are 3 progs you will want to record at 9pm!

Isn't that often the way. However, with catchup TV I'm not sure it's
quite the problem it was even if you do miss stuff?

> The 9200T will tell
>you there's a clash, and offer to resolve it by deleting one of the
>reserved programmes.

That's good then. I think the Toppy does similar.

>But the software isn't intelligent enough to tell
>you to look at, eg C4 +1 at 10pm instead of C4 at 9pm to resolve the
>problem.

Ah no, but bound to come I guess? I wonder if there is a Tap for that?

Ian

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Nov 13, 2011, 1:54:50 PM11/13/11
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In message <9ia4ar...@mid.individual.net>, tim....
<tims_n...@yahoo.co.uk> writes
It's a fully functioning PVR if it has the latest software.

I'd be surprised if they haven't installed it, but it can be downloaded
from their web site.
--
Ian

Max Demian

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Nov 13, 2011, 5:54:57 PM11/13/11
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"Jeff Layman" <JMLa...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:j9ov9c$b58$1...@news.albasani.net...
Actually it reschedules the recordings in quite an intelligent way if there
is a three way clash (after asking for confirmation). It either reschedules
the recording you are setting, or moves one of the existing ones. Only it
doesn't tell you what it is doing.

--
Max Demian


Max Demian

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Nov 13, 2011, 6:01:25 PM11/13/11
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"T i m" <ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote in message
news:c8nvb7hqvim91dm70...@4ax.com...
You might want to consider http://humaxdirect.co.uk/ as they sell "Manager's
Specials" which are clearance items or reconditioned returns. They've
currently got a 9150 for £89.95 and the larger capacity 9300 for £124.

--
Max Demian


T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 6:27:22 PM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:54:57 -0000, "Max Demian"
<max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:

>Actually it reschedules the recordings in quite an intelligent way if there
>is a three way clash (after asking for confirmation). It either reschedules
>the recording you are setting, or moves one of the existing ones. Only it
>doesn't tell you what it is doing.

Hehe.

Nothing wrong with a bit of excitement in yer life eh? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

T i m

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Nov 13, 2011, 6:59:03 PM11/13/11
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On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:01:25 -0000, "Max Demian"
<max_d...@bigfoot.com> wrote:

>> [1] That's not to say I haven't enjoyed loads of 'working' second hand
>> or even repaired faulty kit back to working and had it remained fine
>> for /years/ but in most cases the stuff would have been given to me or
>> were really, really cheap.
>
>You might want to consider http://humaxdirect.co.uk/ as they sell "Manager's
>Specials" which are clearance items or reconditioned returns.

Thanks, I had actually been there after reading up pre posting.
Wherever I read it they were less than glowing about the reliability
of some of these refurbs but then thy could just be the (vocal)
minority that had had problems?

I don't mind the idea of 'stock clearance' (old / obsolete models),
'ex display' or even straight returns (customer changed their mind)
but I think I'm less comfortable with what were faulty units being
repaired and resold as 'reconditioned'. [1] Like, how do they know the
fault doesn't happen once every 60 days, not easy to force, even with
a burn-in test. In fact, in that instance I might be happier
(ignoring any warrantee you get from a factory refurb etc) with a
plain second hand jobby from someone who has taken up the latest
technology ('genuine reason for sale' sorta thing) and especially when
you know the seller personally (and they know it might come back
trough their front window gaffa-taped to a breeze block). ;-)

>They've
>currently got a 9150 for £89.95

With the £6 postage that's only just over £10 less than a new one from
Argos (with 'voucher')? ;-(

>and the larger capacity 9300 for £124.

Nice idea but 'she' really doesn't keep much and whilst I do I rarely
watch stuff again on the Topfield so it just means I end up not
recording something I do want because of 'Disk Full'. ;-(

So, I think it would have to be either a cheap s/h 9200 and hope all
is ok [2] or a brand new 9150 from the top of the road and the
comfort of a 12 months worry free investment (and that's only at the
cost of the difference as well).

And had it been for me maybe things would be a bit different, as it's
for her .... <gulp>.

Cheers, T i m.

[1] When I was building PC's regularly I would always spot (and often
refuse) a card that I could easily see had been installed in something
before (even if they insisted it had never been powered up). The worry
for me was not knowing how it had been handled (anti-static etc) and
even if it had a full 12 month warrantee, I didn't want the hassle of
some intermittent fault or premature failure of something would have
probably been fine if I was the first person to handle it after it
left the factory.

[2] I watched a fairly local 9200 go on eBay tonight for 26 quid but I
saw it too late to ask the seller when he might be about for
collection (otherwise it's more petrol and time. Ironically I might be
close tomorrow when I drop the Mrs off for her knee washout (it needs
to be done urgently as it's really slowing her up when she walks up
the shops to get my beers). And "Two packs of 24 are too much to
carry" indeed!). ;-)




Bill Wright

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Nov 13, 2011, 8:33:02 PM11/13/11
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T i m wrote:

>> Yes, I couldn't agree more. I try to buy locally for the same reason,
>> even if the the price is sometimes a bit higher.
>
> Yup.
The other consideration is that I try to support local business,
especially small ones. Since I believe that the self-employed are more
difficult for the government to control the anarchist in me always wants
to support them.


> (Only after reading your follow up did I spot your typo.
There were two!

> Yup, there is more to much of this than people may consider
> consciously. For me it's interesting to see the 'surroundings' of some
> of the items for sale on ebay. I saw a DVD once that was nicely
> composed on top of their dustbin with dog mess in the foreground. ;-)
If I'm going to use a craftsman or woman I want to see the workshop.


> I'm 55 and I still get the same Xmas / birthday / collecting new
> gadget / car / motorbike (even if only new to me) adrenalin /
> excitement thing.
Oh. I stopped getting that when I was 45. Nothing excites me now, alas.


> [2] BIL has a suitable vehicle and is happy / willing to work and in
> spite of me spending *many* (unpaid) hours helping them with PC stuff,
> I still don't want to waste his time?
You wouldn't be wasting his time. If he owes you a few favours it would
be good for him to help you out.

Bill

Alan

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Nov 20, 2011, 4:43:27 AM11/20/11
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In message <mnvtb7pet5kvdbr9q...@4ax.com>, T i m
<ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote

>On the Toppy I think it's generally quite generous re the time meaning
>you generally don't miss much unless it's changed by quite a bit?

Only a Toppy with TAPs written by customers who seem to understand a bit
more about the UK broadcasters than the software engineers in Korea.

The Toppy can even work if the programme has changed "quite a bit" if
you use TAPs such as Mystuff and Extend.

--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Alan

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Nov 20, 2011, 4:51:39 AM11/20/11
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In message <i37vb7tsq89es3i1s...@4ax.com>, T i m
<ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote


>I'm not sure my Toppy has that or if
>has it's always worked (so I've not missed anything to know that it
>may have, if you know what I mean).

The Toppy can do a LOT more than the out-of-the-box functionality

See the three linked videos at
http://www.toppy.org.uk/~mystuff/videos.shtml

and if you haven't done so before, visit
http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/index.php

T i m

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Nov 21, 2011, 5:32:11 PM11/21/11
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On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:43:27 +0000, Alan <ju...@admac.myzen.co.uk>
wrote:

>In message <mnvtb7pet5kvdbr9q...@4ax.com>, T i m
><ne...@spaced.me.uk> wrote
>
>>On the Toppy I think it's generally quite generous re the time meaning
>>you generally don't miss much unless it's changed by quite a bit?
>
>Only a Toppy with TAPs written by customers who seem to understand a bit
>more about the UK broadcasters than the software engineers in Korea.
>
>The Toppy can even work if the programme has changed "quite a bit" if
>you use TAPs such as Mystuff and Extend.

(replying to both messages)

Yeah, thanks for that. I run (and have from the day I got it home)
MyStuff and whatever else they suggest is good to have onboard. ;-)

I guess because it 'just works' I haven't really taken much notice
that it does.

I still love it and the only thing I would like that it doesn't do is
the media streaming bit. That said it's directly connected to my WHS
via USB and no real issue to transfer any recordings to a share
remotely.

Cheers, T i m


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