Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is completed
here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst product
I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism regarding
the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response to
key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random resets/reboots, and
which actually records programmes reliably.

I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say is
non-intuitive.

So I'm thinking either the TVonics, or the Vestel-based units (often badged as
Alba/Digihome/Sharp etc.) might be the most suitable.

I'd therefore be interested to hear from people who use either of these PVR
types on a regular basis.

thanks,
Jamie.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article ,
jamie powell wrote:
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is
completed here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst
product I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my
skepticism regarding the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response
to key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random
resets/reboots, and which actually records programmes reliably.

My Topfield fits all that - and is actually easier to use than most VCRs.
For basic record/replay.

--
*Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

jamie powell wrote:
I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say
is non-intuitive.

Personally I find the Humax very straightforward , as does everyone I
know who owns one or uses mine.

I'd have a look at one yourself rather than dismissing it out of hand.

--
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger, then I hide until it goes away"

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

HI Jamie, I have an old Humax PVR-9200T which is ok for me but sometimes
remote functions seem to take ages to respond so maybe no good for your
needs but there maybe something else you need to bear in mind here, I have
an older TV (and guess some of your clients/friends) may have an older TV as
well and there may well be a lack of scart sockets on the back of the TV,
for me i have one scart and that is used for the DVD player, so in my case i
had to find a PVR with something called an "RF modulator" so maybe this will
need to be taken into consideration, but i guess only you will know that.

Jim


"jamie powell" wrote in message
...
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is
completed here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst
product I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism
regarding the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response
to key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random
resets/reboots, and which actually records programmes reliably.

I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say
is non-intuitive.

So I'm thinking either the TVonics, or the Vestel-based units (often
badged as Alba/Digihome/Sharp etc.) might be the most suitable.

I'd therefore be interested to hear from people who use either of these
PVR types on a regular basis.

thanks,
Jamie.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

jamie powell wrote:
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged
80+), who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover
is completed here.

Has to be a TiVo. By far and away the easiest PVR to use.

Still turn up on eBay regularly. Go for one with a lifetime contract.

Tim

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Which Tivo model works with Freeview then ya muppett!!!!, doh.



Has to be a TiVo. By far and away the easiest PVR to use.

Still turn up on eBay regularly. Go for one with a lifetime contract.

Tim

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Jim wrote:

HI Jamie, I have an old Humax PVR-9200T which is ok for me but sometimes
remote functions seem to take ages to respond so maybe no good for your
needs but there maybe something else you need to bear in mind here, I have
an older TV (and guess some of your clients/friends) may have an older TV as
well and there may well be a lack of scart sockets on the back of the TV,
for me i have one scart and that is used for the DVD player, so in my case i
had to find a PVR with something called an "RF modulator" so maybe this will
need to be taken into consideration, but i guess only you will know that.

I had a TV with one scart socket until recently and used a Topfield
and a DVD player with it simply by daisy chaining them.

DVDTopfield PVRTV

I think they are still set up like that despite the plethora of inputs
on my new TV. I don't watch many DVDs so can't say what happens if the
PVR comes on with a timer whilst watching a DVD but normaly the
autoswitching detects the last item switched on in the chain to
display on the output.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"jamie powell" wrote in message
...
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is
completed here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst
product I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism
regarding the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response
to key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random
resets/reboots, and which actually records programmes reliably.

I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say
is non-intuitive.

So I'm thinking either the TVonics, or the Vestel-based units (often
badged as Alba/Digihome/Sharp etc.) might be the most suitable.

I'd therefore be interested to hear from people who use either of these
PVR types on a regular basis.

thanks,
Jamie.


TVonics +1. Easy to use, reliable and the remote also controls the TV and
DVD.

Z

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:58:39 -0000, "jamie powell"
wrote:

I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is completed
here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst product
I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism regarding
the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response to
key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random resets/reboots, and
which actually records programmes reliably.

I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say is
non-intuitive.

So I'm thinking either the TVonics, or the Vestel-based units (often badged as
Alba/Digihome/Sharp etc.) might be the most suitable.

I'd therefore be interested to hear from people who use either of these PVR
types on a regular basis.

I have dealt with this problem for an elderly couple, with the
additional problem of arthritic hands.
I gave them a Humax (freesat version) with a controller programmed so
that the channel buttons always control the Humax and the volume
buttons always control the TV. All reception is through the Humax and
not through the TV's tuner. They *only* set the recorder using the
EPG, and after a bit of coaching have found no difficulty in finding
and playing back their recordings.
Their only problem is the size of buttons on the controller, but after
some hunting I found a rather clunky old One for All that seems to
suit.
Neither their Humax nor mine has ever have a random crash or reboot.
There is a systemic problem with auto switch-on times but this doesn't
affect recordings.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article , jamie powell
writes

I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is completed
here.

My mum's 70 and gets along well with her Inverto IDL7000M pvr, which I
bought as I was happy with mine. But Inverto no longer has any UK
presence and no longer supports this model. It, however, has survived
the split NIT, DSO and introduction of 8k (with a caveat that it has
difficulty tuning in BBC1 and 2 in Granadaland.) But it does have its
quirks.

The IDL 7000 now only seems to be available via Ebay. I suspect a lot
of them are returned units and/or unsold stock.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst product
I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism regarding
the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

Quite rightly too, from what I can see.

So I'm looking for one which

(ref. IDL7000)

has a clear user interface,

yes

a fast response to
key presses,

yes (except mine, which ignores the remote for two minutes after power
on. Still not got to the bottom of this)

no software glitches,

heh. Yes, it has some. "They all do that, Sir."

no crashes,

_very_ occasionally. "They all do that, Sir."

no random resets/reboots,

It needs to be power cycled once a day. I have mine on a timer.

and
which actually records programmes reliably.

It's pretty good at doing this.

HTH.

--
Mike Tomlinson

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Nov 19, 10:33*am, wrote:
On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:58:39 -0000, "jamie powell"





wrote:
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged 80+),
who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover is completed
here.

As the unlucky owner of a Sagem 160GB PVR, which is probably the worst product
I've ever owned and definitely not fit-for-purpose, my skepticism regarding
the quality of Freeview PVRs is high.

So I'm looking for one which has a clear user interface, a fast response to
key presses, no software glitches, no crashes, no random resets/reboots, and
which actually records programmes reliably.

I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say is
non-intuitive.

So I'm thinking either the TVonics, or the Vestel-based units (often badged as
Alba/Digihome/Sharp etc.) might be the most suitable.

I'd therefore be interested to hear from people who use either of these PVR
types on a regular basis.

I have dealt with this problem for an elderly couple, with the
additional problem of arthritic hands.
I gave them a Humax (freesat version) with a controller programmed so
that the channel buttons always control the Humax and the volume
buttons always control the TV. All reception is through the Humax and
not through the TV's tuner. They *only* set the recorder using the
EPG, and after a bit of coaching have found no difficulty in finding
and playing back their recordings.
Their only problem is the size of buttons on the controller, but after
some hunting I found a rather clunky old One for All that seems to
suit.
Neither their Humax nor mine has ever have a random crash or reboot.
There is a systemic problem with auto switch-on times but this doesn't
affect recordings.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I bought two Digihome PVRs in the spring ( Vestel T825 units), these
are pretty easy to use, even the technophobe female members of the
household have got the hang of setting up recordings & series links.
The buttons on the remote are pretty small though. I'd be a tad wary
about buying a Humax at the moment, until they've sorted out the
issues people in post DSO areas are reporting. The 9150T is under 120
quid from Amazon at the moment.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Illuminated wrote:



Which Tivo model works with Freeview then ya muppett!!!!, doh.



Has to be a TiVo. By far and away the easiest PVR to use.

Still turn up on eBay regularly. Go for one with a lifetime
contract.

Tim




There is only one TiVo model sold in the UK and it can control an
external Freeview receiver, Sky receiver, cable box etc.
I have 3 TiVos, one on Sky and two on freeview.

--
Ashley
For Windsor Weather see www.snglinks.com/wx

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article ,
Zimmy wrote:
TVonics +1. Easy to use, reliable and the remote also controls the TV
and DVD.

I'd say that would *really* confuse some. It does me.

--
*Women like silent men; they think they're listening.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Illuminated wrote:
Which Tivo model works with Freeview then ya muppett!!!!, doh.

Any of them! Not that a top posting moron would understand.
--
As an atheist, I believe that all life is unspeakably precious,
because it's only here for a brief moment, a flare against the dark,
and then it's gone forever. No afterlives, no second chances. So
there can be nothing crueller than the abuse, destruction or wanton
taking of a life.
-- J. Michael Straczynski

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Not a top posting moron you are the f'in moron.

The O.P. wants something easy for elderly/non-techie people to use, e.g. not
having to f--k about setting up and operating two boxes.

So Tivo is not the answer you arrogant F--kwit as no Tivo units have
integrated Freeview tuners as they are basically obsolete bits of old junk
hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.



--
Best Regards

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Zimmy wrote:
TVonics +1. Easy to use, reliable and the remote also controls the TV
and DVD.

I'd say that would *really* confuse some. It does me.

My 4 year old daughter can use it to switch both the TV and PVR on.
Of course you don't have to use it, however it means the volume control
actually works on the TV and not just some noddy one on the PVR that can
only make it quieter.

Z

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Illuminated wrote:
basically obsolete bits of old
junk hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.


Keep talking the price down then, idiot. I could certainly do with
buying some more!!

FYI TiVo completely controls the freeview box. Ye may as well throw the
freeview remote straight out of the window.

It still remains a very non-techie friendly solution.

--
Adrian C

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Adrian C wrote:
Illuminated wrote:
basically obsolete bits of old
junk hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.


Keep talking the price down then, idiot. I could certainly do with
buying some more!!

FYI TiVo completely controls the freeview box. Ye may as well throw the
freeview remote straight out of the window.

Surely that depends on whether the Freeview box cooperates with the
TiVo doesn't it?

It still remains a very non-techie friendly solution.

--
Adrian C

--
Chris Green

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Illuminated wrote:
Not a top posting moron you are the f'in moron.

The O.P. wants something easy for elderly/non-techie people to use,
e.g. not having to f--k about setting up and operating two boxes.

Showing your own ignorance. Once set up, you only need to use one remote.

So Tivo is not the answer you arrogant F--kwit as no Tivo units have
integrated Freeview tuners as they are basically obsolete bits of old
junk hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.

Old they may be. Obsolete they will indeed be if we ever go full HD but
until then, they are still incredibly user friendly and still stand head and
shoulders above any other PVR on the market IMO from that point of view.

Tim

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Dear Adrian C,

I JUST WENT IN TO MY KITCHEN AND SOMETHING REMINDED ME OF YOU. Then I
realised I had misread the bread wrapper and what it actually said was
"Thick cut"



"Adrian C" wrote in message
...
Illuminated wrote:
basically obsolete bits of old
junk hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.


Keep talking the price down then, idiot. I could certainly do with buying
some more!!

FYI TiVo completely controls the freeview box. Ye may as well throw the
freeview remote straight out of the window.

It still remains a very non-techie friendly solution.

--
Adrian C



--

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"Illuminated" wrote in message
...
Not a top posting moron you are the f'in moron.

The O.P. wants something easy for elderly/non-techie people to use, e.g.
not having to f--k about setting up and operating two boxes.

So Tivo is not the answer you arrogant F--kwit as no Tivo units have
integrated Freeview tuners as they are basically obsolete bits of old junk
hence being sold off cheaply on Ebay as you pointed out.

I don't even have one and I know that they are good, do your homework and
read up on them before slagging them off, everybody that has one seems to
love it. In this case its possible that the techie person would set it all
up and the elderly person would just be using it, that may not be ideal but
it is a possibility.

Z

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"Tim" wrote in message
...
jamie powell wrote:
I'm hunting for a PVR suitable for older people (many of them aged
80+), who'll find timed-recording onto VHS difficult after switchover
is completed here.

Has to be a TiVo. By far and away the easiest PVR to use.

Still turn up on eBay regularly. Go for one with a lifetime contract.

I'd rather have a PVR which recorded the MPEG2 stream directly without
re-encoding (which the TiVo units can't do).
Digital TV quality is dire enough to begin with. Also, afaik, TiVos are only
available second hand now?

I'm puzzled as to why the "big brands" (Sony, Panasonic etc) don't make PVRs
yet.
I suppose I could just buy their freeview-enabled DVD recorders, but these
seem less suitable for the purpose really, and they too have the re-encoding
issue.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"Zimmy" wrote in message
...


TVonics +1. Easy to use, reliable and the remote also controls the TV and
DVD.

Which model do you have? and how long have you been using it?

I've heard stories of sound sync problems, broken "series link" feature, and
random reboots from some people - have you experienced any of these?

Thanks.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote

My Topfield fits all that - and is actually easier to use than most VCRs.
For basic record/replay.


I suspect that it doesn't out-of-the-box!
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"airsmoothed" wrote in message
...







I bought two Digihome PVRs in the spring ( Vestel T825 units), these
are pretty easy to use, even the technophobe female members of the
household have got the hang of setting up recordings & series links.
The buttons on the remote are pretty small though.

The T825 is the older type, without the "power saving" features, and also
without the TopUpTV-branded software, correct? (the latter is probably a good
thing).

Argos are currently selling a T825 (branded as the Alba ALDTR160) for £99.99 .
However there are reports of them freezing/locking up, the sound randomly
disappearing, the menu navigation becoming sluggish, and series-linked timer
settings disappearing whenever the box is put into standby.

Someone also said that the hard disc spins up every 45mins when the box is in
standby mode, and the noise of this is annoying.

Have you experienced any of these issues?

Thanks.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article ,
Alan wrote:
My Topfield fits all that - and is actually easier to use than most
VCRs. For basic record/replay.


I suspect that it doesn't out-of-the-box!

It does. The various TAPs tend to add facilities rather than simplify
things. To record a prog not yet on all you have to do is find it in the
EPG and double click on OK. Don't think any VCR could be set that easily.

--
*Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"jamie powell" wrote in message
...

I'm puzzled as to why the "big brands" (Sony, Panasonic etc) don't make
PVRs yet.

?? They do. I have a Sony one in addition to my TiVo. The Sony is so user
unfriendly I hardly ever use it now.

Tim

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Nov 19, 5:53*pm, "jamie powell" wrote:
I'm puzzled as to why the "big brands" (Sony, Panasonic etc) don't make PVRs
yet.
I suppose I could just buy their freeview-enabled DVD recorders, but these
seem less suitable for the purpose really, and they too have the re-encoding
issue.

If by 'PVR' you mean a Freeview HDD recorder then they do all make
them ( all single digital tumer though); if you mean specifically
something with TiVo's ability to work out what you might like to watch
and record it anyway, then agreed, there are none to my knowledge. It
is suprising none of the 'big boys' seem able to compete with the
likes of Humax in the PVR field.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"Tim Downie" wrote in message
...

"jamie powell" wrote in message
...

I'm puzzled as to why the "big brands" (Sony, Panasonic etc) don't make
PVRs yet.

?? They do. I have a Sony one in addition to my TiVo. The Sony is so user
unfriendly I hardly ever use it now.


Which model Sony? The only Sony PVR I've heard of was a rebadged Beko of all
things!

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote
In article ,
Alan wrote:
My Topfield fits all that - and is actually easier to use than most
VCRs. For basic record/replay.


I suspect that it doesn't out-of-the-box!

It does. The various TAPs tend to add facilities rather than simplify
things. To record a prog not yet on all you have to do is find it in the
EPG and double click on OK. Don't think any VCR could be set that easily.


I have a lot of bug fix patches on my Toppy that didn't come from
Topfield. I suspect that the OP wants a machine where the user doesn't
have to fix it themselves before it becomes reliable. The OP stated "no
software glitches, no crashes, no random resets/reboots".

While a Topfield can be made to be one of the better machines IMO
out-of-the-box it ain't too hot, especially if it is the latest model
delivered with the latest Freeview+ firmware.
http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/view...hlight=bug+lis
t+firmware#160549
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Mike Henry wrote:

The only consumer product (not PC solution) which comes close in usability
IMHO which is on sale now in the UK, is Sony's PVR add-on for the PS3.
Followed by a Toppy fully loaded with TAPs, then a Toppy without TAPs,
then - bringing up the rear and much further behind - Sky+HD with Sky's
so-called "new" EPG, then (not really worthy of the term PVR) normal Sky+.

However, a critism of all these GUI driven things - is that a user;

1. needs the dexterity and understanding of joypad
up/down/left/right/fire 'the golden shot' control and recognises the
screen highlight and any screen to screen paging,

2. has a memory to remember in what menu an option is present or possible,

3. has an inquisitive mind to experiment and consult the instructions,

4. has the wherewithal to be able to scan and find relevent information
within the instructions when stuck,

5. has the ability to cope with several stages of decision making with
regard to deleting or preparing space for other recordings,

6. can do things quickly in sequence so that the machine doesn't give up
and time out in the middle of an entry,

And then there is peering closely at the remote without glasses trying
to make out and press buttons and illuminating the ceiling with infra-red.

And also getting defeated by multi-device remote controls accidently
switched to controling something else rather than the device in question.



Compared to all that a video recorder is just tape-in then press record.

Some folks I know are used to doing that do just that.

Wait until 7.30pm. Insert a 3hr tape.

Select BBC 1, Press play/record.

Leave and go down the club ...

--
Adrian C

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Dr Zoidberg ] said:

jamie powell wrote:
I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say
is non-intuitive.

Personally I find the Humax very straightforward , as does everyone I
know who owns one or uses mine.

I'd have a look at one yourself rather than dismissing it out of hand.

Me too -

Press button to get up EPG - find programme with up/down/left/right
buttons - press OK button to record.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article ,
Alan wrote:
It does. The various TAPs tend to add facilities rather than simplify
things. To record a prog not yet on all you have to do is find it in
the EPG and double click on OK. Don't think any VCR could be set that
easily.


I have a lot of bug fix patches on my Toppy that didn't come from
Topfield. I suspect that the OP wants a machine where the user doesn't
have to fix it themselves before it becomes reliable. The OP stated "no
software glitches, no crashes, no random resets/reboots".

Mine has never done any of those. Although I'd admit to only using it as a
more versatile VCR. I've never used it to edit, etc.

While a Topfield can be made to be one of the better machines IMO
out-of-the-box it ain't too hot, especially if it is the latest model
delivered with the latest Freeview+ firmware.
http://forum.toppy.org.uk/forum/view...hlight=bug+lis
t+firmware#160549

Dunno about the latest model.

--
*Why is 'abbreviation' such a long word?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

It does. The various TAPs tend to add facilities rather than simplify
things. To record a prog not yet on all you have to do is find it in the
EPG and double click on OK. Don't think any VCR could be set that easily.

While I have a Topfield and think it is great, I certainly wouldn't
recommend it to an elderly relative. The recent Freeview updates (split
NIT, etc) proved this. I hadn't updated my firmware in a while and had
to find the appropriate firmware updates and install them from a
computer. Then channels had to be deleted etc etc. It it wasn't for
toppy.org I think I would have junked the Topfield as the whole
procedure was not straightforward.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Nov 19, 6:05*pm, "jamie powell" wrote:
Argos are currently selling a T825 (branded as the Alba ALDTR160) for £99.99 .
However there are reports of them freezing/locking up, the sound randomly
disappearing, the menu navigation becoming sluggish, and series-linked timer
settings disappearing whenever the box is put into standby.

Someone also said that the hard disc spins up every 45mins when the box is in
standby mode, and the noise of this is annoying.

Have you experienced any of these issues?

Thanks.

In a word ...no. The menu / EPG navigation has always been fairly
slow, but it hasn't got any worse since the boxes were new. Series
links are for sure not dissappearing on standby, the HDD is not
spinning up every 45 mins - and when it does it's still very quiet.
I've been pleasantly suprised by the complete lack of lock-ups on
these boxes - or maybe I'm just lucky..

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

In article m,
Mark Ingle wrote:
It does. The various TAPs tend to add facilities rather than simplify
things. To record a prog not yet on all you have to do is find it in
the EPG and double click on OK. Don't think any VCR could be set that
easily.

While I have a Topfield and think it is great, I certainly wouldn't
recommend it to an elderly relative. The recent Freeview updates (split
NIT, etc) proved this. I hadn't updated my firmware in a while and had
to find the appropriate firmware updates and install them from a
computer. Then channels had to be deleted etc etc. It it wasn't for
toppy.org I think I would have junked the Topfield as the whole
procedure was not straightforward.

I had no problems with the recent FreeView updates in the London area.
However, for such a rare occurrence, any such proceeder could confuse some
regardless of the equipment. So you could just pop round to the elderly
relative and sort it out yourself. It's the day to day operation of the
thing which is more important.
What TAPs would you think essential for an elderly person? Many make the
on screen graphics less legible in the name of 'graphic design' or
whatever.

--
*Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Nov 20, 9:13*am, airsmoothed wrote:
On Nov 19, 6:05*pm, "jamie powell" wrote:

Argos are currently selling a T825 (branded as the Alba ALDTR160) for £99.99 .
However there are reports of them freezing/locking up, the sound randomly
disappearing, the menu navigation becoming sluggish, and series-linked timer
settings disappearing whenever the box is put into standby.

Someone also said that the hard disc spins up every 45mins when the box is in
standby mode, and the noise of this is annoying.

Have you experienced any of these issues?

Thanks.

In a word ...no. The menu / EPG navigation has always been fairly
slow, but it hasn't got any worse since the boxes were new. Series
links are for sure not dissappearing on standby, the HDD is not
spinning up every 45 mins - and when it does it's still very quiet.
I've been pleasantly suprised by the complete lack of lock-ups on
these boxes - or maybe I'm just lucky..

Not so many bugs for the T825 logged he-

http://pvrbugs.futaura.co.uk/my_view_page.php

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

"jamie powell" wrote in message
...

"Zimmy" wrote in message
...


TVonics +1. Easy to use, reliable and the remote also controls the TV and
DVD.

Which model do you have? and how long have you been using it?

I've had it a few years now I think it is possibly a DVR-150.



I've heard stories of sound sync problems, broken "series link" feature,
and random reboots from some people - have you experienced any of these?

There is a very rare sound sync problem after doing a lot of
rewinding/f.forwarding, but it is easily fixed by pausing and unpausing
again. Mine doesn't have series link as such, just a repeating record I
think but I don't really use it.
I've not had random reboots, on the one or two occasions (in several years)
it has crashed (possibly due to a poor signal), it reboots itself.

It seems infinitely more stable than any other box I've used and I would
hope such things are fixed in the latest models, but I suspect there is no
box out there that is 100% reliable and foolproof.

Z

Best PVR for older/non-techie people
 

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:45:58 +0000, Dr Zoidberg
wrote:

jamie powell wrote:
I'm put off the Humax ones because of the user interface, which many say
is non-intuitive.

Personally I find the Humax very straightforward , as does everyone I
know who owns one or uses mine.


Just bought one for a friend who lives 250 miles away (If she didn't
I'd have bought a Toppy and MyStuff'd it.)

After setting the Hummy up and spending two days teaching her how to
use it, I have to admit I was extremely disappointed with what it
offers.

EPG lost on standby, padding not easy, editing a nightmare, no user
manual, all spring immediately to mind.

Puts me in a difficult position I've recommended several Toppys to
local friends, and upgraded them. Add the latest Mystuff and the
machine totally wipes the floor with anything else I've seen.
Admittently I've only tried around half a dozen - including the
dreadful Thomson.

I too would not know what to recommend to a non techie, so look
forward to seeing what appears from others.

GrahamC