What would be your ideal TV/PVR/sound system?

[RogerS]

Thinking that we might have to bite the bullet and replace our viewing system and so wondered what would be on people's Ideal Shopping List?

At the moment we have a plasma screen, four PVRs (SCART - no HDMI) (four because one (TiVo is LOML's and I have two with different OS and often duplicate recordings so that if one throws up a gremlin then the other might be OK) and one has a DVD recorder (such a beast is unavailable these days as far as I know), 5.1 surround sound (but very low 3 ohm speakers).

My thoughts:

It is rare that we ever watch a DVD that makes use of surround sound. Neither do I listen to SACD's that would, in theory, benefit from surround sound. But the sound quality is pretty good and visually they are quite stylish, we think. So the sound system could very well be simplified. Sound bar? Poor bass ?

TV screen...could do with a larger one for watching films especially. Not interested in Smart TVs as I believe that anything Smart is best done externally and by companies whose business 'smart' is.

So...over to you guys. Blank sheet of paper.

 

[Claymore]

........

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

My day job is in professional audio visual, so my home setup is a 6-year-old 46" Panasonic plasma, with a Virgin TIVO box, an Amazon FireTV box and an HDMI switcher for the games consoles (including a PS3 which does all the DVD and blu-rays). The inbuilt speakers are good enough for telly and films.

If I was starting from scratch I'd probably get choice paralysis! I think I'd go for a Panasonic, Sony or Samsung screen - or LG, come to think of it, and I'd go to John Lewis (for the 5 year warranty) or Richer Sounds (where they put some effort into setting the screens up in the shop). I wouldn't bother with a 4K one unless the price and image at normal HD resolution was compelling as there's little genuine 4K content and still some debate as to how 4K content will eventually be delivered (which could, worst case, render such a purchase redundant). I wouldn't get a curved screen; as far as I can tell they're just the latest marketing initiative now that 3D has bombed.

I think I'd be inclined to get a Youview box or similar for Freeview and streaming services, unless there are specific channels you want which require a subscription service. For sound, if the onboard speakers aren't good enough then a soundbase would be my choice rather than a sound bar - more air in the box means more bass and less/no need for a separate sub. My PC setup has a Canton soundbase which does very nicely.

I don't think I'd specifically avoid a Smart TV, but I wouldn't base any decision on the Smart features, for much the reason you state.

All that said, I'd also be inclined to keep what you've got until it stops working - other than wanting a slightly larger screen I'm not entirely clear on why you want to upgrade?

 

[gregmcateer]

Reason I started doing woodwork was to get away from the TV as I found myself sitting and watching rubbish like X Factor etc and one day realised how much I hate Simon Cowell lol
One thing to remember is its no point having HD TV if your eyesight isn't 100% same goes for hearing.... make sure your lugholes are working 100%

=D> =D> =D>

I do slump, slack-jawed and vacant on occasion and almost always come away from the box feeling smug that I only pay a licence fee and no subscription on top.

Having said that, our ageing Humax PVR is playing up, (it's handy to record stuff and watch it when I want), so would be interested in peoples' experience of freeview / freesat PVRs.

Greg

 

[RogerS]

Reason I started doing woodwork was to get away from the TV as I found myself sitting and watching rubbish like X Factor etc and one day realised how much I hate Simon Cowell lol
One thing to remember is its no point having HD TV if your eyesight isn't 100% same goes for hearing.... make sure your lugholes are working 100%

=D> =D> =D>

I do slump, slack-jawed and vacant on occasion and almost always come away from the box feeling smug that I only pay a licence fee and no subscription on top.

Having said that, our ageing Humax PVR is playing up, (it's handy to record stuff and watch it when I want), so would be interested in peoples' experience of freeview / freesat PVRs.

Greg

What's up with your Humax, Greg? Might be able to help.

 

[RogerS]

Sporky...some excellent points, thanks and food for thought. I need to investigate what a sound base is! I agree with you re keeping stuff going as long as possible. The main driver is that the Sony DVD/amplifier is starting to get fussy when playing DVDs. On Saturday evening, the rental DVD started skipping like mad. Our default position in these circumstances is to bung the DVD in the DVD/PVR machine but that also failed to perform.

Sunday gave the Sony DVD/amp a bit of a spring clean and gentle use of an air duster and come Sunday evening it played the DVD quite well until half way through when it started stuttering again. Kind of spoils the occasion. Whacked it in to the DVD/PVR machine and damn me if it didn't play OK. So why not on Saturday? It's these kind of things that annoys me (and SWMBO in particular who hates technology playing up and is only to ready to spend ££££ which we don't have on new computers and TVs etc).

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

That seems an excellent reason to upgrade! You're right (in your first post) that it'll be hard, if not impossible, to get another DVD writer - HDCP (the content protection on HDMI - sorry if you know this already) pretty much precludes recording telly nowadays, it's all either PVR or streamed catch-up. I was surprised at how good the image is on a lot of the streamed stuff now, but I don't think it's quite time to ditch DVD or Blu-Ray yet. In five years that might be different (to be honest I didn't know you could still rent physical DVDs).

A sound base is a bit like a sound bar, except that instead of being long and thin it's squarish and sits under the telly. This is the one I have:

http://www.whathifi.com/canton/dm-50/review

 

[gregmcateer]

Hi Roger,

It seems to lose all the recording schedule if it is turned off. Doesn't trouble me unduly, but the GLW gets terribly upset if she misses an episode of some crucially important saga.

We have tried full reformat and resetting the channels.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Greg

 

[RogerS]

Thanks, Sporky. We use Cinema Paradiso...excellent company.

Greg..which model do you have? When you say turned off do you mean turned off or put in standby? TBH we always leave ours on.

 

[MMUK]

42" LG LED with Yamaha amp & 7.1 surround. Got a DVD player and PS2 plugged in. That does me. Don't watch TV so don't need I licence. If there's owt I really want to see I find it online after the event.

 

[mseries]

I don't know if what I have is ideal, I don't wish for anything else so maybe it is. Samsung SMART TV, Panasonic Twin Tuner Freeview HD PVR, Yamaha Home Cinema amp with decent speakers. It's all old tech, particularly the speakers (>20yo) so no point in me giving you model numbers. The Samsung TV is ace, we use the SMART fetures alot, Youtube, Netflix, iPlayer, ITVPlayer, streaming from computers on my LAN. I quite like the fewest number of boxes in my living room, fewer cables, less power consumption, less switching around of inputs, cheaper. We also have a Panny PVR upstairs, both are on my (wired) LAN, as is the TV, enabling recordings made on one to be viewed on the other.

Nearly forgot about the Cambridge Audio DVD player, hardly ever use it.

 

[artie]

My hi tec set up is a 8 or nine yearold Samsumg 42" plasma with original Thompson Tivo all fed by a Humax Freeview box.

I almost never watch live TV, The Tivo has learned my preferences and records what it knows I like as well as suggestions.

It always has a selection of movies waiting for the occasion when I just want to park for a couple of hours.

 

[RogerS]

My hi tec set up is a 8 or nine yearold Samsumg 42" plasma with original Thompson Tivo all fed by a Humax Freeview box.

I almost never watch live TV, The Tivo has learned my preferences and records what it knows I like as well as suggestions.

It always has a selection of movies waiting for the occasion when I just want to park for a couple of hours.

I'm intrigued by your TiVo/Humax combination. TiVo doesn't have a Freeview tuner and so how do you get it to record the right programme?

 

[gregmcateer]

Greg..which model do you have? When you say turned off do you mean turned off or put in standby? TBH we always leave ours on.

9300T.
Yes I mean standby. We now try to leave it on, but when turning the TV onto standby occasionally hit the wrong remote (hammer)

 

[RogerS]

Greg

I'm assuming you've found this thread ?
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1802192

and this comment

There is an option to have the PVR come on from standby and to enter standby daily. Some people use this to come on to load the EPG prior to viewing time.

The EPG is always lost when in normal standby/low power standby, and takes from 8-20 minutes (under normal conditions and depending on channel selected) to reload it.

There is another mode, half-standby (not officially named as such) which the PVR enters fifteen minutes prior to an accurate recording scheduled start time.
During this time it can check the EPG for the current planned times of scheduled recordings (updating the schedule if necessary), and monitor for the start signal of the current recording.

It is possible for the PVR to be in this half-standby mode when you normally switch it on - if it doesn't display the "loader" screen when booting - and to have some/all of the EPG available.

If this is the case (if it is on when no recordings are due) then a "defaults setting" from the menus, followed by retuning and re-entering scheduled events may cure that and the lost schedules. Be sure to try manually tuning for a single transmitter as that may help alleviate the recurrence of such issues.

You do know about the reason behind and cure for the very slow EPG load? And that it's best to do a manual rather than automatic tune to cure the EPG issue and also avoid tuning to more than one tx?

Our 9300T has recently started rebooting itself partway through a recording which is a pain. I'd read somewhere that the capacitors in the power supply can blow and while mine are not obviously blown they may well be on their way. So I had another Humax and the power supply is the same and so swapped it over. Have to wait and see.

Things I like about the Humax

1) Find in the Guide
2) Fast to go between menu items etc
3) probably others but none spring to mind

Things I don't like about the Humax

1) Their implementation of starting and stopping a recording based on the signal transmitted by the broadcasters is rubbish. You miss the start and you miss the end. OK, you can tell it to start early and finish late but then it won't let you do a series record. Our old Hitachi is bang on the money re accurate timing.

2) Insufficient memory in the EPG space which means that you have to give up a mux

3) No ability to find alternative recordings when there is a clash.

 

[gregmcateer]

Deleted, as I double-posted by mistake! #-o

Greg

 

[artie]

My hi tec set up is a 8 or nine yearold Samsumg 42" plasma with original Thompson Tivo all fed by a Humax Freeview box.

I almost never watch live TV, The Tivo has learned my preferences and records what it knows I like as well as suggestions.

It always has a selection of movies waiting for the occasion when I just want to park for a couple of hours.

I'm intrigued by your TiVo/Humax combination. TiVo doesn't have a Freeview tuner and so how do you get it to record the right programme?

I am talking about the series 1 Tivo which came to the UK in the late 90s It came with a remote sender which you place near the freeview box. Tivo sends a signal to change the channel through it just like it did with the sky boxes of old.

The Freeview box is connected via scart.

I hope that makes some sense.

 

[gregmcateer]

Hi Roger,
Thanks for that - I hadn't seen it.
It's not our EPG we lose, it's the recording schedule.
Seems others have the same problem and it's a 'feature' up with which we'll have to put!
Thanks
Greg

 

[RogerS]

My hi tec set up is a 8 or nine yearold Samsumg 42" plasma with original Thompson Tivo all fed by a Humax Freeview box.

I almost never watch live TV, The Tivo has learned my preferences and records what it knows I like as well as suggestions.

It always has a selection of movies waiting for the occasion when I just want to park for a couple of hours.

I'm intrigued by your TiVo/Humax combination. TiVo doesn't have a Freeview tuner and so how do you get it to record the right programme?

I am talking about the series 1 Tivo which came to the UK in the late 90s It came with a remote sender which you place near the freeview box. Tivo sends a signal to change the channel through it just like it did with the sky boxes of old.

The Freeview box is connected via scart.

I hope that makes some sense.

Yes it makes perfect sense. I'd forgotten that Humax made just a Freeview box without the PVR. We do the same here but use a Thomson Freeview box. I have a Sony Freeview box as a spare.

 

[artie]

Yes it makes perfect sense. I'd forgotten that Humax made just a Freeview box without the PVR.

Mine has the PVR as well just in case I want to record two programmes at the same time.