Phoenix PVR $199

[melliot]

Hi everyone,

My first post. This is a great forum and credit to it's management. Someone put me on to it when I was investigating a cheap PVR/DVD recording options.

Looking at the Phoenix PVR DVBT3600PVR Which has only one SD tuner and a 80Gig HDD. Retrevision are selling it for $199.

http://www.hi-ficlearance.com.au/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=762

Is it good value for money? Does anyone have one and is it OK? Any other solutions/options to suggest.

Also thinking of buying a cheap DVD recorder for around $200 so I can "slow copy" anything I want to keep or make portable. So for $400 I nearly have what the LG RH2T160 (3 in 1) does for about $650 (less one tuner). $400 is about my budget. Note that I only have 68cm CRT TVs not LCD or Plasma.

Main purpose is to record the footy and burn that 3hrs of recording to DVD say once a week/fornight. Other TV recording is to record and then delete after watching.

Am I better off waiting till the one component I want comes down to a reasonable price (<$500)?

Your advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance!

cheers
Melliot

[jokiin]

Hi everyone,
Looking at the Phoenix PVR DVBT3600PVR Which has only one SD tuner and a 80Gig HDD. Retrevision are selling it for $199.

Is it good value for money?

No, it's overpriced, this model is a few years old now

[melliot]

Thanks!

Can you suggest something simlar thats good value ATM?

[jokiin]

There are twin tuner units available for $199, if you can't justify the extra expense though you can be a single tuner set top box which come without the hard drive for $69, you can add a hard drive very cheaply (or use an old spare drive if you have one) and have a good budget recording solution.

As a rough guide you get around 1 hour of recording for each 3GB of hard drive space with SD

[melliot]

There are twin tuner units available for $199, if you can't justify the extra expense though you can be a single tuner set top box which come without the hard drive for $69, you can add a hard drive very cheaply (or use an old spare drive if you have one) and have a good budget recording solution.

As a rough guide you get around 1 hour of recording for each 3GB of hard drive space with SD

Thanks again. Went down to Strathfield. Have a Dvx (brand) - Dvx-555U. Single tuner with capacity to plug in HDD and record. $69. 250G HDD is around $100 so $170 total is a good option. Do you know this tuner?

Do you know what format it would record in? Because I would like to simply plug it into the Laptop via USB HDD case ($50-$60)(Now its pushing $220 total) and then burn the DVD. Is this possible/practical say once in a week/fornight task? or do I need a TV tuner card for the Laptop. Other option is to buy Highlander DVD Recorder $139 to make $310 total and then "slow record" to burn DVD (more convenient option).

Other option the salesman suggested was to get DigiCrystal tuner $69 (although probably need twin tuner as suggested) and Highlander 250G HDD DVD recorder $349. Total $418. This option then allows me to edit out adds etc before a DVD burn.

I'd like to keep it budget, cos I see that this stuff is all going to become really economical over the next year or so and would just like to something that is going to tie me over for about 2-3 years.

Thoughts?

[jokiin]

Do you know this tuner?


Yep, based on Zoran chipset and uses an LG tuner (was the one I was referring to earlier)


Do you know what format it would record in?

Not sure offhand



Other option is to buy Highlander DVD Recorder $139 to make $310 total and then "slow record" to burn DVD (more convenient option).


That will work

Other option the salesman suggested was to get DigiCrystal tuner $69 (although probably need twin tuner as suggested) and Highlander 250G HDD DVD recorder $349. Total $418. This option then allows me to edit out adds etc before a DVD burn.


You could also use this same DVD recorder with the set top box you bought, gives you the flexibility to record to the set top box when needed and archive and edit later.

Of course of the files straight off the PVR are easily edited then you might prefer to edit on the PC, not that I put a lot of stuff on disc anyway but I usually prefer to just burn from the PVR to an RW disc and do the editing and final burn on the PC, I find the options to edit on a PC are much wider.

[melliot]

Other option is to buy Highlander DVD Recorder $139 to make $310 total and then "slow record" to burn DVD (more convenient option).

I think this may be the budget way to go without rooting around too much when I want to burn. I don't think I'll bother with to much editing, especially with 30sec skips or FFx16 to get past adds.

Would like to get a twin tuner with HDD but can't to seem to find any in Bendigo for the $200 mark you suggested. $300-$400 seems to be around the mark. Any store/brands you can suggest?

[melliot]

Thought you may be able to help me with this one as you know the product. I posted it as another thread.


Just bought the above SD tuner and a 250Gig HHD to make it a PVR. Also a GIEC Dual format dvd recorder from Strathfield (total $310).

Read part of the manual and asks for the HDD to be formated. What format should it be??? or doesn't it matter?????

Does any one have this DVD recorder or PVR setup and what is it like?

cheers!

[melliot]

Don't worry, worked out it will format it. Cheers