dont do pay for or use internet services[appart from i player] dont do adverts so all my tv is freeview recorded or occasional i player liveish
as a machine is playing up i though get a machine spare in "bni"box for continuity ------ but few and far between --are they out off fashion now ??
There are a lot of things happening at the same time.
(1) Freeview and Freesat used to be separate entities. Although both part of the public service broadcast system they were almost rivals, each negotiating their own contracts with the various TV channel providers. That has changed. The two companies have been brought together and merged under a new name -
Everyone TV
(2) TV is including more streamed content. Catch-up provides a way to access recent programming from the past week. For those with fast enough broadband and very simple needs this is a good enough alternative to having a recorder box. There are catches though. Not every channel has a catch-up service. The commercial channels make you sit through adverts with no ability to skip them. Also, if you want to watch something again, but it's now more than 7 days old, you're out of luck unless it appears as a featured programme in iPlayer or ITVX or one of the other main channel streaming services
(3) The future landscape of terrestrial and satellite broadcasting is being reshaped. There are plans afoot to move to an internet service for several of the major channel groups (BBC, ITV, Ch4, C5).
As a result of the above, and probably some other stuff as well, the market for TV recording boxes has polarised. If we just deal with the boxes for Freeview, there are cheap receiver-only boxes for £20-£40 from brand names that are largely unknown quantities. August, Clarity, Teknikal and the like. At these prices they have no built-in hard drives. Recording is possible via a USB-connected pen drive or hard drive. You have to purchase that as an extra. This all replicates what a lot of TVs do. They'll allow the user to record what they're watching, but not a different channel. There's only one tuner, you see. In a sense you could say that it's not too different from an old skool VHS VCR. They only recorded one channel at once.
The rest of what is available in new gear in the market is a toss-up between Humax STBs and Panasonic DVD/Blu-ray recorders with Freeview reception. It's all quite expensive.
Here you have products with two, three or more tuners which enables them to receive and record for channels where the programmes overlap. Apart from some basic DVD recorders, they all have built-in hard drives onto which the recordings are made. A big thing with these boxes, particularly the new Humax Aura, is Freeview Play and streaming app support for services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Now TV. Apparently the world will stop tuning unless every blo.. every flipping device is stuffed to the gunnels with streaming apps. We are expected to accept that this somehow justifies the loss of 3-channel recorders for £100~£150 and their replacement with 3-channel recorders with apps for £250-£400.
The hole in between the two extremes is currently serviced by used boxes. eBay and classified ads prices on these things are starting to go silly. YouView boxes that you might have picked up dirt cheap 18~24 months ago are now being advertised at prices around £100. Humax FVP-5000T boxes are fetching £100-£240 used depending on the hard drive size. There are even seller palming off SD-only Humax boxes for around £40!
If you're not looking to spend a fortune, but you still want something with usable features, then second-hand is the way to go. There's stuff on eBay and the other classifieds sites. You just have to pick your way through all the battle-scarred units and ones with no remotes or missing bits such as the battery compartment lids. Alternatively, if you want something trustworthy and in good condition then message me. I keep a few as stock for customers in the same boat.
