Recommend me a box

DublinWriter

About five years ago I installed a motorised 1.2 Triax with an Technomate box.

The dish gave me nothing but grief, so I switched over to a small fixed dish pointing at 28.2.

The Technomate is getting a bit dated now and I want to replace it.

I'm looking for something that will do the following:

- FreeSat EPG
- PVR
- Will take CAMs

PVR on a HD is a given, but I'd like to also have an ability to record onto DVDs. I'd also like the box to be able to have a co-ax VHF/UHF ariel-in.

Am I asking for too much?

von Smallhausen

Technomate TM-6900 Combo

The above box has a cam slot, a dual tuner but only had now and next info. It is pvr ready so you can plug a hard drive into it via usb slot.

Not much else i can tell you im afraid...im after one of these myself they come in silver and black.

von Smallhausen

In addition to my previous post i have the item description:

• 2 High Definition Tuners: DVB-S/DVB-S2 Satellite & DVB-T Terrestrial Compliant (MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 / H.264)
• 576i & 576p, 720p & 1080i supported
• 1 Smart Card Reader & 2 Common Interfaces (2CI)
• HDMI & Component Output (YPbPr) with Hardware Upscaler to Improve Picture Quality
• Very Fast & Detailed Hardware Blind Search (power scan)
• Ethernet Communication Port
• eSATA Port
• 2x USB Ports (Front + Rear Ports)
• PLL type RF-Modulator (Ch. 21- 69) and UHF tuning function
• 10,000 TV & Radio Channels
• USB 2.0 PVR Ready via USB External Device
• USB PVR Features: Rewind/Forward, Slow Motion Rewind/Forward, Timeshift (Pause Live TV) & Record Scrambled/Free-To-Air (FTA) Channels & Record current channel and playback a recording at the same time
• Music player & JPEG viewer via USB 2.0
• Fast Software & Channel List download via USB 2.0
• 2 Scart Outputs with RGB Support
• Fully Featured VFD text Front Panel Display
• Super Sensitive tuner for very weak signals
• Dolby Digital Optical S/PDIF
• Dolby Digital by HDMI
• S-Video Output
• Less than 1 second channel change
• DiSEqC 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3 (USALS) compatible
• Auto Navigation system – select as many satellites as you want to search
• On-screen display with true full color resolution
• Enhanced 16 Favorite channel groups
• Channel control by: Favorites, Lock, Skip, Move & Delete
• Channel sort by: All, Alphabet, Transponder & CAS
• Parental, Installation & Receiver Lock
• Multilingual OSD Menu: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Greek, Czech, Romanian, Persian
• Fast & Easy-To-Use Menu System
• Extended EPG and program reservation on EPG
• Teletext & Subtitle by OSD and VBI
• Last channel memory function
• Factory default channel list
• Various games
• Software & channel list upgrade via RS-232C: PC to STB, STB to PC, STB-STB and USB
• Zoom function on Pause & Live channel
• Multi picture display
• Support for multiple language broadcasts
• SCPC & MCPC receivable from C/Ku band satellites LNBs supported: Universal, Single, Single S & C band wideband LNBs
• Multi TV Standards supported: PAL G, I, K, M
• 4:3 & 16:9 Screen Formats
• 90-250V AC 50/60 Hz
• LNB Short Circuit protection onboard
• Software & channel list upgrade via RS-232C: PC to STB, STB to PC, STB-STB and USB
• Dimension 390mm x 262mm x 67mm

byte

Note that there is a Technomate TM6900 Combo, and also a TM6900 SUPER Combo. The Super is the only one that has RF Modulator, as well as 2x USB ports, Ethernet and eSATA. Also has a multicrpyt card slot and 2x CI.

It does not have Freesat EPG though, which you list as a requirement. I think some other standard receiver can decipher Freesat EPG data though, a Fortecstar of some sort IIRC. A Linux box would probably read Freesat data too, though more for hobbyists than just plug n' play.

Also note, that while it may have 2 tuners, both seem to share the same MPEG4 chip, so you can't record off satellite, and watch another channel on DTT for example. It also tends to randomly ignore my WD external HDD for recording, but I have never bothered looking to see if it's fixed in a more recent firmware update.

von Smallhausen

Byte..any ideas as to where i can get one apart from ebay? or is ebay the best way to get one...my pace just packed in and over heated...smells like burning rubber..also freezes a lot..

DublinWriter

byte wrote: »

It does not have Freesat EPG though

Bummer...looks like I'll have to go with the Humax box as discussed in other threads. Argos Newry here I come (again).

snaps

byte wrote: »

It also tends to randomly ignore my WD external HDD for recording, but I have never bothered looking to see if it's fixed in a more recent firmware update.

I find that the hard drive has to be switched on (If its a HD with an external power source) 1st and then switch the receiver on. I find 90% of the time then my TM6900 reconises the hard drive. Think mines a western digital 320gb yoke.

byte

Danny_B wrote: »

Byte..any ideas as to where i can get one apart from ebay? or is ebay the best way to get one...my pace just packed in and over heated...smells like burning rubber..also freezes a lot..

Check the sticky thread at the top of the forum. The site I bought mine from is gone.

@Snaps: I've tried that too, but it will seemingly stop communicating after the WD winds down from inactivity. TM seems unable to waken up the WD, or simply can't be bothered waiting for HDD to spin up and claims nothing is there.