Saorview Recording options - only three months left?

Fingleberries

Hello All,

With such a short time left before ASO/DSO I find it more than a little disconcerting that there doesn't appear to be any officially approved Saorview PVR / Recording devices available.

I have been researching this, as it presents an opportunity to buy a new PVR to replace an existing DVD / HDD Recorder (as it's not Saorview compatible). I can reduce the number of devices under the Telly if it would be possible to locate a devices that was:

1. Capable of viewing and recording Saorview Channels
2. Capable of viewing and recording Freeview HD channels
3. In-built Blu Ray player (to replace the DVD player in my current PVR for watching DVDs and adding a few BluRays to my collection).
4. Dual tuner is a must these days also.

I have looked and there are just a few Freeview+HD ones on the market, but they seem pricey:
Panasonic DMR BWT800EB Blu ray Recorder Freeview+HD

Ideally it would be great to be able to transfer videos to BD / DVD, but the BD / DVD playback would be more important.

Side Notes:

• While it would be great to be 100% Saorview approved, as long as the main functionality works (EPG, Digital Text and Series Link whenever it's available), that would be the main thing.
• Freeview HD would be useful because I'm in an area that is likely to get NI overspill - we receive all the terrestrial channels at the moment with good clarity, and had the UK digital channels recently during the good weather, and they're not at full power yet.
• I was hoping for something cheaper (and don't need the 3D maguffins, either)
• Panasonic also have a sketchy past with Saorview compatibility, too.

Does anyone have any other recommendations? Personal Experience?
Or should we just sit tight until October to wait and see what's out there?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice.

The Cush

Fingleberries wrote: »

Or should we just sit tight until October to wait and see what's out there?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice.

There appears to be PVRs in for testing at the moment according to an article in the Indo earlier this month - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79530547&postcount=35

zg3409

One should be launched in the next year. Personally I would wait. If it is not Saorview approved no-one can be sure it will work correctly. Series link working 100% would be essential for everyday use. If one was 100% compatable it should be approved already.

Digifriendly

zg3409 wrote: »

One should be launched in the next year. Personally I would wait. If it is not Saorview approved no-one can be sure it will work correctly. Series link working 100% would be essential for everyday use. If one was 100% compatable it should be approved already.

Surely they'll get these up and running before ASO/DSO. Having said that I've yet to find a portable TV with inbuilt Freeview HD on it even in Argos catalogue and Freeview HD has been running for some time now across the Irish Sea.

zg3409

RTENL/Saorview don't make equipment. It's up to equipment makers to put their equipment forward for approval, none of which have done so or at least passed to date.

RTENL say one will be approved in the next year but that is not up to them.

Some other Saorview approved boxes can record what you are watching already but only have a single tuner.

Fingleberries

Thanks all for the input so far.

Digifriendly wrote: »

Surely they'll get these up and running before ASO/DSO.

I know that we have been disappointed by the switch to digital TV in the past (seeing how long it has taken, etc.), but surely the ability to record TV should be a minimum before ASO/DSO...

zg3409

Fingleberries wrote: »

Thanks all for the input so far.

I know that we have been disappointed by the switch to digital TV in the past (seeing how long it has taken, etc.), but surely the ability to record TV should be a minimum before ASO/DSO...

Basic single channel recording boxes are available now such as the box sold by Argos, however the switchover date will not be delayed. It's up to manufacturers to make sure their boxes meet the minimum specifications and put them forward for testing.

As the Irish system is slightly different to the UK HD system their boxes for Freeview + HD may or may not work. I would not recommend anyone buying a non approved box for recording as there is a very high chance it will not work properly.

Sam Russell

Fingleberries wrote: »

Thanks all for the input so far.



I know that we have been disappointed by the switch to digital TV in the past (seeing how long it has taken, etc.), but surely the ability to record TV should be a minimum before ASO/DSO...

DSO occured last year in May. (In fact DSO started in Aug 2008). Saorview is not the future, it is current and has been for some time. It is RTE and TV3 who have been ignoring it, and waiting for the 'launch' of Saorview on 24th October, 2012..

ASO has no implications for recording - that has been a problem since the launch of Saorview. There has been no proper use of MHEG5 that has caused so much heat on this section of Boards.ie. There was a brief attempt to have an EPG driven by MHEG5 but that disappeared rather quickly.

Why are RTE trying to invent things that are in standard use elsewhere? Why are TV3 so reluctant to get involved, yet bitch and moan about RTE getting the licence money, and then refuse to contribute to running costs of Saorview/Saorsat? Why were RTE refused RTE3/Plus and refused advertising on RTE NewsNow, yet TV3 were allowed 3e to go on Saorview?

Why are the BAI, COMREG and the DCNER not acting to sort this mess out? Why all the secrecy? Are they waiting for the TV Spectrum Dividend?

I think I'll start growing bananas!:mad:

Fingleberries

Thanks Sam - perhaps I'm using the wrong acronym (I thought it was ASO - analogue switch off; DSO - Digital Switch Over ... but I can see that it might have meant 'switch on').

Anyway. I know that certification is a mess - not to mention the 'too many chiefs' and no one taking responsibility among those chiefs.

Personally, my main concern is to eventually be able to get a dual tuner PVR that could play BluRay and receive Saorview / Freeview+HD.

Thanks,
F.

Sam Russell

Fingleberries wrote: »

Thanks Sam - perhaps I'm using the wrong acronym (I thought it was ASO - analogue switch off; DSO - Digital Switch Over ... but I can see that it might have meant 'switch on').

Anyway. I know that certification is a mess - not to mention the 'too many chiefs' and no one taking responsibility among those chiefs.

Personally, my main concern is to eventually be able to get a dual tuner PVR that could play BluRay and receive Saorview / Freeview+HD.

Thanks,
F.

I should not rant in public, but the very long time from launch of the Saorview service (October 2010, or May 2011, depending on whether you take the start of the service, or the kind words of the irrelevant Minister) which has been studiously ignored by all the participants, to the stupid cat and dog adverts, everything has moved at a glacial pace. But despite the official launch, everyone appears to beleive Saorview is launching in October 2012. It has already launched - last year.

We went from MPH to Km/Hr in a few months. So fast, they were still selling MPH cars for six months after the changeover. Mind you, retailers (from UK and further places) were still selling useless Mpeg2 TVs after the launch of DTV, so maybe not a good example.

Anyway, Saorview will be 18 months since its launch when they finally turn off the analogue. I wonder if they realise that.:mad:

watty

You can connect a DVD recorder or VHS to a Saorview box SCART (and SCART on some Saorview TVs) and record the way you did on Analogue. So ASO doesn't affect recording at all.

It's just if you want a true "next generation" PVR, equivalent to Sky+ you have to use a Humax or similar box intended as a "Freeview+ HD" PVR (HDR) which isn't 100% compatible. But far more compatible with Saorview than ANY combo is with Freesat or any cheap non-Saorview generic box.

The Cush

Fingleberries wrote: »

perhaps I'm using the wrong acronym (I thought it was ASO - analogue switch off; DSO - Digital Switch Over ... but I can see that it might have meant 'switch on').

You're correct ASO is analogue switchoff which take place on Oct 24th. DSO (Digital Switch Over) is the name of the national process of switching from
analogue to digital television transmission covering the simulcast period between the launch of DTT and ASO. (In the UK they use the term DSO to refer to the switching off of analogue and the switching on of the relays, eg. NI DSO Stage 1 - Oct 10th, DSO Stage 2 - Oct 24th)

The Aug 2008 date referred to by Sam above was the start of the pre-launch engineering test transmissions as the transmitters were upgraded for DTT.

One further term used in the process was Operational Readiness Test, the period from late Oct 2010 until Saorview's launch in May 2011. Legislation required DTT to be available to at least 90% of the population from Oct 2010. If I remember correctly the actual coverage figure was 94% in late Oct 2010.