Saorview PVR Box has arrived.

danjo-xx

The first box has been approved today. Anyone have any details.

Found this: WP6500TTR Walker SAORVIEW Approved set-top-box with built-in PVR (recorder)

The Cush

danjo-xx wrote: »

The first box has been approved today. Anyone have any details.

Probably approved a few weeks ago, Doney84 posted the link to the Saorview website yesterday and Saorview's Brian Geraghty mentioned it last week on a Cork local radio programme.

Mary Curtis, RTÉ's Digital Switchover Manager said on Drivetime this evening that it would be in the shops next week.

No technical details yet.

excollier

Hope it has a T2 tuner.

STB

The 212 ?

Haven't heard it was, but it is the most likely candidate.

Atlantic Dawn

Do Walker make decent premium products with nice onscreen displays and well layed out remotes? I have experience of non premium brands like Bush, Alba etc which are just woeful and not worth purchasing due to their headwrecking cheap setups.

The Cush

excollier wrote: »

Hope it has a T2 tuner.

As it's a Walker product I doubt it.

paultf

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Do Walker make decent premium products with nice onscreen displays and well layed out remotes? I have experience of non premium brands like Bush, Alba etc which are just woeful and not worth purchasing due to their headwrecking cheap setups.

I have a Triax 112 saorview box. More features than the Walker but very slow/unresponsive. The remote is OK but buttons are small. Awkward getting around the different screens. Triax are supposed to be good.

Got a Walker saorview box for my Dad after checking the videos on tvtrade. Much more responsive. The remote is better for him with the bigger buttons. Also easier getting around the different screens - one is the channel list (which they don't have on the triax) where you can preview a channel in a small screen befoe selecting. For someone like my Dad the Walker is alright. I'd nearly prefer to my triax.

STB

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Do Walker make decent premium products with nice onscreen displays and well layed out remotes? I have experience of non premium brands like Bush, Alba etc which are just woeful and not worth purchasing due to their headwrecking cheap setups.

Yes Walker products are made by OEM Vestel like the brand name rebadges you mentioned above.

If the Walker is the first PVR then its likely to be built on the same basis of the Vestel T7300 or more likely T7650 chassis used in the UK (as it includes Nordic profile) with some tweaks.



More photos here

Lets see.......

The Cush wrote: »

As it's a Walker product I doubt it.

I wouldn't be so sure... (note the top line labelling of T7650 boxes). If not this specific box that Walker are introducing, you can be damn sure future ones will be very like the one above.

Pangea

paultf wrote: »

I have a Triax 112 saorview box. More features than the Walker but very slow/unresponsive. The remote is OK but buttons are small. Awkward getting around the different screens. Triax are supposed to be good.

Got a Walker saorview box for my Dad after checking the videos on tvtrade. Much more responsive. The remote is better for him with the bigger buttons. Also easier getting around the different screens - one is the channel list (which they don't have on the triax) where you can preview a channel in a small screen befoe selecting. For someone like my Dad the Walker is alright. I'd nearly prefer to my triax.

Thanks for that, I was just watching videos comparing the Triax 112 to the Walker WP12DTB-R. Advising someone on which to get tomorrow.
By the looks of things the EPG as you said is much nicer on the Walker, but the Triax has more support for usb codecs. What other features does it have that the walker doesn't? Decisions..

paultf

Pangea wrote: »

What other features does it have that the walker doesn't? Decisions..

Someone else might have more info on that.

One thing I picked up from the videos on tvtrade was that at the moment the triax 112 can record one programme and while watching another.

The walker can only record the same programme you are watching.

In the videos they mentioned about something 'when the MUX changes', the 112 and other saorview boxes will lose this feature.

I see the newer Triax 212 handles this feature.

I find having to use a USB or external hard drive only suitable for occasional recordings.

Sure series link isn't even available at all yet.

Willby

danjo-xx wrote: »

The first box has been approved today. Anyone have any details.

Found this: WP6500TTR Walker SAORVIEW Approved set-top-box with built-in PVR (recorder)

Emailed Walker to enquire when would above be available to purchase and was advised middle of next month. Radio reports had suggested next week.

bridster007

Willby wrote: »

Emailed Walker to enquire when would above be available to purchase and was advised middle of next month. Radio reports had suggested next week.

I rang them last month, was put through to the MD I think. He said close to Xmas for the PVR. Pretty short and ignorant with me on the phone.
Was not a very helpful guy, didn't seem to understand what a customer is.

Hotblack Desiato

Some people are reporting test series link signals on RTE1+1 but my TR112 isn't seeing them.

It doesn't like you trying to do chase play on a timer recording - when you start playing it stops recording, really dumb feature, would be better not to allow chase play at all and keep the recording going. This is one of those things you find out the hard way :rolleyes:

It should have a dedicated light for recording, instead of flashing between red (stby) and blue (on)

It seems to support plenty of codecs for playback all right, but playback of its own recordings is terrible - skipping, sync going way out, goto time function not going to the time you select, jumping to a random point in the recording if you use reverse or more than 4x forward. Very annoying when watching sport.

The UI in general is poor but the media player is terrible, sometimes you press Recall to go back, sometimes you press left. Sometimes you press select to go forward, sometimes down. No consistency. Bizarre split between Movies, Record Manager and Disk Manager which should all be one screen.

The EPG is annoying, you get no preview of the channel selected and not even the first line of the programme description although there's room on the screen - you have to press i all the time. A red circle on a programme means Reminder and a green circle means Record - how stupid is that?

I couldn't recommend the TR112 really. It's a pity as a bit of attention to detail in the software would have prevented all of these issues.

Hotblack Desiato

bridster007 wrote: »

I rang them last month, was put through to the MD I think. He said close to Xmas for the PVR. Pretty short and ignorant with me on the phone.
Was not a very helpful guy, didn't seem to understand what a customer is.

That might just be because randomers are ringing him up all the time instead of asking their retailers. You're not his customer.

bridster007

ninja900 wrote: »

That might just be because randomers are ringing him up all the time instead of asking their retailers. You're not his customer.

I did ask his retailer - Powercity. They said they would be last to know.

I am his customer as his retailer does not have any customers without people like me. If his retailer has no customers then he has none.

If he gets so many calls then he should have given his receptionist a statement to convey to people rather than treating her like a mushroom. And he should be glad of so many calls. Calls = potential business

Then, his website says it all, looks like it was put together by a 16 yr old on a Saturday morning.

But wait ... he doesn't need a website as he has no customers....only retailers

Anyway, I decided not to wait for his PVR anyway and I'm happily sorted.

JonathonS

I heard this morning that the Walker PVR will arrive in the shops in 3 weeks time - week of 12th Nov.

Pangea

What price range can we guess these will be at, double the normal saorview box or around the same?

The Cush

Pangea wrote: »

What price range can we guess these will be at, double the normal saorview box or around the same?

In the region of €250 according to Saorview's Brian Geraghty, we'll know for sure in about 3 weeks.

JonathonS

Pangea wrote: »

What price range can we guess these will be at, double the normal saorview box or around the same?

€249 to €269, but apparently not officially published yet by WAlker.

Pangea

paultf wrote: »

I see the newer Triax 212 handles this feature.

Thanks, I see the Triax 212 isnt saorview approved yet though, but it works out the same price as the Triax 112.

JonathonS

The 212 has two tuners so as long as all Saorview channels are on the same MUX you can record 2 while watching a 3rd.

Tony

The Cush wrote: »

As it's a Walker product I doubt it.

Re: T2

I think you may be pleasantly surprised

The Cush

Tony wrote: »

Re: T2

I think you may be pleasantly surprised

Thanks for the update Tony, so T2 as as STB speculated back in post #8.

Tony

The Cush wrote: »

Thanks for the update Tony, so T2 as as STB speculated back in post #8.

Yes I believe so . Edit: just read back and post 8 is pretty much on the money although i'd imagine that the BBC web content would be IP blocked assuming the box is web enabled in the firmware.

Hotblack Desiato

Red 7-segment LEDs, really?? Reminiscent of an 80s clock radio and who wants to be looking at that under their TV all the time.

watty

Great for Radio channels on HiFi. Put a bit of tape over them if you don't like them.

OO7FITZY

Any update on when we will see the new Saorview approved Walker PVR in the shops?
http://www.saorview.ie/product/walker/

The Cush

See the first post on this page.

OO7FITZY

thx, but that is one of many notions of when it will be available - will keep an eye on Boards.ie to see when it is released

Volcane

Sony, Samsung (+others) and just this year Panasonic all have televisions which seem to be dual purpose ie freeviewHD and Saorview. Should this also apply to their PVRs, I'm interested in the Panasonic DMR-PWT520EB. I would have already purchased if I was sure that it could handle saorview correctly. I now have to watch the adds when homeland is on!!!

zg3409

Powercity now have the specs for the new Walker box online. No stock but they have the ability to take pre-orders.

I would urge people not to pre-order or buy until people here have done proper reviews. Once the boxes are available series link can be tested on lots of makes of boxes. Then we should be able to answer the question of which box is best to buy for recording. Other boxes may work better and may be approved in the future.

Anyway here are the specs:

Price 230 Euro

WALKER SAORVIEW 500GB TWIN TUNER BOX
Model : WP6500TTR

Specifications

- Saorview Approved Recorder
- Record Up To 320hrs Of Tv
- Simple And Quick Installation
- 8 Day Saorview Tv Guide
- Twin Tuner - Watch One Channel While Recording Another Or Record 2 Programs At Same Time
- High Definition Picture
- Hdmi Digital Av Connection
- Live Pause And Series Record
- 500gb Recorder
- Aertel Mheg5 Teletext
- Rte Dab Radio Stations (x10) (Personally I would not call them DAB as DAB is different)
- Scart Connection.remote Control
- Digital Audio Output
- Fully Tested For Future Saorview Developments
- Aerial Required

http://www.powercity.ie/?par=10-23-WP6500&pages=1&prod=WP6500&brands=WALKER&image=

Can anyone see from the images which model box it is? Would it have DVB-T2?