Recommend a FTA PVR with pause?

[pokey]

Folks,

I'm convinced that FTA is worth playing with. I've been messing around with a ViewSat Ultra receiver for the past few months and now it's time to get more serious and move to a more capable receiver with rotor, etc.

I'm interested in recommendations for a PVR which can pause live TV (not just record scheduled events). I'm not sure if any can do this...I've been reading reviews and see no mention of it. Does such a beast exist?

 

[SatinKzo]

I think the only one right now is the Coolsat 7000 which uses NAND memory to buffer 40 minutes of tv. It also allows a USB hard drive for recordings, but not a buffer.

I think the Visionsat IV300 (visionsat is basically a coolsat) will be just like the CS7000, the IV200 is pretty much a cs7000 without the buffer.

Conaxsat Duo/Trio's are reportedly testing a Tivo like setup, where it will buffer to the attached USB drive.

 

[Mr Tony]

Pansat 5000/6000 have a buffer in them but there are other bugs with the box

 

[RVD420]

I myself use a ReplayTV box with my FTA system, and my dishnetwork 301.

ReplayTv is a standalone PVR.

I can use my replayTv box for wildfeeds, G10, ect... and use it to record the wife's shows.

 

[mastermesh]

Pansat 3500sd can pause, but it doesn't record, so that functionality is absolutely useless. Unpausing just jumps you ahead to present. Guess it could be useful to freeze frame if an adult content show comes on and kids suddenly show up in the room so you don't want them to watch what's coming up in next scene... but not really

 

[pokey]

I've been reading the CaptiveWorks HD-3000 Forums at the manufacturer's web site. They claim to have the ability, assuming I add a hard drive. Extra bonus is HD support.

Anyone ever play with one of these units? They seem to be just a Linux box with some front-end, but cheaper than anything I could assemble myself given the amount of time likely needed to get a generic Linux box configured properly...

 

[lumpkin666]

I myself use a ReplayTV box with my FTA system, and my dishnetwork 301.

ReplayTv is a standalone PVR.

I can use my replayTv box for wildfeeds, G10, ect... and use it to record the wife's shows.

ReplayTV! I have several of them. I know about how to build custom guide data for the RTV, and I know about the process of loading custom IR commands into your RTV. But, I still haven't quite got the concept of controlling a FTA receiver from the ReplayTV - at least my Fortec doesn't have a way to select channels by number.. so how do you get the replay to tell the receiver which channel to tune to automatically? (that's the part that is bugging me!)

Maybe I should check out the menu options for selecting channels on some of my other boxes. I do have 2 other boxes that I've never really used myself (bought, setup in other rooms for family to use, never looked at them again). In the meantime, I've purchased a couple dreamboxes so that I can tinker with building an EPG from various sources, and simple recording over ethernet to the 2.5tb worth of disk space that I just bought myself (early birthday present!).

 

[ftarock]

another aternative is to get a Tivo Series1. There is no need to sub if the only thing you want is to use its manual recording, functioning exactly the same as VCR. Hard disk is cheap, put couple in, you will be able to record hundred of hours of tv...
There is no guide , need to program manually.
Tivo Series 1 is cheap on ebay too.

I myself use a ReplayTV box with my FTA system, and my dishnetwork 301.

ReplayTv is a standalone PVR.

I can use my replayTv box for wildfeeds, G10, ect... and use it to record the wife's shows.

 

[lumpkin666]

... Tivo Series 1 is cheap on ebay too.

Yeah, there are tons of them on there without the drive in them for real cheap. I have a copy of the drive image on CD if anybody needs to build a new drive for one. I also have a whole tivo series 1, minus the case (modem fried, but external modem cable) that I had been thinking of reviving to record stuff. I sold off the last of my working tivo's last fall when you could convert the S1 lifetime into lifetime for the new HD tivos.

 

[pokey]

I have a Tivo Series 1 (I added the ethernet hack) -- I'm an original owner...with lifetime subscription and everything! However, that was taken over by my kids about a year ago. I'm really looking for something that is an all-in-one solution, not a series of equipment with random hacks.

Unless I come across a terrible review of their v.1.0.9 software, I think I'll pony up for the CaptiveWorks box and try my luck.

 

[updatelee]

dreambox 70xx can timeshift, but no blindscan.

 

[iammike]

Don't know if this is an option for the OP, but I use PC cards for timeshifting. I've got MyTheatre and use the MT plugin for SageTV. It works well.