IPVision FetchTV SmartBox 8000 DVR The Freeview market has been getting more crowded recently, stimulated – as were we all – by the long-awaited addition of new high-definition channels to the service. However, there’s still plenty of new kit that out there that merely tunes into standard definition, such as the FetchTV SmartBox 8000 from IPVision. What makes it …
The remote control looks *identical* to the one that my now deceased NetGem iPlayer (circa 2003) had.
The NetGem iPlayer had a built in web browser and email client which sadly the FetchTV appears to be missing. I wonder if they are in any way related? Or if someone bought up a batch of old and slightly quirky remote controls!
Rufus.
The old Netgem iPlayer, I bought ours in maybe 2002ish (for £130!) and still use it as our main Freeview receiver! It's seen better days, but still works well enough. I have been pondering a replacement for some time though, ideally with a PVR - perhaps this very device :-D
The remote does look pretty much identical, but then since Netgem evolved into/are involved with these guys, that's perhaps not all that surprising...
Most of the management are ex Netgem UK.
Which means you should be very wary, Netgem had an appalling attitude to fixing bugs and bugger all success at actually doing it. Every 6 months a new pile of bugs masquerading as fixes for the last pile of bugs, for 3 solid years on my iPlayer. I'd wait a few months to see what users say before buying.
http://www.fetchtv.co.uk/fetchtv-smartbox-8000-product-page.html
"What's more the FetchTV SmartBox's unique design allows you to export and store anything you have recorded on TV so you never have to delete a recording, even if the hard drive is full. Simply export it to a USB drive and you can play it back again and again on your TV or your PC. ."
Cool.
Now, I wonder if it can auto-pad recordings so you don't miss the start/end?
Questions, questions... :)
Got mine 8320HD from Tesco. Already had two software upgrades. Basic EPG. Timer recordings from Guide were clipped. There is a lip sync drift during playback of HD recordings. PiP is too small. Exports to USB are restricted to 1.85GB (~40mins HD) mpeg4 movie files. Not interested in online services -yet.
From tescos. Not bad. And there's a new UI that's supposed to be coming sometime soon.
Only bug I've seen is in the names of recordings, when you watch another channel while recording. It records the name of the channel you're watching.
I don't get the HD channels yet, but that's because of a filter on my aerial rather than the box.
The remote's better on the HD model too. and has an additional power button that works with my TV.
Me too - I'm liking it as my old Humax is getting crankier by the week. Except:
I find the handset a bit fiddly and unresponsive.
iPlayer, if the content is actually unavailable once play has been pressed (as I sometimes have found it to be on the web), freezes the box up, from which there is no recovery. The only way to reboot is to pull the plug, there's no off switch. Thank you, Flash??
The EPG is annoyingly polluted with ads for FetchTV.
Pause/rewind/forward is not as usable as I'd like. Humax much better (when it works)
Don't think the epg is searchable like the Hummy though :-(
I'm liking the media streaming/networking etc.
There's no need to sign up to anything during setup any more, you do it on the web later.
When I first switched it on it only found 20 channels, but a rescan found them all later (phew!). After I plugged the aerial straight in, not via 2 other devices.
Paris, because she only sort of works, too.
Apart from HD it feels like a £50 box not a £200 one. plus £50 for the (wireless) networking and ability to save to pendrive I guess. So - Jury's kinda out.
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