back to article View 21 IPTV Freeview+HD DVR review

The Freeview+ HD market has suddenly sparked into life. Having spent an age coasting on the coattails of Humax’s HDR-FOXT2, there are suddenly a slew of better-specified recorders hitting the streets. The View21 VW11FVRHD50 is one such newbie, mixing Freeview+ HD with IPTV connected services. While it doesn’t offer full-on Catch …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Second screen options

    Although you can't use the TV guide or watch live TV this way, the Humax HDR-FOXT2 mentioned as a rival does allow you to set it up as a DLNA server, meaning you can watch recordings from it on an iPad (with the right app) or other device across your network. It works well.

    The same caveat about no HD content applies, though, unfortunately.

    1. Miffo

      Re: Second screen options

      Yes - shame they didn't use DLNA so I could use my non i devices with it at least for the streaming. I hope to get a Humax soon unless I find anything better. I understand there are modified versions of the firmware to get around the HD streaming and copying limitations. And the remote acts as a universal remote so that's a nice bonus.

  2. Fuzz

    still think a windows media centre is a better choice

    A bit more expensive I think mine was around £300 once you factor in tuners and remote but it has access to all on-line services and there are no restrictions about where you can watch content. Also can play back anything you throw at it. Mine even has a DVD drive in case you're feeling nostalgic.

    1. P. Lee

      Re: still think a windows media centre is a better choice

      Indeed, a proper computer pwns all.

      However, does anyone know of a video card with an RF out so you can pump a full HD video output signal down a bit of coax to the TV's normal aerial connector? HDMI is too short when you have noisy disk arrays or an ugly case.

      1. Eddie Edwards

        Re: still think a windows media centre is a better choice

        An HDMI repeater might be a better choice.

  3. mrh2

    Why would you buy this...

    ...when for £29.99 more, Amazon will sell you a YouVIew box with access to all the catch-up players, optional access to PPV and subscription films from Sky, live Sky sports and TV content coming soon and platform support from all the major broadcasters?

    1. FartingHippo
      Thumb Down

      Re: Why would you buy this...

      A fine advert. Not as good as some of your other ones, but nicely pitched.

      1. FartingHippo

        Re: Why would you buy this...

        And BTW, all "youview" and "yourview box" give you on Amazon is a short list headed by a Humax box, so I think you're a little premature with the £29.99 line.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I've said this before ...

    DVD players, VCRs (remember them?), AV receives ... All rectangular boxes that can be stacked.

    Set-top boxes, routers, etc ... all shaped like an alien's handbag collection.

    Manufacturers, please get over your pretensions to creating objets d'art. You just don't have the design skills. Make nice, simple boxes we can stack under the TV with the rest of the gubbins

  5. b166er

    COAX WTF!?!?!

    P.Lee, for the love of god (aside from the fact that you can't push HD through an RF (de)modulator.)) You can get 30m HDMI cables and if you require more distance between yourself and those spinners, try an HDMI over Ethernet adapter. (somewhat confusingly, you can also pass ethernet over the 30m HDMI cable with the right equipment)

    Try kenable.co.uk, highly recommended for most things cable.

    Hey Reg, I wanted to link to Kenable there for that good sir's benefit. I understand some blessed members {empurpled or otherwise) of this fine community can embed links. Any chance on knowing how?

    1. Ragarath

      Check the FAQ here or use the link at the bottom of the page.

      Not sure if my link will work because I am not sure where to find out how many posts I have made. But as you can see, if you have made enough posts you can use standard HTML.

    2. wardster
      Mushroom

      WTF?

      Depends on how much £££ you have to spend. You CAN pick up a HD modulator box that WILL take a source at HD resolution and pump it over coax to a TV with a HD tuner. Fairy snuff, these boxes will cost in the region of about £600 upwards, and are more designed for the hotel / non domestic environment, but you can get them.

      So in reply to your argument, you can indeed pump a HD source into a box thingy that has a RF modulator and out pops a RF signal carrying the HD source for decoding by the recipient decoder.

      HTH :)

  6. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    FAIL !

    No wifi in this day and age makes it a dinosaur. Nearly there but not quite.

  7. MJI Silver badge

    All my PVRs stack

    Got a Humax HDR on top of a Freeview only BT Vision (no subscription) box, my Pace Twin is just a digital clock until empty then down the tip with it.

  8. Lallabalalla
    FAIL

    But what's the actual picture like?

    Doesn't really answer that question.

    I have a redundant tesco box that does hi def - allegedly - except that there's *something* wrong with the way it does it. Scrolling titles are jerky, likewise camera panning which makes sport unwatchable. Plus they've gone bust (fetchTV) - predictably, since the boxes were unwatchable (as above) and buggy as hell.

    So I'm hugely wary of anything that isn't humax, basically, and this review does nothing to change that.

  9. jubtastic1

    Question

    When streaming to an iThing, can you airplay that to somewhere else?

  10. Arachnoid

    One problem I can envisage is the lack of support for the players apps in coming years once newer models are released and ithingy firmwares are updated.So whilst they may be viable the lifespan of the player may be limited in certain aspects to a couple of years at most.

  11. MJI Silver badge

    I rather have a Humax

    At least you know what you are getting

  12. David Gosnell

    USP

    From several years' experience of various different PVRs, a USP to me would be reliability - that's to say, the certainty (barring mechanical failure) that a recording set will in fact record at the appointed time, and not instead be forgotten about because of some arbitrary system reset, re-scan or lock-up the unit decided to initiate just to be bloodyminded. Sadly that kind of knowledge only comes from extensive use, so never makes it into reviews, only retrospective support forums.

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