TiVo has to go, what's an acceptable replacement...

Although TiVo left the UK market some years ago, my trusty box has served us well. The TiVo box itself is actually still working, and I would expect it to continue working for a few more years if it had the chance. What failed was the freeview box it used as a source of input for recording. Since Tivo is not an all-in-one machine which requires another source such as sky, cable or freeview it needs to be able to change the channel on that source. The problem I faced is TiVo no longer supports the IR codes for newer freeview boxes so although it can be attached to the TiVo with the scart cable, it fails to change the channel. I did manage to find one Philips freeview box (DTR220) which worked, but the picture quality was awful, so it had to be returned.

So started, the hunt for an acceptable replacement. It would be difficult match the user friendly TiVo interface.

Options considered:

Sky+
Freeview+
FreeSat+
HTPC

I didn't take into account any HD options since most of the programs aired are just not filmed with HD in mind and the programmes just don't seem real. You just feel like you're in a film studio instead! There are some good shows, such as animations and nature programmes, but I can decide to get those on Blu-Ray if I really want to.

Sky+ was ruled out first. Although it does the job, it doesn't do it very nicely. The UI quality is pretty poor and is never particularly responsive. Plus, I don't want to pay for installation or a monthly fee. The only advantage it has over the rest are exclusive channels such as Sky1. However, those programmes are almost always aired on freeview eventually and I can get them via Love Film if I really want them.

Freeview+ or FreeSat+ seemed like a good alternative. No monthly charges and most (maybe all?) have duel recording capabilities. Freeview+ seemed like the best of the two because there is no installation required and I have a pretty good digital signal. However, after reviewing the 2 options, Humax and Topfield, I discovered they had various limitations such as not being able to add padding (a few extra minutes to the start and end of recordings so you don't miss a show) to series recordings. How crazy is that! Since I already had a satellite dish, I wondered if FreeSat+ would be feasible. It would, and apparently the software on the FreeSat+ Humax box had pretty good reviews. Unfortunately, to get duel channel recording you need an extra cable running to your dish - not more wires, who wants that!

After deciding that I would need a new laptop anyway, I thought that my existing Sony VAIO would be a good option to use as a HTPC. It already has a HDMI port which links up nicely with my HDTV. The only thing to sort out was getting freeview and a remote control linked to the PC. The first option I tried was a twin tuner Hauppauge NOVA-TD USB stick. It has 2 tuners for dual recording and also has an integrated IR remote control - seems like a perfect solution right? Wrong! It had major signal issues on the second tuner and the IR remote I found to be almost completely useless. The remote either didn't work at all or kept transmitting double-key presses, plus the IR receiver was actually located on the USB stick and it had to have line-of-sight so positioning wasn't easy and looked pretty ugly with the aerial cables there too. I returned it after a few days. I had a tip from a forum member that using 2 individual tuners would not cause signal issues so I decided to give the HTPC option one more try. I bought 2 AverMedia Volar HD USB sticks and it was true - I had no signal issues at all and plus, I was sure that the picture quality from these were much more crisp than what I was getting from the Hauppaugge. I also bought an Emprex 3009URF remote control and an Emprex 9039ARF wireless keyboard - luckily, as they're from the same manufacturer they can both work from a single USB receiver. I have been running this setup for a few weeks now and had no problems at all. Since it is essentially a computer underneath, you have all the other added features such as web browsing, viewing/editing photos, music and videos all in one place. Plus, the option to upgrade if new/better software becomes available.