PVR Quality

[erc]

I'm used to using a pretty decent Dish Network DVR, where you can tell it to record only new episodes of certain shows and such. It's smart enough to record the show if it airs on multiple channels even.

In the reviews I've read of PVRs, it seems like many just allow you to program them like old school VCRs, in that you choose a channel, a start time, and an end time, and it'll record on that specific time.

Are there any STBs with built in PVR that are smart like my DN DVR, or should I just get a simple STB without PVR and add a TiVo for recording?

[SystemDude]

I have a SV 360 Elite, and I bought it primarily for the PVR ability. It is also equipped with true dual tuners, which adds a lot of flexibility -- I have easily recorded two programs which air simultaneously or which overlap in time. (And yes, you can still watch live even while dual recording) The "true" PIP is a kick -- especially if there are two sports events that you just must keep track of at the same time..... It even works if they are on different birds.

Having said that, the PVR scheduling is still not quite as versatile as your box. You can select programs easily from the EPG, and you can set up recurring events (like every day at the same time, or every weekday at the same time, etc). But it's still just a really good VCR when it comes down to the scheduling -- it does not look at episode numbers, etc.

For me, it's enough and I am very satisfied with my choice.

[erc]

Originally Posted by SystemDude

I have a SV 360 Elite, and I bought it primarily for the PVR ability. It is also equipped with true dual tuners, which adds a lot of flexibility -- I have easily recorded two programs which air simultaneously or which overlap in time. (And yes, you can still watch live even while dual recording) The "true" PIP is a kick -- especially if there are two sports events that you just must keep track of at the same time..... It even works if they are on different birds.

Having said that, the PVR scheduling is still not quite as versatile as your box. You can select programs easily from the EPG, and you can set up recurring events (like every day at the same time, or every weekday at the same time, etc). But it's still just a really good VCR when it comes down to the scheduling -- it does not look at episode numbers, etc.

For me, it's enough and I am very satisfied with my choice.

After further research, it seems that adding a Tivo with full functionality is a royal pain in the ***, and probably not worth my time. I talked to the wife, and she's fine with the VCR-like functionality that you have described, so it looks like that's the way I'll be going.

The SV-360 Elite was already at the top of my list, and your encouraging words make me that much more confident that it's the right choice. Thanks!

[cisco123]

you will not be dissapointed in the the 360 elite .great stb.have not had a prob out of it .

[jc7257]

The support from the Sonicview team is worth buying any Sonicview product...

[Itaintrite]

Support always come first. You can have an awesome unit but without great support, it'd just be sitting there collecting dust when the ECMs hit. So you should buy a receiver based on both features and support.