dtr-t2000 replacement

[djkeenan]

Huge fan of youview and my humax dtr-t2000 just died - its proper dead, replacement HDD did not fix it. Just stuck on channel 5 ignoring all inputs.

Was gonna buy a DTR-t2100 second hand for £55 but then I thought, since i'm a BT broadband customer, maybe I could get one from BT for nothing. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I'm on a rolling Universal Credits contract at £15 a month.

[zulu17]

Hi @djkeenan ,

I believe that EETV boxes are now only supplied on loan with an EETV  minimum term (typically 2 years) package. Believe standard package prices or offers for the TV package apply.

https://community.bt.com/t5/EE-TV-YouView/BT-Home-Essential/m-p/2252295#M68404

[Midnight_Voice]

@djkeenan 

It never hurts to ask, but the ‘box for nothing’ deal, which is only a lend, comes with an EETV subscription that will cost you upwards of £20 a month.

And you need to have your broadband with BT or EE, though I see that you do.

Otherwise, eBay or CeX is your friend. If the T2000 went fast enough for you, then a T2100 will suffice, but a T4000 is a lot faster for not a lot more money. And the current Box Pro can be found there as well, but that is more money.

You will also see the Box Mini at very tempting prices, but be aware it can’t record, and is extremely limited without an EETV subscription. Avoid it.

[djkeenan]

I've heard conflicting reports about the dtr-t4000.  Mainly it not being any faster. Maybe because it's slow when playing 4k? I've only got a 1080i TV so will it run fast for me? I find the t2000 sluggish when it comes to browsing through the guide so would be nice to speed that up. 

I've also heard the t4000 fan is loud!

Any opinions on noise or performance of the t4000 very much appreciated. 

[decembersangel]

Hi @djkeenan 

I had a Humax DTR-T2000 that died (it just kept perpetually scrolling through the channels and the volume kept dropping from 100 to 0 no matter how many times I did a factory reset  🙄😤).
In the bin it went and after doing research and asking advice on this Community I purchasesd a Panasonic HWT150.
Yes, this model is now ~10yrs old but it has not let me down once since I got it over a year ago (the Humax died within 4mths of purchase from Ebay😡).
If you want a DVR with some catch-up channels (not ITVX as the update to that from ITV Player was too late due to the Panny no longer getting software updates) then this is a great buy. Like I said, unfortunately, the software updates for this device ended Feb 2019 (last update) but does not affect the actual use for recording programmes but you won't get the newer catch-up channels but this can be circumvented by purchasing a cheap streaming stick.
As you stated 'I find the t2000 sluggish when it comes to browsing through the guide so would be nice to speed that up' and unfortunately this is one of the downsides to the Panny as well. The guide is very slow to respond BUT that is a minor drawback compared to its reliability and other positive attributes and it really shouldn't be a deciding factor in dismissing it (as you may end up with a DVR with a fast guide reaction time but it dies soon after purchase).
You need to download the User Manual as it is very different operationally to a Humax (which is Youview, Panasonic is Freeview Play) but has a lot more options for a better user experience e.g. you can alter programme recording times so that it doesn't cut off if the programme starts early or ends late which you can't do with ANY Humax.
It does take some getting used to but is a very stable DVR and to date is still listed as a 'top pick' in a lot of reviews.
You can pick one of these up on-line from C E X  (this is where I got mine from) for £55 and you get a 2yr guarantee as well compared to 30 days from Flea-bay. I got a 'B' grade item from there and it was immaculate.
Personnaly I wouldn't touch Humax again!

Good luck x



 

[TimCurtis]

@djkeenan 

I've been using a T4000 for quite a few years now and it's decently quick and I've not found the fan to be an issue.

I'm also using the HWT150 that @decembersangel mentions. I got mine second hand some 5+years ago and go along with everything they said about it. It's absolutely rock solid and the only negative is that you can't remotely record as that feature was dropped a year or so ago by Panasonic. It connects by either ethernet or wifi which is a useful feature to bear in mind. The lower spec version (HWT130) is ethernet only btw.