IPVision FetchTV SmartBox 8000 DVR
Freeview recorder with Sky Player and iPlayer to boot
Review 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 stand out from the crowd though is it’s the first Freeview box to provide access to the Sky Player, as well as the BBC iPlayer.
More than just a Freeview box: IPVision's FetchTV SmartBox 8000
The SmartBox isn’t much to look at, consisting of little more than a square lump of black plastic. The only noticeable features on the front are a USB port and a tiny little power light. Tucked around the back of the unit there’s a single aerial input that connects to twin tuners inside the box, allowing you to record two programmes simultaneously. The SmartBox 8000 has a 160GB hard disk, which can record about 80 hours worth of programmes.
Next to the tuner is an HDMI connector, which provides 1080i output, a SP/DIF that supports Dolby Digital and DTS audio, and a separate headphone connector. There’s a 10/100 Ethernet port for network connectivity, and the SmartBox also has built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi too.
The SmartBox doesn’t have a Scart connector, although there is a mini-DIN output for analogue video, and IPVision includes a DIN-to-Scart adaptor cable in the box, along with the remote control and cables for the aerial, Ethernet and HDMI.
No Scart socket, but if you need it a mini-DIN to Scart adapter is included
Getting started is nice and easy, even for less technically knowledgeable users, as the SmartBox guides you through the set-up process one step at a time. There’s no internal fan, so it runs very quietly, and power consumption is a steady 11W – although this only drops to about 9W in standby mode, which certainly leaves room for some power-saving improvements.
COMMENTS
They want my credit card details?
Then they can chuff right off.
Locking up??
WTF? Why can't these idiots make shit that works for this kind of money?? IPVision (and Jobs haha) I'm looking at YOU!
8320HD recordings locking up
Yes, the 8320HD has a annoying habit of freezing/locking up.
On my Humax...
padding the recordings cancels the ability to series link. So I ditched padding (which never really worked o the Umax anyway) and I haven't missed an ending since.
@Picked up the 8320HD myself
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.
