The BBC and all the other partners have far too much invested in this venture to pull out.
Exactly! This is their chance to control how their broadcast and on demand content is enjoyed and distributed. Why would they walk away and again be wholly dependent on Sky and Virgin?
My view of YouView is that the current functionality is excellent - I have found it reliable with recordings (more so than another pvr I have) - the on-demand via the guide is really neat - the disk size is quite big enough for me (although you can get bigger) the remote control is good - picture quality excellent - playback faultless - what is not to like? Well - there are a few annoying omissions with some of the tailoring options (can't yet filter channels, no favourites order for channels, no skip functionality over adverts (have to fast forward and be quick on the button to stop on the programme), can't search the live part of the guide, only the on-demand part, and a few others. I am sure these will all be rectified in future updates, and so this is already a very good box with some really neat features, which has the potential to become positively superb as time goes by.
Compared to other new boxes I've had its working really well, and the Humax seems very well built. But there is common frustration that a few obvious things haven't been included ... like folders for recordings !
Traces, my only issue really would be if the "partners" pulled out! is it attractive if bbc iplayer pull out
Hi Paul. YouView are engaged with a number of different content providers as we seek to grow our content portfolio. Naturally, we cannot disclose any details of those discussions but we will announce the launch of new content services as they occur.
looking through the forum there seems to be lots of unsatisfactory users with lots of unsatisfactory problems at the moment! Thats why I ask
Slightly unfair, Michael. Anyone browsing the forum would see quite a few people (including me) saying things like "my current pvr does this, but the YV box doesn't" - etc. etc. I think there have been up to 40 or 50 different feature requests in different areas, as Martin pointed out below. Not unreasonable, then, to think that there are a lot of problems. In reality, I have found no problems at all with what the box currently provides - it all works splendidly. However, demanding users, (like me) , would like it to do even more - hence the 'apparent' problems. No problems as such, Paul, just a pile of current users who are trying to get additional features such that the box is a real stand-out success. It is already getting 4.5 - 5 stars in public reviews, so, believe me, there is not a lot wrong with it that a few updates won't fix.
It's a decent piece of kit with much promise, however the price tag would place it among the higher end Freeview PVR boxes. Right now I don't believe it performs as well as other similarly priced PVRs on the market. Future updates should make it worth this price tag.
Today it is not worth £300, 'tomorrow' it should be.
Today it doesn't cost £300, it can be bought from major retailers for less than £250.
My apologies, £300 was the launch day RRP. £250 is less eye watering. Still needs a major update to bring some basic PVR functionality to be fully worth the money in my opinion. It will come, it's just how long it will take.
I know it was but you can't really complain something is too expensive today based on what it cost 2 months ago.
It's been said on this forum in recent days that some of the asked-for functions are coming in an October update.
I do wonder when they arrive and the price can no longer be credible claimed to be "too expensive" what reason the doomsayers will have to maintain their predictions of failure and ruin...
I know it was but you can't really complain something is too expensive today based on what it cost 2 months ago.
It's been said on this forum in recent days that some of the asked-for functions are coming in an October update.
I do wonder when they arrive and the price can no longer be credible claimed to be "too expensive" what reason the doomsayers will have to maintain their predictions of failure and ruin...
My opinions are slightly skewed by the fact that I am a former triallist. However, if I had spent £250 on YouView I would be bitterly disappointed with the product that I currently have. Sure you have amazing catch up television but I had this already using my laptop plugged into my TV. The big issues for me are with the PVR functionality of the box, which are nowhere near where they should be compared to other PVRs on the market. In fact there are PVRs made by Humax that are far superior to YouView in terms of their PVR functionality.
YouView will get better there's no doubt about it, but the big problem is can they innovate fast enough to stay ahead of the competition and so that the broadcasters and other companies due to make apps for YouView stay interested? If you look at Freesat they have recently announced a huge update that takes much of the YouView offering and trumps it, features YouView really should have had at launch. Let's not forget that this was in development for over two years before this point and was launched to the public while the trial was still going, therefore a very unfinished product.
I don't believe it is a risk getting YouView now, I just think it's not yet worth the money. As I've said before you are buying in to a promise, hopefully early adopters won't be left out later on.
I know it was but you can't really complain something is too expensive today based on what it cost 2 months ago.
It's been said on this forum in recent days that some of the asked-for functions are coming in an October update.
I do wonder when they arrive and the price can no longer be credible claimed to be "too expensive" what reason the doomsayers will have to maintain their predictions of failure and ruin...
>> Sure you have amazing catch up television but I had this already using my laptop plugged into my TV.
Which is great. But it's not how most people watch TV, just as most people don't have the Freeview/media PC/XBox/PS3 combo so many articles trump over YouView. This is designed as a simple, one box solution for the masses.
>> The big issues for me are with the PVR functionality of the box, which are nowhere near where they should be compared to other PVRs on the market. In fact there are PVRs made by Humax that are far superior to YouView in terms of their PVR functionality.
Agree but it's not Humax that decides the PVR functionality and a lot of what's been asked for is coming and will be here before the boxes start shipping in great numbers.
>> YouView will get better there's no doubt about it, but the big problem is can they innovate fast enough to stay ahead of the competition and so that the broadcasters and other companies due to make apps for YouView stay interested?
Why would broadcasters building an on-demand app care what the PVR functions are?
>>If you look at Freesat they have recently announced a huge update that takes much of the YouView offering and trumps it, features YouView really should have had at launch.
Freesat have recently announced an update that lacks two of the main catch-up players at launch. Let's not fall into the trap of thinking Freesat's product is going to be fantastic from day one.
Hi Paul, The YV is lacking many feature that one would expect of a top of the range PVR. Having said that it delivers the ondemand services.
Personally I would not buy a box particularly for the on demand services as I find a HDMI cable from my laptop very efficient.
In my opinion the box as it stands now, and even with the promised update in October, is not worth £250 plus.
This is purely my opinion, I'm sure many would disagree with me.
I have a perfectly good Humax-Fox T2 PVR and the only reason I have the YV box is because we were allowed to keep them after the trial. Mine is now used purely as a back up for the times there are more than 2 programs scheduled together that I want to record.
I know it was but you can't really complain something is too expensive today based on what it cost 2 months ago.
It's been said on this forum in recent days that some of the asked-for functions are coming in an October update.
I do wonder when they arrive and the price can no longer be credible claimed to be "too expensive" what reason the doomsayers will have to maintain their predictions of failure and ruin...
This is designed as a simple, one box solution for the masses. It's designed to be a box for the masses but with such a high price point it's unaffordable to many of its mass consumer target audience.
Agree but it's not Humax that decides the PVR functionality and a lot of what's been asked for is coming and will be here before the boxes start shipping in great numbers. First impressions count. There have already been reports of people returning boxes because of bugs/missing functionality etc. I was lucky in that being part of the trial I had inside information as to what features/fixes were planned but consumers buying the box at launch didn't have that. Until the most recent update there were bugs that on some days made the box totally unusable. That is not how to launch a product that will change the future of TV forever and causes the very kind of doubt that provoked Paul to create this thread.
Why would broadcasters building an on-demand app care what the PVR functions are? Because features that are buggy/don't work properly reflect badly on the product and reduce sales, therefore profit. Companies won't invest in a product that is not profitable or successful. Don't forget YouView is a PVR as well as an on demand catchup service. Both aspects have to be bullet proof.
Let's not fall into the trap of thinking Freesat's product is going to be fantastic from day one. But other than lacking a couple of on demand services it is where YouView should have been at launch. This october update should be to launch bells and whistles that put it further ahead of the competition, not patching basic functionality that other PVRs have had for years.
I want YouView to succeed as much as anyone, that's why I joined the trial. I love the box but if I had spent £250 on it from day one I would be disappointed with how it is now. Sugar-coating the flaws will not help build a better product. There is a huge potential here but it's how this potential gets realised that will determine just how great YouView will become. I'm here to support that realisation in whatever way I can, including giving my honest opinions.
If YouView does achieve the manufactures expectations and becomes "the future of television", then buying into another supplier may be a waste of money.
If your current PVR has not failed, YouView will complement your home entertainment setup with two tuners, On Demand and a backwards EPG.
If your current PVR has failed or requires upgrading, then YouView is a competitive device.
But. if your media player has died, YouView may take some time to replace the functionality you were used to.
So far there has been teething problems, but those problems have been acknowledged and are being addressed.
Value for money at £250? Depends on how you define value.
Will it last for enough time? Does the device contain expensive enough components? Is the functionality complex enough? Will you receive enough return in entertainment?
So it depends really on what you value from a PVR.
£250 here and now is value for money. For all we know once this device gets more publicity and demand the price could go up.
If YouView turns out to be an industry standard and an all round good thing then it's going to be integrated into non-basic TV's, in the same way as Freeview and HD (and to a much lesser extent the 3D waste of space).
If Youview turns out to be Betamax, then this won't happen.
Either way, wait a couple of years and you won't need to buy any add-on boxes.
If TV manufacturers support the YouView platform, all TV's will need is an internal or external hard disk to become a PVR. And those hard disks could be used on any TV with YouView.
My YV box works perfectly well , but for a box in this price range many of the features being promised should have been there from the start , nobody walks into a retailers to be told spend £250 today and you will get jam tomorrow. I believe for this box to sell some of the features being asked for here need to be looked at as a matter of urgency talking about October and February when the most lucrative time of the year for selling this kind of equipment tends to be Xmas . If I were a saleman I think it would be very hard to convince someone to part with £250 on the basis of a promise of what is to come rather than what is there now .
The trouble is the loss of something people to take for granted, is felt more severe than the gain of something they are not yet using to its full potential.
Even if the device was free, people would still want it to be cheaper. And even if the device had everything they had before, they'd would still want it to have more. Human nature.
The trouble is the loss of something people to take for granted, is felt more severe than the gain of something they are not yet using to its full potential.
Even if the device was free, people would still want it to be cheaper. And even if the device had everything they had before, they'd would still want it to have more. Human nature.
Good comment traces - I think much of the disappointment with the Humax Youview pvr features stems from the expectaation that it would have all the features of the Humax HDR-T2 plus the new Youview epg and on-demand functions. This expectation was made even stronger by the choice of external casing for the Youview box, which is almost identical to the HDR-T2.
Comments
Well - there are a few annoying omissions with some of the tailoring options (can't yet filter channels, no favourites order for channels, no skip functionality over adverts (have to fast forward and be quick on the button to stop on the programme), can't search the live part of the guide, only the on-demand part, and a few others.
I am sure these will all be rectified in future updates, and so this is already a very good box with some really neat features, which has the potential to become positively superb as time goes by.
http://connecteddigitalworld.com/2012...
Today it is not worth £300, 'tomorrow' it should be.
Today it doesn't cost £300, it can be bought from major retailers for less than £250.
I know it was but you can't really complain something is too expensive today based on what it cost 2 months ago.
It's been said on this forum in recent days that some of the asked-for functions are coming in an October update.
I do wonder when they arrive and the price can no longer be credible claimed to be "too expensive" what reason the doomsayers will have to maintain their predictions of failure and ruin...
YouView will get better there's no doubt about it, but the big problem is can they innovate fast enough to stay ahead of the competition and so that the broadcasters and other companies due to make apps for YouView stay interested? If you look at Freesat they have recently announced a huge update that takes much of the YouView offering and trumps it, features YouView really should have had at launch. Let's not forget that this was in development for over two years before this point and was launched to the public while the trial was still going, therefore a very unfinished product.
I don't believe it is a risk getting YouView now, I just think it's not yet worth the money. As I've said before you are buying in to a promise, hopefully early adopters won't be left out later on.
Which is great. But it's not how most people watch TV, just as most people don't have the Freeview/media PC/XBox/PS3 combo so many articles trump over YouView. This is designed as a simple, one box solution for the masses.
>> The big issues for me are with the PVR functionality of the box, which are nowhere near where they should be compared to other PVRs on the market. In fact there are PVRs made by Humax that are far superior to YouView in terms of their PVR functionality.
Agree but it's not Humax that decides the PVR functionality and a lot of what's been asked for is coming and will be here before the boxes start shipping in great numbers.
>> YouView will get better there's no doubt about it, but the big problem is can they innovate fast enough to stay ahead of the competition and so that the broadcasters and other companies due to make apps for YouView stay interested?
Why would broadcasters building an on-demand app care what the PVR functions are?
>>If you look at Freesat they have recently announced a huge update that takes much of the YouView offering and trumps it, features YouView really should have had at launch.
Freesat have recently announced an update that lacks two of the main catch-up players at launch. Let's not fall into the trap of thinking Freesat's product is going to be fantastic from day one.
Personally I would not buy a box particularly for the on demand services as I find a HDMI cable from my laptop very efficient.
In my opinion the box as it stands now, and even with the promised update in October, is not worth £250 plus.
This is purely my opinion, I'm sure many would disagree with me.
I have a perfectly good Humax-Fox T2 PVR and the only reason I have the YV box is because we were allowed to keep them after the trial. Mine is now used purely as a back up for the times there are more than 2 programs scheduled together that I want to record.
It's designed to be a box for the masses but with such a high price point it's unaffordable to many of its mass consumer target audience.
Agree but it's not Humax that decides the PVR functionality and a lot of what's been asked for is coming and will be here before the boxes start shipping in great numbers.
First impressions count. There have already been reports of people returning boxes because of bugs/missing functionality etc. I was lucky in that being part of the trial I had inside information as to what features/fixes were planned but consumers buying the box at launch didn't have that. Until the most recent update there were bugs that on some days made the box totally unusable. That is not how to launch a product that will change the future of TV forever and causes the very kind of doubt that provoked Paul to create this thread.
Why would broadcasters building an on-demand app care what the PVR functions are?
Because features that are buggy/don't work properly reflect badly on the product and reduce sales, therefore profit. Companies won't invest in a product that is not profitable or successful. Don't forget YouView is a PVR as well as an on demand catchup service. Both aspects have to be bullet proof.
Let's not fall into the trap of thinking Freesat's product is going to be fantastic from day one.
But other than lacking a couple of on demand services it is where YouView should have been at launch. This october update should be to launch bells and whistles that put it further ahead of the competition, not patching basic functionality that other PVRs have had for years.
I want YouView to succeed as much as anyone, that's why I joined the trial. I love the box but if I had spent £250 on it from day one I would be disappointed with how it is now. Sugar-coating the flaws will not help build a better product. There is a huge potential here but it's how this potential gets realised that will determine just how great YouView will become. I'm here to support that realisation in whatever way I can, including giving my honest opinions.
If YouView does achieve the manufactures expectations and becomes "the future of television", then buying into another supplier may be a waste of money.
If your current PVR has not failed, YouView will complement your home entertainment setup with two tuners, On Demand and a backwards EPG.
If your current PVR has failed or requires upgrading, then YouView is a competitive device.
But. if your media player has died, YouView may take some time to replace the functionality you were used to.
So far there has been teething problems, but those problems have been acknowledged and are being addressed.
Value for money at £250? Depends on how you define value.
Will it last for enough time?
Does the device contain expensive enough components?
Is the functionality complex enough?
Will you receive enough return in entertainment?
So it depends really on what you value from a PVR.
£250 here and now is value for money. For all we know once this device gets more publicity and demand the price could go up.
If Youview turns out to be Betamax, then this won't happen.
Either way, wait a couple of years and you won't need to buy any add-on boxes.
Awesome.
Even if the device was free, people would still want it to be cheaper.
And even if the device had everything they had before, they'd would still want it to have more. Human nature.