Not being able to record on minibox or watch recordings

[DrPepper3]

We've just changed from Sky to EE. Upon setting TV up it looks like you can't record from a mini box but only from the main box, and if I'm right, what is more concerning is we can't watch our recordings on any other box other than the main one.  Is this correct? If we had another primary box, could we watch our recordings on that? 

I hope someone will clarify 

[PatrickWild]

Hi

Very informative.

Thank you

Patrick

[Bee0359]

Hi  I was connected to EE this weekend after spending years with Virgin. I have the Pro Box and the mini Box.

I was wondering if I could connect a DVR or PVR  (I don't know if there's a difference between these two).  The mini Box has a USB socket and I wondered if this could be connected to something that could record from the mini Box ?  I've seen online products from Manhattan and Humax that have either 500Gb or 1T hard drives.  Is this technically feasible and would these products be compatible with the signal from the mini box ?

Many thanks

Bee 

[Midnight_Voice]

@Bee0359 

The USB socket can be used by consumers only for accessibility aids, such as special keyboards. All YouView boxes (for this is what these are) ever, by design, have no output you can record from, or copy recordings from.

And EETV won’t supply you with a further recording box, even if you offer to pay for it.

But as long as you have  TV aerial output available where the Box Mini is (which the Box Minis work without, so this may or may not apply), you could just buy a Manhattan or Humax, plug in the aerial, connect to the TV via another HDMI input, and away you go.

However, neither of these devices is going to offer you the extended EPG and other features that the Box Pro and Box Mini offer. For this, look for a new or pre-owned YouView box on eBay or Amazon, preferably a DTR-T4000.

Or even another Box Pro, which I would get from CeX, to get a warranty. Strictly, all Box Pros from other than EETV are still their property, as they never sell them, but they still seem to be available quite widely 😛

A second Box Pro wouldn’t strictly need an aerial, though I would always recommend one in preference to IP Mode.

As you have a Box Mini, you can just swap the recording box in for it, and you will have two fully functioning YouView boxes that will bring you everything EETV has to offer, in two different locations in your home.

You can’t watch recordings made on one box on the other box though; they are two strictly separate devices from that point of view, though they will sync watchlists and so on, as with the Box Pro and the Box Mini.

You can actually still use the Box Mini as well as the two recording boxes, but not all three at once; so simplest to just not use the Box Mini any more. Consider its subscription the price of using the second recording box.

If you want to control the devices remotely, via the EETV app, you will need two separate devices, mobiles or tablets, to control both. Our requests for this app to be clonable on a single device have fallen on deaf ears 😢

[Bee0359]

Thank you for this Midnight Voice.

I looked on CeX and saw an EE/BT TV Box Pro 4K UHD Freeview Set Top Box A.  It is £105.00.  Not sure what the 'A' means, as there were other models with 'B' and 'C'  - do you know what this refers to ?

On ebay I found a DTR T4000 BT YouView Box Humax  -  new for £199.99.

I'm presuming the DTR would be the best one of the two.

Forgive my ignorance, but would these both work without an ariel (as I don't have one) and by a wireless signal from the hub which is located in another room ?

Many thanks for your help.

Bee  

[Midnight_Voice]

@Bee0359 

put an @ in front of my name to be sure of getting my attention more speedily, as I have done above with yours,

A, B, and C at CeX reflect the equipment’s condition; A is Mint, B is Good, C is Working. £105 is a good price.

£199.99 for a T4000, which is the box that preceded the Box Pro, is absolutely hammering it, even brand new and with a 1 TB (1000 GB) disc, let alone the usual 500GB. For comparison, CeX have them between £92 and £55.

The T4000 won’t work without both an aerial and a wired Ethernet connection. I’d punt the extra £13 on a Box Pro, no question - that will work over WiFi, up to 5 metres from the hub, and without an aerial.

But note that without an aerial, it will only get the same restricted range of channels that the Box Mini gets (which you can’t connect to an aerial), not the full range that the Box Pro can get if connected to an aerial.

Is your Box Pro connected to an aerial, or are you running that without an aerial as well?

[Bee0359]

Sorry, I don't know how to address you by name, I just click on 'Reply'.

Thanks for clarifying the ABC thing.  My Pro Box is running without an ariel too, but I'm quite happy with the TV channels that EE are providing  -- except for the fact that before I signed up I asked them if  the TPTV channel was included and they said it was  -  but it's not there !

So, if I get the EE/BT TV Box Pro from CeX, that will act as a separate recording device, independent of the Pro one EE has given me for the main house ?  And it will definitely work without the need of an ethernet cable ?  If that's correct I'll go ahead and buy it.

Thanks so much for your advice Midnight Voice.  Cheers. Bee

[Midnight_Voice]

@Bee0359 

If the Box Mini is currently working over WiFi in the location that you are going to put the new Box Pro in, then yes definitely.

TPTV seems to be that channel that most people miss in IP Mode; have you thought of using, or installing, a TV aerial at all, if you are in a position to? Then the Box Pro in aerial mode can not only receive it, but even record it!

[Bee0359]

Hi MV

Just wanted to say thanks for your advice.  I obtained the ProBox from CeX as above, which appears to be in new condition.  I set it up and it works fine. So I have 2 recordable boxes in 2 separate rooms, just as I wanted.

As for TPTV, I can view TV programmes from this channel on my Laptop, so I'm happy with that.

Many thanks. Bee  

[Texans]

HI, similar to others I have just moved from Sky to EE and found similar issues with not being able to record / watch recordings on the mini box. However, apart from not being told this on purchase this is the only issue so far as the set-up was remarkably easy as I swapped everything out mobile, broadband and TV. Simple instructions, easy to follow. The cost savings from Sky for similar programmes and products eases the inconvenience of the mini box recording issue but that is only our opinion, others may feel different. The package I have from EE meets our needs and to me it is a personal preference as I felt let down by Sky.

[Midnight_Voice]

@Texans 

Source yourself a YouView DTR-Txxxx from eBay or CeX (where xxxx isn’t 1000 or 2000, is preferably 4000, but could be 2-something) and you will get a second recording box to slot right in.

You still can’t watch recordings from one of them on the other, though, not even the upcoming season of Silo 😛