Recordable tv boxes

[Kim900]

Can anyone tell me why EE won't let me have 2 recordable boxes,as I have had (with BT) for years until EE came along.

[Chris_B]

@Kim900  Because EE is only allowing  have 1.   

[DarrenDev]

I've put a detailed response to your same question in the BT forums, but just to add here - there's no change.  BT has never offered more than one recordable box, and EE doesn't either.  There are historical reasons why you may have ended up with more than one, but they were never offered together. Those boxes can still be used if you switch to EE.

[Djal1990]

I have had BT since 2012 and had two recording boxes since then and still now.  Lounge and conservatory we use it to watch stuff recorded when we want parents in room1 adult son in the other room.  Both recording our own thing.  Don't want to use itvX  watching adverts. Recording means life with less ads etc and stuff recorded that get round to watching sometimes 9 months later and stuff kept on box from 2 years ago that want to watch occasionally that catch uptv t. Will have lost in a year 

[Profile closed]

You need to separate supply and functionality out otherwise it is just confusing.

Firstly, BT/EE only supply one BT/EE TV Pro Box that does recording as part of your contract these days. End of. 

But that doesn't mean you can't use more than one recording BT/EE TV Pro Box (or earlier Humax based versions) in your home if you have "Extra Box".

If I took a new TV contract with EE today, I can receive an EE TV Pro Box that records and up to 2 further mini boxes that do not. This then enables 3 boxes to be used on my connection, but there is nothing stopping me buying 2 more recording boxes from eBay or CeX or similar and using them instead of the supplied non-recording mini boxes.

Caveats as usual:

• Not everyone has a flashy FTTP 900Mbps connection, so trying to record 6 streams at the same time across 3 boxes will kill the bandwidth of an FTTC connection
• EE TV is not Sky Q - you cannot record on one device and share locally. I have annoyed @DarrenDev to death on this, it isn't going to change
• Legally, any supplied hardware should be returned after your contract ends (since 2019 roughly), so you should view any boxes for sale (especially Pro Boxes) as great while they work, but they could be blocked from doing so at any time if BT/EE choose to do so
• Do not expect any support from BT/EE if you swap out non-recording boxes for ones that do. They (quite rightly), will only support what you should have

[wellfan]

Just bought a second recordable box for my multiroom setup, not from EE/BT. Anyway it will record, but will not play back recordings unless this second box is made the main box. So can be done, but needs main box switched back and forth. Not ideal really. Anyway, as EE/BT have exhausted my will to live to enquire any further into so,so,so many issues relating to my Broadband/TV package, sod it. Waste of 50 quid buying the recordable box, lesson learned, and hope it helps others. Or am I mistaken?!?!

[Midnight_Voice]

@wellfan 

Take a Box Mini from EETV, should be free if you are on EE, £10/mo if you are on BT (and yes they are the same company except when, as here, they aren’t)

This will give you an extra slot you can run your second recordable box in without having to switch back and forth.

Needless to say, don’t use the Box Mini.

@Kim900 

In the old days, BT YouView boxes were yours to keep from day 1; even if you terminated early, BT just wanted some money from you, but never the box back.

So if you ran your contract over its agreed term, and then quit and started again, you could get a brand new BT YouView box with your renewal.

It would be possible for an early adopter and serial renewer to wind up owning four recordable BT boxes, though BT put a stop to you getting any more when they changed the rules at the end of 2019.

After that, it was no fun any more 😢

[wellfan]

As mentioned in my post, I have two recordable boxes, and supposedly had multirom activated. Problem now discovered, BT had not activated the multiroom. Long, long story that I won't bore you all with, hopefully now being resolved at fifth attempt. My broadband was with BT and my TV was with EE up until this morning, just off the phone after an hour to several different departmental staff, all of whom were extremely helpful, as I must mention they always are, I have now been moved fully over to EE for broadband and TV with a decent level of discount on both. Hopefully this now resolves the issue.

[zulu17]

@wellfan  BT /EE TV will not have activated multiroom if their systems only show that one box has been supplied to you.  So that is why @Midnight_Voice  gave the advice to get the loaned  Box mini  and use your own second recordable box instead  ,

[Midnight_Voice]

@zulu17  

Advice which was not entirely sound if @wellfan was already supposed to have Multiroom from EETV.

However, as you say, they wouldn’t (shouldn’t) give you Multiroom unless you have more than one device from them.

So it would be useful if @wellfan clarified exactly how many EETV boxes he has, and from who, to see if this is a problem of EETV’s making or not. But as they then gave him Multiroom, I expect there is an unspecified Box Mini in the equation already.