Bit the bullet!

[netmask]

Just ordered one don't know what my faithful P1 will think! 500GB is large enough for me as there is very little to record at the moment as I have absolutely no interest in sport or actuality/quiz or cooking programs. But as my P1 has missed a couple of timers methinks it's time to start afresh.

[nylonnet]

Your beloved P1, like my dear old pair of twin grey-haired S1s, will forgive you. They can spend a while sitting in The Home singing campfire songs as we wheel in the loud, young T3 whippersnappers.

I'm REALLY looking forward to scheduling multiple recordings with near-zero fear that I will suffer the old drama of having to choose between show X or show Y because they overlap by 5 minutes. Now i can give all recordings generous excess recording times before and after to accommodate the temporal whims of broadcasting executives.

[peteru]

I'm finding that there is less need for padding. I suspect that the T3 might be really clever and schedule recordings from the EITs (schedule aka EPG) data , but then actually track the start and end times using the more accurate EITpf (present/following aka now/next) data. I have found that the T3 places bookmarks in the recordings at spots where a show is supposed to stop/start and it's generally fairly accurate - like to within the nearest 30 seconds. Obviously this depends on the broadcaster.

I also find less need for editing on the PVR. I have a lot less wasted space due to the better event tracking with autotimers (less need for padding) and transfers via the network are so quick that any edits might as well be done on the PC. Having the recordings in a single file in a standard file format helps too.

In a way, going from the DP series to a T3 is like going from a Topfield TF5000PVRt to the DP-S1. A whole new paradigm, which just didn't work for some people, but for those who stuck with it for the first few months / first year, the end result was such that they'd never go back to the Topfield. Same thing with the T3. Right now it's a bit rough around the edges, but the potential is enormous. The pace of development is good and some of us are actually now contributing code to the firmware that will ship to users. What is better about the T3, over the DP series, is the fact that a huge chunk of the source code for the T3 is available, so improvements can be made for years to come, regardless of whether Beyonwiz engineering have moved onto the next thing!

[prl]

My main gripe with T3 autotimers is the lack of control over whether repeats are recorded, something the IceTV mostly gets right.

This is especially important now in the brave new world of having plain ordinary vanilla repeats, and "encores" as well.

[brianh]

Well, it's been quite a while since I was here last..... I'm glad to see the site is still bubbling along with most of the familiar names keeping the spirit alive.

I'm also really glad because in response to an email from BW, like netmask I've also chomped down rather heavily on the old lead pellet......

I was really impressed by the potential of the unit from the content of the email and am looking forward to giving it a whirl when it arrives. I may even replace the old silver TF5000 that still handles the bulk of our viewing (it just WORKS!!!)

Also, given the expertise and dedication of the people involved, I have every faith this device will continue to be tweaked into one of those bits of gear that no gadget-phile worth their salt will be able to do without.....

Cheers all & thanks for all the good work over the intervening time.... (now to hunt for those Power Supply posts by warkus o I can sort out some old & ailing PSUs )...

[Chuckles]

... What is better about the T3, over the DP series, is the fact that a huge chunk of the source code for the T3 is available, so improvements can be made for years to come, regardless of whether Beyonwiz engineering have moved onto the next thing!

Is the full build chain available including linkable binaries for those modules for which source is not available, such that we can actually produce a new firmware image without Beyonwiz's involvement? Or would we be confined to a subset of replaceable modules/plugins?