Another update.
Have formatted the 500GB Tosh drive to FAT 32.
There is no default in the drop down in Win7 etc, so i used this free utility.
exFAT will not cut it.

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm

Box now recognises a 500gb drive i had lying around!
Result!
It would appear that NTFS is a no go, but FAT32 is fine.

Same aerial as Freeview but if your reception is a bit dodgy you might get occasional pixelation on HD channels,

Got one last month and works fantastic, epg very fast no problems so far. Got HDMI lead from B&M's cheap £2.99 i think no problems. Wouldn't touch poundland HDMI cables xbox 360 screen went green.

Not long purchased one, still 9.99 + 2.50 postage, the box does not seem too bad, there are a few streaming channels that work. when connected via lan cable, the box did lock up once but seem reasonably stable, it can be slow to respond now and then, but i think it maybe that we may get used to the speed of sky box or tivo etc... - its no slower than my tv built in freeview. picture quality is very good. - i have not tried the pvr function but i do know from past use of other boxes, that a memory stick with a fast read / write speed seems to work faster! like different Class of SD card 4 is slower than class 10.

hope it helps

Mine has arrived, works OK so far and most importantly seems to support the hokey half Freeview half internet streaming broadcasting method that Motors TV uses. So I'm pretty happy.

I've not tried any USB storage with it however.

You need a USB stick to pause the program? Couldn't see an mention of a hard drive?

"Press "Menu" to Show/Hide Function Menu"

This message is displayed along bottom of the screen no keypress works to remove this.
When playing ANY USB file (PVR recording or my own media files)
Anyone else experience this or have a solution?

Yes seems too

Does this help with the glitching? Or just help the drive get recognised?

Anyone know if there is a software update for the box? Don't have a long enough cable to plug into router to check. Running software 1.23.

Confirmed this works. Thanks shindigger :sunglasses:

Thanks for the info. I will try that again before it hit the post. Could not work out what why it seemed intermittent. If solves the prob, I could also live with that . Cheers

It amazes me that they'd take a very nice capable bit of hardware, then load some awful glitchy software onto it. So many TV boxes suffer the same problem. Baffling.

Just spent time setting this up. Seemed OK at first then failed to respond to remote. Could change channels using Up/Down but the Number Keys did not work at all. Turned off and restarted seemed OK but then started playing up again. Its going back!

Oh dear, software issues causing freezing and remote problems. Cannot delete recordings on the USB drive and signal breaks up.
The reviews are obviously doctored on the Tesco eBay site, for truer reviews check out the Tesco Direct site.
Have to return now so to good to be true at this price.

thanks shindigger :smiley:

HD recording was fine on mine. I switched the digital audio off and i think that helped the sync too. Im running the two phonos to an amp anyway so if audio not carried on hdmi that's no issue to me.
Re the 500 gb capacity. Not sure how to check what the box is seeing. Cant see anything in utilities etc.
No matter, 32GB would be ok for non archive stuff and it saved me buying another stick too.

good to hear ibblackberry1 :smiley:
thanks for sharing

Set mine up and been using it a little today. No HDMI cable, but tuned in easily and HD channels work fine, decent upgrade to an HD TV that didn't have a HD source. Happy for £12.

Haven't used and won't use the recoding function so will let others comment on that. All in all, happy with this purchase.

doesnt sound good there mac1611
shindigger hows the recording quality on your end?

just played back a sd recording i made on the verbatin usb3 portable drive and mmm not great picture kept jerking and freezing will try now with just my 32gb memory card

im using a lexar 32gb card and it records tried a few drives recognised a verbatin 1tb usb3 2,5" but none of my other hard drives has also frozen on my a couple of times and had to be reset by pulling plug out etc picture not brilliant in HD but for the money hey ho

wow thats amazing shindigger! omg what a bargain :smiley: well done and really good to hear all this.
I thought fat32 can only show 32Gb though? have you made sure it recognises full 500Gb?
how much can you record with that lol

Another update.
Have formatted the 500GB Tosh drive to FAT 32.
There is no default in the drop down in Win7 etc, so i used this free utility.
exFAT will not cut it.

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm

Box now recognises a 500gb drive i had lying around!
Result!
It would appear that NTFS is a no go, but FAT32 is fine.

I've tried a 500gb Toshiba drive NTFS and a 16gb Kingston drive FAT32, and can get neither recognised.
Just get a box saying USB not recognised when i hit record.
I didn't buy it to record particularly, but its a tad annoying.
Am loathe to invest in another stick to try, as it's looking like it doesn't want to know, period.

UPDATE.
I just tried hot swapping the Kingston 16gb FAT 32 stick and it recognised it.
So much for turning it all off and connecting up then turning on again. Hot swap seems to do the job.
Watching MOTD Extra on it now. Audio is a tad out of whack but will try to fix that in the menu.
This box is a bargain.
I recently sold a Sony DVD HDD Freeview SD box for £120 and this has essentially replaced it, along with Freeview HD, for £12.75!

hot thanks

since I cant record anything I cant answer that question, but reading the manual theres some information about usb drives

Drive size and format
usb drives must be fat32 or ntfs formatted
fat32 drives are limited to maximum 4gb capacity
ntfs formatted drives are unlimited
exfat formatted flash drives are not compatible

must say the guide is very clear and extensive but no file formatim afriad

thanks for sharing shindigger
mine came yday, weird thing is I thought we had an ariel, but we dont lol
I did connect the box via hdmi and got no channel message but remote was working no problems.
everything was packaged nicely, all sealed, I agree for £12.49 it is a steal, still need to check if it works

Mines just arrived. Tuned in. Found all channels. Remote works fine.
Bought as a cheap DAB alternative as i'm in the sticks, where i can only get BBC on DAB, and internet radio is 3 minutes behind DAB.
Can hardly buy a DAB radio for £12.
Superb bargain. HD picture is fine btw.
Might get another.

Got mine yesterday to give a 9 year old Sony TV HD channels. It works to a degree.

HD channels don't actually look that great through it as opposed to the Youview box I previously had on this TV.

The remote or the sensor receiving the remote signal is useless. One press out of 7 or 8 might be received. Not effected by distance or angle. On/off and channel up down (you know the important ones) are working 10% of the time.

Set up a Logitech Harmony 600 to see if that would help. Box not found on Logitech database but it asked to learn signals from the Technika remote which unfortunately left me with the same problems. So currently leaving the box on and having to change channel by pressing the number keys.

Attached it to the network to see if the Software update option might be available and help. No update available.

OSD is basic but does the job.

I think that the Sony TV SD picture was comparable with the Technika HD one and the OSD is so much easier to use that I might just revert to using the TV.

It was only a £10 so worth a punt. If I had bought it for £40 I would have been livid.

bought one these a while back from tesco and sent it back due to remote not working properly .but decided to take the plunge and buy another one at this silly price with the hope that the remote prob has been resolved .Arrived this morning and...... the remote appears to be working ,but tried plugging a usb 2.5" drive but wont recognise it recognisd a 32gb memory card though so far so good

I got the dispatch email today, think i'll probably get it early next week, looking forward to trying it out!

thanks for the tip, I actually have the PCTV 290e in my TV backend at the moment. It's ok but it's only one tuner and my Kodi frontend (AFTV) isn't playing ball playing the HD channels over powerline atm

just to update on this (I'm the OP)
in the opening thread I linked to reviews that was from the official tesco site (not tesco ebay)
but customers have started receiving orders and there is tesco ebays own reviews on the boxes that have been dispatched from the batch fom tesco ebay, you can see this on the product reviews on the product page
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400996017334?rmvSB=true
skip down to product reviews
119 in total and a quick scan shows 5 stars for every single buyer.
one at the top did mention that one was faulty but received good customer service.

maybe it means most of the faults are fixed, but its reassuring me to be honest, hope that reasures everyone, dont believe read the new 119 reviews

Worth it for the price I suppose but these really are useless, we went through two, both of which crashed constantly

Can this device series record programmes from the EPG?

If not then you'll need to remember to set the record function for each programme in a series.

Thanks joshtbh.

So MaximusRo and yourself are looking for a HD solution, this is a bit more pricey but is the kind of thing you are looking for:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PCTV-Systems-DVB-T2-nanoStick-Tuner/dp/B004C1176E?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=cameltracker-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B004C1176E

It looks to me like you can use it with headend too.
http://www.htpcguides.com/configure-pctv-triplestick-292e-tvheadend-on-raspberry-pi/

I'm using it at the moment I'll check if it does HD, I doubt it though. You may have to pony up a little more for that function. Just the standard free to air stuff no BT.

agreed, the last time I looked at this properly about 3 months ago, the closest we are to a linuxTV compatible DVB-T2 tuner is the Xbox One tuner, but it hadn't been cracked the last time I looked.

Forgot to say: Heat OP and ordered. I'm struggling between TVheadend and Myth for my final TV over LAN solution, so this is hopefully a good stop gap for some HD whilst I get my long term solution ironed out :smiley:

Worth a try for the price. Got a Bush box that keep failing to record a full program. Thanks

Worth a go at that price for sure. Would love for someone to confirm they can get external hard drive will work or not.

Heat added thanks :smiley:

Thanks OP.

The fact this does HD is very interesting, for those looking for just a cheap way to get Freeview you can pick up these dvt usb sdr things for cheap and hook them up to a raspberry pi with Tvheadend. Bit of a faff for some but it means you can stream telly over the wi-fi to anything in the house.

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_188371.html

Thanks for the info.

I dug around a bit from that link and found this which is a little bit clearer. I can certainly work with those phonos and thinking about it I could have done something with that scart socket too.

Does anybody have any detailed pictures of the rear? I am trying to see if these have audio out.

this is the only information I can find about usb drives
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5301468

I've not come across anyone using a hdd rather than a pen drive, but I dont see why it wont work?
has anyone any experience with this kind of thing?

Good that you can record using epg, any confirmed reports of people using external hdd?

check tesco specs on this and its says it has coaxial output
http://www.tesco.com/direct/technika-tkstb14-freeview-hd-digital-tv-receiver/263-1497.prd

also the only picture of the rear of this unit that I have found is here
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=TKSTB14+which&biw=1366&bih=705&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGx_mRv73JAhUL2B4KHWW0BuAQ_AUIDCgA#imgrc=3sLNdpW0jOEL4M%3A

its the third one along, site:which, just zoom in

It depends on where in the country you are, not on the receiver itself.
There are currently 12 HD channels being broadcast, but that is the absolute maximum number you'll get (e.g. in the London area?).
I'm in the East Midlands (Nottingham) and I can receive only 5 (maybe 6 now) HD channels.
have a look at www.freeview.co.uk and enter your postcode to find out how many are being broadcast in your area.

Anyone know if you can connect an external powered hdd and do time based recording?

The reviews on these are pretty poor, the product itself is about 3 years old, had one of their other steaming boxes and could never get it to work properly even with firmware updates,not sure if theirs an update for these.Probably better spending twise the price and getting one with better reviews.

for those that are interested in recording from this box, this little thread is useful
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5301468

"Using it with a 128Gb Maxell USB 3.0 pen drive and it seems to have stopped freezing after a few minutes, it records everything I want from the EPG when I set it. Seems like better brands of USB pen-drive do give better performance after all."

cool so you can record using the epg and when you come back its recorded? I've never done that, got a terabyte hdd lying around, lets see if that works lol

cheers,have ordered 1 anyway,found more spec,1 HDMI socket but no cable

These are rubbish. I wouldn't buy one for a fiver.

@ amazon reviews
"i purchased this at the knockdown price of £17,50. a good compact machine, with plenty of features. easy user base, great for tv recordings too, via usb. as well as 12 HD channels. which is worth the price alone! batteries included. with easy remote. recommended!
Read more at http://www.tesco.com/direct/technika-tkstb14-freeview-hd-digital-tv-receiver/263-1497.prd#IBqjhiz3hPsKRzPg.99"

also type in "TKSTB14 which" in google images and you'll see an image of the rear of this box.
or click this
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=TKSTB14+which&biw=1366&bih=705&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGx_mRv73JAhUL2B4KHWW0BuAQ_AUIDCgA

dont forget this looks like real cheap but I do believe its end of line and it once retailed for £40, I would be surprised if they left out the hdmi lead, but I could be wrong, either way £1 poundland worse cast scenario

Cheers OP - been waiting for one of these to pop up on here. Good stuff.

good price, bargain for the bedroom tv. But don't buy one of these :confused:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Isis-20265HD-20-TV-HD-Ready-LED-DVD-Combi-Freeview-HDMI-Brown-Box-Unit-Only-/351590051918?hash=item51dc66704e
So this how they are funded..

might be worth a go at that price for the bedroom tv as the built in tuner sucks! heat added :smirk:

anyone know how many hd channels you can get on this?

and I assume this has a hdmi socket on the back but no cable provided?

im happy that i purchased now, if its faulty then you wont be charged for returning it :smiley: and the returns policy is pretty good from tesco it seems
also i you plan to buy as a gift and they dont want it, I believe you can return it (need to pay postage though)
because it says
Christmas Returns Accepted

taken from
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tesco-Outlet/Returns.html

IMPORTANT

Any returns that require a courier collection can only be processed Monday to Friday 9am-5pm

I do not wish to keep my item – it is not faulty

If you change your mind, or any of our products fall below the standard you would expect and you wish to return the item, you must notify us via the link in 'my eBay' within 14 days of delivery. We are happy to refund or exchange the item, (stock permitting) providing it is returned unused, in its original packaging with all accessories.

Some items cannot be returned unless they are faulty. These include:

Products we can't resell for health and hygiene reasons once unwrapped - personal grooming products and earrings (this does not exclude your statutory rights under the Distance Selling Regulations).
We may restrict the exchange of CD's, DVD's and computer software to the same title.
Flat-pack furniture that has been partially or fully assembled
My item has developed a fault

If your item develops a fault, please notify us via My eBay. If an item is returned as faulty, we will send you a pre-paid postage label or arrange a collection at our expense. Please do not return the product and request a refund of the postage.

The fault has developed within 28 days of delivery

We will offer either a refund including postage costs, or a replacement product (stock permitting). The refund or replacement will be actioned once the original product has been returned to the Tesco Outlet team for assessment and verification of the fault.

The fault has developed after 28 days but within 12 months of delivery

We will arrange a prompt repair. Once the item is returned to us and sent to our technicians, if a repair is not possible, we will offer either a refund including postage costs, or a replacement product (stock permitting). The 12 month warranty starts from the date of the original purchase.

If a product is returned as faulty but not found to have a manufacturing fault or if a fault has developed as a result of misuse, no product or postage costs will be refunded.

Items returned to us via collection or pre-paid label will take 48 hours to be delivered back to us for assessment. Please note that it can take 3-5 days for any refund given to be shown in your PayPal account.

417 returns? surely you'll get a few bad apples, one good thing to take from this mac1611 is that tesco are good at returns?
also I do admit I got this for the bedroom tv, which only has sd so I think this should be pretty good, I'll report back when I get it

Apologies for the noob question but can I get Freeview HD channels through a normal TV aerial or does it need a particular type/orientation?

Thanks

bought for an SD bedroom TV, hopefully ok for £12

had one terrible terrible box thats why they are cheap ,remote control just doesnt work ,tried 2 of them when they were on sale at tesco direct both returned ,All of them on the ebay outlet are surely returns freezing from me

I never had a freeview hd box, but I presume its just a normal ariel. So just stick your ariel into this and thats it. abducd4?

worth the punt IMO, brand new and I've seen it cost £40, the reviews are favourable on the quality of the picture. I just purchased one myself.
for the price it looks nice, I like the brushed effect. also its tesco so your covered and 409 sold :smiley:

also have a look at the reviews at tesco (28 reviews)
http://www.tesco.com/direct/technika-tkstb14-freeview-hd-digital-tv-receiver/263-1497.prd

They don't have a built in hard drive, you need to stick one into the usb. It does work but can be a faff getting the correct file format with hdds

Great find!