Speaker by Various Artists

Way ahead of you on TV3's excellent Plus 1 feature on Freeview - the best use for me is being able to watch TV One news and then go to TV3 news or catch something on One that clashes with a TV3 programme. Great idea, surprised other broadcasters didn't jump on that bandwagon.
Hey this Freeview review idea's a good one, but would be more useful if we had someone - one reviewer - doing a head to head of the Freeview HD and TiVo offerings (for example) - what people like and what they don't like...

the best use for me is being able to watch TV One news and then go to TV3 news or catch something on One that clashes with a TV3 programme.

Gawd. I struggle to get through one channel of live crosses and whatnot. You do two a night?

I have purchased a device that prevents the TV from being turned on between six and seven pm. Worth its weight in gold.

Quo Vadis - i would have liked to read a comparison between my unit and a MySky one.

Funnily enough I keep recording the news (TV3) and yet haven't got around to watching it for weeks

Pauline, I'm just so happy that you love New Artland! It was a big job and we're really, really proud of it, and it's blimmin' nice to know that it's being watched by such lovely people. Thanks!

it's blimmin' nice to know that it's being watched by such lovely people

Kia ora.

How much does a tally weigh?

About the same as a pile of effluent. Oh, you said tally without the e.

When my kids were young we had a device somewhat similar to the one you describe - when the children woke up before adults the television only received (this was in the US) PBS - which means Mr Rogers, Sesame St and yoga - after the children went to bed it magically received other channels - this was so successful that for many years the kids were unaware that we could receive other channels.

It all worked by taking an old VCR (the one child #1 had previously filled with buttered toast) and programming it to only pass the 2 channels - in back of the TV was an A/B switch (Adult/Baby) that chose the signal source for the TV.

While I was designing DVRs for a living I kept pushing for tagged remotes so you could set them up as different 'users', leave the B remote around and hide the A one ....

Was wondering if some kind of information sharing about all the Freeview options might be an idea. I think the freeview thing is great.

For me, being financially challenged I went for the cheap option. My residence had an old sky dish, so I bought a cheap set top box off Trademe, was given as TV and I got it all going, cost me $75 dollars.

The info I needed to get it going was the satellite (Optus D1) if I remember correctly and two other numbers I entered and it all worked.

Anyway just an idea.

information sharing about all the Freeview options

in that context, I have an lcd tv, no freeview and no aerial or satellite dish. Thinking satellite might be better option in this case?

Does a built-in freeview tv allow you to connect it to another tv or does it only work for that one?

Considering buying a smaller tv with freeview built in, so I can avoid arguments when sons want to use xbox, but I feel it's only worthwhile if I can hook up both tvs to freeview.

I've belatedly added Jo's final installment to the above post:

Joanna McLeod, Zinwell ZMT-640PVR

If I was a cleverer person, I would have installed my freeview decoder in my bedroom. After all, there are aerial cables in here. But instead I put it in the lounge for everyone to enjoy - which means that when I'm hiding out in my room I don't get to enjoy it myself. Stupid me. So the shows that I want to watch are piling up on the hard drive while I cuddle my laptop instead, getting spoilers for Shortland Street on Twitter when everyone was all "OMG SHANTI NO!".

It's handy then that when you watch a show it changes colour on the playlist so you know you've already seen it. I am also enjoying that if you stop a programme halfway through, it will start playing again from where you stopped when you come back to it. The problem though is there's not really very many shows worth watching on these days. The Battlestar episodes are piling up waiting for an afternoon when I have a full attention span, I'm still enjoying The Riches, but apart from that, it's really just Shortland Street, The Daily Show and the news headlines that I'm interested in. Oh, and Top Chef and ANTM. But the networks are taking far too long to bring on the good shows, so I'm getting my Community, Glee, Parks & Recreation and Dollhouse fixes elsewhere. It would be awesome if I was able to plug a portable hardrive into the Freeview box to view them, but I don't think I can. I'm not sure why it has a USB port then. I have yet to discover a use for it. Perhaps I will next week. But now I must go remember to hit the EPG button and make sure I get Season Two of the Jacquie Brown Show recorded, because she is brilliant and I want to have her awkward babies.

I'm not sure why it has a USB port then. I have yet to discover a use for it.

firmware updates

boring, I know.