Thomson: PVR3

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Comments (60)

John Williamson, Old Trafford on November 5th, 2005
I find the box noisy and very sluggish. The second is probably due to software. The box has a fault with sound. Recorded or live paused programmes will play with no sound if I fast forward then play. To listen to the program (after forwarding) I must rewind then play. It's very strange. Engineer coming tomorrow (Nov 5th). Box is connected via optical link to a sony amp.

Robert, Norfolk on November 7th, 2005
My box does the same thing when I fast forward recorderd programs (but only ones encoded in dolby digital 5.1). The box is a bit noisy but you get used to it. as for how slow it seems no different from my mum's Pace box. Seems a good box so far. Most issues with these things are down to software.

John, Buckinghamshire on November 10th, 2005
Just had my old Pace Sky+ box replaced with a Thomson PVR3. Also got a second Thomson box as part of a multiroom upgrade. Both boxes are incredibly noisy. So much so that the box I have in the bedroom wakes me up when it kicks into life in the early hours. You get a constant hum when the unit is switched on and an occasional clicking noise from the hard disk. Although my old Pace box di throw up failed recordings, at least it was quiet..!!!

John Sargent, Weymouth on November 18th, 2005
Had two Thompson fitted yesterday.All seems fine slight noise from hard drive but quite acceptable there is also intermittent ticking while recording but as this is my first boxes I am unable to compare with other makes

Dave, Durham on November 18th, 2005
Replaced my newish Amstrad PVR2 and Pace Digibox with 2 new Thomson PVR3's as part of multiroom upgrade. Not very happy with the noise they both make. Constant whine which changes pitch at regular intervals. Had the the engineer out to swap them but replacements were both the same. He said he was getting lots of call backs on this problem. Tried to ring thomson to find out if there is a solution but no luck contacting them. I'll give it a couple of weeks and ask Sky to either replace or refund.

William Wilkins, Northants on November 22nd, 2005
Just had 2 Sky+ Thompson boxes installed. They are unbelievably noisy. Totally unacceptable and not fit for the purpose.

Lee Brown, Swindon on November 24th, 2005
Had the Thomson PVR3 fitted on Sunday 20th November. It is very noisy, the fan constantly runs. Have an engineer coming on Friday 25th. Have told SKY that if they are unable to repair it then I want a different make.

David Rowley, Hixon, Staffordshire on December 8th, 2005
I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering at the hands of the sky 160 box. Have had box replaced four times and this one is just as noisy as the first - I have even purchased a new TV cabinet to try and contain the noise level but not even that can stop it! Beware, the 160 is only manufactured by Thompson as I have already tried to obtain a different make. On the third box I had a different fault all together so I was relieved to get one that worked all be it noisy, what a nightmare.

Paul, Devon on December 18th, 2005
just had sky in today who swapped my pvr 1 for a thomson pvr3, what a nightmare contant noise from the drive & clicking, told them to take it away & leave the pvr1 for time being. live pause not pausing on pvr3 as well as the noise

John, London on December 19th, 2005
I had a Pace V3 but the hard drive packed up after 2 months. And it was replaced with a Thomson one. Clicking noises when recording on channel and whatching another. Also the noise is still there when watching live tv as well. When Im on the phone and use live pause and then start to watch where I paused. Sometimes the picture and audio is out of synch. And sometimes the picture jumps. Recordings have been added. The same problems with both boxes.. I want my pace back atleast I didnt have a problem with that.. only the hard drive packing up.

Matt, West Sussex on January 13th, 2006
Had a Thomson PV3 fitted just before Christmas and have found it to be annoyingly noisy. I called Sky, but they just said it was normal. How they know what normal is without coming round to check it out, I don't know.

Martyn Page, Whitchurch Hants on January 17th, 2006
I can live with the hard drive noise, but the fan noise is at an excrutiating frequency to the point that you cannot enjoy viewing without pain across the eyes. I have also had an engineer call - he also said this is normal. Offered to swap the box but only for an 80 GB version. That's good then. Luckily I live in the kitchen with the conventional box!

Robert, Belfast on January 24th, 2006
Just had the Thomson PVR3 installed today - its my first sky+ box and I mentioned to the engineer the fan noise right away as I thought it was too loud, he said they are ALL LIKE THAT! so thats ok then!! What have I got myself into?

Craig Dewis, Nuneaton on January 25th, 2006
Just got a Thomson PVR3 exactly the same but hey what do you want for £42.50 a month. The noise is extremely irritating the last pace box had no such noise but he hard drive packed up after 2 years, but it was two years of quiet viewing. Sky should change these boxes free of charge it is not good enough.

Richard Jayne, Penzance on January 25th, 2006
Have just had a Thompson PVR3 box installed. If I suffered from tinnitus I would never have known the difference. Constant whine is unbearable. Had to turn it off because of the noise. Sky replacing it Friday. Asked for a Pace PVR3, will ssee what they turn up with.

Paul Morley, Clitheroe on February 5th, 2006
My box is in my bedroom and ususally quiet. Occasionally ticks but can't hear fan or HD. Looks good operates well and I'm very pleased with it.

Sean Lambert, Sheffield on February 5th, 2006
Just installed my own thompson. It is fairly noisy. I should know better as I'm a subcontractor for sky and I install these day in day out. I think I will get used to it (turn up the tv), had a slight software problem the other day but I've put it down to the regional problems sky has had lately. When it breaks I will just upgrade it myself.

Gareth, Derry on February 13th, 2006
I must be one of the lucky ones as my Thomson doesn't make much noise at all. I've had it now for 3 months and no real problems to speak of other than it has froze up twice which required unplugging from the mains and restarting to sort it. Overall I'm happy with it considering the problems some people are reporting.

RD, Southampton on February 13th, 2006
Just had a Thmopson box fitted. It is so noisy!! Had my old pace box put in bedroom. It is so quiet. can't hear it. Tried to call sky this morning but had a 40 min wait!! Not impressed with them.

Peter, East Sussex on February 15th, 2006
These Thomson PVR3 boxes are very noisy – now had three of them in 5 days and thinking of going out to buy another Pace box. I had a Pace V2 box for 2 years and not had a problem – very quiet. I called Sky as I lost signal. They came and changed the LMB and he thought there may have been a problem with the box so swapped it with a new Thomson box! It wasn’t until he left when I heard the noise (had the volume up), clicking high fan and hard drive noise – could hear it from outside the room. I phoned Sky and asked for a Pace box, eventually they agreed. The engineer has just been but only had Thomson boxes! He said they receive them by the pallet and not had Pace for a while. He tried another Thomson box which didn’t work, he then fitted a third box which may be slightly less noisy but still clicks…. If you have the choice ask for a Pace box.

R Thompson, Southampton on February 15th, 2006
Had a Thompson box fitted as part of a multiroom upgrade. It is too noisy it clicks as well. Had the box replaced same problem. My advice ring customer care. Don't get cross with them explain your problem. Get them to register your complaint on your account. Be NICE!! They know there is a problem and want to sort it. They have told me if the problem persists after the software update the will arrange a different make box to be instatlled (GOD FORBID ITS NOT AN AMSTRAD!!) Sky are generally really helpful. Better than loads of companies out there (eg British Gas five missed service appointments!!) so give them a chance to sort it and they will. Be proactive and positive and they will help. Its better than just moaning about it on here. Just learn how to complain. (PS British gas gave me a 40 pound check and gave me 4 months free customer service care so it does pay off)

Prash, London on February 15th, 2006
Had the box since November 2005. Been nothing but trouble since. Has to be reset EVERY day. If you set something to record prey that it does. reponse from SKY was to treat it like a normal digibox til they sort out the recording issue at their end. Use this box at your own risk. IT DOES NOT WORK.

Trevor, North London on February 19th, 2006
Fan noise is very irritating. Gone are the days of enjoying the silent suspense during movies; now when the sound level goes down I'm acutely aware of the constant fan noise!

Karl Stewart, Belfast on March 1st, 2006
Yeah, the box is extremely noisy compared to the pace box we have, it also seems slower in accessing the menus, and generally getting around it. I have the same problem with sound, but only if I fast forward at 30x.

Chris, Ipswich on March 9th, 2006
Owned a pvr3 80gb Thomson , no problems and is quiet , hmm maybe the one i have is a later model ,pauses,rewind, records ,without this so called noise people harp on about, it changes channels very quickly and i have had no need to reset anything , have it connected to panasonic surround sys and optical link to 5.1 panasonic t.v

Mike H., Salford on March 10th, 2006
One of the perils of the internet is that if you Google something you tend to get only the negative reviews. Having ordered a 160 box I read this site and other stuff and wondered what on earth I was letting myself in for. The answer, it would appear, is a flimsily built but perfectly fine HD recorder that clicks no more than any other HD and has a fan that clicks in only when both tuners are working flat out on simultaneous recordings. Of course, I may be tempting fate and I may pay a heavy price but after all these months I'm not seeing a problem. Clearly, there are problems but I think that we need to post positive stuff as well. Sky+ 160 really has changed my viewing habits.

Fife on March 15th, 2006
The PVR boxes are heavily subsidised. Take a look at the retail value of the box and compare that to what you pay for the box. You only get what you pay for in this world people. The boxes are noisy because they are cheap.

Doug, St Andrews on March 17th, 2006
Thompson Pvr3Sky + box installed today and l'm very upset at the constant whine and general noise it makes. Having tinnitus already in one ear - need l say more. Will be contacting Sky.

Anonymous, Bath on March 21st, 2006
Just had the 160 box at the weekend - noticed the noise after the engineer left and contacted Sky. They are sending an engineer round to look at it - if they are unable to offer an alternative box (sounds like the Pace one might be better) then I'll simply cancel my order for Sky+ and go back to the silence of my standard digi box.

Reece Russell-Maycock on March 24th, 2006
I had the box installed yesterday. The installation was quick and easy. The box seems all ok and in good working order so far, except I odnt understand the whole "its 160gb but I can only use 80gb of that as the other half is reserved for Skys future use"?! I also cant find anywhere currently on the internet that helps you upgrade the HDD in this style of box, all the current information is for the older and other style of boxes.

Dean, London on March 30th, 2006
Had one since last november, first impressions where mostly of how great the sky+ features where, then the problems started first pause not pausing or some reason going into black and white. After about a week of failed recordings and the box locking up I called sky how had me run the house keeping and reset the box. since then its been perfect the odd lock up when I get the pin wrong but no more freezing or failed recordings.

Paul, Manchester on April 1st, 2006
Already have Sky+160 in living room, I have noticed the clicking noise but what do you expect it is a hard drive after all, just listen to your PC next time you're on it. Usually does make a noise when you're accessing a programme etc. As for the fan noise, wasn't noticed until I started reading up on it and now it is audible. Having multiroom installed, was going to have another Sky+ box but as I am a light sleeper who is awoken by the slighest noise then it's not a wise idea to have a fan whirlin in the night keeping me awake, Normal digibox it is!

Rob, Horsham on April 13th, 2006
Had my Thomson Sky+ box for about 3 months now. I can hear the fan/hard disk but neither are noisy enough to be be annoying. The box locks up about once a week always after selecting a recorded program from the planner. The remote control has packed up a couple of times (no red LED) but a sharp whack usually cures it. I cannot play Sky Box Office recordings and tech support seem unable to resolve this; it's cheaper to use the local DVD rental place.

Chris, West Yorkshire on May 10th, 2006
Very reliable Sky+ box. Never fails to record, no screen freezes. Only slight problem is the fan noise.

Hasan, Stafford on May 17th, 2006
Had the Thomson PVR3 installed on Sunday (14th May). Fan was really noisy and giving me headaches, so called sky (on Monday) and went through some pointless tests. They eventually decided an engineer should visit so they came today (17th May) and replaced the box for an Amstrad. Just hope nothing goes wrong with this new one.

John Roberts, Bangor on May 18th, 2006
Had a new Thomson PVR3 after getting 2 40 gig sky+ refurbs that lasted 6 weeks (Pace) 1 day (Amstrad) as replacements for my original new Pace 40 gig. Have had it now for about 6 months & surprisingly very few probs, it is noisy,even in standby, but you dont notice with the TV on, so from having 2 or 3 failed recordings a day on the old machines, only 3 in six months is not bad

Tom Stanley, West Yorks on May 29th, 2006
Quite a good box, can't really notice the noise. I am on my third Sky+ box in 4 weeks, and another engineer is coming on Thursday. Quite sluggish at times, but overall quite a good box.

Patrick, Toddington on June 4th, 2006
Had a thompson sky+ fitted 2 days ago. Meant to be brand new in a plain white box! Seemed fine and slightly noisy but picture quality is crap with moving pictures(hand clapping, fast movement). Had no problems with sony VTX-S750U.

Mark Mallison, Bishop's Stortford on August 2nd, 2006
Fasinating reading all of your comments! My experience seems a little different. I upgraded to Sky+ with Multi-Room after my original Amstrad Sky DigiBox gave up the ghost after a trouble free 7 or 8 years back in June. Though (having read similar forums)I requested anything but Amstrad, as that was all my engineer had, I had no choice. It would re-boot, taking 2 mins to start back up for no apparent reason, so within 3 weeks it was changed. Box two (also Amstrad) developed the worlds noisiest fan (Strangled cat springs to mind!). So 2 weeks later this was changed. Then last week (mid July) Box 3 (Another Amstrad) blew it's hard drive. Don't listen to anyone that says "Be nice" to Sky! Tear them off a strip, otherwise they don't take you seriously. Box 4 is a Thomson. WOW, what a difference! Fast, clear, QUIET!! .....so this is what Sky+ is supposed to be like....at last! Maybe as most of these posts are a year old, Thomson have finally got it together, but I for one am very happy with my Thomson PVR3 (so far!)

Nick W, Winchester on August 4th, 2006
Just had an Amstrad PVR3 Sky + box installed. Hard disk is very noisy with 'clicking' sounds. E-mailed sky about this who said that a firmware upgrade should cure this 'shortly' (contacted Sky at end of July). The box is now making an additional noise even in standby which sounds like a fan (and maybe), although I see from other posts this may also be the hard disk spinning to 'maintain life' (?). Not happy at all. Don't item is essentially of merchantable quality as noise interupts enjoyment of any programme when there is a silent part. Not sure whether to ask for a refund as the promised firmware upgrade *may* fix it. Sky fails to answer my e-mails about when this upgrade will happen so it's either wait and see or return item now. Cannot see how beta-testing did not pick this up? Functionality of device is great and improvement over non 'plus' unit, although Panasonic STB I had before was 'faster'. For background, I also have a Panasonic HDD/DVD-recordable unit which is totally silent in use. Nick

Paul, Redditch on August 8th, 2006
Blimey! I thought I was going mad! Just had Sky+ installed New Thomson box fitted... It is so noisy, sounds like a 10 year old Mac computer.

Mike, Near Cambridge on August 10th, 2006
I have just had a Thompson to replace a Pace as the hard drive sometimes didn't 'kick in'. Its so noisy that I decided to open it up and disconnect the fan... problem solved! I have it elevated and will make sure it's well ventilated until I find a fan to replace it.

Steve, Harrogate on August 15th, 2006
SKY HD (Thomson box )1 week old - good god its loud! Bought all new kit (sony bravia tv, hdmi dvd etc) but the HD box is clicking away like a distressed grasshopper (it is louder than my old laptop). Fan is loud but bearable but the clicking is loud enough to intrude on tv sound unless v.loud. Also had image/sound sync problems that would cure if stopping and restarting recorded item. Engineer says normal (without hearing).

Mihir Asser, London on October 7th, 2006
This box is awful, I have had it a day and I despise it. I have an old PACE PVR2 and a PACE PVR3 that are both a million times quieter, the piece of rubbish keeps me up all night. Also, the picture quality is poor, and this is the second least responsive box I've ever used, with only the V1 PACE DigiBox that came out on launch 10 years ago being any worse.

shaun, denton on October 10th, 2006
Had 3rd amstrad sky+ box installed today (3 in 3 months)this one has a noisy drive with clicking and a high pitched whistle, phoned sky and got the usual rubbish, well it should make a bit of noise, give it a couple of weeks to quiet down an all that, told them that unless a new fully working and quite box is installed that i shall withdraw the contract on grounds that the product is unfit for purpose, I am having a new box fitted on saturday, hopefully.

farty on October 29th, 2006
Had Thomson HD box fitted yesterday. Within a couple of hours it crashed & had to disconnect from the mains to reset. Hope this is not the Norm. Picture quality is fine & operation speed is no better than my pace Pvr1. BUT the hard drive and fan noise is awful. There is no way you could run one of these boxes in the bedroom. I am missing my old pace pvr1 already. It is still working fine after 4yrs or so of service.

Paul Middlesbrough on November 4th, 2006
Just had Sky+ installed. Bought a new Sony LCD TV last week to improve viewing experience which has now been ruined by the racket coming from the Thompson box. Okay, it's a PC but the constant whine is unacceptable. Wish I'd stuck to the normal box and video recorder.

John Goodby, London on November 13th, 2006
I had one of these for about a year, it worked brilliantly for 13 months, then the problems started happening, missed recordings, recorded programs would stop and start so much they were unwatchable, the box would crash occasionally etc.... The problem, bad sectors on the hard disk, A quick copy of the contents onto a new disk and problem solved without losing any recordings and some of the ones that wouldnt play are now ok... You cant really blame sky for hard disk failure, though maybe a more expensive choice of disk would prevent these failures

Lizzy East Midlands on November 20th, 2006
Just had a SKY HD Thomson box installed together with new Panasonic Viera LCD and matching DVD recorder with HDMI. The experience has been an anti climax to say the least. The original installation was not performed correctly and I was getting a ghost image of BBC TV behind all the satellite channels. It took a visit from Skys subcontractor engineers at 715am on Sunday to sort out the image problem and I now have a fantastic picture - truly jaw dropping HD planet earth! A big BUT, the Sky HD box seems to come complete with its' own wildlife installed. The constant hum of the fan (is this necessary?) together with the constant clicking and intermittent 'Wasp' noise during Sky plus functions is enough to send you around the bend! Engineers said this was normal (my previous Sky plus box didn't do this). I can’t really see the point of having enhanced sound and vision only for this to be spoiled by an unacceptable level of noise coming from the Thomson box. Not sure whether a new box will make any difference judging from some of the previous reviews. Does anyone know whether another company will be making these HD boxes in the near future?

Mr T Hill, High Wycombe, Bucks on November 20th, 2006
I too have a Thomson PVR3. Installed today, I was really looking forward to using the extended 80GB capacity etc. So what do I get for my £480 per annum?? Fan, VERY noisy. Hard disk, VERY noisy. It is almost impossible to view a station without being distracted by the awful fan noise and clicking hard drive. I am so angry, I will be terminating my agreement. I think SKY are playing the numbers game here. Ship a sub-standard cheap box and see how many people send them back. Nice margin.

Paul K, Dublin on January 5th, 2007
Nice piece of kit. Had it installed about a month ago - box responses in menus and channel changing is noticeably slower than my previous standard Skybox (Pace DS-430N), but its probably to be expected given the complexity of the sky+ aspect of things (having to clear live rewind cache for each channel change being an example). Latest software seems to have a few annoying issues with it: 1 - Fan runs constantly while box is out of standby and keeps varying the speed resulting in a very noticeable whine which keeps changing pitch and so is very hard to "tune out". 2 - Powering box out of standby takes the bones of half a minute, which involves the HDD spinning up, then down and back up again and the fan revving the life out of itself whilst displaying "There is a technical fault with this channel - Error 30" for the time the box does this. 3 - Box seems to misinterpret remote commands, although this problem seems very rare it can be extremely annoying. Overall though, the box is quiet enough - faint hum off the hard drive, but not loud enough to be audible even if the TV volume is pretty low (if only the bloody fan was as quiet!!!). No ticking or HDD seek noise, unless you press your ear right up to the top of the box (and even then it's quiet - or just drowned out by the fan). Haven't had any failed recordings or lockups since it has been installed which is great. Overall, very pleased with it - and sky+ really is as amazing as they let on (if only the boxes were a little quieter though it'd be nice).

Paul Thomas, Huddersfield on January 10th, 2007
Had Pace PVR3 replaced with Thomson PVR3 when modem stopped dialing back. Thomson was much noiser so I complained to Sky and after much persistence I've had to settle for a Pace PVR2 replacement which although has less disk space is much quieter.

Andrew Dudley on February 7th, 2007
I have just purchased a Sky HD box and generally I am pleased with the quality except for the humming noise, I got an engineer out the other week who replaced the box bit the hum is still there on the replacement. Two questions on the above, 1.Has anyone else been driven to distraction by this. 2. Does anyone know a way of getting rid of this hum, I was thinking that some sort of computer grade insulation for a hard drive might be the way to go but not sure what the insides of the Sky box look like to be able to get the right component.

Sarah on February 25th, 2007
The noise is due to poor design. The hard drive sits in a big plastic enclosure; the enclosure causes the heat problem so a fan is required. Remove the enclosure and fan, mount the HD on four cork legs (not too soon after drinking the four bottles of wine though) with some double sided adhesive pads. Why not put in a bigger and quieter HD at the same time (Samsung Spinpoint 250 gig). You now have a nice quiet Thompson box.

dan, t.wells on March 22nd, 2007
This box is so noisy and keeps crashing - why do they still send this out to customers knowing it is a faulty designed box? - Me “Is this box a good one?" Sky engineer “yes really good " ha ha ha what do they call a bad one? Box number 6 for me then this weekend!!

Steve, Hadleigh on April 5th, 2007
I just had sky+ fitted last Sunday. The engineer fitted it well (Thomson PVR3), but after he left there was a constant humming from the box. Thought nothing of it until the night time when it seems louder and still hums through the night. Keeps my kids up and they in turn keep me up. Phoned sky to sort it out and the engineer came to and replaced the box, with the same make Thomson PVR3. Same Problem.

Richard, Edinburgh on July 27th, 2007
I wish I saw these comments before I got Sky+. I got mine installed this week, 2nd cable and 2nd hole drilled through to the living room (nice). Now there's always a background hum and you guessed it, it's a Thomson. It seems great apart from that, but the noise spoils it. I got an engineer out but he just came with another Thomson, same noise. So I'm going to have to cancel. Shame really. If this has been an obvious fault for so long, why don't they er.. fix it??

Fred, Telford on November 28th, 2007
Got Thomson Sky+ today. Model DSI8210. Works well but will see how it goes. Didnt notice the noise until I turned the tv off when I heard a high pitched whine. Sarah's idea sounds great (Feb 2007) but can anyone point to advice on how easy it is to access the HD and to copy the necessary files accross? Eg can you cut and paste from windows or do you need some kind of clone app?

Matt, Reading on January 10th, 2008
Had this installed, and it's very noisy (Fan/HDD). Had it replaced (unfortunately with another Thomson) and it was exactly the same. Had this replaced with an Amstrad and finally have a box that doesn't hum, whine and distract from the viewing.

Ian, Leicestershire on February 15th, 2008
Never had a problem with mine, the only noise I can here is a slight clicking from the hard drive when its recording and then only if the TV or radio is off.