Which BELL Receiver Should I Get?

[now_wow]

I am looking to upgrade my present 3700 receiver, which I owned for 4 years with no issues.

There are several choices, including new and used, and I have narrowed it down to the following:

6100
6131
6141
9200

I prefer to have the external hard drive, HDMI connection, HD ready (for future use) and maybe dual tuner.

Ebay has several available but I think it may be risky as there are no refunds.

Can someone help me, as I do not want to buy one only to find out that there have been known problems and it is a piece of garbage.

Thanks

[dosborne]

Without knowing how and where you want to use a receiver, how much you have to spend, the costs, the number and type of TVs you have etc it is pretty mush impossible (even though the choices are limited) to tell someone what is "best" as it comes to personal choice.

As a primary unit, I would never buy a non-dual tuner, nor a receiver without an internal HDD, therefore the selection would be limited. 9200 (or if new, the 9241).

The various models are covered in numerous threads. I suggest you read about the various features and come up with some specific questions to ask and/or provide details about how and where you expect to use it, feed 1 TV or 2, etc.

[now_wow]

Thanks for the tips .. what is important to me is:

I have a 60" Mitsubishi DLP TV, with an Onkyo 7.1 receiver and have budgeted around $ 300.00 for the receiver and $ 100 for the HDD.

I do not have a 2nd TV at this time, but may in the future.

Quality - I want the ability to watch normal TV but have the ability to upgrade
to HDTV at a future date
- 16:9 and up to 1080

Connections - HDMI, digital optical

Dual Tuner - not willing to pay more for this feature, but I may regret it in the
future
HDD - external appeals to me as I can replace it easier than the whole
receiver
- external give more flexibility for future expansion
- I am open to a HDD receiver with USB expansion

Thanks

[dosborne]

Well, it will all come down to personal opinion still.

I used to have 3x5900 in my living room. Once I went dual tuner (9200) I would never consider anything else. (I use the 5900s in the bedrooms now)

Given the track record with the current models that support an EHD and the limitations on the usability (extremely well covered in the HD forum) I personally would never go this route as a primary unit. I would definitely go to the 92xx model. The 9242/1 suppor the EHD if that is important to you. Personally, I don't see the need nor do I want another device. If I had not gone to the 92xx originally, then perhaps I would consider adding the EHD, but the built in HDD works better with no compatibility issues.

I'm not sure what you are worried about "replacing". There is the original warranty, addition covered can be purchased (although i've never seen the need for it) and refurb / replacements can be purchased for out of warranty at reason costs.

[spun14]

I'll second Dosborne's suggestion. I have a 5900 on the TV which is used the most often (No HD) and i have a 6141 with external HD on the HD Tv which is primarilly used for me and not the family. I wouldn't even think of using the 6141 as my primary reciever. Theres just far too many minor glitchs with the 61xx series and the external HDD setups. I often if i'm going to be away will duel record on the 5900 and the 6141 just to be sure that 1 of them records it cause the 6141 sometimes doesn't pick it up.

I will say the 6141 is a great setup but i just don't like the idea of having multiple pieces of equip with the potential to fail. At least with the 92xx series you have a wee bit more reliable setup.

It's all preference but i've had more missed recordings or minor glitchs with the external HDD setup then with the internal HDD setup so spending your $400 total would be better served on the 92xx reciever.

[Reider98]

I'll third Dosborne's suggestion. 92XX is the only way to go.

[ScaryBob]

I prefer to have the external hard drive, HDMI connection, HD ready (for future use) and maybe dual tuner.

A 6131 with external drive or a 9241 will do that. (So will 6141 and 9242 but they are discontinued.) A 6131 is single tuner and costs about $199. The EHD required for recording will cost about $100-$150. The 9241 has a built in drive and dual tuners for about $499. Rentals are $10/$20 respectively. There are new customer rebate offers and occasional sales/promos so the end cost can easily be less. I would go with the 9241 as well. It has a lot more features and flexibility for the extra cost.

[TrueCanuck]

Get the 6131 it's best bang for your buck. On sale at source for 149.99.
External hard drive is super cheap if you don't have one definitely < 100. Just get a 500gig drive and an enclosure or whatever.

[lightningflik]

6131 for sure, all programs are saved onto the EHD vs the 9200 having it stored in it's own internal HD. If something goes wrong you lose all your programs in the 9200, while the 6131 if you have it covered under warranty you can transfer the programs to the new unit your getting.

[merve04]

Something else to keep in mind,, if you want to future proof yourself, stay away from 6100 and 9200, mpeg2 only.

[ScaryBob]

The 9241 (the current PVR offering) can also use an external drive for archiving programming. Unlike the 6131, it does not require an EHD. With a little haggling, a 6131 can be had for $99 and a 9241 for $299 (after rebates.) The 6131 requires an EHD to record programming which will cost an extra $100 to $200 (the Bell model is $200) so the initial cost is $199 to $299 (plus EHD compatibility issues.) At $299, the 9241 does not require an EHD to record (but it can be added later.) The 9241 also has dual tuners.

I'd say the 9242 is a better choice than either but it is no longer available. The 9200 has been discontinued longer than the 9242 so I don't know why anyone would compare it to the currently available 6131. The 9241 is MPEG4 compatible.

[FunkyTown]

You mentioned that the 9242 is better than the 9241. I'm not a Bell customer but was thinking of switching from ShawDirect. The ShawDirect PVR is missing a lot of functionality that was promised for years so I give up. The Bell website only mentions the 9241. One would think 9242 is a newer model as model numbers tend to increment for most companies. Why is the 42 better than the 41?

Are there any huge problems with it? I read some of the threads and people are complaining about volume/audio troubles.

Thanks.

[barter]

The Bell website only mentions the 9241. One would think 9242 is a newer model as model numbers tend to increment for most companies. Why is the 42 better than the 41?

They are both dual tunners but the 9242 allows you to output different content to 2 tvs at the same time(1 in HD one in 480i SD) if you want to set in up that way, the 9241 only has one video output.

I had a 9241 with no problems what so ever so far.

[FunkyTown]

Thanks Barter. The reduction in outputs sucks. Does Bell charge extra fees if you get another receiver? Let's say I use the one extra output in my bedroom, and bought a SD receiver for the guest room. Would there be an ongoing charge for the guest room?

How well does Bell's signal hold up when it's raining or snowing?

[Roman Centurion]

Originally Posted by FunkyTown

Thanks Barter. The reduction in outputs sucks. Does Bell charge extra fees if you get another receiver? Let's say I use the one extra output in my bedroom, and bought a SD receiver for the guest room. Would there be an ongoing charge for the guest room?

How well does Bell's signal hold up when it's raining or snowing?

No multiple receiver fees on the current programming package. If you buy the SD receiver, you would have to pay someone to install it, or run the line from the switch yourself.

9242 - the number 2 means 2 outputs.
9241 - the number 1 means 1 output.

How well the signal holds up depends on whom you're talking to. Some never have problems; others seem to get it a lot.