Evesham iplayer - the Freeview PVR you've dreamt about!

[The IPlayer Guy]

Hi MarkR I Think it's a good idea to put a thread in the Netgem section, Although I have tried really hard to get some members interests to get sparked up and tackle Netgem on various issues regarding 'The I-Player' The point is Mark is to support all I-Player's in general wether they are new products or not. I also think to warn other forums about the Evesham I-Player and it's pitfalls. Evesham is a good leader in electronics,but this is now marred because Evesham have taken Netgem on board this IMO is a bad move on Eveshams part.

[The IPlayer Guy]

To Be honest MarkR athough it plays Divx and Hi Def files It simply isn't good enough that every time you have to reset the unit files are wiped off the machine. The unit is not fit for purpose under the sale of goods act. Also bear in mind where is the support when something goes wrong? Netgem are quick to try and sell something but not so quick when things go wrong. In relation to it's high price you have paid, you deserve better!
Future proof it isn't.

[The IPlayer Guy]

For those members who are fed up with Netgem's promises please sign the petition
Visit: www.ipetitions.com/petition/iplayer There is already 119 signatures. So lets all get signing and leave a comment or 2. Thanks.

[The IPlayer Guy]

Well it looks like Evesham has withdrawn the HDD/HD Netgem from it's site. You only have to go to www.iplayer.co.uk and click on the link ( if you want to be one of the first to own this fantastic device click here) as you see all you get is 2 bits of code 1.Body . 2.html there should be more code on this page,and in any case you would not see this code but the Evesham I-Player's page. Iam assured this is not a fault but the page has been removed. Even searching for the Evesham I-player on Evesham's site brings up nothing. I wish members had taken action earlier aainst Netgem.

[The IPlayer Guy]

Sorry I have seemed to have duplicated my post. How do you delete one of them as the icons on my Tv screen are unreadable. Thanks

[The IPlayer Guy]

This is interesting according to register site Eveham is in the process of a possible take over see : www.the register.co.uk/2007/07/10/evesham_sale_imminent/ While some products are still available via Evesham,the I-Player seems to have vanished from the Evesham site.

[The IPlayer Guy]

This is interesting according to register site Eveham is in the process of a possible take over see : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07...sale_imminent/ While some products are still available via Evesham,the I-Player seems to have vanished from the Evesham site.

[damianw]

An interesting end to this thread if Evesham are no longer selling it. I wonder if Bob could find out the reason? And will they offer full refunds to existing customers if they're not going to support it properly?

[The IPlayer Guy]

Damianw Yes I can confirm that Evesham have stopped selling the Evesham I-Player ( I have just phoned them) HDD/HD model. They didn't say why, I think everyone who has bought one should fight their cause. This is a dreadful situation for any one to be in.
I also think there is a case against Netgem for making false claims against the Evesham I-Player. 1 Future proof. 2. Upgradable I think the Evesham I-player has olny recieved 1 upgrade in it's life. Watchdog should be contacted along with "Don't get done get Dom" IMO this whole thing stinks.

[The IPlayer Guy]

The number for Don't get done get Dom is: 02072785052 I Urge everyone who has bought one to contact Dom. If you ever have seen his programmes he does get results!! Netgem have to be tackled on this,they can't keep bringing out new products that need
attention and require software upgrades to fix them especialy when the software upgrades don't materialise or when the do arrive a load of new bugs are introduced....

[The IPlayer Guy]

As for refunds Evesham have to do this if they can't offer a repair which in some cases may need a software upgrade to fix the problem ( there won't be any more of them either) I will post more as I find out. Guys please inform as many forums as you can Eg digitalspy.co.uk is a good one. I wonder what did happen to Bob Crabtree? He has let the Radioandtelly forum down by posting on there he had a contact at Netgem and he would do his best and get back to the Radioandtelly forum. To date he hasn't visited A.F.A.I.K

[buggins]

Having bought the Iplayer HD in Feb 07 only to have problems with it wiping the hdd without asking me and myriad other minor details. I obtained a refund without any fuss via the Milton Keynes shop. (Excellent service shame about the product.)
Six months on, I telephone Evesham customer care and sales to ask what the current position is re reliability and future plans. Again I was nicely informed that the Netgem Iplayer has now been withrawn from sale. (As opposed to sold out or discontinued. My thoughts not their statement.) However the sales guy confirmed a new one was in the pipeline but had no details as to spec or costs.
Whatever does happen, I still like the firms approach to customers, but my apprehension about application has yet to be assuaged.

[Tell]

Ha... I gave up with this thread months ago when Evesham turned of the HD support from Crystal Palace in a typical British act of wanton stupidity since they are plonkers. The review here I regarded as daft [sorry Mr Reviewer] but if the world is falling around you then the product is crap.

Now I get these emails every period about this thread which I don't bother to read since I regard Evesham as twits and twisters over this box. The advert said it was suitable for HD on Freeview and gace quotes that it worked, I put my local consumer council watch dog on them and their local one when they had these lies in their advert. They did remove the lies but they were there long after they turned HD reception off in the box.

So yeah, correct decision when I didn't buy one but put the council onto them over their advert. I'm getting on lovely with my Pace HD sat box for £125, you can't record but least it works and it opens up the world to Euro HD channels as well .

Oh yes Bob Crabtree, ah well after I got my MSc I worked as a research officer on science policy and the research fellow that I reported to had his nose in the trough of companies that wanted their products to be given good spin and his other half was ditto, she was a computer mag / book writer on the exciting world of the first generation of computer equipment, he use to pop up on the TV all the time and designed the spec for the BBC computer for them. The companies would bung you one and you reviewed it, got paid and published. I got bunged one from him and built it, nicely liitle Z80 processor as I recall [was a dab hand at the soldering iron then but may need glasses now... I know I do... it's more hit and miss these days with the soldering iron].

My view of Bob was of those I met and worked with in the 70s that got bunged stuff to review and publish in techno mags. His desire was to get a positive spin and you'd buy the mag that he wrote [what Mrs T would call trickle down he got something out of it as well] ... um is there such a thing as Hexus... um... probably. Us management consultants 30 years on are canny b*stards.... . I did get a snotty email from Bob when I pulled him up on the product when it all started to go wrong.... think he thought I was an 18 year old innocent male - LOL. Not innocent and not 18.

[Bob Crabtree]

Just for Tell's benefit, the iplayer went back to Evesham a LONG time ago.

I've included below the final page of the review, on the basis that he can't have been arsed to read it before posting his poisoned missive or, otherwise, he wouldn't have written something that makes him look as stupid and ill-informed as his posting does.

Bob
==============

We typically begin the final page of a HEXUS.lifestyle review's final-thoughts page with an at-a-glance summary that lets readers easily see the pros and cons of the product under consideration.

But we're making an exception for the iplayer.

That's because we struggled to find anything to put into the Pros section and also didn't have the willpower to list out once again all the iplayer's many failings.

We may feel differently a week or three down the line but don't bet on it because the iplayer has been one of the biggest disappointments of any product we've gone hands on with over the last 10 years.

Like most of the journos who left Evesham's November 2006 press briefing with an iplayer tucked under their arms, we really did believe we'd have the opportunity to write a glowing review of a ground-breaking product.

Instead, what we discovered is that iplayer wasn't fit for sale during the first two months of its life and still hasn't reached a stage where it does many of the things claimed for it in anything approaching a quality way.

We've long harboured doubts about what would happen as the buggy world of computer technology met the "it must work out of the box" world of consumer electronics and iplayer brings our worst fears to life.

The Evesham iplayer is not suitable for use by ordinary human beings and nowhere on Evesham or LOW sites are you told the truth - that this is in fact a half-complete, over-priced, techie-toy aimed at highly-computer-literate geeks who enjoy a never-ending challenge.

Quite possibly, in six months time, Netgem will have wrought a huge series of changes via software upgrades that will make iplayer something approaching to fit for sale - and we've been told by owners of earlier Netgem products that massive improvements have been carried out this way.

But, sadly, we can't help thinking that iplayer will turn out to be a dead end and that the only people who'll get anything like value for money from it will be those who pick it up for fifty quid after it's been consigned to the specials bin having gone end of line.

Ha... I gave up with this thread months ago when Evesham turned of the HD support from Crystal Palace in a typical British act of wanton stupidity since they are plonkers. The review here I regarded as daft [sorry Mr Reviewer] but if the world is falling around you then the product is crap.

Now I get these emails every period about this thread which I don't bother to read since I regard Evesham as twits and twisters over this box. The advert said it was suitable for HD on Freeview and gace quotes that it worked, I put my local consumer council watch dog on them and their local one when they had these lies in their advert. They did remove the lies but they were there long after they turned HD reception off in the box.

So yeah, correct decision when I didn't buy one but put the council onto them over their advert. I'm getting on lovely with my Pace HD sat box for £125, you can't record but least it works and it opens up the world to Euro HD channels as well .

Oh yes Bob Crabtree, ah well after I got my MSc I worked as a research officer on science policy and the research fellow that I reported to had his nose in the trough of companies that wanted their products to be given good spin and his other half was ditto, she was a computer mag / book writer on the exciting world of the first generation of computer equipment, he use to pop up on the TV all the time and designed the spec for the BBC computer for them. The companies would bung you one and you reviewed it, got paid and published. I got bunged one from him and built it, nicely liitle Z80 processor as I recall [was a dab hand at the soldering iron then but may need glasses now... I know I do... it's more hit and miss these days with the soldering iron].

My view of Bob was of those I met and worked with in the 70s that got bunged stuff to review and publish in techno mags. His desire was to get a positive spin and you'd buy the mag that he wrote [what Mrs T would call trickle down he got something out of it as well] ... um is there such a thing as Hexus... um... probably. Us management consultants 30 years on are canny b*stards.... . I did get a snotty email from Bob when I pulled him up on the product when it all started to go wrong.... think he thought I was an 18 year old innocent male - LOL. Not innocent and not 18.

[MarkR]

Tell, for someone who didn't buy one, you are a very angry person. Evesham have certainly got a lot to answer for. I can't believe with all the problems we have only had one firmware update and that was to switch off HD. I bought one and I'm angry - but not that angry!

As for Bob, the support he gave to those who bought the product has been quite fantastic - beyond anything I expected. His review was fair and comprehensive. At the time of writing one would expect the teething problems of the unit to be ironed out. They weren't and depending how you used the unit - you were going to be either more or less disappointed with its shortcomings.

There is no excuse for Evesham / Netgem not fixing the problems.

Thanks again, Bob.

[Bob Crabtree]

Mark,

Thanks for the kind words.

A couple of further things:

I have not been able to find anyone at Netgem who is able or willing to respond to the sorts of queries that have been raised about its products here or on the radioandtelly forums - and folk may recall me saying some many moons ago (and not long after the time the iplayer came into my hands) that the one contact I did have at Netgem had told me that he wasn't prepared to answer any of my queries, saying that, instead, I had to deal only with Evesham.

However, I've just sent a further email to the guy who gave me the bum's rush in the hope (rather than the expectation) that the company might actually respond.

On a somewhat different matter, I am now in a position to let someone who's hot on HDD technology take a look at that HDD I was using with the iplayer (in an external USB drive bay) and which ended up transforming into a hybrid NTFS/Linux monster.

I'd personally be curious to know what's going on with that drive but it is of no real consequence and I'd be perfectly happy just to reformat it totally and use it elsewhere.

Bob