Strong SRT 5429 / SRT 5429A

Dont bother even thinking about purchase – Keeps cutting out,now its infecting my TV it is just heaps of garbage. Now have to ring TV Repair man to tune my TV because l have try it to so many times. Tried to records programs it records but then it stops right in the middle of the programs.  Show details

Great Product – We have had this about 2 1/2 years. It works well, the upgrade feature is good and it is easy to work. We have another one which is really hard to use so mainly we dont bother and just use this one. I am just going to see if there any any updates for it. Ease of use Can not change channels when 2 items are recording at the same time

Did not work – We had to replace our 2004 STB to receive all free to air channels with audio. ABC audio was also lost. We followed the connection instructions and expected to see the installation screen as stated. However, all we got was a blurred screen, some audio and no channel scan. Several attempts later we re-installed the old STB and watched TV. did not work

You get what you pay for (SRT5429A) – Chose this unit based on price and it serves the purpose. I've had no issue with recording and playback - it works with no fuss. When I connect an external HDD the USB display flashes and the unit locks up? Haven't found a fix thus far despite a comprehensive web search. My advice would be to pay more and get a Twin Tuner. Does what it says it can… Read more

do...but not without some annoying glitches. Can't get an external HDD with content to play through the unit. Should be able to. Also, and this is a big pain, when I switch my LCD TV input from HDMI connecting my WD Live, back to the HDMI the SRT5429A is on, the audio will work but there's no picture. Have to keep changing back and forth until the picture kicks in.

Adequate as a STB, poor as a recorder – Wanting to upgrade from an SD box to an HD box, I went looking for a new STB. I also figured it would probably be worthwhile getting one that could record shows so I could watch later. Using this to watch shows, it performs it's function well. Recording is a different matter. Recording will often cut out before it reaches the end of the show, even… Read more

though it is set to record longer. Because I cannot trust it at all, I have to rely on another recorder which only tapes SD. I will have to think twice before considering buying a Strong again. good performance as a set top box. recorder cuts out

Terrible – Run, do not walk away from this poorly made piece of rubbish. Instruction manual is less than comprehensive, and the help line was no help. Cheap Three faulty units, straight out of their boxes! First, recorded items would not fast forward, second had a faulty LED display, third had a faulty Hard Disc Drive.

Good tuner - bad everything else – The HD tuner is good. Crisp and clear. The remote control/menus are bad. Any program you record has a background 'pulsing' or heartbeat sound on playback. Extremely annoying esp. on quiet, moody programs (as the pulsing sound is at a set volume). If 'razzamataz' musicals or other pumped-up shows be your poison, its not so bad. It randomly records… Read more

on the timer ie records one day - doesnt record the next, so don't rely on it. Press the record button before you go out and wade through hours of useless preamble when you come back. It's fun!

Actually, its horrendous. This unit is rubbish, and the designer should be drawn and quartered. Don't buy it. the tuner bad remote/menus/recording glitches/internal noise issues etc

Rubbish!! – This unit was recommended by local retailer "We have had no problems' I swore after my last 3 strong STB's (which have all failed) that I would never do it again but I made a BIG mistake! The instruction manual is next to useless, doesn't even mention the DVR button, the remote is worse. The recording with the DVR rarely works as it should, cuts… Read more

out, pauses and is very unreliable. The unit doesn't even have auto resume so every time you stop watching a recorded program you need to start at the beginning again! (I note there is a software update for this problem)

In summary, spend a few dollars extra and DO NOT buy this crap. Cheap Everything!

Extreme unreliability – The instruction book is very brief and lacks detail, almost like they stopped at part 1, where's part 2? The timer is extremely unreliable, one night it works, the next it doesn't record at all. The unit has no Record Timer, eg if you just want one hour - you can't record just for one hour, its either permanent or use the timer and it might… Read more

work.

The timer works if you watch it, and doesn't work when you go away and do something else.

Their website doesn't tell you anything helpful about the unit, just what it is, and you must have known what it was when you bought it.

If you keep stuff you recorded you have to go through the entire jumble of recordings to get to the program you're looking for, there is no page control or sorting options.

When it does record, you get a random title for what you recorded which comes up as either the channel or the name of the program, there is no user option to select any preference.

Also when it does record it often freezes part way through the program and you get only a portion of what you set up, and when you playback you can only view before it had frozen, you cant get past the freeze to see the rest of what you recorded even though the time indicator display the correct time for that program. Works 50% of the time if you just want one program and keep the HD clear Works 50% of the time, timer is very unreliable, menu for recorded programs soon becomes quite a jumble.

Cheap unit but I'd go for something better next time – Works ok, but has several annoying software bugs that should have been fixed before this product went to sale. Strong do provide software updates for this model, but so far the updates have not cured the faults I have found with this product. Recordings often stutter badly. The digital program guide is often wrong, as is the time and date which… Read more

cannot be set by the user at all. This often results in an incorrect scheduled recordings which is really annoying. Overall it does do what it was designed to do, but it does not do it reliably. Next time I would spend the extra money to get something better with fewer or no bugs whatsoever. Cheap Software bugs:

Good – The Strong SRT 5429 is probably the cheapest PVR with an internal hard drive on the market and while lacking in features it does what it says it will do. Think of it as being like a video recorder for the digital age. It does have some modern features like an electronic program guide and you can record programs successfully from the EPG screen… Read more ·  1

but there are a few traps for the newcomers. When you select a program for recording the default option is to WATCH the program NOT record it. You need to scroll down to the option to record or view and change to record. A bit silly really but once you know then it all works fine.

The digital picture quality is excellent on my 51cm CRT screen and again, once you sort out the not so well documented setup options you get a properly proportion picture on your screen. 576p and letterbox is how I have it setup from memory.

So in conclusion its a cheap unit that does what it says it will with good picture quality and Strong have a good reputation for reliability although I haven't had this unit long enough for this to be a personal reliability report. Its user interface is clunky and its far from being as easy to use as the best units on the market. The 1800 help line number is on the box for those who are struggling.

4 stars for doing the job at a bargain basement price. Excellent picture quality. It does what it say's it will do. Its not the easiest unit to use. Unless your an expert or like fiddling you really may need to call the help line. Poor instructions.