November, 2010
All about PVRs |
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As the battles for desktop, portable and now ultra-portable computers wage on, a new battle is starting to find fuel. Personal video recorders (PVR) have been around for a couple of years, but have only recently become a hot item for the lounge room. With this, almost every home theatre manufacturer has come to market with at least one flavour of PVR. But what are they and what should you look for when buying one? |
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PVRs are essentially a digital version of the VCR although instead of video cassettes you have a hard drive allowing you to record and play back TV programs, pause and rewind live TV, and schedule recordings without having to change the tape every 60 minutes. Some of the fancier ones have features like being able to record two programs at the same time, or play media stored on your computer over a network connection. Now that you know what a PVR is and what a bit about what it does, it’s time to look a bit closer at the features. Multiple tuners. Depending on your budget, you may have the option to buy a PVR with more than one tuner; this lets you record (or watch and record) multiple programs at the same time. Hard drives. Hard drives are important, but not all PVRs have them built-in; some have a USB port, allowing you to connect a USB hard drive of your choice. Think about how much you want to record before making a decision on whether you need a hard drive built-in and how much storage space you might use. Network connectivity. Another feature becoming more and more common is network connectivity and the ability to play media from a network source. This feature is still quite new and, like any new technology, isn’t without issues. No matter what type of PVR, the electronic program guide (EPG) is important if you like knowing what else is on or what is coming up. The EPG will differ from PVR to PVR so it’s important to have a play around with it and make sure you’re happy with the way it’s laid out and the information it provides. Choosing a PVR now is like choosing a toothbrush; there’s a huge variance in price and build quality, but not so much in features. They all essentially do the same thing, with an extra bell or whistle (or angled bristle for extra-super-duper-plaque-removal-action) here and there. Sometimes the best way is to work out your budget, and then work out which features you DON’T need and take it from there. To help you get started with a PVR of your own, our friends at IceTV have this EXCLUSIVE OFFER just for you! A Topfield TF7100HD Plus (320GB) with a 6 month IceTV membership – total value $699 for just $399. That’s a whopping $300 saving*! Get in fast though. To make things even better, we can come to you and set up your new PVR for just $129 – that’s a $50 saving^. Simply quote "PVR50" when you call 1300 275 449. *Offer ends 6 December 2010 or while stock last. ^Service and offer available in gizmo onsite service areas only. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. |
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