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Monday February 13, 2012

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Digital set top boxes with HD recorders

Posted by: By Risto Sampola, Deep Tank | 18 January, 2009 - 10:11 PM
Digital Set Top Box with HDD recorder Digital television broadcasts offer many advantages over their analogue counterparts and are something that after many years of talk is finally starting to come of age with Freeview (www.freeview.com.au).

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In addition to the already available (as of January 2009) digital TV channels, Freeview promises Australians an extra fifteen digital TV channels by the end of this year – and unlike Foxtel, it is totally free. If you already have a TV with a digital tuner you’re all set to receive these channels, but you’ll still need something to record your favourite programs, movies, sports etc. If you have an analogue TV you’re missing out in a big way...

Buying a new TV can be costly and perhaps you’re still debating whether to go for a plasma or LCD. For around the $100,- mark you can purchase a ‘digital set top box’. This device will receive its TV signal from your existing aerial, so as long as your current reception is good there’s no need to do anything in that department. However, if you’re willing to spend upwards of around $400,- then you’re in for a serious treat in the way of a digital set top box with a hard disk recorder. Plus remember, this is a one-off cost with no subscription fees to pay, so as an investment over a few years the cost is very low indeed. Also, as often the case is with technology – prices drop and features improve.

You’ll be able to receive all digital TV channels with excellent picture (right up to true High-Definition – ‘HD’) with pristine audio quality. Perhaps even more importantly, you’ll be able to record hours upon hours of TV direct to the built-in hard disk. As a yard stick, I would recommend devices with at least a 320GB (Giga Byte) hard drive – the bigger the better as it will give you more recording time. Some more high-end devices allow you to also connect external hard drives for extended recording time. Not only that, but with just about every device in this category you’ll also be able to record two channels at the same time, whilst watching a third. A sure fire cure to those “What do you want to watch?” arguments! There’s also the added bonus of being able to pause and rewind live TV. These set top boxes are usually configured to record TV at all times as a background process. If you’re watching a program and the phone rings or nature calls, simply press ‘Pause’ on you remote control, go about your business, and when you’re ready to resume watching you’ll pick up from the same spot.

A so called EPG (Electronic Program Guide) will show you all TV listings for every available channel, so recording a program is a simple as finding it in the on-screen EPG and then pressing ‘Set to record’. Much easier than the old VHS or DVD recorders – and as there are no tapes or disks to change you can go on holidays and when you come back you can have hours upon hours of your favourites waiting for you upon your return. Tapes and DVD’s have limited recording time, so unless someone is at home to put in a new blank one, all you’ll get is a couple of hours.

Most devices will also offer some kind of a folder structure, so you can easily find all those recorded programs. One folder for kids stuff, one for sport, one for movies and so on. The recorded program will display its real title, which is automatically tagged from the EPG, but you can also rename programs afterwards. Once you’ve finished watching a program you can of course keep it for future viewing or simply delete it to make more room for future recordings. You can also set up these devices to record an entire series, so if you’re a fan of a program broadcast on a, say weekly basis, then you can set it up to record it every week with one simple command – and never miss another show.


KEY FEATURES:

-Excellent picture and audio quality
-Receive numerous extra channels not available on analogue broadcasts
-Record two channels while watching a third
-Pause and rewind live TV programs
-Electronic Program Guide to see what’s on and easy recording
-Organise recorded material into folders for easy archiving
-Very long recording times

When asking Risto product specific questions please provide the brands and models of your equipment as this will allow him to respond with a more detailed reply.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Hi, I have a motel 13 TV's off the one aerial. No cable or satelite. But do have in house movies to rooms off the one DVD player. Do I require a STB from the aerial or one for each TV.
    Please Help!

    Maz Sunday 14 February, 2010 - 2:59 PM

  • Hi Risto,
    I'm technologically challenged & would appreciate ur recommendations for a set top box/digital recorder to suit me. My LCD TV doesn't have an inbuilt tuner so I'm after a set top box that's also a digital recorder. I don't care about internet connectivity, or features I'll never work out how to use - I just want to be able to record two stations at once (more if possible), watch beginning of show while end is still recording & pause on live tv. wouuld like it to store at least 20hours of HD content. Can you reco anything in under $1,000 price range? Also, is Tivo a set top box as well or just a recorder. Cheers, Sherry

    sherry watson Friday 12 February, 2010 - 11:46 AM

  • Hi Kasey,

    Looking at the Samsung SH855 spec it's apparent that it doesn't have a HD (High Definition) tuner, just an SD (Standard Definition) one. This being the case it won't be able to receive HD channels no matter what you do. One possibility would be to buy a HD tuner with an RF output and then plug your aerial to the HD tuner's input and plug its RF output into the Samsung's RF input. The other option would be to go the whole hog and buy a new HD capable tuner/recorder. If the Samsung is brand new then I'd try to return it as SD is fairly 'old hat' now and in due course all channels will go HD. If, on the other hand, you're also having trouble with receiving SD channels then it might be an issue with your aerial or simply reception in your area. Either way, the SH855 will never receive HD channels on its own.

    Cheers, Risto

    Risto Sampola Sunday 27 September, 2009 - 7:19 PM

  • I have a HD recorder/dvd recorder (Samsung DVD-SH855) and I'm having problems getting all of the new channels. I can get ABC2, but can't get some of the other new ones. Is there something I can do to my current equipment or do I have to buy something else?

    Kasey Saturday 26 September, 2009 - 9:24 AM

  • Hi Rob,

    Personally speaking I've been using a Palsonic HDD320G for about a year now. It was an absolute steal (pretty much an 'impulse purchase') at $390,- and offers HDMI out and as the name would suggest it has a 320GB HD, but the user interface is a little clumsy and it doesn't accept and external HD's etc... However, as you're willing to spend a little more I would recommend the Topfield line of units - in particular their new drool-inducing Masterpiece HD. It does have an RRP of $1,099,- but I reckon you'll be able to get one for WELL under $1,000,-... perhaps right down to your budget. It comes with a 500GB HD and allows you to connect external drives too, so you won't run out of space and as external drives are so cheap these days you can use one (or several) to archive/back-up your recordings. It also supports Internet connectivity for things like You Tube and Flickr. I would imagine you'll be using a HD TV with a HDMI input...? If that's the case it's just one single cable from the PVR to your TV and you're in business.

    Cheers, Risto

    Risto Sampola Wednesday 22 July, 2009 - 12:57 PM

  • Hi Risto,
    I am about to buy a HD set top box with built in hard disk. Would you recommend a particular brand. Am happy to pay up to about $600 to $700.
    Thanks for all your info.

    Cheers,

    rob

    rob burgess Tuesday 21 July, 2009 - 9:45 AM

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