• Introduction to PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) and DVR (Digital Video Recorders).
• Just what can a PVR do these days?
• PVRs : Basic Functionality.
  • Tuners
  • Fast forward, rewind and slow-mo.
  • Firmware Upgradable.
  • Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
    • TVdb / XMLTV.
    • Over the Air.
    • Over The Air and XMLTV.
  • Book recordings directly from the Electronic Program Guide.
  • Auto Standby / On-Off.
  • HDMI Output.
• PVRs: Advanced functionality.
  • Timeshift.
  • Ad Skip.
  • Ethernet / Wifi.
  • Book recordings over the internet.
  • Torrent Downloads.
  • Internet Browsing / Email.
  • Media File Playback.
  • USB Output.
    • What can USB do? (or rather what should it do?)
  • Ad Detection.
  • AV Input.
  • Programmable Remote.
• Can I use a PVR to record Satellite and Cable TV such as Foxtel, Austar and SelectTV.
• So which is the best brand of PVR?
• Freeview : What is Freeview?
• Freeview: More for me!!?
• Freeview: My box isn’t Freeview! Does that mean it won’t work in the future?
• Tivo PVR.

Introduction to PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) and DVRs (Digital Video Recorders).

Simply, a  PVR or DVR (short for Personal Video Recorder or more accurately Digital Video Recorder) is a device similar to an old Video Tape Player / Recorder which enables the user to easily record the latest digital television and satellite / cable content for later viewing or archiving. 
Although the core functionality of recording Television content is the same, a PVR differs greatly from a Video recorder for a number of reasons.  Firstly Video Recorders use obsolete Video Tapes to store the television content.  PVRs may use a variety of storage mediums depending on the model, however most commonly, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is used due to the speed at which is can record and access content and the large storage capacity.  A Typical 500GB HDD is capable of storing hundreds of recorded Television programs.  Other mediums typically used by PVRs to record Television content are DVD’s and CD’s  and Solid State Storage Devices (SSD’s) such as USB Sticks and Flash Memory Cards.  These devices tend to be used to transfer recorded programs from one device to another as their storage capacity can be limited.

Just what can a PVR do these days?

PVRs these days can perform a great deal of the tasks previously performed on PC.  Recording  4 or more programs at once, Watching Youtube, browsing and booking recordings over the internet and downloading  movies direct to your PVR are some of the more advanced features. 
TV Playback and Recording
Might seem obvious, but many PVRs we’ve tried struggle to do this well if at all.  Be careful not to confuse a media player with a PVR.  While many PVRs do have media player functionality, most media players can not perform the functions of a PVR.
To confuse the matter further, Many media players can play PVR files without being able to record them.   These files are called transport streams and are typically recorded with a .ts or .trp file extension (that 2,3 or 4 letter code at the end of a file ie test.trp).

PVRs : Basic Functionality.

A basic PVR should be able to perform all of the functions of a VCR while recording the movies and TV programs directly to a Hard Disk Drive instead of a Video Tape. Additioanlly, one should be able to review program data and book recordings via an EPG (eplained later).

Tuners

All PVRs use digital TV tuners. These tuners differ from older style analogue tuners only in that the signal they recieve is digital, not analogue. All terriestrial tuners use the same antenna cable as your old analogue TV. Depending on your location and the location of the Digital Video Broadcast Transmitter in your area, you may need to alter the position and direction of your home antenna. The more digital tuners your PVR uses, the more programs you can watch and record at one time and the stronger your digital signal / antenna will need to be to accomodate. Most PVRs allow you to watch or record from multiple programs on the one tuner as long as they are on the same transponder. For eaxample: If I am recording SBS ONE, I may be able to watch SBS 2 because it is broadcast on the same transponder.

This feature is not available on all PVRs however so it is best to check with the manufacturer.

Single Tuners PVRs generally allow you to watch and record one program at a time.
Dual or Twin Tuner PVRs generally allow you to record up to 2 programs, one of which you're watching.
Quad Tuner PVRs generally allow you to record up to 4 programs, one of which you're watching.

If your PVR allows, you may also be able to watch a pre-recorded program while recording live TV.

Fast forward, rewind and slow-mo.

Just like your old VCR but better.  Fast forward, rewind and playback recorded files at various speeds. Some more advance PVRs can do this at 256x the speed of standard playback.

Firmware Upgradable.

Basically, being Firmware upgradeable means a PVR can be upgraded to fix known problems after it leaves the factory.   In all our experience, we’ve not yet seen a PVR in which 100% of its stated functionality actually works out of the box.  Typically these are simple things overlooked by product testers such as time zone adjustments, but can also be as serious as recording corruption or HDD’s (hard Disk Drives)  not being detected. 

Firmware upgrades are typically done via USB stick or RS232 cable upgrade.  RS232 upgrades are an absolute pain even for the most experienced users to upgrade, however with so many units now coming with USB connectivity, the process has improved greatly. Being Firmware upgradeable is a very important feature and should be available on all PVR’s these days.  Firmware upgrades are usually free and available from the Manufacturer, Distributor or Brands website. However we have encountered some unscrupulous  brands  charging up to $45 for Firmware releases. One of these was an $89 PVR which required a firmware upgrade just to do what a PVR should do out of the box. Aldi – Please take notice.

Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

Standard Electronic Program Guide

EPG or Electronic Program Guide is an on screen program guide which can display a variety of program information such as Program name, Scheduled Start and End Time, Program Description containing information such as Actors, headline etc and video program preview (On Programs which are currently playing).    The electronic Program guide can also be used as a quick way to book recordings.  Some EPGs allow you to book and review bookings over the internet. 
EPGS display data (program information) which is source in one of 3 ways:

• TVdB (also known as XMLTV).
• Over The Air (OTA).
• Mix of OTA and TVdB / XMLTV.

TVdb / XMLTV.

TVdB standing for “TV Database“ or XMLTV standing for  Extensible Markup Language TV means your PVR or Set Top Box uses an internet connection to gather program information for the electronic program guide.  Well known subscription based TVdbs are IceTV and Tivo (overseas only). However these  are not the only TVdBs available. Many free XMLTV providers exist in Australia such as OzTivo Guide, Australian XMLTV grabbers, and Shepherd.  The XMLTV services can contain more detailed program data over a longer range of time, sometimes up to 2 months in advance.  Some XMLTV EPG’s allow you to search for programs by the actors name or directors name for example.  

This PVRs EPG uses a form of proprietary XMLTV

Additionally some XMLTV providers allow for program sorting which allows the user to view all “Movies” “News” or “Childrens Program” for example in the one list.  XMLTV is however prone to server outages and network congestion which can be quite irritating.

Over the Air.

OTA EPGs  contain program information generally up to 14-30 days in advance.  Australian OTA EPG data however is generally not transmitted more than 12 days in advance at this point in time and varies between broadcasters.  Units which are capable of receiving EPG data over greater periods of time will not display any more EPG information that what is broadcast over the air. The down side of Over the Air EPGs is that they generally require the user to flick through all the channels on which they wish to view program data before they display any data.  This problem does not occur on XMLTV based EPGs.

Over The Air and XMLTV.

This is basically a mix of the two above technologies.  One of the problems with TVdb or XMLTV only EPGs is firstly, they consume your internet data allowance (very little) and most importantly, if the XMLTV providers server is down, congested or your own internet connection is down, you will not be able to receive program data.  We have heard reports from Tivo owners of having to wait at times  15mins before they can use their unit for this reason.  In this case a mixture of the two technologies is appropriate as one can act as a fall back for the other.  

Book recordings directly from the Electronic Program Guide.

This is one of the most ground breaking features of a PVR and is one reason why PVRs are so popular.  Basically the procedure is as follows. 
Press the EPG button on your remote, scroll through a list of programs and press the “Book” button on your remote.  The PVR will begin recording at the time the specified program is due to start.  Many EPGs allow you to edit the recording duration to pad it out by say 5 or 10 minutes either side just in case your program runs over time.

Auto Standby / On-Off.

An absolute must for the environmentally conscious PVR user is Auto Standby.  This basically means the PVR will turn itself on automatically when a recording is scheduled to start and again turn itself off when a recording has finished. 

HDMI Output.

HDMI output is a must.  HDMI output (Standing for High Definition Multimedia Interface) means you will be able to take full advantage of your televisions video and audio capabilities delivering the highest possible quality should you have a newer HDTV or are intending on upgrading in the future.

PVRs: Advanced functionality.

The future of PVR technology is an amazing thing.  Strangely enough, it’s the lesser known brands which seem to push the envelope with advanced functionality.  As mentioned before advancing technology is something Freeview and the commercial stations would rather not happen, regardless;some pioneer brands are pushing the envelope and our expectations with PVRs which can and for some already have replaced their home PC.
We’ve compiled a list of features we can now look out for in more advanced PVRs.  Many of these features will become standard as time progresses, however some will no doubt be limited to PVRs which DO NOT bear the freeview logo (for obvious reasons).

Timeshift.

Timeshift is a term used to describe a PVRs ability to pause and rewind Live TV.  Obviously it is not possible to fast forward into the future, however if a user has a “buffer”,  time shift will fast forward to the extent of the buffer and resume playback at normal speed.   Timeshift can be opt in, meaning the user must tell the PVR they wish to use the feature. Most PVRs however have a default setting for timeshift which allows the user to tell the PVR if they wish to use the feature whenever they are watching TV, never or only when they press a certain button on their remote.  It should also be noted that timeshift does require storage capacity and can be limited depending on the recording mediums  (HDD’s) available capacity. 

Ad Skip.

AdSkip if basically the ability for the user to skip ahead or fast forward in pre-defined incriments such as 15 or 30 seconds.  This is a great feature for skipping ad breaks. Although very fast, this can however require more user input to transverse an entire ad break of 5 or so ads than simply pressing the fast forward button and may not be accurate at all (unless you have a crystal ball).  AdSkip can also come in a variety of flavours.  Some PVRs allow you to set hot keys for AdSkip .  For instance, pressing the number 1 on your PVR skips forward 15 seconds, pressing the number 2 skips forward 30 seconds.  Again the way this works (if the feature is available) varies depending on the PVR.  Check you the manual or ask your sales rep to explain how this works in more detail.

Ethernet / Wifi.

This is a very broad area of PVR functionality and will no doubt define the way Freeview and Non Freeview PVRs progress in the future. 

Unfortunately Freeview specifications on this subject are shady and short sighted, possibly due to the lack of units which really exploit this functionality to its fullest. 
One must however be careful not to expect more than what s stated from the manufacturer in respect to this functionality.  For instance, just because a PVR has an Ethernet or WiFi connector, does not mean your PVR will be able to browse the internet or files on your local computer.    Some PVRs use Ethernet to communicate with particular servers for transferring files such as FTP servers which must be configured by an experienced computer user before they are of any use what so ever.

Book recordings over the internet.

Some PVRs allow you to book recordings over the internet.  This means you can be sitting in your office, realise a program you wish to watch will be on before you get home and book it via a special web page.  This functionality has been extended with certain PVRs by allowing you to book recordings directly from  websites such as Yahoo Sevens TV Guide.  While this is only available to Tivo Customers, we may soon see a standard which allows a similar service to be available on other XMLTV Electronic Program Guides.

Torrent Downloads

Some PVRs will allow you to download Bit Torrent Files, useful for those who download both legal and illegal content from the internet directly to their PVR.   This is great for many Media player / PVRs as the process can be done via a remote control and does not necessarily have to involve the use of a computer.

On the Flip side, these PVRs may not allow you to search for torrents, something which ALWAYS precedes a torrent download –meaning you may have to search for the torrent using a laptop or PC  before you can download using your PVR. Further.  Being able to download a torrent does not bean your PVR / Media player will be capable of playing back the file.

Internet Browsing / Email.

Over the next few years, we’ll no doubt see an array of PVRs and Media Players come out with Internet Browsers.  Some PVRs already have this capability to some extent; while not having a browser as such, they do have the ability to view certain websites such as Youtube, Flickr, Wordpress, Gmail, Hotmail Etc.
One current brand of PVR, the Mediastar even includes a POP3 and SMTP server  (or a port scan would suggest), however we’re damned if we can figure out how to use it – perhaps this is an opening for new features delivered by future firmware upgrades.

Media File Playback.

Some, more feature rich PVR’s have the ability to play back a variety of media files on top of the file formats* they record.  Examples Include files with the “file extension” AVI, Mp4, MKV, FLV, AAC and MP3.
Please bear in mind.  A File extension is generally not a file type.  A File Extension is nothing more than a few letters at the end of a file name.  A file type is denoted by the content of the file.  With media files.  codecs play a large part.
Just because a PVR or Media Player says it can play AVI files does not mean it will play ALL AVI files.  ***(AVI files by the way are example, all file extensions are susceptible).



A single video media file (such as an MKV or AVI) is a container for a number of codecs with almost infinite options. 
Let’s take the humble AVI for example( although we must stress, this is not specific to AVI’s, almost all media files work this way) :

• Video Codec: Hundreds available, new codec’s or versions of codec’s being released every day ..DivX, MPEG4 , MS-MPEG4, Xvid, H.263, H.264…?
• Video Resolution: 320, 640, 1080… ?
• Display Aspect :16:9, 4:3, 1:1…?
• Resize Method: Letterbox, Stretch, Crop…?
• Video Bit Rate: 128-3000k…?
• Video Frame Rate: NTSC, PAL, PAL 30, PAL15, NTSC 12, NTSC 24…?
• Audio Codec: MP3, AAC-LC , MPEG-2, MPEG-4,AC3, PCM,WAV,ULAW, GSM,ALAW…?
• Audio Bit Rate: 16-960k…?
• Audio Frequency:12-96Khz…?
• Number of Audio Channels:  Mono  (single audio channel) – 9.1 Channels?
• De-Interlaced: Progressive, Interlaced?

While a PVR / Media Player may support *some* of the options, it may not support all of them.  Likewise, while it may support a few of the options from the video settings, it may not support all of the options from the audio settings.   This can result in video playing without audio, audio being out of sync, video not playing at all or audio only playing through 2 channels.   
Again, the file name or extension is NOT IMPORTANT.  What is important is the content of the file; what audio codec, what video codec, how many channels etc. ? If you do find that a particular file won’t play on your PVR… you’ll have no choice but to convert it using more common settings.  A number of software solutions are available for this purpose such as OJOSOFT Total Video Converter*.
Many of the codecs used in mp3,mp4, AVI etc production are licensed codecs.  Many similarly named codecs however have been derived from these codecs, which means while the licencesd codecs will generally play on PVRs, the unlicenced ones may not.  When choosing video or music format conversion software, those which you pay for will usually contain licenced codecs, while those which are freeware do not;  This means you’ll be lucky if the resulting files, videos or music play on most PVRs and Media Players.
It should fairly be noted that many movie files downloaded from the internet are compressed with free video conversion / compression software which despite their file extension; rmay not be supported by your PVR.  As codecs and their algorithms are always changing, it is impossible to guarantee the “avi” file (for instance)  you download will play on all of your AVI compatible devices.   This Includes your PVR.   
If you download movies from the internet, It is best to chose a PVR or Media Player manufacturer which regularly releases Firmware upgrades to address new unlicensed codecs and formats.

USB Output.

USB output (as with media file support and internet connectivity) is not as clear cut as it seems.  Infact this is perhaps one of the most important advanced features of a PVR and is definitely one feature which should be fully researched before buying a PVR.

What can USB do? (or rather what should it do?)

USB  (or universal serial bus) is a means of connecting external USB devices to your PVR.  Some devices may allow you to record directly or to Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or to Solid State Drive (SSD), Plugging in a Keyboard, or perhaps a Wi-Fi  USB Dongle for transferring files to and from your network.
All is not what it seems with PVRs as many have limits on the functionality of USB.   

Be careful of Freeview branded PVRs and Set Top Boxes as they may prevent you from performing some or all of the above mentioned features.  Likewise, many non Freeview models of PVrs will perhaps allow you to record to and restore from USB, but will not allow you to use the USB for WiFi Dongle. Further while one PVR may allow you to use USB WiFi Dongles, another may not.  Again, best to check the product specifications or ask your sales rep if you are intending to use specifc USB functionality.

Ad Detection.

This is another feature we’ll probably never find on a Freeview branded box:  Ad Detection .This is basically the ability for a PVR to detect the start and end of a sequence of Advertisements and flag them , so that instead of the user fast forwarding or “Ad Skipping” through advertisements, the unit automatically detects advertisement through Heuristic means and flags the ads.  When a flagged ad break is detected, a simple one button operation from the users remote will get them to the end of the ad break.  Pretty cool eh?   At this stage, we’re only aware of one commercially available unit which is capable of doing this: the Qlorq PVR which is essentially an HTPC for consumers.

AV Input.

Some PVRs include AV input functionality.  This means the PVR is capable of receiving an analogue signal in the same way as your old VCR used to.  Some (very few) “AV in” compatible PVRs will allow you to schedule the AV in recording is a very rough way which allows the user to record services such as Satellite services where other traditional means have failed.  AV In is useful in situations where the user wishes to record content from external devices such as TV’s, DVD Players, Movie Cameras, Security Cameras,  Digital Cameras and other similar sources.  AV input should not be confused with HDMI recording input which is not commercially possible due to HDMI licensing. All other PVR functions are usually disabled while using AV input.

Programmable Remote.

Many PVRs are now being release with the ability to program certain buttons on the remote to perform a series of functions sequentially.  For instance:  If I have to press fast forward 4 times in order to achieve 16x fast forward, I could program a single button on my remote to automatically “press” fast forward 4 times.  Another example would be programming a button to take me directly to my music library without having to manually navigate through the PVR menu.  Programming of these buttons is done on screen and is usually just a matter of navigating to a specific menu on your PVR and choosing which button you want which actions applied to.

Can I use a PVR to record Satellite and Cable TV such as Foxtel,  Austar and SelectTV.

Foxtel and Austar both have proprietory PVRs which can be purchased on a Monthly subscription starting from around $16.  These PVRs generally have restrictions on what you can do with the content once on your PVR.  For instance, im may not be possible to archive your recordings to an external device or keep your recordings for longer than a certain period of time. 
Although prohibited in Foxtels terms of use statement, all Pay TV Broadcasts and channels can be recorded with a suitable third party PVR in the same way as a free to air broadcast.  It should be noted; Satellite broadcasters invest heavily in preventing the use of PVRs which are not supplied by the broadcasters themselves. In contrast to SelectTV, Foxtel and  Austrar, regularly attempt to introduce anomylies in their broadcasts  which prevent non Foxtel / Austar PVRs from working.  Certain features may not be available with third part PVRs such as full EPG (electronic program guide), program search etc.  To date, the only PVR brand we are aware of which regularly address these issues is Media Star through way of regular Firmware updates.   Additionally, third party boxes can unlock the ability to view HD channels (without paying for an IQ2 subscription).

So which is the best brand of PVR?

There is no specific answer to this question.  PVRs are as dynamic as the content they record.   What we can say is that bigger, well known brands are not alwaysbetter.  Rather than recommend a brand, we can recommend the traits of brands which produce products which people are happy with.  

• High level of customer service.  – PVR’s are susceptible to changes in Broadcast specifications.  Don’t be surprised if these changes cause your PVR to “break” in some way during the lifetime of the PVR.  Without good, responsive customer service, the life of your PVR may be shorter than you think.  
• Place of manufacture. -  At this stage, Korean manufactured PVRs tend to be better designed and polished in terms of their interface and manuals.  Chinese manufactured PVRs can be a cost effective and feature packed choice.  The quality of Chinese electronics has improved greatly since the introduction of “minimum pay” working conditions.  Chinese manufactured PVRs often present better value for money however you may have to decipher the odd ”Chinglish” manual, menu or option as a trade-off . 
• Responsive to consumer feedback.  A good PVR manufacturer will take feedback from the consumers and retailers and implement this feedback in Firmware upgrades and product improvements. Online, a good way to gauge this is to monitor forum threads about the product or brand of PVR you wish to buy and see if the brands, retailers and distributors participate in the discussions and see how they resolve problems the community may encounter.  You should also take all feedback in forums with a grain of salt as it can be impossible to tell if an upset customer is simply a competitor spamming another brand.  Another method is to look for Firmware release notes which often list all upgrades and changes made to the system software since the unit was first released.  Check the time between Firmware releases and the severity of the problems rectified in the release.   If you see major problems which have gone un fixed for a long period of time or major problems outlined in the “Know problems / issues” section of the Firmware notes, it may be best to avoid the product or at least discuss the problems with your sales rep

Freeview:  What is Freeview?

Many PVRs now give users the ability to easily fast forward through the Television Advertising which had once been difficult to avoid.   As a result, the controversial Freeview  brand was adopted by Australian commercial advertisers (Channel  TEN, Nine, Seven and SBS)  as a way of protecting  their Advertising revenue. 
By slowing fast forward rates, resuming normal playback at the start of each advertisement and forcing the user to press fast forward again, The Freeview consortium of Advertisers felt they could slow the loss in revenue this new technology presented.  Other features omitted in some PVRs bearing the Freeview Logo are Ad Skipping, Ad Detection and external archiving or copying of recorded files between PVR compatible devices.  
Freeview created expensive and successful advertising campaigns which led consumers to believe that ONLY products which bore the Freeview label were capable of recoding television in the future, what they did not tell you was that PVR products which did not bear the Freeview Logo were generally able to do the job better and many of which were equally as capable of delivering and recording recorded content not only now but into the future. This was preceeded in late 2008 – early 2009 by attempting to fix the potential loss of revenue they had overlooked by  threatening to make all PVR and Set Top Box or Digital TV products which did not adhere to New Freeview specifications obsolete by basically changing the way television was broadcast.  This sent the Electronic manufacturing industry into a spin as many new, products at the time did not comply with new proposed Freeview specifications.  As a result companies such as LG and Sony (for example) had to liquidate stock and were forced to bring their products up to spec.   Fortunately for the consumers this event never happened however it did cause the manufacturing industry to create PVRs and other Digital TV devices which adhered to projected Freeview specifications; regardless of whether the specific manufacturer has purchased a Freeview Licence.

Freeview:  More for me!!?

Freeview is a brand which indicates compliance with Freeview specifications and most importantly that the manufacturer has paid  Freeview a licensing fee.  This enables the manufacturer to use the Freeview brand on their own products and marketing and take advantage of the advertising Freeview produce.  Manufacturers who pay a Freeview licencing fee are also advertised on Freeviews website as supported manufacturers.  

Freeview:  My box isn’t Freeview! Does that mean it won’t work in the future?

Absolutely not.  Although Freeview would like you to believe this. To the consumer, Freeview is nothing more than a glitzy advertising campaign, coupled with a badge (logo) and series of feature limiting specifications.  Just because a PVR, Digital TV or Set Top Box manufacturer has not purchased a Freeview License, does not mean their products fail to meet these specifications.  In reality all it means is they can not use Freeview logo on their products and will be cheaper generally than the Freeview badged alternatives.   To date any PVR or Set Top Box which is Firmware upgradable and uses H.264 M-PEG2/4 compression should be fine.

Non Freeview badged PVRs, TVs or Set Top Boxes can be better value for money in terms of features and price with most newer units adhering to ONLY the best parts of the Freeview specifications while omitting the feature limitations Freeview specify.    This may be due to the enormous cost of a Freeview license and unwillingness to down spec units for nothing more than a badge.

Tivo PVR.

One of the earliest commercially available examples of PVR technology was the Tivo. Trialed in 1998 and released in 2000 to the American market, Tivo was first to bring PVR technology to the mass market through way of expensive advertising campaigns. In 1998 Channel Seven purchased distribution rights for the Tivo product in Australia as a means of profiting from technology which ultimately had the ability to compromise its revenue generator; Television Advertising.