The pre-World Cup craze for Freeview HD boxes aside , the idea of adding a simple receiver to a home ents set-up could seem a rather primitive way of accessing hi-def.
Step forward a new batch of Freeview+ HD kit, digital video recorders that seek to ape the likes of Sky+ and Virgin Media V+ and offer something more than just BBC HD.
The bulky DHR8203U from Digital Stream is one of the first Freeview+ HD recorders to hit the market, and could remain one of very few products of its kind for some weeks.
It may be a relatively new brand, but Digital Stream's DHR8203U has an impressively solid look and feel to it – and plenty of offer on the inside, too. The headline feature is that this black box with soft blue lighting and red-lit touch sensitive controls (which flash yellow when touched) hides a 320GB hard drive. It can store around 180 hours of standard definition recordings, or 60 hours of hi-def TV.
Boasting one-touch and series link recording, the DHR8203U's ins and outs comprise HDMI, two Scarts, composite video, stereo audio, optical audio and a Common Interface slot for adding Top Up TV viewing cards.
Although its Ethernet LAN port won't connect directly to BBC iPlayer services, it's part of the Freeview HD box specification because it does allow manufacturers to send updated software – which could include any 'Project Canvas' portal that develops. And that will undoubtedly feature iPlayer alongside ITV Player, 4OD and other commercial on-demand TV platforms.
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scarter
August 9th 2010
4. End of June Update (3.51) added DD5.1 Transcoding via SPDIF. GREAT.
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xmb
June 21st 2010
3. Currently no support for AAC to Dolby Digital 5.1 audio but there is a possibility of this arriving in a software update that is being Beta tested (maybe released 30th June)!
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avoided_cranium
June 12th 2010
2. The Digital Stream has potential but there seem to be a lot of things which should have been sorted out before we are expected to cough up £275 for it. It is as if it has been rushed to market before the beta testing was finished. There are a lot of glitches that hopefully will be solved with future software updates.
The remote control looks as if all the tiny buttons relating to the hard disk playback have been squashed into the foot of the remote as an afterthought.
With 3 USB ports, the biggest setback for me was not being able to transfer TV recordings to a USB device or PC to archive favourite programs. All decent PVRs do this - the Technomate you just reviewed - even my old Toppy could do it. It's a shame - apart from this and the slow EPG load time - it's otherwise a very good box with some nice features.
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xmb
June 12th 2010
1. Did you check whether the unit actually can provide surround sound?
The similar Sagemcom RTI90 only outputs stereo PCM when using the HE-AAC audio stream used by Freeview HD in the UK.
Clearly this is a big minus point for many purchasers as one would like great surround sound to go with the great HD images!
All reviews for Freeview HD equipment should check for this point and report their findings as it is clearly a big issue for most prospective buyers. It needs to be confirmed if a product transcodes the HE-AAC to Dolby AC3 via the optical or coaxial digital audio connections or decodes the HE-AAC to a multi-channel bitstream (PCM) via the HDMI connection.
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