Sony's latest addition to the Bloggie camcorder range is the Bloggie Sport, a rugged little video camera ideal for filming, well, sports.

Perhaps it's extreme sports you're into - Sony's thought of that, making the Bloggie Sport water-, dust- and shockproof so even if you tell it that it was adopted, it should be fine.

You can also drop it from a height of 1.5m, if you fancy it.

Modal

Movie recording is available in Full HD, with a number of different modes including Lite (non-HD, for smaller files) and HD Sports for fast-moving subjects.

The Sony lens offers a 4.50mm (1/4.0) Exmor CMOS sensor, while 4x digital zoom and 4GB of internal memory round out the package (that's enough for two hours of HD video, according to Sony).

The 6.7cm LCD display is touch-enabled, and the camcorder weighs 148g, which shouldn't weigh you down too much when you're on the track or the pitch or whatever.

No official word on a Sony Bloggie Sport UK release date or price yet, but expect it to be fairly wallet-friendly when it does arrive.

Best Freeview HD recorders: Overview

In the rush to bring out Freeview+ HD recorders in time for the World Cup in 2010, one or two manufacturers – including Pace and Sagemcom – quite obviously rushed out their products before they were finished.

Cue EPGs that didn't work, stalling operating systems and snarling consumers.

Happily, virtually all of those teething problems have since been fixed via over-the-air software updates, and there have been some new additions to the range as well.

There are 500GB hard disks with options to double that capacity, one-touch series link recording, wireless streaming of media around your home, recording to a USB device and even the occasional built-in Blu-ray player.

Oh, and pin-sharp high definition recordings.

One thing no manufacturer has offered thus far is a Freeview HD PVR with three DVB-T2 tuners, something that leaves Virgin V+ users, in particular, shackled to their monthly fees.

Sky users will already be familiar with the inflexibility of two tuners, though it's something we expect these brands to address in the new batch of Freeview HD PVRs in 2012.

What makes the best Freeview HD PVR?

When buying a Freeview HD recorder, do bear in mind the size of the hard disk. As a rough guide, 500GB will give you around 220 hours of recordings from standard definition channels and around 70 hours of high definition – although obviously you need to think of the mix you'll actually use.

Typically only one in four – or less – recordings are from hi-def channels, in our experience.

The user interface – always crucial on any AV product – only gets more important when you add recording functions, so choose carefully and, as always, try before you buy.

10 best Freeview HD recorders: The list

Icecrypt T2400

The UK's first 1TB Freeview+ HD recorder/PVR

With a huge hard disk, playback, streaming and even exporting of a host of digital files, this Turbosat-made Icecrypt box is a versatile and fully-featured Freeview+ HD recorder with some nice extras.

Now with a massive price drop, this 1TB Western Digital Green Drive-endowed PVR can store an impressive 250 hours of HD or 500 hours of SD TV shows and movies - and there's a 2TB version available, too. Easy to use and nicely designed, the Icecrypt T2400 goes beyond most of its competitors.

Read: Icecrypt T2400 review

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TVonics DTR-Z500HD

This Freeview+ HD recorder with HDMI switching is as slick as they come

Another unusual offering comes from Wales; TVonics' PVR boasts not only two Freeview HD tuners and a 500GB hard disk, but also two HDMI inputs.

That boundary-breaking brace makes the TVonics DTR-Z500HD capable of acting as an HDMI switcher - just plug in a games console and a Blu-ray player and trail one cable to your wall-mounted TV, using the TVonics remote to switch between inputs rather than the TV remote.

There's no media streaming, although digital files can be played from USB sticks and the slick, quick user interface is to die for.

Read: TVonics DTR-Z500HD review

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Panasonic DMR-BWT700

Sparkling HD pictures make this this Freeview HD, 3D-compatible Blu-ray playing Skype box a treat

Hugely ambitious and capable, this superb catch-all HD and 3D Blu-ray box does have a few rough edges; Panasonic's engineers and designers have thought of everything, but the sheer amount of choices involved in the 320GB hard disk's housekeeping could confuse a rocket scientist.

No matter, because making a video call to the other side of the Earth is a cinch and the picture quality is outstanding; this is a slice of AV heaven with geek features galore (though sadly no Viera Connect, which means no BBC iPlayer).

Read: Panasonic DMR-BWT700 review

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Samsung BD-DT7800

This networkable PVR has taken its cue from the brand's Blu-ray players and is feature-rich

Samsung's first stab at a standalone HD PVR is a twin-tuner affair that's got a 500GB hard disk in tow, as well as some editing tools. But it's the inclusion of the brand's impressive Smart Hub online dimension that's its main draw.

Its glamorous brushed silver fascia and touch-sensitive controls hide a capable machine that's as at home with DLNA networking of the likes of MKV, WMV, DivX HD, MP3, WMA and JPEG files as it is with displaying goodies from BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, LOVEFiLM and BBC News.

The eight-day Freeview HD EPG is awesome too, although despite its dual tuners this deck can't record two channels simultaneously. It's the one misfire on an otherwise awesome stab at Freeview HD.

Read: Samsung BD-DT7800 review

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Toshiba HDR5010

Toshiba's well-mannered hi-def PVR shares some DNA with its TVonics rival

Promised for so long, the arrival of this twin tuner FreeviewHD+ PVR brings a sense of déjà vu - and it's the TVonics DTR-Z500HD, one of our other favourites of the genre, that it recalls most closely.

That's solely down to its two HDMI inputs, which enables the Toshiba HDR5010 to also act as an HDMI switcher. But just as useful is its ability to record two HD channels at once to a 500GB hard disk.

With a neat user interface, easy archiving and a roster of convenient features - such as an audio delay option - Toshiba's debut Freeview+HD PVR has everyman appeal in spades.

Read: Toshiba HDR5010 review

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Samsung BD-D8900

With its 1TB hard drive and Smart TV functionality, this Freeview+ HD/Blu-ray combi promises to tick all the boxes

The last word in home entertainment? The Samsung BD-D8900 is able to convert regular broadcast TV in 3D - albeit in a fairly rudimentary, hit-and-miss manner.

This cool combi also adds 3D and 2D Blu-ray disc playback to two Freeview+HD tuners, a generous 1TB hard disk and Samsung's own deliciously well populated Smart TV dashboard of apps whose number includes the likes of BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Facebook.

It's a shame it can't archive HD recordings to blank Blu-ray discs, and nor does it always behave while streaming digital files, but this good value, ambitious deck has it where it counts.

Read: Samsung BD-D8900 review

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Humax HDR-Fox T2

The Freeview+ HD PVR that everyone was waiting for

Humax sensibly avoided trying to cash in on the World Cup with a prematurely early release of its debut PVR.

Building on a very good reputation in the Freeview PVR market, the HDR-FOX T2 further boosts Humax' reputation in the fledgling HD sector.

The sensibly-designed remote control, attractive menu system, fascia information and slickness of navigation are major positives. Freeview HD and standard-def images and sound are as good as we've seen while multi-media functionality is a good bonus, especially the ease with which files can be copied on to the hard disk from USB.

Other non-Freeview talents include multimedia file playback from USB or DLNA compliant devices connected over a wired network.

A software update will soon make Sky Player available on the interface – now that we like. BBC iPlayer is on the way too.

Read: Humax HDR-FOX T2 review

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3View 3VHD

Extensive search features, VoD and internet access set this hybrid 500GB Freeview HD PVR apart from the crowd

3view may not be the first manufacturer to release a hybrid VoD and Freeview HD PVR but this UK-based company's inaugural 3VHD product has lots of features on offer if you want a media server as well as a recorder.

The pun-tastic term '3view' is defined as 'watch, search and interact', alluding not just to TV but the networking and online features on offer.

Its 500GB 2.5in SATA hard drive is accompanied by a Z-Wave chip, which will enable you to control lighting and heating systems at a later date. Blimey.

The seven-day EPG goes above and beyond the average Freeview PVR, while recordings can be scheduled using a manual timer as well as the EPG with the ability to specify duration and repeat options.

Media streaming is possible from DLNA/uPnP-compatible USB drives or networked devices and all manner of files can be copied to the hard drive. And that's the icing on the reliable, multi-functional and great value recorder.

Read: 3view 3VHD review

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TVOnics DTR-HD500

This Freeview+ HD 500GB PVR has HDMI switching

This laid back and pricey 500GB pairs Freeview+ HD with HDMI switching, but is it doing enough?

Curvy and tilted like some Samsung Blu-ray players, the DTR-HD500 is all about easy recording to its 500GB hard disk, and some unique HDMI switching skills – it's able to take feeds from a games console and a Blu-ray player, cutting down on remotes in your living room.

Recording functionality is relatively advanced, with dual DVB-T2 tuners allowing you to record two channels at once, as well as pause live TV, though there's scant USB functionality aside from JPEG slideshows.

Its interface is slightly too slow and largely identical to its rivals' efforts, and though there's a lot to like about TVonics' debut Freeview+HD recorder, it's a few features short of greatness.

Read: TVonics DTR-HD500 review

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Philips HDT8520

A difficult birth, but this Pace/Philips Freeview HD PVR is now as able bodied as any

Like Capello's men, it seems this Pace-produced Freeview HD recorder – the first of its kind at the time – wasn't well prepared ahead of the World Cup.

Bugs a-plenty pretty much stalled its progress, but happily the arrival of some new software – version 4.22, to be exact – has helped the HDT8520 become the Freeview HD recorder par excellence we'd always hoped it would be.

The HDT8520 has two Freeview HD tuners, which makes it possible to record two channels simultaneously to its 500GB hard disk while watching a recording. That equates to around 220 hours of SD channels and 110 hours of HD.

Highly detailed broadcasts from BBC HD were presented crisply and with plenty of life, while SD channels hold up well. Sure, there's the odd wobbly edge and a touch of picture noise in backgrounds, but there's some decent upscaling going on.

If you're after fairly advanced Freeview HD recording functionality it's a good option.

Read: Philips HDT8520 review

Chip giant Intel is to drop out of the smart TV market due to a lack of demand for internet-enabled flatscreens.

The company will fold its TV-based Digital Home Group, and move the engineers onto tablet, smartphone and Ultrabook development.

Intel's Atom CE4100 chip currently powers D-Link's Boxee Box and Logitech's Revue digital media players, as well as Sony's Google-powered televisions. But it's set to be the last chip of its kind, with competitor ARM likely to fill the void Intel leaves.

"This is a business decision where we're taking those resources and applying them to corporate priorities," Claudine Mangano, an Intel official, told Bloomberg.

TV Go Home

Those priorities look increasingly like tablets and smartphones, where the Digital Home Group's knowledge could be harnessed to create portable devices with smart TV functionality.

The CE4100 will continue to be sold and supported by Intel, and it will also remain - albeit more anonymously - in set top boxes.

By all rights Google TV should have followed in the lucrative footsteps of Android, but we were less than impressed when we reviewed it.

Although there's still potential in the smart TV format, the massive popularity of tablets makes it seem like Intel is doing the right thing.

South Korean electrical giant Samsung has announced new image sensor chips and processors for the mobile market.

The image sensor, known as the S5K2P1, packs a whopping 16 megapixels and backside illumination for sensitivity and low-noise performances.

Although designed primarily for smartphones, Samsung believes the S5K2P1 will also find its way into digital still cameras and camcorders.

This is due to its incredible video capabilities: Samsung reckons it's capable of 60 frames per second 16:9 video at up to 8.3 megapixel resolution - although you'd probably have to strap a small hard drive to your cameraphone to handle the sheer size of the video files.

The sensor is currently being sampled by "select customers", with mass production scheduled for November.

The long ARM of the law

In addition to the epic image sensor, Samsung has unveiled the Exynos 4212 dual core ARM A9 processor.

Based on a 32nm HKMG logic process technology with dual cores, it's said to offer a 30 per cent lower power level and 25 per cent increase in processing power.

It also packs 50 per cent higher 3D graphics performance, video recording and playback at full-HD 1080p resolution and an on-chip HDMI 1.4 interface.

Again, the new processor will be sampled by "select customers" in the latter quarter of this year, and Samsung has unveiled an official site for the chips.

It seems Samsung is sticking two fingers firmly up to Apple following the iPhone manufacturer's decision to switch to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co for the production of upcoming mobile chips.

Virgin Media's TiVo hard disk recorder and on-demand set top box has changed the way people find and view TV programmes, according to the fibre-optic entertainment supremo.

A quarter of its users forgo the electronic programme guide (EPG) favoured by other set top boxes, instead preferring TiVo's intelligent search feature.

Half of these searches are for programmes that aren't in audience research company BARB's top fifty for the UK - which means more people are seeking out programmes, rather being spoon-fed the top result on the EPG.

According to Virgin Media's second 'Entertainment Index', the top ten customer searches were:

1. The Apprentice
2. Camelot
3. Doctor Who
4. House
5. Glee
6. EastEnders
7. Dexter
8. Casualty
9. Desperate Housewives
10. Fringe

Too demanding

Dexter and Fringe aren't broadcast on conventional 'terrestrial' channels, instead being shown on FX and Sky1 respectively which, Virgin Media reckons, reinforces the prominence of "word of mouth social recommendations or marketing campaigns".

What Virgin Media hasn't revealed is the number of people who prefer watching on-demand to recording on the TiVo's hard drive, so it's not clear if the Tivo's 1TB of storage is proving increasingly redundant.

At 484 million views in the first half of 2011, Virgin Media's on-demand service is still dwarfed by the BBC iPlayer - which achieved 175 million views in December 2010 alone.

The company believes it's on track to achieve one billion views this year, but this could be a drop in the ocean compared to the (free) iPlayer's results.

We doubt Virgin is too worried though. It's already delivered Britain's fastest fibre-optic broadband to many homes, and many will take out a TV package at the same time.

With the arrival of Sky+ back in 2001, the satellite broadcaster managed to bring the PVR to the British consciousness in a way that others had not managed to do.

The technology (and a hefty marketing campaign) got people talking, and no doubt attracted many to the service, and a Sky+ box under the television became a familiar site.

Let's take a look back at a decade of Sky+ boxes...

2001/2 Pace box

2003 Pace box

2004 Kath Kidson design - the first 'designer' Sky+ Box

2005 - Football team-branded boxes

2005 - LuLu Guiness designer box

2009 Amstrad box

2009 HD box

2011 Sky+HD 1TB box

Echostar has announced the arrival of its latest digital TV recorder – the HDS-600RS.

The recorder comes complete with Freesat and SlingPlayer capabilities, which means that you can view content from the recorder on you iPad, iPhone or Android devices and you get HD channels to boot.

According to Echostar, the HDS-600RS is a fully-featured media entertainment centre. This is because it is equipped with a 500GB hard disk drive, two TV tuners, the ability to upscale SD content (from 576i to 720p & 1080i) and a HD EPG guide.

For the SlingPlayer functionality to work on mobile devices, however, you do need the SlingPlayer mobile app – something that is sold separately.

Feature focus

Other features include a USB2.0 port, 2x RF inputs, Ethernet, Scart and HDMI. Alongside the full integrated SlingLoaded TV Anywhere functionality, there is also the BBC iPlayer app on board.

The Echostar HDS-600RS UK release date and pricing is still to be confirmed, but Echostar has announced that a new website will also be launched (www.myechostar.com) to provide consumers with product information, support and details of where to buy the HDS-600RS.

Sony has announced a double helping of PVR goodness this week, with the launch of the SVR-HDT1000 and SVR-HDT500 personal video recorders.

The PVRs have twin Freeview HD tuners built-in so you can record two programmes at once and watch another at either 576p, 720p, 1080i or 1080p picture quality.

Price details

When it comes to hard-drive size, the clue is in the name. The Sony HDT1000 has a massive 1TB at its disposal, while the HDT500 is a still-impressive 500GB.

There are also two USB 2.0 ports so you can use one to view photos, watch movies and listen to music – as long as it's in the JPEG, MPEG or JPEG format – and the other to expand the capacity of the PVRs with an external hard drive.

There's no UK release date for the HDT1000 and HDT500 PVRs as of yet (Play says they will be out in May) but price-wise you are looking at £330 for the HDT500 and £400 for the HDT1000.

TechRadar received its Humax HDR-FOX T2 Freeview+ HD PVR review sample this morning, and the box has let slip a little secret – that the much-mooted forthcoming firmware update will bring VOD features including Sky Player in October.

Until now, Humax would only confirm that there would be a firmware update for its Freeview HD offerings "sometime in the Autumn". However, the HDR-FOX T2 box clearly states October as a launch date.

So what exactly can we expect from this firmware refresh? For a start, the box specifically mentions Sky Player – and Humax has already confirmed that Sky Player will definitely be landing on its boxes sometime in the Autumn. So that's a nailed-on certainty.

With this in mind, it's not much of a leap to expect that the Humax HD-FOX T2 Freeview HD receiver, which launched back in February, will receive the same features via a similar firmware update at the same time.

The VOD features will be delivered to the Humax boxes through the ethernet cable on the back - so you'll need to have it connected to your modem or router in order for it to work.

BBC iPlayer?

But there is also some speculation that the BBC iPlayer service might also land on Humax boxes with this firmware update. Rumours to this effect have been doing the rounds for quite a while, but Humax has refused to be drawn on whether or not iPlayer inclusion is on the cards.

We spoke to Humax this afternoon to at least get confirmation of the October launch date, but we were told simply that the firmware update would land 'in the Autumn' and that other features are yet to be comfirmed.

In other words, they don't want to talk about it yet.

Naturally we also asked Humax about the inclusion of BBC iPlayer, but it said merely that "the only VOD service currently confirmed is Sky Player". Could negotiations between the BBC and Humax be ongoing? Could next year's Project Canvas launch have any impact on iPlayer's inclusion? For the moment nothing is clear.

We'll update you with any news on Sky Player and BBC iPlayer on Humax boxes if and when we receive it, and in the meantime, why not take the time to enter our competition to win one of two Humax HDR-FOX T2 boxes for yourself?

And finally... tune in later this week to read our full review of the Humax HDR-FOX T2 box itself.

Nicolas Chartier, the producer of Hurt Locker, has sparked a war of words with a cinemagoer, after his decision to sue BitTorrent users who downloaded the Oscar-winning film was criticised.

A reader of BoingBoing contacted the producer saying he disagreed with the move and, to his surprise, he got a rather rash reply.

In the email, which is printed on BoingBoing in full, Chartier said:

"If you think it's normal they take my work for free, I'm sure you will give away all your furniture and possessions and your family will do the same… I'm glad you're a moron who believes stealing is right.

"I hope your family and your kids end up in jail one day for stealing so maybe they can be taught the difference."

The rather sarcastic email continued: "Please do not download, rent, or pay for my movies, I actually like smart and more important HONEST people to watch my films."

Ouch.

Pirate points of view

To be fair, the Boing Boing reader did tell Chartier that he was "boycotting" his films because of "Voltage Pictures' intention to sue thousands of people".

We're suspecting, though, that we wasn't expecting that kind of candid response.

Hurt Locker was the winner of this year's Oscar for Best Picture. Since then, the movie has gone on to make $16 million in the US.

The film was reportedly pirated a massive six months before its release in the cinemas, something which Voltage Pictures is singling out as the reason for the movie's moderate revenue.

A hospital in Glasgow is doing away with the general anaesthetic, replacing drugs with discs for those who come in for knee surgery.

Dr Nick Pace, an anaesthetist from Gartnavel Hospital, is the person who came up with the idea of visual stimulation as a pain pacifier and it is a method he has been successfully using for the past 18 months.

We would have thought that an anaesthetist would be all for using general anaesthetic in surgery but instead of putting people to sleep, but Pace believes that making patients watch a DVD speeds up the healing process.

"We tried music, but after about an hour a lot of patients got distracted and fidgety, and we ended up having to give them a general anaesthetic anyway," said Pace to the BBC.

"Then I happened to be speaking to a friend of mine who was taking two young kids on a long journey down to London and she told me she'd distract them with two DVDs strapped to the back of the seats. It got me thinking."

Slipped disc

To support Pace's disc-based plans, a mount was made which holds a DVD player over the operating table.

Although a local anaesthetic is used to numb the area which is being operated on, the patient stays awake throughout the whole thing.

So far 50 per cent of Pace's patients are opting for this method, rather than being knocked unconscious.

And the choice of movies? Well, Blue Planet and Only Fools And Horses are used often but Pace has a whole library of DVDs for patients to chose from.

We're hoping that the collection is more This Is Spinal Tap and Doctor Who than Bringing Out Your Dead and Flatliners.

Apparently, they were going to use the technique for back surgery, but they were worried about slipped discs.

We'll get our coat.

Humax has released a statement assuring users of its 9150T, 9300T and 9200T Freeview+ digital TV recorders that any problems they are having with the machines will be rectified in an upcoming software update.

A number of forums have been reporting issues with the set-top boxes, ranging from freezing screens and the EPG not updating properly but Humax seems to be listening and is busy trying to sort out the problem.

It seems that the Humax engineers are preparing a software fix which will comes as an over-the-air update in the coming weeks.

This is said to improve performance and future-proof the machines against any other problems that may occur.

Complex nature

"Humax is very aware that, for several months, some customers have been experiencing a slowdown in operation and usability issues with our PVR models," explains the statement.

"Resolving these issues has been a priority for our technical team who have been working diligently on a fix, but unfortunately, due to the complex nature of the issues, it has taken much longer than we had hoped to develop new software to sort out the PVR issues.

"However, I am pleased to be able to inform you that our technical team has developed a software solution that will dramatically improve the user experience and address issues such as freezing and locking up.

"We have also ensured the new software mitigates the risk of future problems and have taken this opportunity to introduce a new feature as part of the upgrade to significantly reduce the time it takes to display the on-screen electronic programme guide (EPG) information, from many minutes to seconds."

Digital switchover to blame?

The slowdown has been put down to "The increasing complexity of the UK's broadcast infrastructure and requirement to process a substantially higher volume of information".

Essentially, the digital switchover has caused something of an info overload, which in turn lead the machines (in particular the 9200T) to suffer from slowdown and the like.

The automatic over-the-air software download for the fix will be available "in a matter of weeks," with exact dates to be confirmed soon.

If you want to be kept up to date with all things Humax, then sign up to their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Humax has also released the email address uksupport@humax-digital.co.uk for those who want to contact them.

Installing and configuring MythTV

Personal video recorders (PVRs) are usually quite expensive – and for good reason. This is the device you are entrusting your favourite entertainment to: shows like 24 and Lost, that crucial sporting fixture or last summer's Hollywood blockbuster that you missed at the cinema and are desperate to see.

What if your PVR runs out of space and is unable to record anything on the one night you're kept late at work and can't make it home to watch your team in the cup tie of the century? Even worse, what if your PVR's hard disk fails completely, losing that entire series you'd recorded and religiously avoided any spoilers of for the past three months, just so you could watch it all over a single weekend?

The mental anguish and resulting window repair bill (due to a PVR-shaped projectile) could all be avoided simply by building a robust PVR yourself with MythTV.

Install MythTV

Installing MythTV can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it. You could install a plain vanilla Linux distro and then install and configure MythTV with a lot of nasty terminal and command-line work, but if you fancy going down the easy route, it's simple to install a Linux distro with MythTV built in to the installer.

Some of them will be based on distros we're all familiar with (MythDora is based on Fedora/Red Hat, for example) and some will be a little more obscure. Ubuntu is one of the most widely used Linux distros, thanks in no small part to the user-friendly Windows/Mac feel of its front-end, and a Ubuntu installation with MythTV built-in is just too good an opportunity to pass up for this system.

Having decided how you're going to install MythBuntu, it's a rather straightforward procedure.

Anybody who has installed Ubuntu before will be instantly familiar with the first section – select your language, location, time zone, keyboard localisation and installation drive (select the 'Erase and use entire disk' option for better MythTV performance) before moving on to selecting what you'd like your machine to be called, what your main user account will be, the respective password and so on.

It's all fairly standard stuff, and none of these options are particularly critical. Ubuntu's installation procedure has been in this format since Hardy Heron (version 8.04), and it's as easy to navigate as the Windows installation process is.

INSTALL: Impressively for an operating system with such large added extras, Mythbuntu installs just as quickly as regular-flavour Ubuntu

When asked to select which installation type you would like, be sure to select 'Primary Backend w/Frontend' from the options available. This is the first option anyone should use when installing MythTV, as any network or system containing MythTV requires a back-end first and foremost.

Once this is in place and working, you can add front-end clients or even secondary back-end machines to expand your capabilities, but getting this up and running is your first task.

For additional services, make sure to tick every box – they are all potentially very useful and provide handy remote administration tools as well as easy connection to Windows and Linux machines for file-sharing and easier setup of an additional MythTV front-end client. Even if you don't use them all, they take up little in terms of time and space, so they're worth having just in case.

If your TV card has a remote control, check the 'Enable Remote' box and search for your device (or something close if the exact one doesn't exist; those from the same manufacturer are usually quite compatible). Click through the next summary screen, then go off and have a coffee while the installation runs.

Once the Ubuntu portion of the installation is complete, you'll be presented with the Configure Guide Data/Backend screen. If you're not in the USA, you won't need to do anything to the Schedules Direct section as this is a US service that distributes TV guide information. If you're anywhere else in the world, your guide will be pulled in via the tuner, as with a normal television.

Now click the button to 'Launch MythTV Setup' and prepare to be a little overwhelmed!

Set up MythTV

At first glance you'd be forgiven for thinking that MythTV's setup isn't particularly scary – it's a rather friendly-looking, big chunky-buttoned GUI that looks quite innocuous. However, start delving into some options and you'll soon see how configurable it actually is.

CONFIGURATION: The setup looks simple now, but just you wait until you start tweaking…

Under the General section there are 12 pages of various options, from simple things like the IP address of the back-end (it happens to be the address of the machine you're on) to customising the terminal commands and port/transport settings.

Generally speaking, you can leave it all alone and everything will work, but it's something you might want to experiment with later to get more out of your system.

Also note that there is no mouse support through these menus, so there will be a lot of using [Tab] to get down to the 'Next/Back' buttons until you get everything right!

The Capture Cards section, on the other hand, is very important – this is the menu item in which you will be selecting your installed TV card. In most cases MythTV picks your card up automatically, and all you have to do is scroll left or right through the various card types, move down to the Video Device option and scroll through there until your card is displayed.

TV TUNER: If your TV card isn't being picked up automatically, try adjusting the aerial or installing the drivers manually to get it to show

It's hard to know which type your card will fall under as they're all slightly different, but if you scroll through all the available options, yours should eventually turn up.

If it doesn't, don't panic! Ours didn't either, probably due to the fact that the system we were installing Myth TV on is in a basement with very thick walls – if the TV card doesn't pick up a signal from the off, then MythTV won't realise it's there, and it won't appear under any of the dropdown menus.

You'll need to exit the MythTV setup, install the driver for your TV card manually from the Ubuntu terminal and then go back into the MythTV setup. You'll now find that it's available under the dropdown menus mentioned before.

For the uninitiated, installing drivers manually in Linux is a pretty terrifying prospect – it's all done through the terminal rather than a nice graphical Control Panel-style interface, and you end up with strings like this:

'wget http://www.wi-bw.tfh-wildau.de/ pboettch/home/linux-dvb-firmware/dvb-usbdib0700-1.10.fw'.

Fear not, though: every problem you encounter has been encountered by someone else previously, and a quick scan of the web – in particular the exhaustive MythTV wiki – will give you the exact commands you need to get back on track.

Having finished the MythTV setup, it will tell you that you need to run the MythFileDatabase command in order to prepare for viewing/recording, before rather helpfully offering to run it for you when you are leaving. Following an automatic reboot, you will find yourself at the MythTV front-end main screen, with your MythTV back-end or front-end machine set up and ready to go.

The default configuration of MythTV should easily be sufficient if you simply want to watch and record TV on that machine, but given that your PVR may be a noisy, multidisk monster that never stops spinning, it's probable that you would rather watch your shows elsewhere.

To achieve this, a lot of MythTV users prefer to stream their media from a noisy but powerful back-end workhorse to a front-end client that's situated somewhere comfortable.

Streaming your media

Your front-end machine can be less powerful than the back-end machine: as long as it can handle video playback to a quality you're happy watching (something like the Acer Aspire Revo with onboard Nvidia Ion graphics would easily be up to the job).

MythBuntu handily comes with this front-end capability built-in – remember when you selected 'Primary Backend w/ Frontend' as your 'installation type'? If you install MythBuntu on a secondary machine and select 'Frontend' from this menu, the installation procedure is broadly the same as installing the backend, with the exception of a little tweak – you won't be selecting your TV card as a video source.

Instead, you'll be pointing it to the IP address of your back-end machine as a source of media. There's also a Windows-based MythTV client available that has the same effect.

MythTV also has an incredibly useful web-based front-end called MythWeb that lets you control your entire MythTV system from anywhere in the world via a web browser. The basic functionality of MythWeb (the ability to dial in from any PC, laptop or even your mobile phone) is incredibly handy for making last minute changes to your recording schedule, and you can also control almost every configuration setting as well as browse your stored media and download it straight to the remote that machine you're working on. It's powerful stuff.

Your MythTV machine essentially needs to be turned into a small web server in order to enable this external support. To do this, you'll need to install various components of Apache Web Server, PHP and Perl; these will present your interface and content to the outside world.

There are various separate guides around the web on installing these components, but a thorough guide that includes all the components required for setting up MythWeb can be found here. Once you've set this up (and assuming that you've followed the Apache Web Server instructions to publish at the root) to connect to your MythWeb service externally, you'll need to visit the IP address of your MythTV box in a browser. Just type it in to do so.

Once there you'll find a very user friendly web interface that will be instantly familiar to anyone who uses the on-screen TV guide on their digital tuner. Given that this web route grants the user direct access to your MythTV system, you may want to spend a little time configuring its security and various settings. You can find a thoroughly comprehensive guide to all the functionality and various commands for MythWeb here.

ADVANCED OPTIONS: The more complicated settings are best left alone until you've read up

To add even more features to your MythWeb-enabled PVR, take a look at the open-source plug-in MythStream. This add-on allows you to add a live streaming feature to your browser-based access, which means that you can record, watch and download media from any system anywhere in the world.

That's pretty impressive for a free, home-made PVR system, wouldn't you agree?

Sagem is the latest manufacturer to jump on the Freeview+ HD recorder bandwagon, with the announcement of the 320 T2 HD and 500 T2 HD machines.

Both recorders have been released with Sagemcom branding, are said to be compact and have been give a high-quality glossy black look.

But it's underneath the chassis we are interested in and the T2 HD machines do not disappoint.

Both support the new DVB-T2 standard, have an eight-day EPG on board and can do things like Series Link, one-touch recording and access to library of recorded programmes.

Storage space

Connectivity wise, the recorders have HDMI-out, Scart, USB and Ethernet ports. And both utilise Dolby Digital Plus.

The difference between the 320 T2 HD and 500 T2 HD is disk size. As the names suggest, the 320 T2 HD houses 320GB of hard-disk space, while the 500 T2 HD has 500GB of disk space.

As for UK release dates, the RTI90-320 T2 HD is out in April and the RTI90-500 T2 HD will be available in May.

Pricing is still to be announced.

TiVo has pointed the finger firmly at its ill-fated relationship with Sky as the reason for its failure to break into the UK market, but is confident that the same mistakes will be avoided in its forthcoming collaboration with Virgin Media.

Speaking to TechRadar at the launch of TiVo's new set-top boxes in New York, Vice President and General Manager Joshua Danovitz explained that the reason TiVo withdrew from the UK in 2003 was down to the creation of Sky+ rather than any lack of enthusiasm from the nation for personal video recorders.

"I would say it's less a tech failure and more a partnership failure," explained Danovitz when asked about the company's exit.

"We partnered with a company [BSkyB] that wasn't 100 per cent dedicated to promoting TiVo and soon after working with us and coming to market started promoting their own technology.

"I think that that can be related much more to a corporate policy and strategy discussion than it is to a market readiness or market acceptance.

"Additionally, at the time TiVo was incredibly young – we went public in 1999 and launched our first product, and we were in the UK by 2001.

"I would say we had not conquered the US enough to send out large mature teams to other key markets and we were depending on partners to do so and the situation with [BSkyB] was 'well if this is the way it's going to work then we're not going to be able to support that'."

Virgin Media partnership

Danovitz explained that TiVo's partnership with Virgin Media – announced back in November and likely to see the first products by the end of the year – was based on a much more solid model than its previous foray into the UK.

"Since [the last attempt to come into the UK] in the US we have retail products – we partnered with DirecTV, with Comcast etc and we've now launched in Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Austrialia and New Zealand.

"The way we are doing all of these partnerships are similar to the Comcast and DirecTV models. They own the consumer – there is some commitment to deploy and distribute – they do the marketing and we provide the service.

"So the model of working with Virgin is very close to what we are doing domestically in the US with the largest operators and what we are doing all of those international deployments."

Sky has started to phase out its SD boxes, with the company now offering its standard Sky+HD box to new customers as standard, regardless of whether they take the HD service.

Sky is keen to get as many people as possible onto the Sky+HD boxes, which is capable not only of the HD service that the satellite broadcaster is keen to push out to its user base, but also forthcoming technologies including 3D and IPTV services.

So it's hardly a surprise that even new customers who do not want to take on an HD subscription (at around £10 a month) will get an HD box, although Sky is offering a sweetener for those who are prepared to pay for the premium service.

Pricing

New customers who don't subscribe to the HD Pack will pay £49 for the box plus £30 installation, while existing customers will be hit with a £99 fee if they want the new box and £60 installation.

For new customers who want HD, the box is free and installation £30, and for existing SD customers who take on the HD package, the box is free but installation is £60.

The announcement comes along with the latest figures, showing Sky has 9.7 million subscribers, with an impressive 2 million Sky+HD households.

With the Sky 3D announcement still reverberating, Sky has also unveiled a new 1TB Sky+HD box, bringing a big storage boost to those who like their television in high definition.

The new box brings a terabyte of storage, finally answering a major criticism of its predecessor, which didn't really have the kind of capacity to cope with anyone who wanted to record lots of HD series.

The Sky+HD 1TB version will be available 28 January for the not-inconsiderable price of £249, bringing you four-times the capacity of its predecessor and slightly more chance of keeping that entire series of 24 in HD until you get round to watching it.

More Anytime

Interestingly – the increased capacity is also rolled into the Sky Anytime functionality, giving you more on-demand – presumably until Sky gets round to rolling out its IPTV functionality.

Hilary Perchard, Sky's Director of Product Management & Marketing: "We want to offer people as much choice as possible. We know customers are happy with the storage on our standard box, but the Sky+HD 1TB will appeal to people who want to watch and store even more HD TV.

"Whether customers take a Sky+HD box or the new Sky+HD 1TB box, they're guaranteed a premium viewing experience that is future-proofed for Sky's 3D and video-on-demand services, due to arrive later this year."

Top 10 best digital Freeview boxes for UK TVs

With more channels, more choice and all of it free, there's never been a better time to switch from crumbly analogue to digital TV.

The Government, for its part, is doing much to bring about the change, with the digital switchover not so much being a case of if as when.

So if you want to avoid seeing a blank screen staring back at you over the next few years, it pays to take the plunge now - and enjoy all the riches that digital TV in general - and Freeview, in particular - have to offer.

What we've lined up here is a wide selection of Freeview receivers and recorders that can help make the change: from pocket-money boxes that are great for reviving old bedroom TVs to digital, to fully-fledged Freeview+ PVRs and DVD recorders that can match anything Pay TV stations have to offer.

And with over 70 free digital TV and radio channels to choose from - including BBC1, BBC 2, ITV and Channel 4 - you'll soon come to wish that you'd made the transition sooner.

Icecrypt T5000 - £30

Icecrypt T5000

Icecrypt applies its digital receiver know-how to Freeview

Icecrypt is a brand hitherto known for its satellite output but, with the switchover gathering pace, it has turned its attention to the Freeview market with the T5000 mid-priced Freeview adaptor.

The TF5000's tuner appears to be very sensitive and we had no trouble pulling in all Freeview channels available in our test location.

However, picture performance is decidedly average, especially on large-screen (above 32-inch) TVs where even images outputted in RGB can be a tad soft and pale looking.

That said, audio is crisp via Scart and the digital audio output.

Read: full Icecrypt T5000 review

Price check: get cheapest Icecrypt T5000 price

Philips DTR220

Philips DTR220

A slim receiver that provides some superb Freeview pictures

This neat set-top box looks confident enough to take you to digital switchover.

The Philips DTR-220 is remarkably slim and compact with minimal decoration and a design that is strangely fetching, even if its lightweight feel doesn't promise durability.

Colours are warm, radiant and kept strictly within the edges, and although there's a touch of ?dgety block noise around some moving objects, it doesn't impact at all on your viewing enjoyment.

The graphics-heavy presentation on the Sky News channel also looks superb. Stereo sound is forcefully delivered through TV speakers

Philips has delivered a very impressive box in the DTR-220, that offers robust pictures and a slick user interface.

Read: full Philips DTR220 Freeview box review

Price check: get cheapest Philips DTR-220 price

TVonics MDR-240

TVonics MDR-240

TVonics' adapter is the first to meet government standards for Freeview receivers

The TVonics MDR-240 has been developed to bring it in line with the government's recently issued required standards for Freeview boxes.

Chief among these is automatic retuning when required. There's a nine-event timer for scheduling external recordings with once, daily and weekly repeat options, which can be set up manually or by selecting shows in the EPG.

Other notable features include audio description and a screen saver mode for plasma displays. The tuner delivers decent-looking pictures overall, with little blockiness in evidence.

It's a shame there's no digital connection for home cinema systems but if your TV's speakers aren't the greatest, then the hi-fi line out proves a crisp enough alternative.

Read: full TVonics MDR-240 review

Price check: get cheapest TVonics MDR-240 price

TVonics MDR-250

TVonics MDR-250

A great beginner Freeview tuner with some handy features

If digital switchover is to go smoothly, we'll need boxes that are the very definition of user-friendly, requiring little or no technical knowledge to use - like this Freeview adapter from TVonics.

Yes, it costs more than your average supermarket cheapie, but it's obvious that a good deal of thought has gone into its construction.

Picture quality suffers with weak signals where pixellation creeps but, fed with a decent signal the box generates relatively crisp results.

Audio is also clean and punchy from both the hi-fi and optical options. It's not perfect but the MDR-250 has enough quality features to make it worth a place in the living room as well as a second room.

Read: full TVonics MDR-250 review

Price check: get cheapest TVonics MDR-250 price

TVonics MFR-300

TVonics MFR-300

A nice and simple Freeview receiver

The TVonics MFR-300 allows users to convert an ageing analogue TV to digital without the need for a Scart.

Instead, there are two RF connections, one of which accepts your aerial feed and the other outputs a modulated digital signal to the coaxial input on your TV.

As for picture quality, the lack of a Scart with RGB output means Freeview channels don't look as bold or crisp as we've grown used to, but it's much improved via the front AV output. Colours look impressive and fast movement is reproduced without much evidence of pixel noise or break up.

The TVonics MFR-300 is a Freeview receiver aimed at those with simple needs and is quite expensive for what it is. But it offers a surprisingly fulfilling experience.

Read: full TVonics MFR-300 review

Price check: get cheapest TVonics MFR-300 price

Humax PVR9300T

Humax PVR9300T

Is this the best Freeview PVR on the market?

Freeview+ should be considered a must-have for those without Sky TV, as it offers all the recording flexibility that the satellite broadcaster has been boasting of.

The Humax PVR9300T isn't the cheapest machine around, but it's currently the best, with a generous 320GB HDD for up to 200 hours of recording; a CI slot; basic editing of recordings; and an upscaling HDMI port.

There are separate VCR and TV Scarts - both support composite or S-video, while the TV one also offers RGB. Pictures through the latter are superb; they're crisp, clean and capable of beautifully-vivid yet accurate colour.

Read: full Humax PVR9300T review

Price check: get cheapest Humax PVR9300T price

Toshiba RD-98DT

Toshiba RD-98DT

A solid recorder let down by a lack of key features

The Toshiba RD-98DT can store up to 424 hours of programmes onto its 250GB hard disk and is compatible with a range of recordable DVD formats ensuring that most archiving and editing needs are met.

One important addition to Toshiba's latest recorder range is Freeview+, which makes recording TV far easier.

Recordings made in XP mode from the built-in Freeview tuner are imbued with fulsome colours, sharp edges and accurate detail, and in a taste test between recorded and live pictures it's nigh-on impossible to tell the difference between them.

The Toshiba RD-98DT is a smart, functional hard-disk combi that offers excellent picture quality and does most of the recording and editing basics well.

Read: full Toshiba RD-98DT review

Price check: get cheapest Toshiba RD-98DT price

Topfield TF-5810PVR

Topfield TF-5810PVR

A compact, attractive machine that captures excellent recordings

Topfield's TF5800PVR was well received and it is still available, so why would you opt to cash out an extra £150 or so on this new model?

The simple answer is that the new TF5810PVR offers several enhancements and looks far better. The feature count of this deck goes much deeper than a pretty fascia, of course.

You get a 500GB hard disk, which will hold around 250 hours of programming. We couldn't find anything to criticise the TF-5810 on when it came to picture quality. With a good strong signal, broadcast images are crystal clear and the image is detailed and very enjoyable.

A simple RGB Scart output delivers a beautiful image so don't worry if you don't have an HDMI-equipped set.

Read: full Topfield TF-5810PVR review

Price check: Get cheapest Topfield TF-5810PVR price

Panasonic DMR-EX79

Panasonic DMR-EX79

There's much to like in the feature-laden menus of Panasonic's latest HDD/DVD recorder

Panasonic's DMR-EX79 is a one-box recording studio, bristling with cool DIY dubbing tech: Freeview+ tuner, 250GB of hard drive storage, multiformat DVD recording, a GuidePlus EPG, USB multimedia playback and 1080p upscaling.

More than enough to warrant a system upgrade. It strikes a sensible balance between conventional PVRs and DVD recording, and high audiovisual standards are maintained.

Read: full Panasonic DMR-EX79 review

Price check: get cheapest Panasonic DMR-EX79 price

Sony RDR-HXD995

Sony RDR-HXD995

Superb upscaling combi with 250GB multiformat recording

Sony continues its decent run of hard-disk/DVD combi recorders.

The deck is bulky compared to most, but that reflects the amount of technology inside its sturdy casing. The uniform black front houses a smattering of buttons, but the fold-down flap reveals more interesting assets including USB for transferring digital photos and MP3 files to the 250GB hard disk;

AV inputs for camcorders and a conditional access module (CAM) slot for Pay TV channels via Freeview. There are recorders for about the same price as the RDR-HXD995 that contain a larger hard disk, however, the impressive AV quality, generous connectivity and huge line-up of adaptable features make it an outstanding product.

Read: full Sony RDR-HXD995 review

Price check: get cheapest Sony RDR-HXD995 price

Freeview: the other options

And with current prices dipping lower than they've ever been, there's never been a better time to make that televisual investment.

Read on for some buying advice...

Top 10 best 32-inch LCD TVs in the world today

Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the most popular in the UK.

But within the 32-inch division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 if you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2,000.

Full HD, media streaming and even built-in Freesat HD – it's all possible on these small TVs. Your living room is about to get bigger. Here are the 10 best 32-inch LCD TVs - arranged according the price.

Read: 10 best 32-inch LCD TVs in the world today

Top 10 best 37-inch LCD TVs in the world today

Making the decision to upgrade from a bulky old 28-inch CRT TV is almost too easy, but heading straight for a 42-inch plasma can seem a little daunting.

The 37-inch size bracket, however, is home to some wonderful innovations. Here you'll find some sets properly exploiting a Full HD resolution, and TVs with built-in Freesat tuners, others with online dimensions, 100Hz scanning and even – in the case of Loewe's Connect – a luxury wireless TV that can stream music and video from a PC or Mac, before pumping out incredible sound.

Read: 10 best 37-inch LCD TVs in the world today

Top 10 best 40-42-inch LCD TVs in the world today

Once known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s – and where it's still at its best.

Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV spin-offs, 42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room.

Read: 10 best 40-42-inch LCD TVs in the world today

If you've already got a copy of RealDVD copying software, you're free to keep backing up your DVDs. But RealNetworks has been permanently banned from selling it - and could face significant damages.

Confused? You should be. Judge Marilyn Patel's ruling yesterday does little to clear up the legal minefield surrounding the copying of DVDs.

On the one hand, the Hollywood studios will be cheering today as the US District Court upheld a temporary restraining order preventing Real from "manufacturing, importing, offering to the public, providing or otherwise trafficking in" their RealDVD software or proposed a Facet set-top box.

Backing up gets legal back-up

On the other, the judge refused to close the door on domestic 'fair use' copying (backing up a DVD film for personal use), effectively allowing anyone currently owning a copy of RealDVD (or Kaleidescape's DVD-ripping media players) to continue to do so.

The only clear loser in the legal battle is RealNetworks itself. Few of the Seattle company's arguments found favour with Judge Patel. She ruled that DVD's CSS copy-protection mechanism could still be considered 'effective for the average consumer', despite having been cracked a decade ago. This means that the RealDVD has violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), legislation that outlaws technology designed specifically to circumvent copy protection measures.

Patel also found that RealNetworks circumvented the ARccOS and RipGuard systems that introduce unnoticeable errors into DVD discs in order to slow down or prevent duplication. This is a second infringement of the DMCA, and it's these breaches of contract that expose Real to the possibility of hefty liability claims from Hollywood.

However, when it comes to 'fair use', consumers can take heart. Patel ruled that, "The DMCA prohibits the circumvention of technological measures that guard copyrighted material, but does not prohibit the downstream or end use of those materials after circumvention has occurred."

If you bought RealDVD in good faith - or simply downloaded a shareware or open source DVD ripper - and are using it only to make back-up copies of discs that you own, it appears that you're not breaking US law. This week, at least.

More than a quarter of UK homes have a digital video recorder and 15 per cent of all television viewing is now 'time shifted' - according to latest research from Ofcom.

The communications watchdog has just released its sixth Communications Market Report, which shows a massive change in the way that Brits watch television.

By the end of March, 27 per cent of homes had a DVR – staggeringly, that's nearly a third more than did in September 2008 , just six months previously.

Around nine million DVRs have been sold in the UK, with Sky+ HD and Sky+ taking the lion's share with five million units shifted.

Viewing habit changes

This has obviously led to a big change in viewing habits; 15 per cent of television watching is now not traditional linear broadcasts.

Sky's DVR customers were the most likely to timeshift their television, with 19 per cent of all programmes viewed that way compared to 12 per cent of Virgin+ users and nine per cent of Freeview DVR homes.

Online viewing is also on the up, with 23 per cent of the UK watching catch-up TV online compared to 17 per cent in 2007. Unsurprisingly it is the 15 to 24 age group that are most likely to utilise the internet for their programme watching.

It is still the BBC's iPlayer that is dominant in terms of internet viewing, with 5.2 million viewers of the service – a 100 per cent increase on last year – with the ITV Player second, capturing three per cent of the market.