PVR UK: PVR (Personal Video Recorder) and DVR (Digital Video Recorder) news, reviews and how-tos for the UK (including Sky plus, TiVo, MythTV and Freeview)

Fusion FVRT200 snippet

Asked for more information on the release date of the Fusion FVRT200 and if it was possible to connect the expansion discs to a PC to archive the material to DVD, Fusion have responded with a date of "early 2005" and that "the type of link will be usb2, but due to the nature of the proprietary file system of the expansion discs, archiving to dvd is not likely to be possible."

In case you missed it, Fusion are going to launch an external hard disk so that the capacity of the FVRT200 can be increased without opening the machine up. A smart move, as the reason most people started modding their TiVos was to add a bigger hard disk.

New Fusion PVR on it's way

The Fusion website is carrying details of a new PVR soon to join it's product line-up, the FVRT200. It builds on the features of the FVRT100, with a bigger hard disk (80 GB) and will also allow a range of external hard disks to be connected for increasing the recording capacity and archiving. Fusion also list it's "enhanced features" as including Selective Recording Edit, Video Jukebox (programmed playout) and Personalised Folders. Although we can make an educated guess as to what these features will do, I am trying to find out some more on them. I'll post more once I find out.

Oh, and it looks good too :)

Fusion FVRT100 "a welcome addition to any home"

Charlotte Ricca-Smith of The Independant includes the Fusion FVRT100 in her Gadgets & Gizmos column :-

After living with Sky+ for a few months, I can't imagine going back to antiquated VHS. However, the downside is that you need a dish and a subscription to enjoy all its benefits. Which is what makes Digifusion's digital video recorder so fantastic - for a one-off fee you get all the free digital TV channels (via Freeview) as well as a 40-gigabyte hard disk recorder.

But unlike other Freeview boxes, it has an on-screen electronic programme guide for the week ahead. (Fusion broadcasts its own EPG, though viewers in London and parts of Wales should now get an official one too). You can record up to 60 hours of programmes (20 hours more than Sky) if you opt for the lowest-quality recording option, and as with other hard disk recorders it lets you pause and rewind live TV.

It has two tuners, so you can watch one channel while recording another, or record two channels simultaneously while watching a previous recording. The icing on the cake is that while recording it takes a screen grab of the programme every five minutes, which is then displayed in the library screen (like DVD menus) for fast and easy navigation. A well-thought through product that would be a welcome addition to any home.

e.Digital and Fusion announce new portable PVR

e.Digital Corp. and Fusion Digital Technology Ltd have announced a portable Personal Video Recorder for downloading audio and video content from Fusion's range of digital TV receivers including the Digifusion FVRT200 (twin tuner 80 Gb digital video recorder (DVR)), the Digifusion FRT200 (twin tuner DTT set-top box) and the Digifusion FRS200 (twin tuner DTH set top box). The pPVR is scheduled to be unveiled at Mediacast 2004 in London May 25 - 27 at Fusion's booth #D12.

It will feature an integrated back-lit LCD screen, MPEG2 and MPEG4 playback, will accept MPEG2 streams from appropriate Digifusion set-top boxes to store on it's HDD, a 20Gb Hard Disk Drive (up to 40 hours of video programming) and can download music and video from an analog source or from the Internet via a PC.

Fusion FVRT100 "in production"

The long-awaited FVRT100 is apparently in production, and the retail chains should be receiving units in early May. There's a lot of people who have been waiting to get their hands on one of these...let's hope they won't be disappointed again!

Co-founder of Pace sets up high-tech rival

Times Online has a piece about Fusion Digital Technology and their future plans.

It sounds from the article that the founder of Fusion Digital Technology, Barry Rubery, is looking forward to competing with his old firm, Pace Micro Technology.

The Fusion chief executive said that the company planned a raft of new products including a portable PVR, a media console that delivers pay TV services and the internet to every TV in the house and a video phone for internet television services.

Fusion FVRT100 News

With the imminent release of this long-awaited Freeview PVR product comes some questions. I asked Fusion Digital Technology a few, which they were kind enough to answer.

Q: There are many rumours that the FVRT100 is about to be launched, and as I like to verify things before reporting them, I wondered if you can confirm a launch date? This product is generating a lot of interest
amongst our readers, and I wondered if anyone could spare the time to answer a few questions that potential buyers have?

Ans: The FVRT100 PVR will be launched in April, and obviously will
filter through to retail outlets during the course of the month.

Q: Your Super Compression Technology. Most PVRs designed for a digital source record the bit stream directly to disk. How does SCT work? Does it result in a noticable loss in quality, and can the user select different levels of compression to trade off capacity with quality?

Ans: In principle you record direct from the input, with no compression applied. You can then retrospectively compress the recordings using one of 2 levels (LP and EP, with SP being standard record). Yes there is a loss of quality, but not so much as to make the programme unwatchable!!
On maximum compression you can store over 40hrs of programming.

Q: Twin Tuners. Can the FVRT100 record one programme while watching another and allowing the "live tv" features on the second channel (i.e. pause, rewind)? Can the unit record two channels at once? Is it possible to watch a recorded programme while recording from 1 or 2 channels at the same time?

Ans: Yes, Yes and Yes!! You can watch one/record one, and have Pause/Rewind live TV (up to 30 mins) functionality on the watched channel. You can record 2 at one and either watch one of them or watch back a previous recording.

Q: Are there any external analogue inputs that can be recorded from?

Ans: No there are no external analogue inputs.

Q: If the "official" Freeview electronic programme guide takes off in the future, how will it effect the Fusion products? Will they continue to work using Multi Guide?

Ans: Yes, Fusion products will continue to work with Multi-Guide, the launch of the 'official' Freeview will not affect Multi-Guide.

Q: Is it possible to upgrade the hard disk to a larger one? I understand that this may be officially frowned upon, so I hope I'm not pushing my luck in asking!

Ans: Quite right this is officially frowned upon, and of course warranty will be void!!

Many thanks to Fusion Digital Technology for taking the time to answer our questions.

From the FVRT100 web page:

The DigiFusion FVRT100 digital video recorder will revolutionise the satellite PVR market. Its proprietary Multi Guide™ EPG system with the 7 day programme guide allows advance selection to record programmes days ahead. This twin tuner DVR can store and playback over 40 hours of programming in digital quality, record one channel whilst viewing another and pause & rewind live TV.

Multi Guide™
Fusion's Multi Guide™ is an easy to use electronic programme guide available in Fusion's free to air products*, providing listings up to 7 days in advance. Updated daily, the listings data is stored in the products' memory.

Key features include:

Detailed synopses of each programme

Easy scheduling of advanced recordings

Reminders and favourite channel features

SCT (Super Compression Technology)
SCT is Fusions unique technology that allows the maximum possible amount of programming to be recorded onto the internal hard disk drive. Movies and other content can also be easily archived via SCART to tape or recordable DVD.

* subject to availability from broadcaster location

Live Rewind TV
The DigiFusion FVRT100 automatically saves up to the last 30 minutes of the channel you are watching, allowing you to take that important telephone call or replay that crucial goal!

Pause Live TV
The DigiFusion FVRT100 allows you to pause the channel you are watching for up to 30 minutes to allow you to pause your favourite soap, and check out the latest news bulletin.

Quick Spec Guide

Auto Setup

Digital Teletext

Multi Guide™ (7-day EPG)

TV Calendar

Twin Scarts

Advanced Twin Tuner

Twin Phono Sockets

Digital Recorder

40 Gig Hard Drive PVR