This question has been answered on the previouse page, it was from post #136
(http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=43188&st=120#)

After latest Firmware update I think the Arion is worth every single extra cent and then some, as it removed my major bug point.
But again it comes down to what you want the machine to do.
I initially got the DSE because I didn't want to spend much money. Glad I returned it and got the Arion for my needs.

Went shopping for twin tuner PVRs today after my single tuner died this week. The DSE unit for $399 looked promising but the lack of being able to edit programs ie top and tail and split was a big minus for us. With our previous PVR we just used to start recording the ABC kids shows and then editing a long recording to keep just a few shows out of a couple of hour recording which we would keep for months for the kids to watch. Shame it can't do this as otherwise seems really good for price. Now looking at Hotchips, Mediastar, Arion. Toppy 4400 and 5000 seem way overpriced at the stores around here in Nunawading Melb.

Reports on Hotchips are less than favourable. go a MS or Arion.

Bugger was looking at a Hotchip as was immediately available from JB for around $450 where others are not in my area (nunawading Melb). What reports are unfavuorable on Hotchip PVRs as have not come across any. Can you point to some?

Search this sight I did, for same reason. If you see my earlier posts I purchased a DSE and returned it. You can get an Arion next day from supplier. You should read a few posts to understand all. Basically most of the questions you have will be answered here and on the Arion thread that you were on before.

Happened to be in the Dick Smith Powerhouse at Woden (ACT) yesterday and they have the PVR priced at $549 - WTF??????

I asked a sales rep what the go was and he said - "we have to price them the way Head Office says" ????

I just bought one of these today, and they seem to be a great machine.

One problem though, as soon as a recording begins, signal strength drops significantly watching other channels, so much so that most channels become unwatchable.

When I stop recording, the signal strength goes up again.

Has anyone had this problem or has some idea how to solve it?

It turns out that I had a dodgy box, probably a severed aerial connection between the two tuners. Have a new unit now that works fine, an awesome box for the price!

I've just noticed something else that I think is great from this box, it's named the files for my latest timer recordings from the EPG with the correct show names, so I don't have to guess what show to watch from the recording list!

I also discovered that when the power goes out, the box reboots and gets it's time back, allowing timer recordings to still fire after a blackout.

This would have been a great box for the price if you could edit recordings.

Currently available on the DSE website for $399.

Can this box output component signal through the Scart ?
And if so, does it show the CUE/red bleed problem that plagues most SD boxes ?
Given I'm too lazy to read this thread, what can't it do that the Toppy/Mediastar boxes can ?

Apparently the $399 pricing goes through 'til April 16 now (so maybe its for good).
Oct.

I have e-mailed Homecast - Harry in Korea - asking whether a software upgrade exists and that it would be great if you could edit the recordings like the UK and German versions.

I have been advised that my e-mail has been forwarded to the person in charge of the Australian market who will respond shortly.

Hopefully I can convince them to do a firmware upgrade if one doesn't exist already.

Stay tuned!

Cheers

Scott

Perhaps you could ask if it's possible to get the box to go back into standby after a timer recording is complete, which is very odd behaviour (the fact that it currently doesn't).

I wouldn't mind if an upgrade exists to automatically turn the PVR bar (for quickly moving through files) off after a few seconds of non-use instead of having to press EXIT every time you use it (which I do quite often).

Can someone clarify the lack of RF pass through. Does this mean if I have this unit connected, I can't use my TV as a normal TV any more so I'm limited to the two digital tuners in the unit? On the back of the unit, there is a signal in, aerial in and TV out - what's the difference between signal in and aerial in and in what circumstances would you use all three of these connectors.

This means that the box wont output your antenna signal. In my case I simply have a splitter box in line before the unit with the antenna cable then being split to the PVR and to the TV/VCR meaning either can be used independantly. My understanding of the other input/output options as follows:

Signal in - used if you need to input a RF signal from other equipment ie VCR etc
TV out - used if you have an older TV where you only have the option of outputting the PVR's picture via RF and not composite / svideo etc.

Received a software upgrade from Homecast. 2410002003-1040A.sgn. Will install this weekend to see what it does but have been advised that this model does not support "Cutting edit" function. PM me if anyone wants the file.

Cheers

Scott

I'm keen to get the update, and I'm not really that worried about the editing function - if I want to edit and backup files, I can transfer and do that on the PC. I'll be very keen to find out what the update does though, since the box currently has no 'bugs' which I'm aware of.

I'm not at all worried by the lack of RF passthrough either, what possible use is it when I have 2 tuners and recorders? The only use is if I wanted to watch a third program at the same time (on free to air? I don't think so!) or record with another device (which negates the use for the PVR in the first place!)

After some playing, I now realise the unit does go back into standby after timer recordings, as long as there is no user input while the timer recording is taking place.

I've also noticed that if you attempt to turn the unit off while a recording is in progress, a dialog asking if you really want to cancel the recording is displayed - if you do nothing, the dialog disapears and the recording continues. That's particularly good news for people like me with an activity based remote like the Harmony.

I have to say, it's nice to see a thread on a PVR where there is no complaints on functionality, the only problems seem to be with the way the software and box is designed. I personally love the box and can't believe what is does for the price!

Hi guys, long time lurker first time poster here (there seems to be quite a few of us!).

I've been following this thread for awhile now and this seems to be the PVR to get. I live in Perth and got a DSE catalog yesterday that advertises this for $379 - seems like great value.

The question I have is with the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). People on this forum have said that you can use the EPG to time the recordings, the only problem is that the time signal that is broadcast is always EST so I guess the wrong program will be recorded?

Also things like SBS soccer is broadcast live at different times for different states how does the system deal with that? My set-top box (MTV) allows you to input the local time manually but I find that it changes back by itself for no apparent reason.

I guess what I'm asking is; are there any forums members out in the wild west here and what has your experience been? With PVR timings in general and this DSE unit in particular?

Also, I havent checked the whole site in detail so if this is discussed somewhere else can somebody please point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance guys!

I havent used the DSE unit, but the EPG is usually broadcast so that it suits the local area. I *think* the DSE works as advertised for this, but there was a whole pile of other cheep brands that didnt cope with daylight savings and the local time... The catch is that the EPG broadcast is usually only the current program and the next one (aka "Now and Next"), which makes it useless for programming most future recordings. 9Perth and ABC (i think) do give you a few days, but the rest are dragging their feet in brining that to the masses. If a real EPG that you can upload is imporant to you then consider another unit. Have you read http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=36191 ?

Loaded SW version 1040A on the weekend and have found no differences. E-mailed Homecast today and they advised no functionality changes but version 1040A fixes a few bugs - none that I know of.

They have no plans for a further SW upgrade at this stage.

BTW You need a null modem cable rather than straight serial cable to do the upgrade.

Cheers

Scott

Now on special for $369.

Scott,

cant this be done via the USB connection?

Scott

Is this software update available from the Homecast Web site?

I hope I'm not surplanting Scott here, but I can answer the questions that have been asked about the update.

I've tried doing the update on my computer, but it didn't work - I think there may be something wrong with my serial port.

I intend to try again with a serial to usb cable. I believe this will work because the latest version of the update software on the homecast site mentions support for serial via usb connections.

The update is not available on the Homecast website - in fact, the English version doesn't mention the equivalent to the DSE box at all. You have to go to the German site to find the closest equivalent - the T8000 PVR. There are several recent updates to the firmware of the T8000, and I'm wondering whether it will work with the DSE box. The software has a few more functions (like being able to order and move channel positions) that I would like.

Having now 'stockpiled' a few recordings, I very pleased that the box has a resume feature that always plays a file from where it was last stopped - I like it!

Scott, I hope you have some luck with a new firmware update, I would really like the PVR banner to self-close (and the ability to order channels of course!).

I finally got it to work after the 6th attempt. I had to use a null modem cable which for the uninitiated is a RS-232 serial cable where the transmit and receive lines are crosslinked. A straight serial cable will not work.

As whatgift said, no SW update for this unit on the Homecast website - I was able to get in contact with someone from Homecast to e-mail me the file.

Although I might give some of the other Homecast SW files a try - both the English and German versions - to see what they do, given I can always go back to the version 1040A.

Cheers

Scott

Scott

Could I get a copy of the 1040A update from you?

You can download the 1040A from my webspace at http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~tloade...02003-1040A.sgn

Would like to know how successful people are at putting the firmware on their DSE box and exactly how they did it.

Does 1040A happen to give you more than 10 timers? I like the look of this machine for the price, but the 10 timers seems a bit close to what I might actually need to use.

Went to DSE Powerhouse Fountain Gate to get one yesterday for $369, there was no price on the shelf so the guy had to check.

As he was checking the price, noticed that there was a repaired one (DES PVR) sitting on the "discounted" table. It had a partially non-funtioning front display so had been back to Topfield for a new one. They had also checked it over and given it a clean bill of health.

And the price.... $299. Same warrenty as a new one, and with the added benifit of being checked out by the Topfield guys. New display also means new front panel so it looks perfect.

Currently sitting under the TV, having last night done an admiral job of recording House and Heros at the same time.

good evening all, hopefully this is the correct posting for this matter.

Just purchased the DSE 160gb Pvd today for $369, seems like a good buy for my needs. However I have an issue I was wondering if anyone else has noticed.

While watching tv without recording anything the screen keeps flickering between colour & black & white a few times then rapidly and then stops & all is ok? What the!!! Is this normal for this unit or have I set something up incorrectly? It is not specific on a particular channel either. It is connected to my LCD screen via the standard r/w/y leads, not via s-video, although it did the same via s-video. It is also connected via scart to my panasonic dvd recorder.

Do you think it's faulty? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

Sounds like a fault to me, I certainly don't have any problems like that with my box.

One option might be to try it at someone's elses house to make sure it's not something to do with your signal.

Dick Smith are great with exchanges and refunds, I'd just take it back to them, maybe get them to test it in the store.

Hi to all

I also have a problem with the DS 6200. I bought one from DS and set up went well no probs there.

I have it connected to a pana 42'' TH-42PX600A using s-video. The picture I get from the in built tuner in the pana gives an excellant picture on all channels. This on the SD channels not HD.

When I run thru the DS 6200 the picture looks a bit grainy, Like it has a slow refresh rate?? Channel 2 and SBS are the worst but all channels are not as good as what i get thru the pana.

I assume that the picture thru the DS6200 should be the same quality as the SD channels on my pana?
Any one have this problem? I am going to take it back and I dont know if I should swap it for another one or go for a more expensive type of unit mediastar or topfield.

regards

AC

Hi everyone,

As a longtime Topfield user, I went and picked up one of the DS6200PVRs for $369 from DSE as a second unit. They have it marked as $549 in the shop but cheaper on the site. I can live with most of the limitations which for me the main one is the inability to record the timeshift buffer.

Was just wondering however (I have searched and read for an answer) whether anyone knows if you can set the length of an adhoc recording? On the Topfield, you press record to record something you are watching and then press record again to adjust the length of the recording if you want it to vary from the preset 2 hours.

The DSE allows you to set the default in the setup but I can't for the life of me find how (if at all possible) you can adjust the time for these types of recordings. Therefore, a half hour show will tape for 2 hours unless you are there to manually stop it and a three hour movie will only tape 2 hours while you try and set up a pre-programmed time recording.

I haven't seen anyone list this as a drawback so not sure if it doesn't worry you guys or whether I am missing something. It has the latest firmware 1.04.0A.

Thanks for all your help.

PS Myer has the Topfield 120GB Black for $699. I saw someone on here say they grabbed it for much less from Good Guys ($600?). Hantrex has them for $675. Not advertising, just listing them for guidance.

Press the left arrow to decrease the recording length. Press the right arrow to increase the recording length. It adjusts in 5min increments.

Cheers

Scott

With a USB-serial cable I managed to update the firmware to 1040A, and whatever bug fixes it contains.

I have a question, does anyone else have problems with PRIME television (regional)? All my other channels are fine, but PRIME is unpredictable - it's signal strength and quality varies widely at different times.

Also, when I record from ABC, fast-forwarding or shifting cuts out sound, requiring a shift or two to turn it back on - it doesn't happen with any other channel.

I'm still very happy with this box though, have recorded many a show with no timer faults whatsoever!

Hi,

I bought the DSE PVR a couple of weeks ago. The 14 day trial is up tomorrow and I'm definitely keeping it. It's not perfect, but it seems as good as you can get for the price (at least in Melbourne).

Pros
* Hasn't missed a timer, whether in standby mode or operating
* Easy to use/set up (seems much easier than the Arion 9300 from what I can tell by looking at the Arion manual)
* Very easy to skip ads, and the 10sec rewind button is great!
* No major bugs so far (I have not experienced the no-sound issue on pause/skip reported by some users)

Cons
* The unit is quite loud (a low pitched hum) unless you put some form of insulation under the feet. Seems a poor design in this regard, although I've never had a PVR before and can't compare it to others. But with four little blocks of foam packing under the feet it's been fine. (The HDD itself is a Seagate and is incredibly quiet - you never hear any clicking of the head during recording/playback with the volume muted).
* Downloading files is a pain (slow, need Windows, need special software - presenting the device as an external drive would have been much simpler/faster/easier)
* No extended EPG/editing recorded programs/recording the timeshift buffer as mentioned in previous posts
* Can't record sub-channels at the same time
* Occasionally forgets the Favourites setting when resuming from standby
* PIP works, but the second channel playback isn't very smooth (not a big issue for me, since I never use PIP)
* No confirmation dialogue when deleting a timer (and the button to add a new timer is right next to the button to delete a timer!)
* Recorded programs take the name of the program from the EPG, but will do this even if only a few minutes are remaining on that program. Which means that you generally end up with shows having the name of the program that came before them. (The obvious behaviour would be to take the name of the next show if more than half the timer duration falls after the scheduled end of the current show, but I don't know if any PVR is smart enough to do this.) It would be nice to be able to manually set the name of weekly/daily timers, too, for the same reason.
* Only being able to set 10 timers is a bit crazy with a PVR, but thankfully I haven't needed more than 10 (yet! I have 8 weekly timers set up at the moment)

To clear up an issue raised in other posts: you can re-order (and rename) the channels, but only in your favourites lists. My favourites group 1 has the five main channels in the order that I expect them to be in (ABC - 7 - 9 - 10 - SBS).

For those who are using Linux like me (and this probably goes for Mac users too), note that you will need a windows install to download any files from the box. Downloading is slow at between 1-2Mb/sec - a one hour show will take over half-an-hour to download. Once downloaded, mplayer will read them as is, or you can convert the files to standard mpegs using MPEG Streamclip (this will work using WINE in Linux, it's a very quick process) and you can then edit the files using avidemux. I've successfully downloaded and edited a program and burnt it to DVD - and by far the longest process was the initial downloading of the file from the machine.

Anyway, hope someone finds the above helpful. Like I said, it's not a perfect machine, but it does everything it's supposed to do and does most of it very well.

Cheers,
Owen

So, I just bought the DS6200PVR for $399 (Was going to be $349 after May 3 for MOther's day, but I asked how many they had in stock. "2" was the reply, so I bought it now instead.)

So far, very happy with it. A shortsight I think is the lack of ability to change aspect ratio with a simple button on the remote, but this is hardly a major problem. Lack of component output not an issue for me as I don't have a HD display, and won't be getting one until SED is released commercially *g*. Solid unit, records 2 channels at once without hitch, chase-play and live-pause works exactly as it should, and for the price (even with the extra $50) a great unit.

But, the hard drive. Anyone tried upgrading it yet? Am tempted to try installing a 320 gig drive in there, but what I would like to know is if the HD that is in there is pre-installed with the OS required to run it, or if a blank drive will be formatted by hardware disk OS that is part of the physical unit. If it needs to be preformatted, what format does it use?

Also, what exactly is "Instant Play Time"? I can change it from 10 seconds to 5 minutes, but I'm not sure sure just how you are supposed to use it? Does Time Shift have to be always on for this to work?

There's a "Format HDD" option in the settings...

bdl

Aye, but I've noted a couple of PVRs that say "format" when all they do is erase all the data on the data partition of the drive; a global delete rather than a true format. Stick a brand-new, unformatted drive in there, and it won't work.

I guess the only thing to do is try one day

While in time shift mode and watching live, press the star button and it jumps back the amount of time set as the "instant play time". I have mine set to 30sec. Easier than hitting rewind for a bit and then play when you want the last bit of the program repeated.

Cheers

Scott

Excuse the bluntness but that is wrong. Put a new, or even a zeroed drive in it and it react exactly the same as when the unit was very first tuned on. The RTOS will take over and prepare the drive for it to use - call that formatting if you like, unlike static OS's most RTOS's format as they go, eg VXWorks. The important things with HDDs in media devices are physical state and an intact low level format.

Hi all,
Great froum! Yesterday after only briefly reviewing this thread I purchased a DS6200PVR from tricky dickies for $349.
Now that I have had a chance to play with some of the features of the stb and after reading this thread more thoroughly, I have some questions to ask and some points to add -

Pros -
1. all seems to work ok (so far) without any of the main problems mentioned i.e. haven't noticed the no sound issue after f/fwd
2. in my case signal strength was very good (mid north coast NSW) and much better than I expected

Cons -
1. In addition to the pip not being smooth, I have also noticed a slight flickering in the main screen when the pip is enabled. To me the flickering (which is very slight and probably not noticeable to many) seems to be consistent as if it is cause by processor switching. Although it bugs me I could probably learn to ignore it (or not use pip).

2. Although I have never owned a stb before, I was expecting a dvd like experience, instead I can see what I believe are Mpeg artifacts. i.e. just as you may observe when compressing a dual layer dvd to single layer. These are most prominent when the scene changes quickly or the scene is mostly dark or when a lot of the same colour such as sbs soccer.

I may have expected some artifacts after recorded at Mpeg2, however not seeing a consistnetly clear realtime signal is really annoying me and although I am trying not to be fussy, I actually prefer my old analogue signal!

My Questions -
Q1 - I have done a lot of Googling and it seems that the mpeg artifacts are caused at the broadcaster's end with their compression. Is this the case? If so, it would seem that it doesn't matter how good your stb is, the signal will still be crap. Any help here to clear this up would be appreciated.

Q2 - Although I didn't buy the unit to record from my VCR, it was one of the criteria that I be able to transfer my home movies (VHS) into the PVR and then onto my PC for archiving. The DSE salesman confirmed this after making a call. But now after bringing the unit home, I can't find anywhere in the manual or menu where I can record from external AV sources. The manual labels the VCR scart as .... VCR(CVBS in, out, Audio L,R in, out Function SW) and I have my video source connected to a scart/rca adapter switched to input. Athough I haven't had much to do with scart connectors, I know what I'm doing electronic wise and it seems that this unit cannot record from external sources of any kind.
Is this the case??

Thanks in advance.
PS I will add my more complete experience with this stb soon.
I'm really trying hard not to expect too much but it seems that at this point in time, unless nothing changes, I'll be on Dick Smith's doorstep Monday morning for a refund!

Yes - except TS of course

Thanks Techo,
Bummer - I thought so. Pardon my ignorance, but I'm guessing TS = Television Signal or Terestrial Signal?
Also can you shed any light on the other question i.e. Mpeg2 artifacts?
Thanks
Wayne

TS = transport stream
mpeg2 artifacts, not really, but the TS is encoded in mpeg2 and as in any thing requiring digital crunching, is highly dependent on the quality of the compression/decompression algorithms and H/W.

I have the Wintal X10, and some shows look terrific, sharp and clear, whilst others look very ordinary.
I put it down to the broadcaster, not the PVR.
Try viewing a large range of different programs and see if you notice any difference.

Hi Twiz

I too, returned my Dick smiths DS6200PVR due to the picture quality on my 42" plasma. Sounds like the same issue as yours. I was told that the picture from the PVR would be as good, if not better, than the picture that I get through the Telly which has its own inbuilt tuner. This was not the case, I may be fussy but I want the same picture quality as my TV picture from a pvr. Do all PVRs have a poorer picture than the inbuilt TV tuner picture? I am researching which pvr to try next.

AC

What type of Tuner do you have in your plasma?
Is it High Def or Standard Definition?

Hi Fossicker

I have a HD TV. Although I use SD channels to compare not the HD channels.

AC