My local Dick Smith Powerhouse had a new DSE branded SD twin tuner 160G PVR in stock today for $499.
Claims to be a 2.0 PVR (record 2 channels while watching a recording).
Made in Korea - model no. DS9200 (G2083 on the DSE website).
Has two SCART outputs (marked TV and VCR) plus S video and composite with a USB2.0 socket and RS232.
Could be an alternative to the Mediastar 920?
Anyone know any more about this unit?

330p4

Link:
DSE 160GB Twin Tuner SD PVR

Try this link
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefro...n/product/G2083

wow thats one hellua heavy pvr

it looks an awful like the arion boxes that the mediastar is based off.. interesting

http://arion.co.kr/global/product/product_...=1&m_code=4

I noticed the weight too but the Arion has a multi character dot matrix front panel display whereas the DSE has only a simple 4 digit display.

An eyewitness reports that the back panel looks the same as Topfield 5000pvrt.

http://www.topfield-australia.com.au/phpbb...p?p=84691#84691

the mediastar has a 4 digit 8 segment LED front panel. Aurion keep all the VFD screens for themselves

It looks a lot like a topfield HD stb when you look closer. Who knows, maybe they are licensing/oem'ing the topfield technology with topfield moving into HD and the beyondwiz guys leaving topfield to start their own pvr

If you look at DSE used/refurbished STBs you will note all? of them have been serviced/repaired/tested by Topfield.

hornblower

Hello all long time lurker first time poster.

Picked up one of these (DS6200PVR) myself today from DSE Powerhouse North Parramatta. So far so good haven't tried anything too complicated yet just some twin tuner recording, timeslip recording and initial set up with no dramas so far. Happy with my purchase so far will post any further findings.

I agree...a dead ringer.

can you take some pics of the front, rear panels, advise where its made, and also some OSD pics? That will likely show its heritage

From the first post

I can confirm that it is made by Homecast as in the manual it contains a link for the USB drivers. No surprise the link doesn't work but the link is for the Homecast support website.

Will post some pics soon.

OK I couldn't be stuffed taking it out of the cabinet but here's some pics for you all. Just remember it is taken with a camera phone (Nokia N70).

Rear panel,

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/MotoSEnokiA/PVR.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/MotoSEnokiA/PVR2.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/MotoSEnokiA/PVR3.jpg

Screen shots,

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo.../Infoscreen.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo...iA/Filelist.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo...iA/Mainmenu.jpg

Front shots,

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo...A/DVDandPVR.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo...iA/PVRFront.jpg


Over on the Topfield forums they are saying that it is supported by Topfield and on the receipt it states the Topfield support line for any support questions.

In the manual it lists the Homecast website for USB drivers.

It also lists the following website in the manual for support,

www.digitalpg.com.au

The processor chip is a STmicroelectronics STi5514.

from the screenshots its definitely not the mediastar/arion interface.

interesting. looks a little like the opentel interface from my previous pvr.

i wonder if digtal products group will be responsive to any bugs?

A few questions for ya... Is the unit stable so far...any bugs that mean potential buyers will have to do the "firmware upgrade samba" like with many other twin-tuner PVRs? How's the PQ? From your very good pics I can see a Toslink sound connector, is there a coax-RCA link as well? Can the unit output component video via SCART? I know...lots of pesky questions...hope you've got some answers as I'm considering purchasing this unit if it has anything to do with Toppy at the price that it's selling for.

Just a quick post to say... wow... most interesting... please keep the info coming... probably lots interested. Many thanks.

Sorry guys I must admit I'm a bit of a amature when it comes to AV.

So far the unit is very stable, no lock ups yet.

Picture is great, I have found the digital tuner better ie more sensitive then the TEAC I had before it.

I don't know about component video from the SCART. But will look at the manual when I get home.

The harddrive is a Seagate.

I'm outputing SVIDEO and RCA L R audio to my DVD recorder.

The reason I bought this unit was of course price and if anything plays up with it I can take it back to DSE within 14 days.

I will post a pic of the remote tonight.

Just to add as well it has not lost any timer recordings (my Samsung DVD recorder did this all the time) and has recorded 2 channels simultaneously without any problems.

Does anybody know what real time operating system these units usually use? Is it something like Vxworks or QNX?

This is driving me nuts! I nearly went and got the Mediastar on the weekend... thought I might do it this week.

Now I am wondering if I should wait a while and see what the experience with this one is. Looking at the features trying to compare to the Mediastar920... I wonder how many timers it has? Ms has 40. Any other feature differences worth noting anyone?

Sorry cant help with OS. Some(?) of the good PVRs do not have the feature called 'Chaseplay' which is where you start (or it starts) a recording then some time later while it is still recording you begin watching... you are 'chaseing' the recording. Does this one do that do you know?

Another feature that is useful is 'Timeslip'... which in effect means that whatever you are watching is being recorded to a revolving buffer (say 1 or 2 hours long) so that if you were watching TV and wanted to go back to what they just said you can.... you 'rewind'. Also pause etc. Does this one do that?

Thanks Moto for any info that you can share with us... it is much appreciated. (And please do not be disheartened if it turns out that it does not have a particular feature... you got a true dual tuner pvr for an excellent price. I am sure you will love it)

WalrusLike,

It has Timeslip (rewinding live TV) but I tried doing a Chaseplay (recording a show and wanted to start watching it from the start) and it didn't work. Maybe I was doing something wrong so I will try it again tonight.

I am very happy with it so far. What was also a factor in choosing this machine was the fact it was from DSE a name I trust unlike other retailers cough cough "Strathfield" cough cough

OK I've had a fiddle and it does have Chaseplay. As always the manuals with these things are smeghouse!


I have posted a pic of the remote control here,

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/Mo...A/PVRRemote.jpg


As far as a Component output from the SCART connector from the looks of the manual and I quote,

A/V Output - SCART connectors

TV (RGB, CVBS, Audio L, R)

VCR (CVBS in, out, Audio L,R in, out, Function SW)


Make of that as you wish.

No component (CVBS=composite, i.e. single line), no svideo, and no RGB or SVIDEO passthrough on the VCR-SCART socket, totally yuk!

Although it seems very stable, not having SVideo or Component will put the kibosh on it for people with big-screen tellys. Thanks for the info and photos though, Moto.

It does have SVIDEO output thats what Im using to connect it to my DVD recorder.

Thanks for that Moto. I think Tony missed the fact that is has SVideo out and so his yuk might not apply. I think this unit is VERY interesting... DSE backing, Cheapest true twin, Big drive... definately worth a look.

Do you happen to know how many timer slots? Thanks for the info... probably a bunch of folk interested in your experience with it.

UPDATE: The folks on the Toppy forum believe that this is a rebadged Homecast T8000. Great!! I love the internet... now I can check that one out and see what it is like without having to wait for experience with the DSE.

EDIT: OK now I hate the internet.... cant find anything on the Homecast t8000. Bummer.

Tony was referring to the VCR passthrough SCART, not the main STB output.

Ah... ok... um, er, (Bugger... I hate revealing my complete ignorance) What does the VCR passthrough get used for? Dont you generally just have the one display panel?

THINKS... Oh... Maybe if you want to record it to DVD? Wont most of them accept a scart or RGB (using adapter)?

VCR Passthrough allows you to connect to a VCR / DVD, then use the AV button on the PVR remote to switch from the PVR to the VCR / DVD signal (without changing the imput on the TV). Obviously passing through a DVD signal, you would prefer it to be component, hence Tony's totally yuk comment. Personally I'd just connect the DVD straight to the TV, and use the TV remote to change imputs.

As far as recording it to DVD, well I guess you could connect the main STB signal (component) to the DVD recorder then passthrough onto the TV. Having said that, it's a PVR. You've got the recording anyway.

Thanks oz, succinct, clear and helpful. I live and learn. This PVR is very interesting to me as I was right on the point of buying the Mediastar.... this one is probably about $50-$60 cheaper and more importantly... has a bigger drive. Cant wait to find out what it behaves like.

The Mediastar has a 160G HDD like the DSE, so I don't know what you mean....

the mediastar is 120gb in its current form. Though Iwouldnt be surprised if it was upped to 200+gb shortly

what does the usb 2 do?

The remote works well yeah? not like the 9077p ?

No problems with the remote so far.

The USB is to connect the unit to a PC for file transfer.

Ah... Crusher, you tease me. Since we are talking.... let me say many, many thanks for being the legend that started the Mediastar info topic. Who knows, maybe Moto has done a similar thing here. I am personally torn now in three directions.. MS, DSE, wait for bigger MS. Any inside info on timing?

Made this post mainly to bring this topic back into focus. Disappointing to see it slip to page 4 just a few days after its release.

Anyone got any further info?

I would have thought this was a winner other than for the limited outputs ie just 1 S-video then composite only.

I can probably live with that if I consider this as a second string to my existing Toppy. Any other flaws we should be wary of?

Is it possible to get a Y type connector for an s-video cable so that you could connect the s-video output to both a screen and say a DVD recorder?

you dont need a y cable just use 1 scart port for tv and the other for vcr .

But according to post #22 there is no s-video on the scart connector.

The only s-video is a direct s-video socket.

No problems to report so far. I'm not a heavy TV watcher and so the unit doesn't get heavy use. I currently have 2 daily timer recordings Ch. 9 news and the 6 o'clock Simpsons and these have recorded without a hitch for the last week. The menu can be a bit tricky at times but nothing that can't be solved by sitting down and thinking it though.

Still have not hooked it up to the computer but as I said before I'm not that confident in doing so.

Could be worse, I nearly bought one of those Woolies Koss DVD recorder / hard drive units then I'd be pi^^ed!

If anybody else wants to give it a go remember DSE allows you to return it under 14 days if your not happy

What format does the box record in? just mpeg? because would it be easy to edit with pc and burn on DVD? Because the features dont mention an editing capability.
And someone mentioned the usb drivers link doesnt work ! does it come with teh drivers then?

Anyone bought them from QLD yet? The site says VIC and NSW only ?!??!

cheers -

I decided to try out the unit for 14 days. Seems to be solid and error-free..

Fast forwarding thru the ads is much easier with the DSE box than it was with my legend 160. Mstly because the DSE pvr responds to the button presses on the remote much faster and it does not 'wait' for the command to be completed before responding to another button press... For example, pressing the > button twice in rapid succession will skip 20 seconds and pressing the > button 4 times in rapid succession will skip 40 seconds.. With the legend pvr you would need to wait until the video starts playing again to press the button a second time... Also, the DSE's quick back allows you to skip back 10 sec (default) easily ( so that if you overrun the ad break you could go back quick...

Some positives
1) The time shift can be always on so that you can rewind at any time
2) on recordings, the number buttons will take you to a percentage of the recording ( 1 will take you to 10% of the recording, 5 to 50% 9 to 90%, 0 to start), very nice
3) > and < move 10sec or 30 sec or 1 min or 2 min ( dependent on size of recording ) havent figured out what those sizes are yet )
4) the * button is a 'quick back' button that will move back a configurable amount of time


Couple of negatives tho..
1) you cannot 'save' the timeshift buffer
2) you can only press record on *some* listings in the EPG ( cant figure out a pattern yet )
3) no 'weekday' setting on timers ( only once, weekly, daily )
4) only 10 ( ten ! ) timers allowed
5) you cannot name the program that will be recorded on a timer ( so if you are recording a 3 hour block that comprises 4 programs, the recording will be named after the first program (if the EPG has it)
5) you cannot change the order of channels, so ABC (21) will *always* follow Ten (01)
6) cant 'break up' a recording into parts

I will add more as I continue to play with it...

Ohh, and the usb driver *does* work

Thanks ausdilecce, thats great feedback.

Of the downsides the only one that would bother me is the lack of option to manually name a recording.

Look forward to any further feedback - this one looks like a winner for me.

Will be very close to Dick Smiths tomorrow and I can see myself wandering in and.......

As Chas says: Thanks Aus... thats great extra info.. and thanks Moto for your info.

I must admit that for me the inability to save the buffer is a bit of a deal breaker.... I frequently see a little something that I want to keep at least for a while... (generally so I can show it to Mrs Walrus to prove some point I made earlier)

I have been watching TV lately fantasising about all the things I coulda done if I had the pvr. And saving the bufffer is definately one of them. Having said that let me also say that only a perfectionist nit picker like me would have any problem with the dse pvr... it seems like a really good unit.

One of the really neat features is if you are watching something that you wish to comment on to the SO, instead of "Shh, I'm watching too. Tell me in the ads" you can pause things at any point and pontificate to your hearts content

Regards

Peter Gillespie

Yep Peter... that is gonna be soooo greeaattt!! Cant wait. (I am actually holding off simply because I have a project underway at the moment and cant afford to be distracted by this new toy... but soon...)

At MotoSEnokiA

Hi I have a Samsung SMT1100TP. This reciever is for receiving DVB-Terrestrial and is only sold in Holland in Europe. I saw your screenshots of the yours DS6200PVR and it where the same screenshot.
Als remote control is exacltly the same. Specs are also the same but my receiver is without USB and without RS232 connectors and has a other front.
I'm very interrested on the inside of your reciever. Can you sent a picture of this ?
This because I want to built a USB port on my receiver for saving my recordings on DVD without any quality losses.
There very little information available on the internet of this receiver, even on the homepage of Samsung.
If you want more information about my receiver, just ask me.

Forgive my ignorance, but is this unit capable of scheduling two programs at once, or scheduling one whilst time-shifting/displaying another realtime?

Or is this a standard feature for all PVR's to double as (at the very least) a STB.


Hmm... I notice it's also on special/down to $479 too..... interesting....

I guess you can get around the inability of saving the timeshift by recording everything you watch and using chaseplay.

Dick Smith Electronics DNS 6200 PVR

I bought one of these units yesterday. I have not used one before and thought that the only thing I'd use this for would be time slip and recording programs in the same way that I used to use my old video cassette recorder. It is obvious that this unit can do far more than that. The picture quality is quite good, but not as good as my Digitech high-definition set-top box. Perhaps this is because the standard definition Dick Smith unit does not use component video connections, only composite and scart. However I find the picture quality is satisfactory for my purposes. The remote is quite simple to use and when I set the unit up I set it to use timeshift as the default. On this unit it simply means that whatever channel you are watching is being recorded to hard disk. You have a row of buttons similar to a DVD on the remote. Pressing pause pauses the action end you can jump forward or back on the show by pressing the left or right buttons on the remote. the only catch is that if you channel surf the timeshift buffer starts again on a new channel. I don't think this is a problem because I only channel surf when I get to the advertisements and with this unit I can skip the ads and stick to the program I am watching. Recording is very simple if you want a record the program that you are watching you just press the red spot record button future recordings can be made from the electronic program guide or through the edit timer menu. I'm not sure how I'm going to use this thing, but I have a feeling that it's going to be like most appliances such as dishwashers whereby they have 10 programs of which you only use one or two.
So, why did I buy this instead of a Topfield or a MediaStar? the Topfield was out of my budget and I was unable to view the MediaStar unit. I tried to have a look at the MediaStar unit at Harvey Norman's in Maribyrnong and in Sunshine. Neither store had the unit in stock nor did any of the sales staff know anything about it. When I asked them to look it up the look of surprise on their faces was quite amusing. When I quoted me the price of $699 I told them about the pricing information on this forum. The only person who is interested in dealing with me was the franchisee at the Harvey Norman Sunshine. He said that he would sell me one for $500 but it would have to order it in. I would not do that. Eventually I bought this unit at Dick Smith because it least I can have a good look at it in the shop and they offered me a 14 day moneyback guarantee if I wasn't happy with my purchase. I paid $479 for it. If I was the Australian distributor for MediaStar I would be very unhappy with Harvey Norman in Melbourne. They are giving the brand no support whatsoever. I'm sure that the MediaStar is probably a good unit that it's just too hard to buy in the north-west of Melbourne. overall I'm quite happy so far and I will report back when I've had more experience.