Where can I purchase the DVX-555U STB?

I understand that Strathfield carried it but Strathfield staff in Adelaide and Perth say it was a 'catalogue special' during September and that it won't be re-stocked. My check of all Strathfield shops in Adelaide and Perth suggests that there is no stock in either city.

For $69, with the option of adding a regular PC hard drive to convert it to a PVR, this looks like a very cheap pathway.

Only downside is that the new HD programming that will come to 7, 9 and 10 before tha end of 2007 might put the kybosh on SD-only equipment. I guess in practice this depends on how much of the HD programming is original as distinct from being simply a time-shift of the regular SD programming.

http://www.austech.info/showpost.php?p=120...p;postcount=210

Sorry, that reference is of little help.

Has anyone seen the DVX-500U for sale in shops recently - or does anyone know if it will re-appear?

Strathfield's staff in several shops say that 'their' shop will not be getting it again.

If jok11n says that there are more coming, then I believe him.

But unless you have a spare hard drive sitting around doing nothing, you'd be better off buying a PVR with a drive already in it, IMO. The DVX-555U only has a single tuner, it has a few annoying limitations, and the remote control isn't the easiest to use.

But if you do have a spare hard drive laying around, and you just want a cheap-ish box to fiddle with, then buying one makes more sense.

Some stores have just got them in, there are more coming also

SCR's "October Clearance" catalogue, which runs from today (8/10/07) until 21/10/07, has them on page 5......

http://www.strathfield.com.au/images/Catal...1008/JPG/p5.JPG

Got one today. I think its goog for the price, just wish I could record with the booking list for the kids,I better read the manual again.

There's basically two ways to get something into the booking list; via the EPG, or manually. Of course, to do it via the EPG means that the target program must actually be in the EPG (and with the correct times); some of the networks still only provide "now and next". The nice thing about doing it via the EPG (if it's there), is that the name of the program is then displayed in the booking list.

Regardless of whether you add something to the booking list manually or via the EPG, there's a couple of points to watch; the default action is "OFF", so you need to change that to "ON". The other thing is that it's prudent to overwrite the duration with something longer, especially for the commercial stations of an evening.

If you have any problems figuring it out, look for the thread on the Tevion TPVR2511 PVR on this forum (it's functionally the same, except for the extra tuner), or the DVX-555U thread on austech.info.

I picked one up in Bendigo last Monday, they had at least 6 on the floor then. Price was $69.
I found the tuner sensitivity to be much worse than the STB's I have been using. (Phoenix, Digicrystal, Kaon), but as the backup it seems OK.
JB

Thanks colin. I recorded a show and the power went off the day after I recorded it and it disappeared. Is that normal.

No.

I picked up one of these boxes today in Perth... had to drive to a second Strathfield store after my closest store had no stock :-(

Works fairly well but I've noticed it has an annoying bug with the timezone setting. It seems to be ignoring what I set it, and is defaulting to what I think might be what the network is sending it - for ABC, SBS and TEN this is GMT+10. If I change to Seven or Nine then the time flicks back to GMT+8 (which is what I want)

Are the networks sending wrong timezone info or is there something funny with the STB?

A known issue in WA, this model doesn't have its own clock so you can't set it manually, it can only use what the stations broadcast

After a week with this box I am really impressed. Only thing I dont get is the feed from ch10 is a little stuttery, otherwise great for the price

Just in case anyone missed it on the other related threads, these boxes can also record the HD channels, although they can't play them back. Not something that you'd normally want to do, but once HD multi-channelling is in full swing, it might be useful. I've thrown together a quick how-to on making a DVD, and posted it on that DVX-555U thread on Austech.info......

http://www.austech.info/showpost.php?p=121...p;postcount=272

If you're happy to just watch it on your PC then you don't have to down-convert and create a DVD, of course. Once you have the transport stream on your PC, you can slice and dice and do whatever you like with it.

The DVX-555U was advertised in a new catalogue released last week - but still no stock in any of Strathfield's Adelaide shops. It's something of a waste doing those ads, methinks.

Most likely the freight is just late, that happens with SA, the stock arrives after the ad goes out, the nature of road freight in Australia unfortunatley.

There are 12,000 of these arriving over the next 6 weeks so they should last until Christmas at least

I've finally acquired a DVX-555U. Bought off eBay for $15 from a disgruntled user in Adelaide who was fed up with the lack of a half-hour time setting (Adelaide=GMT+9.5)

It's working fine. After upgrading the firmware the Adelaide time slot is also working perfectly on all channels.

Things I like:
- Price (a steal at $15, though if I had been able to purchase from Strathfield for $69 I would still be happy)
- Performs as described in the online forums
- No signal problems, even though I do not have LOS to TV towers
- Easy to set up with my old PC hard disk

Things that could be improved:
- Remote control button positioning and functionality is far from intuitive. (The Foxtel iQ is an example of a good intuitive PVR system)
- Neither time-shifting nor playback can be performed while a recording is being conducted
- Recorded programs are not labelled with their title - only the channel name and the time of the recording are shown, although these can be changed (with some pain) manually
- Introduction of a website for distributing firmware upgrades
- Poor stock availability (despite calalogue adverts) at Strathfield and disinterested, unprofessional staff at all of the stores I either visited or called, with the exception of the Reynella store in SA, where the staff actually tried to help but were stymied when they attempted to call their central purchasing organisation).

All in all, it's a good deal for the regular retail price of $69, PROVIDED you can get hold of a 'free' hard drive. However, 'free' hard drives are easy enough to come by following PC upgrades, as long as you're happy with, say, a 40GB hard disk. 40GB is good enough for at least 25 hours of recording and is fine for supplementing my primary PVR (Foxtel iQ).

No, it's more like about half that. The DVX-555U, and similar, all seem to get it wrong by about a factor of two. Recording SD typically uses about 3GB per hour. (HD, which you can record but not watch directly, seems to use about 6GB per hour when recording SC10 HD.)

Really?

Over the weekend I fully loaded the 40GB hard disk that I installed in my DVX-555U and it now contains substantially more than 25 hours of recorded SD AV programming.

What kind of testing have you done to achieve double the disk usage (ie half the time capacity) that I achieved? What firmware version are you using?

I think you've mis-read me. 40GB should only be giving you around 12 ~ 13 hours. I've got a 20GB in mine; when empty, the DVX-555u reports that it's good for 12 hours or so, but in practice I get about 6. (I once let the hard drive fill up, unintentionally, and that's what I got.)

So I'm not surprised that your DVX-555U reports that it's good for about 25 hours when it's empty, but was does surprise me is that you're actually getting it. Or maybe you've been recording lots of "My Talk"

No, there's no mis-understanding. I recorded over 25 hours of ABC-TV. I started the machine at about 7pm on Saturday night and recorded continuously until after 8:30pm on Sunday night, when the disk filled up. That is over 25 hours of material (and yes, the 7pm news on both Sat and Sun more or less 'bookend' the recording.)



As I have noted, I am not quoting 'reports' from the DVX. I am reporting my actual user experience. I flicked quickly throught the whole 25 hours and yes, it's all there - no gaps.

What version of the firmware are you using? What is the spec of your disk? Perhaps you are using a disk that is somehow partitioned 50:50? Maybe your disk is not 100% compatible with the DVX-555U or the DVX is in some way not seeing all of the disk capacity? Some very old disks have firmware that requires the installation of proprietary firmware on a PC in order to be 'seen' in full. The DVX would probably not contain these proprietary routines.

I'm not where it is at the moment, so I can't check the firmware version. The drive that's in it is a 20GB Seagate, but I couldn't tell you the model number off the top of my head.

My other PVR's (a Tevion, which is very closely related to the DVX, and an ATD, which is a close cousin) both do the same thing.

So if you pick a few sample recordings and do the maths, how many GB / MB does your DVX use per hour, on average?

Firmware on my DVX-555U is 3.10 LG9013-1TU. Date: May 31, 2007.

A one hour test recording of ABC TV Canberra last night took 2731MB on my DVX-555U. What does it take on yours?

All they do is capture the data stream to disc, there is no encoding, 2731MB on yours will be the same on his, I suspect you already know this anyway

It's definitely a direct stream capture. An interesting side-effect is that recording channel 7 also records all the Teletext data as well

I'm still trying to figure out how rockston can get 25 hours (plus) worth of ABC on a 40GB hard drive, given that 2731MB x 25 = 68,275MB.

Unless they were transmitting at a very low bit rate at the time (does the bit rate vary in any areas of the country??) as a general rule the average is around 3GB per hour as well as I am aware

Got one yesterday at Strathfield in Myer Centre Brisbane. They have heaps. Tried at home, with a rabbit antenna, it worked well (except SBS). No more snow but rarely squares. I'm going to buy a new hard drive tomorrow. Could anyone tell me I should buy 3.5" or 2.5"? Cheers.

3.5" IDE (not SATA)

I've got an old Xbox 10Gb HDD in mine. I don't get a huge recording time (which is ok for what I use it for) but it has the advantage that it was
a) Free, and
b) Very quiet

I have used an old 40gig Maxtor, and a new 80gig Seagate ($51 form MSY). Both work OK
I do have problems though, the picture is supposed to be 4:3 but looks as if it is wide screen compressed to fit, everything is squashed verticaly, and I can't get it right. I also have problems with picture breakup to the point some things are unwatchable - there is no problem with other boxes on the same point.
I am going to do a factory reset and rescan, and if it does not improve will return the box.
JB

(1) "I have used an old 40gig Maxtor, and a new 80gig Seagate ($51 form MSY)"
? MSY

(2) "I do have problems though, the picture is supposed to be 4:3 but looks as if it is wide screen compressed to fit, everything is squashed verticaly, and I can't get it right."
pressing the ASPECT buttom may solve the problem

(3) "I also have problems with picture breakup to the point some things are unwatchable"
I think it's probably related to reception. What's the strength? I noted if the strength is less than 50%, then the picture shows squares, breaks and freezes.

[quote name='charlie_qld' date='Oct 24 2007, 09:14 PM' post='819620']
(1) "I have used an old 40gig Maxtor, and a new 80gig Seagate ($51 form MSY)"
? MSY
MSY.com.au - they have several stores
(2) "I do have problems though, the picture is supposed to be 4:3 but looks as if it is wide screen compressed to fit, everything is squashed verticaly, and I can't get it right."
pressing the ASPECT buttom may solve the problem
Thanks for that, it worked. I was trying to do it through the setup menu

(3) "I also have problems with picture breakup to the point some things are unwatchable"
I think it's probably related to reception. What's the strength? I noted if the strength is less than 50%, then the picture shows squares, breaks and freezes.
I have tried 5 other boxes on the same point without problems, so I dont think it is reception unless the box has a much worse tuner than the others (Digicrystal,Kaon X2, Phoenix Sd andHD)
JB

How noisy is the Seagate? Can you hear it from a few metres away when the TV sound volume is down low?

Has anyone tried the Maxtor 80GB IDE, also available from MSY (for $49)?

What other QUIET, cheap hard drives are people happy with?

"Has anyone tried the Maxtor 80GB IDE, also available from MSY (for $49)?"

Maxtor HDD can be very noisy. I think WD is the best (Its price is similar to Seagate and Maxtor, around $55 for a 80GB.

If drive noise is a concern then you could look for a CE (Consumer Electronics) drive, but I don't know how they compare, price-wise.

I bought a 320GB Seagate SATA (II) drive (16MB buffer version) for $105 at last Saturday's local computer market. This one's to go in my main PC, but I'm using it as an example, as the IDE versions were either the same price or very close to. (The WD 320GB drives were $99, but I prefer Seagate.)

Mine is going back, resception is bad. I have tried it on two antennae points where other boxes are perfect and the picture breaks up regardless.
I hope it is just this box.
JB

Mine is good. I tried two different indoor antennas, one was rabbit ears, the other was the one with coil. Strangely I had to point the antennas to different direction. I also noted the angle and the length of the rabbit ears were also important. One rabbit "ear" had to be upright and semi-retracted, the other "ear" fully extended and in a 45 degree position. Also I put the antennas close to the ceiling to get better reception

As I have a few hard drives lying around I am also thinking of buying a DVX-555U for the kids room, (we already have a Digicrystal 9000 in the living room).
On reading some threads on this forum and over at the Austech forum I have a few questions before buying one:

1. Does it matter if the hard drive is a 5400rpm drive or would it be better to use a 7200rpm drive?
2. I read somewhere that after you have set up a timer recording you have to leave the unit On, and not in Standby mode.
3. I also read somewhere that if you turn it completely Off using the power switch on the unit it will lose some settings.
4. As it only has a tiny LED on the front, does it change colours to indicate if the unit is On or in Standby mode?
5. A few people have returned their units as the IDE connectors were a bit loose and causing hard drive problems, anyone here had this problem?

Also, who exactly are DVX, are they the actual manufacturer, or are they rebadged form another company?
Do they have a support website for future firmware updates, I know jok11n posted a firmware update for the WA time zone bug, so jok11n, please let us know a bit more about who DVX are, and maybe your connection with them, (if any).

Cheers

No problem, 5400rpm is fast enough and is actually quieter



Incorrect, the unit will wake up from standby to make the recording



Have not seen this happen, have unplugged them many times and all the settings are there, not sure if it would lose any scheduled timers if disconnected, I expect that it probably would but would need to check to know for sure



Red for standby, green when it's on



Have not heard of this, they are just a standard IDE connector the same as a PC, the ones I have looked at have been very firm when putting the cable on, old hard drive issue maybe??



DVX is a brand owned by Strathfield, products are made under license, DVX is not a manufacturer (just like every other generic brand in the market), I believe there will be a website for firmware updates etc sometime soon.

Mine loses the colour saturation setting, but that's all, I think. (The default setting looks a bit over-saturated on the TV that mine's connected to.)


Sounds like a good plan to me, given that you already have a spare drive, and it's only for the kids.

Quite possible, I haven't changed the settings from the default as they are fine on my LCD so if they did revert to defaults I wouldn't notice.

Yes, I read this in another thread, but I understand the saturation setting reverting to default is only a problem if using the component output and doesn't affect the composite outputs, I'll be using S-Video so I don't think this will be a problem.

Thanks jok11n, I'm definately going to get one.
You mentioned there were 12,000 units coming in over the next 6 weeks, so I hope I can track one down this weekend.

I hope I'm not being too upfront here but could you please tell us what your relationship is with Strathfield, if any.

Cheers.

There should be plenty around




Nothing important, just have access to info, firmwares etc

I took mine back today. The Strathfield guy said he was not surprised about the poor reception, and tried to sell me a Digicrystal or Topfield. He said it was the fault of a poor tuner, and I should change to a model with a Phillips tuner.
I don't know which tuner is in this box - I never cracked it, anyone know?.
I have no reception problems with Digicrystal, Kaon X2, Phoenix X2 (One a HD model) though.
JB

They use an LG tuner, they are not as sensitive as the Philips tuners unfortunately and do need a good signal, they are not really suitable for use in fringe areas or if you have marginal reception

Thanks Jok11n

Thanks jok11n.
I got one yesterday, the System Info gives the following detals:
Revision: 3.30 LG9013-1TU
Date: Sept, 07, 2007
So I think the new shipment has the newer firmware, I think the previous shipment had
Revision: 3.10 LG9013-1TU
Date: May, 31, 2007

All in all a nice little unit, very easy to set up, although the remote is a little on the small size.
At the moment I have it connected to Rabbit Ears and get about 50% signal strength.
I do get all the channels although I have to reposition the Rabbit Ears for different channels.
Am looking into buying a better indoor antenna, Dick Smith have one specially for digital TV but want $70 for it, so I'm still looking for something a bit cheaper.

Yeah this firmware was done before the last shipment left so it was applied to the new boxes before shipping, there is still a few things to be looked at based on end user feedback (just useability stuff) depending on what's possible will be done and made available for all