If it can do TUTV, has 160GB HDD and USB connection, then it pretty much blows the Panasonic and Inverto out of the water - before they are even out! I won't be acepting bets on which one is out first though!

Agreed! I wonder when we'll find out if it is TUTV compatible. Wasn't there also some doubt about MHEG? That's a minor thing really but it can be annoying without it.

Found some Screenshots . Also download the manual, which makes interesting reading!

Turbosat have told one of the retailers they supply that this product is TUTV Ready as unlike the Inverto it has several decryption systems built in ..

The 5000 certainly can download programs to a PC via USB, so the 5800 should too I imagine. The 5000 would definitely need a CAM (which you can buy) to use TUTV, but the 5800 apparently has this built in if you can believe comments above.

FYI, the 5000 (and presumably 5800) will happily record HD material which you can then download to a PC, but it will not play it, since it outputs SD only. The 5800 might be able to downsample, but probably not.

Ci slots confirmed by turbosat. Just what I needed to hear! well fusion have bored me with their endless yes it will be here january and then february with their fvrt200 model, so i will now cancel my online order of this machine in prefernece to the one below!!!

Dear Sir
Yes it will have 2 C.I Slots but it has not been tested for Top Up TV yet only Freeview, if it is OK when tested you will require a cam for Top Up TV
I hope to have more details soon
Regards



David Macauley

Finance Director
Turbosat International Ltd.


The fact that tutv has not been tested is neither here or there as far as I am aware the cam will do the decrypting as the software is embedded in the cam! So i am not worried!

looks like the Inverto IS out: http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/CatalogueItem_25077.html

Don't think so... "Awaiting stock from supplier"

I wouldn't be so sure based on my experience

well, the Fusion says coming soon...and that one just says awaiting stock....so i guess it's on the market...as such

its on the market as much as the tuch100 is on the market

there are several websites that allow you to order that, but don't tell you if it's in stock

How many PVRs' have silver feet?

I think it looks cool, a bit retro & clunky, nice!

I bought a Thomson Dial Home Device 4000 a fortnight ago,
No problems at all, it's great.

I now have the luxury of waiting for the outcome of the threeway fight,
I'm saving my pennies.

Most people just call it the DHD4000 As do Thomson ..

same status as the Thomson DHD4000, yet that says it's a Top Seller, which is on the market too

Yes but what ever it says, the Inverto isn't "on the market" yet, but the Thompson is... Fact!

There is a note in the DTG world news about Foxtel starting a PVR service in Australia - I assume that Foxtel is DTT (it may be the Sky brand in Australia) - it only says 'digital' in the article.

http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?...class=0&id=655

This is I assume downloading films overnight for watching later using your smart card - the Topfield seems to have the ability to decrypt at re-store which should cause Foxtel problems!

How can the Aussies with a small population and a new marketplace get a PVR with card slots before us?

Note BTW that the Teletext in the Topfield spec is 'analogue' teletext transmitted via the box and inserted into the video stream for your TV to decode - MHEG is not mentioned (neither is MHP as far as I can see!) - so the EPG is probably not compatible with the UK and recording would have to be 'by hand'.
Note also that the Topfield has TWO CI slots - I would expect that it would be supplied with at least one CAM/card adapter in the UK - this provide more functionality internationally and stops them having to have a special model for each marketplace - except in the UK we need MHEG5!

so as a consumer, i'm being mis-lead?

where does it say anywhere that it isn't on the market yet?

Slightly odd, that its the finance director who is responding to the technical queries...

I've had a quick scan of the manual and I'm slightly confused by one thing - when you set a recording from the EPG, does it save the name of the programme in the planner list or is it just the channel name and time of recording?

If it doesn't save actual programme information it seems like a pretty big omission.

It uses the program name if it exists.

See here for how a batch of recordings look in altair and here for how they appear on screen.

That's OK then. What do the $ signs mean?

It means they are (still) encrypted - its in the manual which I looked through quickly. It looks like you can remove the encryption off-line by re-storing recordings.

Is there a release date for this yet or will it be like all the others sometime in the coming year

It's quite a machine, isn't it! From my quick flick through the manual, I couldn't see where the CI slot is - presumably the right hand side of the front panel flips down to reveal the slot(s)?


It's due out in about 3 weeks I think.