Hi.

Does anyone know if there is a new Pioneer HDD/DVD due for release, I was thinking of a DVR540HX, but was a bit concerned in case it was due to replaced with a newer model.

Cheers.
Copp3r.

Yes. Check the Pioneer Europe Web site for details.

Three new models, including one that has some of the features people feel are missing from the current models.

Due in October. No indication of prices yet.

Still only one digital tuner.

Thanks danco for this, I was about to buy the Pioneer from John Lewis but I think I will wait till the Autumn.

Does anyone know if the new DVR-545HX model will still use an analogue EPG download (i.e. 3 two hour downloads a day), or something quicker?
Last edited by carcher : 31-07-2006 at 19:22

Presumably you mean the Guide+ system. This provided by a third party so the speed has got nothing to do with the receiving device. I presume it is sent in the vertical blanking of the analogue carrier channel, rather like Cefax; that is why it takes so long to send. Of course, if it didn't send all the fancy graphics then it could be much faster, but then it wouldn't support advertising and (I guess) wouldn't exist!
Why not use the Digital (freeview) version which is much faster?

Because it only has details of the freeview channels and not sky one etc. which the guide+ does.

I have read than the guide+ transmitions will be going digital at some point.

That would be useful (assuming you don't need new hardware) and extending the channel support/downlisting times to more than 48hrs woulld be good

PS: This link on Pioneer.eu site gives the low down on the upcoming DVR-645H, DVR-545HX and DVR-545H. Nice features for some, but video (ie Divx) transfer from USB seems excluded and only Home Theater profile when its got HDMI output for an HD box!

I wouldn't bet on Pioneer giving u free upgrade to access the upcoming Guideplus on Freeview service from Gemstar - that'll be in a new model. Pioneer don't have the same business model as Humax/Topfield. New features = new model. U can sort of see their point ....

On the link you posted it says - The DVR-545HX also includes a Digital EPG providing a digital variant of the analogue guide.

Doesn't that suggest it will support it out of the box ?

Can appreciate major new features such as HD requiring a new hardware but what are presumably software updateable features such as DiVX, Digital Guideplus should be offered for say 1-2 years after the product release. We're not talking disposible cameras here and I had kinda assumed imy 530 would be a cornerstone of my new setup until I upgraded to Blu Ray/HD (afterall my £25 VCR lasted 8 years). That being said I am still happy as Larry with it but suspect I would have a lot more brand loyalty (still need a couple of flatpanels, Cini sound etc) If I felt warmth from the manufacturer.

Pioneer says the 540HX model has a Digital EPG too (as well a so called analogue one called Guideplus) - it is the Freeview EPG. So I guess the 545HX one is just the same: When u switch the unit to Freeview u use the Freeview EPG as a basis to program it. In Guideplus mode u use Guideplus to record from the scart, but loose the ability to use the built in Freeview decoder. This is what bugged me, I wanted it to record from scart while viewing Freeview, or other way around. Perhaps the 545 can do this, but I doubt it.

Are you saying that if the unit is set up to use the guideplus epg (which I will want to do as I have sky), then I can't view / record any freeview channels?

I thought in the guideplus setup screens you can tell it which source you want to use for say ITV1 (Scart / Freeview / analogue).

Playing with a 540HX in our Joh Lewises a few months back, we got it to record from scart (directly, not thru Guideplus as that hadn't downloaded EPG yet) and then tried to 'view' another channel with GUIDE button - we just got a "I am busy doing something" box on screen (or something similar). We never even got as far as trying to pick a channel.

This of course made sense when only 1 source existed for the box as say in the 530. That was in use being recorded so of course the box couldn't do anything else. But now it has the Freeview as a 2nd source, this user interface lockout was... surprising. I bet the JLewis guys it would work on the basis it should have logically!

From this I surmised that u can't pick freeview at all once in Guideplus mode. Posted this a while back and no 540HX owner disagreed.


Mmm... u made me have a reread of the manual. Yup, on page 49 it says u can set the source for a Guideplus channel as analogue, External (ie Scart) or Digital TV.

But this is not per recording, it is changing the configuration of the Guideplus channels in the Guideplus Editor Area (page 48). So, u can change the "ITV" entry to be ITV off Freeview rather than off ITV Scart (ie Sky in your case) but this is permanent setting until u change it back again. A bit like the choice of Guideplus or Freeview EPG - u are supposed to configure it once rather than flip between them on the fly.

Since u can't add Guideplus channels, u can't have one as ITV external and one as ITV Freeview and so pick the source when u setup your recordings.

It is very much a fixed choice machine - either Freeview or External source/Guideplus. Changing between them is done at box configuration time and a pain to do so during normal day to day use.

This is what foxed my plans for getting a 540, I sometimes wanted to record off one source and watch thru other - a "1+1" solution if proper PVRs are termed 2 tuner solutions. I guess the 540 is more of a "1or1" solution

If anybody has some more info on how the Freeview integrates in with the Guideplus for recording / viewing actually works in practice let us know?

Just confirmed with pioneer, it is not possible to record from a external source and watch something via the internal tuners at the same time, regardless if your using the digital EPG or guideplus.

If you use the quideplus epg, you can still set it to record from the builtin freeview decoder for all freeview channels, so you only need to record from an external input for chanels like sky one, etc.

However I'm disapointed to know that when I need to record from sky, I would not be able to use the built in freeview decoder, don't understand why they have done this.

I know the sony 710 allows you to record from an exteral source and watch someting on the built in freeview tuner.

I have followed the discussion with interest. Thanks for everyone's comments. Finding a reasonable all-in-one PVR/DVD/Freeview box seems impossible.

I noticed the PIONEER DVR-440HX-S at Comet.co.uk. Seems a lot cheaper at £327.04

Does anyone have anything to say about this machine?

try this as it very cheapest for muti-region

440HX >> http://www.totaldigital.biz/product_...oducts_id/1687

540HX >> http://www.totaldigital.biz/product_...oducts_id/1692

Ah, I've been out of the loop for a while with regards to the features on new models. Just a few points:

* Do the models with digital tuners record the bitstream directly from the signal? It doesn't look like it, which is a shame, because the bitrate is always less than SP mode, yet provides best available quality, because it's not re-encoded.

* Will there be an ability to copy Divx from DVD to HDD? Old models ignored files on DVD and only dealt with CD's.

* Um, why has the remote been replaced with a toy? Can I get a remote with, like, all the buttons I need (including a chapter mark button!) please?

* Surprised Pioneer now writes to ALL types of disc, including RAM. I thought hell would freeze over before Pioneer even acknowledged the existence of DVD+ (they pretended it didn't exist when listing the playback compatibility of the 5100H in the manual)