I've been thinking of getting a pvr for a couple of weeks now. Originally, I thought about getting a HDD/DVD PVR like the Pioneer DVR440 but the only ones I've seen have been region-locked (I have a few region 1 DVDs) and I don't want to pay extra for a region-free version.

I was wondering about getting the Sharp TUR160H but internally is this exactly the same as the Digihome pvr160?
Are there any differences in the software? One nice feature of the Sharp seems to be picture-in-picture, is this available on the Digihome too?

Is the Digihome worth the money or would a better choice be the Humax or Topfield?

Also, does the latest software release (5.3?) have the dual-record feature or does this still need to be downloaded via the rs232 interface?

Will the next OAD give us all the dual-record feature anyway?

If I bought a pvr160 this weekend (from Argos as they seem to be the cheapest) then should it come with the latest software release or will I still need to upgrade it?

To answer your questions in order

1. Sharp/Digihome/Dual/Goodmans - these are all the same box made by Vestel in Turkey. They only differ by the front panel and cosmetic changes. So go with the cheapest (which is currently the Dual one in Asda)

2. All support Picture in Picture

3. v5.3 does not have the dual record feature and I doubt that the next OAD will either. The fact that the EPG is limited to a couple of days (without filter entries) would mean that they would not get their freeview tick mark.

4. It'll be luck of the draw what you get from Argos, depending on what their stock levels are.

My advice is find the cheapest one and burn the dual record firmware into it. Why pay more for the same box from the mainstream brands

Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll pop into my local Asda at the weekend to see if they have a Dual 160 in stock. Asda seem a little shy of advertising on the net, are there any online photos of the Dual and/or its remote?

So am I right in thinking that the dual-record upgrade will work on any of the digihome/sharp/hitachi/dual/goodmans stbs (whether they are 80 or 160gb).

Yes that's correct. There is a picture of the Dual somewhere in these forums

Try this http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3310/cimg2945wj9.jpg
Last edited by khakidrill : 26-01-2007 at 13:40

Looks a bit tacky... maybe it looks nicer in the flesh?

Anyway, I'll see if there's any in stock - if not, or if it looks cheap then I'll just save up for a Toppy.

I've got a DUAL PVR and I don't think it's tacky in comparison to the efforts from Digihome/Grundig/Evesham/Goodmans. They are damn ugly! I've only seen the DUAL available in the 80Gb-£80 flavour.

It's the best looking one to go for unless you want to pay an extra £40 more than the Digihome for the over-priced Sharp PV-R2160E.
Last edited by Johneboy : 26-01-2007 at 14:22

The Asda one really looks the part. Nice display and frontage. I normally buy high end stuff but I'm really surprised by this "budget" model.

80Gb is enough if you remember to clear out the stuff you have watched already.

With the dual record firmware it's a killer machine for £80, an unlike the Humax I still have all my recordings on the HDD
Last edited by kradcliffe : 26-01-2007 at 14:32

I went to Asda over the weekend and bought a Dual 80 - it's a fantastic bit of kit for the money, I'm impressed. I've seen other PVRs that have a lot more features (and a higher price tag) but I actually like the simplicity of the Dual - within a few minutes I'd got mine out of the box, plugged in, and fully installed without looking at the manual once.

My local Asda had about half a dozen on the shelf all with version 4.9 software (there's a sticker on the box).

There's a few very minor issues with it - sometimes the sound drops out momentarily during playback, when the Dual is recording to HD it seems to keep the scart active, it would have been nice if the HD was completely silent, etc. - but apart from that it's great, it makes VHS seem like something out of the dark ages

I did wonder about changing the software to the dual record but at the moment I think I'll stick with the single (and 5.3 is OTA next week anyway ). Seeing as the vast majority of programmes on tv are repeated ad infinitum these days it doesn't seem that important to have dual record anyway.

So using your logic - why bother to record anything at all?

Coz when there's nothing worth watching on live tv it's nice to have a library of pre-recorded stuff to watch instead.

Being partialy deaf I was wondering if any body knows what the subtitles perfom like on Dual 80 also if it records them?

Yes, it records subtitles. There's a button on the remote that switches subtitles on and off - my Netgem STB activates subtitles from within the info menu so the Dual is a bit easier to use.