I have just got a Digihome DTR160 with T825 with software version 2.7 installed from Argos for £94.99.

There are a couple of things I would like to know if anyone could help me with model of DTR?

1) Would I be able to record a programme then play it from the start while the programme is still recording, it doesn't mention anything about this in the manual!

2) With the record two things at the same time function would I be able to do the following for example...

BBC1 9pm to 10pm recording one

BBC2 9.30pm to 10.15pm recording two..

so between 9.30 and 10.00pm I would be recording two channels at the same time but the start and end times are different...

If anyone could help it would be appreciated.

I did have the Wharfdale DTR LP250 but had to take it back to Argos as it was doing my head in, it kept booting up every couple of hours during the early hours it kept waking me up...

If anyone wants to add anything to this thread for the DTR version of the Digihome please do so!!

I haven't got this particular model but yes be assured you can certainly do all that you describe there.

When the recording starts you will see it listed at the top of the library list with a red dot against it to show it is currently recording. Select this for play as you would any other recording and you can start watching from the beginning (ie chaseplay, aka chase playback).

When the second recording starts while the first is ongoing, it will also appear at the top of the list. You can start to watch either of these from the start in the same way, or anything else in the list for that matter.

Thanks for the info PTD much appreciated..

Bear in mind that the Digihome DTR160 and the Wharfedale DTR LP250 are both T825 based and share the same software branch. Regarding it booting up every 2 hours, was that in LP mode only? I remember reading this complaint before, but can't remember if it was specific to LP mode being on, or whether it was a general "feature" of the T825 software. Hopefully somebody else can confirm that the Digihome DTR160 T825 does not boot up every 2 hours - wouldn't want you to go and buy one only to suffer the same problem again.

Since installing my Digihome DTR160 it hasn't booted up once while in standby!!

The Wharfdale LP DTR250 (T825 s.v 4.9) model I sent back to Argos booted up in both L.P and Standard power modes every couple of hours, It started to annoy me after awhile plus it was a bit clunky on changing the channels and the picture would skip every now and again that's why it went back, so personally I think the frequent boot up sequence of the Wharfdale while in stand by is a general feature of that particular model!

Probably more a feature of the updated software actually - the older v1.7 T825 Wharfedales didn't have this "feature" IIRC. If the planned OAD for T825 models ever comes, you might want to think about avoiding it and switching automatic updates off right now in preparation . Hopefully it is a bug isolated to v4.8/4.9, but from past experience I wouldn't bet on that. I have no idea why it would be necessary, just as I have no idea why it is necessary for the HDD to spin up when setting timers via the EPG (on the T810 you could set timers with the HDD spun down).

IIRC the booting in standby was reported on T825s with the 1.7 software in the thread here but I have not been able to locate the relevant posts yet. I think the consensus was that it was probably looking for changes to the EPG in order to enhance timer recording. If so then I would have expected it to apply equally to all the T825 variants.

Colin

Since my last post saying the Digihome did not boot up during the early hours, this morning it did boot up at 3am which I'm lead to believe from the manual and reading some threads that this is normal as the STB is looking for software updates etc etc..the STB only booted up once during the early hours and was much quieter during the process which I can live with, the Wharfdale I had previously was much louder booting up and winding down!

Switching off the automatic update scanning feature will stop it rebooting at 3am.

I think I spoke too soon see post 5, this Digihome DTR160 model also keeps booting up every few hours for around 30 seconds each time even with the auto up date feature switched off, had the DTR now for just under a week and booting of the box has become more regular, but not as often or as loud as the Wharfdale LP 250 model I had!

But I suppose I can live with that as I'm such a light user and its for a bedroom..its for those duvet momnets when you just wanna relax and watch a good film in bed!..

I've tested the record feature which works..as it has recorded eveything I've programmed so far but I haven't watched anything back yet, will do that later and see what results I get!!

Probably it depends on what timers you have set? With no timers set, does the HDD still spin up during standby. As has been suggested before, it may be the box checking the EPG for series link updates, etc, if you have any set. That said, I'm still not sure why the HDD is involved, unless they moved the timer data from nvram to the HDD in the T825 (I don't think this is the case though). If somebody can let me know if it is set timers that cause this to happen, I'd like to query it with Vestel (that said, I never did get an explanation to why the HDD has to be spun up when setting timers on the T816).

Futaura: I have owned a Wharfedale T825 (v1.7) since December. Timers are always set (mostly SeriesLink) and the HDD spins up from standby very frequently, which I have assumed is an EPG check.

I'm not certain but I thought the Timers List was stored on the HDD on both the T816 and T825. If the HDD is idle there is a delay whilst it starts up before the Timers List is loaded.

I can't comment on how often the HDD starts up in standby or when not otherwise required as it's so quiet I never hear it.

Colin

I did have some recordings set during the weekend and tonight (which may explain the regular booting of my STB) which have all recorded fine, as of yet I haven't set any series links so after tonights recording I have no future recording set in the timers.

I will keep an eye on my STB to see if boots up after all my planned recordings have taken place!!

Since all my set recordings ended at 12.20am this morning I can say my Digihome STB has not booted up at all during the early hours, so the continous booting may be as some posters have said a check up on the EPG data when recordings or series links are set.

That could be the reason. But is it reasonable to expect a PVR used typically not to have at least some recordings scheduled all the time, particularly if Series Record is used? If that is the reason I think the ideal solution would be to have an optional setting to switch that feature off if wished. Switching it off is only likely to have a small effect on recording accuracy i.e. if scheduled times change since the PVR was last switched on.

Colin

I'm still unsure whether the timers are stored in nvram or the timer, but I think it's more likely they are in nvram. For example, the T816 starts monitoring the now/next info 15 minutes before a recording is scheduled to start, for accurate recording. Since the HDD is idle at that point and doesn't spin up until the recording is actually started, that probably does mean the timer list is in nvram (unless when you put the unit in standby, a wakeup time is just saved in nvram for the next recording due to start).

Anyway, I've asked Vestel for clarification on this, so hopefully I'll get an answer.

I had assumed that the T816 is almost fully operational when in standby as at 11W or there-abouts the power consumption is virtually the same as when it is "switched on" with the HDD idle. This would account for the fact that the EPG is available fully populated when brought out of standby and I suspect it is being updated continuously whilst in standby. I suspect that all that is disabled are the Scart and other Audio video outputs, the Scart switching signals and the front panel display changed to display the clock. The T825 LP/CI Slot models seem to operate similarly unless the Low Power mode is activated, in which case the EPG is not maintained and takes some time to re-populate when brought out of standby. The displayed Timers List is only re-populated slowly once the EPG population has reached a certain level. I'm guessing the Timers List info before it was put in to standby has been stored on the HDD but the displayed Timers list is not re-compiled when it's brought out of standby until there is sufficient info in the EPG to ensure the correct Series Record events are selected. Lot of guesswork on my part there I'm afraid. If a scheduled recording is due to start before the Timers list has been re-compiled to include that recording the recording fails. I had examples of this on the T825 LP model. The complete re-compilation of the Timers List typically took up tp 1h.


Colin