Telewest Tvdrive

Windtalker

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:thumbsdow
 
Windtalker have you any further information about this product. I have been waiting for this for years. Is it noisy? What are the startup times like from standby. Do you have any pricing information (per month/cost of box etc)
It's hdtv ready so does it have HDMI or component. Is there any HD material being broadcast?
Many thanks
azzo
 
This sounds excellent. Ethernet port... Hmmm... I wonder if you will be able to stream any of the stuff off the HD. Can't wait, so longer as the pricing is good.
azzo
 
I am so excited now I really want this!! Do you know roughly when it will be released? Will it be before the end of the year?
 
Can we have some more info on the user front end. Is it easy to pick a programme to record? Can you select to record a whole series? If you've used a TiVo, how does it compare? Can you sort the list of recorded programmes? Can you add padding to the start and end of recordings. Does padding prevent a subsequent programme from recording? I've got a million questions but what I really want to know is whether it's better than my TiVo software wise. I already know that the hardware is much better.
 
Very interesting - thanks for making some pictures available.
Any idea who actually made /designed it for them ?

(Pace, Samsung, Scientific Atlanta etc.)

Chris Muriel, Manchester.
 
I think I read somewhere that Scientific Atlanta is making them.
azzo
 
Windtalker thank you for the information on the tvdrive. Do you think that it will be relesed to customers for chirstmas.
 
Windtalker
:thumbsup: Great info :smashin:

With regards to photos ,any possibility of taking pictures of the rear and posting them so we all could have a look at the connections available.

Del :smoke:
 
Thank you very much for answering my questions, Windtalker. I'm starting to get excited about this box.

I'd also like to know if you can see a list of all upcoming episodes in a series and see which ones are being recorded. Hopefully with multiple tuners there should be very few clashes, but it would be useful to be able to check that there aren't going to be any episodes missed. Mind you, the EPG isn't as long as TiVo's so this feature probably wouldn't be as useful.

It's probably too soon to tell, but do series links stay after the series has finished so that when the series returns it will be picked up atomatically. Can you give series links priority for recording when there are clashes?

Do all recordings stay permanently until you delete them or do they time out like on TiVo so there is room for future episodes on series links? Does it insist on there being enough space available for each recording as you set it. TiVo assumes that by the time future recordings happen, you'll have watched and deleted some of the programmes already recorded. On TiVo recordings are kept for a default number of days and then automatically deleted when space is needed for more recordings, but there is an option to keep recordings until they are deleted.
 
I've been waiting for something like this too, but became frustrated with the delays and signed up to Sky+. However it's not yet installed, so I may just cancel and wait a bit longer ... I guess the 2 most important questions are, when & how much?
 
Windtalker said:

Windtalker

OK, you've removed (edited) the contents of your initial post.

I'm curious; what happened?

Del :smoke:
 
I guess the Telewest authorities wont allow pre-release photos published on a public site.

I am guessing the TVdrive will be a great product , but will fall far short of the flexibility of TiVo due to:
a) metatdata and 4 week EPG that TiVo uniquely has
b) TiVo is basically a Linux box and has 7 years worth of great hacks and additions by 10,000+ Linux TiVo users/hackers

But if you want a simple one box solution the TVdrive appears great on paper.
 
The new Telewest PVR is based on the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HDMR but with a unique, custom facia.

The only known facts about the new TW PVR are as follows:

* 160gig hard drive
* HDTV Compatible
* Multiroom Capable
* Three Tuners & Two Decoders

Anything else is purely speculation! Telewest have named this device "TVDrive" but this is unconfirmed as yet.

http://www.telewestinfo.co.uk/TWPVR.shtml

PS There is a free VOD service, Teleport

http://www.telewest.co.uk/html/television/teleport/whatis.htm
 
Interesting...

Lets see how things develop in the new year
 
This seems very interesting, no charge for the box as far as I can tell (Obviously they take it back if you diconnect). But this combined with the Teleport service and the 10mb broadband they are offering make this very tempting.
Telewest forums are down so I will wait to see some reports of performance and see what connectivity it has (It mentions HDMI on the site)
Now if Sky could come up with a Good HiDef/PVR Package as reports suggests there will be costly!
 
Is it only me or does this Box sound fantastic?

I can't wait and especially since TW is thinking of having HDTV available too.

Tommy
 
Tommy,

do youhave the new TVdrive STB then?

If so, what connections doe sit have on the back apart from HDMI?

Does it have compnment?

Adrian
 
I have just had a marketing call from Telewest, the chap said they were currently piloting a HD service in 100 homes, with a view to a launch date in February.

I enquired about cost, and he said not definite yet, but looking at free box supply (although you would not own it), £50 installation and £10 on top of premium rate services PM.

I was a bit sceptical, but he did have some quite detailed information on box, in that he said it would provide 80hrs at high def recording (he believed sky would only do 40 hrs), and that box has the facility to record 2 channels and view a 3rd.

Anyone else heard similar?
 
jessmith said:
I have just had a marketing call from Telewest, the chap said they were currently piloting a HD service in 100 homes, with a view to a launch date in February.

I enquired about cost, and he said not definite yet, but looking at free box supply (although you would not own it), £50 installation and £10 on top of premium rate services PM.

I was a bit sceptical, but he did have some quite detailed information on box, in that he said it would provide 80hrs at high def recording (he believed sky would only do 40 hrs), and that box has the facility to record 2 channels and view a 3rd.

Anyone else heard similar?



According to reports the first boxes are in 400 homes but I suppose what is important is that it is in the field even if only for employees I suspect:)

As with all cable hardware it will be loaned for the duration of the sub with an install fee with the extra sub being £10 or £15 depending upon the service level, of course figures have to be regarded as speculation until the real domestic service is rolled out in a few months.

The TW DVR has a 160gig drive which will give around 80 hours of SD storage, HD will require triple the bitrate (based on a mpeg2 codec) so you are looking at around 25 hours of HD recording. Figures will vary since recording will be a mixture of both HD and SD.
The latest SKY+ hardware (PVR3) has an average of 40 hours of SD recording, there has no official word of the capacity of the SKY+ HD hard drive but we know SKY and other Dsat broadcasters will use mpeg4 which requires much less HDD capacity.

The TW DVR does have three tuners which is a major advantage over SKY hardware and allows you more flexibility in viewing and recording in fact as I understand it you can watch two channels at the same time via independent video outputs.

No doubt that the TW and upcoming NTL DVR's are serious pieces of kit I just wonder if now cable has caught up and surpassed SKY if content will once again prove it is king.
 

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