The 2x, 4x, 8x, etc. all work ok as does pointing the remote away from the box. Seems to perform just as well as the original remote. There's just LCD a slight limit on the icons you can activate on the screen, since Calendar, Library, etc. didn't exist when the m1+ was invented !
I have contacted one-for-all to try to get the FVRT100 remote on my Kameleon 6. They needed a photo of the remote, which I have sent, and they said they should get back to me in a few days.
I've had this with OFA. Unless someone has submitted their original remote then it is likely you will be asked to assist by submitting your own. This could cause a problem what with the Fusion STB not having buttons other than channel up/down & power. I have used this service twice with about 3 weeks turnaround on average. Hope this helps.
We know that the Fusion uses the same STi5514 controller as the Thomson DHD4000 and later Pace Sky+ boxes. Neither of these other boxes support >128GB (true capacity, or 137GB in "disk" speak). It therefore seems that the odds are stacked against the Fusion supporting 160GB? (It may well work with a 160GB drive, as the Thomson does, but you will probably find the accessed capacity tops out 128GB as the addressing "wraps round").
Since the STi5514 is an ATA-5 compliant controller, and uses LBA, I assume that this is a software limitation? However, since it is logical for Fusion to have based their design on the ST Micro reference platform, including the software components, it seems unlikely that this will behave differently from the other products?
We know that the Fusion uses the same STi5514 controller as the Thomson DHD4000 and later Pace Sky+ boxes. Neither of these other boxes support >128GB (true capacity, or 137GB in "disk" speak). It therefore seems that the odds are stacked against the Fusion supporting 160GB? (It may well work with a 160GB drive, as the Thomson does, but you will probably find the accessed capacity tops out 128GB as the addressing "wraps round").
Since the STi5514 is an ATA-5 compliant controller, and uses LBA, I assume that this is a software limitation? However, since it is logical for Fusion to have based their design on the ST Micro reference platform, including the software components, it seems unlikely that this will behave differently from the other products?
Is there anything that precludes the use of other brands of ATA-5 compliant disk?
I've had this with OFA. Unless someone has submitted their original remote then it is likely you will be asked to assist by submitting your own. This could cause a problem what with the Fusion STB not having buttons other than channel up/down & power. I have used this service twice with about 3 weeks turnaround on average. Hope this helps.
Interesting... I wouldn't submit my own though... it's up to them to acquire one from Fusion if they want to stick to their claim of their product being ever upgradeable.
Is there anything that precludes the use of other brands of ATA-5 compliant disk?
In theory, any ATA-5 compliant drive should work. However, in practise, you will probably find that some work reliably and that others don't!
The whole area of PVR HDD upgrades is somethink of a minefield. These boxes seem to be a lot more sensitive to a particular HDD's characteristics than your average PC. In general it pays to stay with the family of HDDs that the product initially ships with. In addition some HDD ranges generally seem more "compatible" than others.
Amongst the reasons why some drives may not work include differences in - spin-up times, spin-up and running currents, latency, physical layout, error handling, cache management, etc, Note that these things *should* all be transparent - i.e. the various HDDs should work similarly enough that they are interchangeable. In reality it is little more than the electrical interface that is standardised, and there are many differences at the software interface level (especially in how the HDD firmware handles certain atypical events). Sadly the different manufacturers, and even their different ranges have enough operational differences to make upgrading a somewhat hit and miss activity! This is exacerbated by the fact that a PVR, as a "closed box" product, is usually only QA'd with the drives that it is ever likely to be manufactured with (i.e. very few). These threads are therefore littered with experiences of drives that intuition suggested *should* have worked in a PVR upgrade, but which did not!
Since the Fusion ships with a Maxtor I completely agree with the earlier poster that this is the most logical starting point. The only other HDD I would probably risk would be a Seagate as they just *typically* seem to work well in other PVR upgrades. However, since this shares the same controller as the Thomson, I would also suggest trawling that thread for feedback on what seems to work there - notwithstanding that it *may* have different software, which is where the problems typically come from! The Thomson uses a Seagate, and apparently is also happy with some Samsung drives.
Well, like Ang I got my Fusion on Day One. I remain entirely satisfied with it, subject to the fulfilment of Fusion's promise to solve the subtitles issue and implement "watch in-progress- recordings from the start."
It seems to be pretty-well bug free. I have had no missed recordings, no lock-ups since the first night's failure to load the EPG. The EPG is superbly designed and makes life almost too easy, in that you tend to record more programmes than you are likely to find time to watch.
I don't have a problem with the size of the hard drive. It is twice the size of the Pace, and holds almost twenty hours of quality video. If it ain't broke .....
Noise: not a problem unless, perhaps, you are bat-eared; and as my wife has not complained I would say it is not a problem even if you are!
Heat: Not a real issue. Moreover, mine is running cooler than when I first got it. Can these things be "run-in", do you suppose? Anyone else found this? The case is now slightly warm to the touch. Just a little above blood heat. Absolutely not a problem. Underneath it is slightly warmer, but certainly not hot.
Rush out and buy one! You won't be sorry, and as the customer-base improves Fusion will be strengthened. We will get our updates all the faster!
Well, managed to lock my box last night...I set two channels recording, then tried to view a third channel. It bought up a warning screen, which offered options on pressing red/green etc to get out, none of which worked. I couldn't get out of the warning screen, and had to unplug and start again. Not a big deal though, to be honest.
On the heat issue - the plug/transformer gets very hot. Anyone know why they used an offboard transformer like this? I might switch it off at the mains overnight, perhaps leaving it on just once a week to get the programme guide.
Still v impressed with the box though. Picture quality and usability get a big thumbs up from me.
Well I have upgraded my HD with an Hitachi 160Gb, the same type as I used with the Thomson. The Fusion seemed to startup OK so I didn't use the 'Format' option. After recording around 8 hours I attempted to setup two 20 hour recordings, when leaving the menus though it didn't start the recordings. After going back into the menus I tried to delete the recordings, I managed to delete one but the other one became corrupt. After a reset, the box had deleted all my recordings!
I then used the format option and before I left for work this morning the box was working fine. I have some pics of the fan, I would have posted them to jswift but he appears to have lost interest after Thomsons complaint. If anybody has web space for them I will be quite happy to forward them. The fan looks just like an old pentium CPU fan.
Heat is still a big issue for me, my box is extremely hot all the time. When I opened it up to change the HD out I almost burnt my fingers on the existing drive. I wish I could get hold of one of those Samsung Spinpoint 160Gb drives as TomsHardware.com quoted them as running at only 35 deg C.
I also noted that when changing the HD, I lost my channel setting, the firmware update, my setup options and the program guide. So it seems that the Fusion stores all of its info on the HD.
The one question I really want answered is if an option to start watching a currently active recording from the begining is ever going to be possible or is it a limitation of the hardware.
After 6 months of reading avforums and digitalspy waiting for a better dvr than the pace twin to come out I finally bought a Fusion FVRT100. So thanks to all those who bit the bullet first with both the Thomson and the Fusion.Thanks also to Unbeatable who took just 18 hours to deliver it.
Straight out of the box everything set up fine and the guide loaded on the first night no probs at all.
As for noise it’s far far quieter than a pc, the ps2 and the vcr. I set my box up late last night in the silence after I got back from the pub, it is a noise that your ears have to search for rather than just hear.
So far the Fusion meets all my needs and i am very pleased.
Can someone help me answer the following questions about the Fusion please?
1) Does it have any editing facilities? (i.e. can I remove a chunk from an existing recording?)
2) Are the EPG and any programmed recordings retained through a power cut?
3) Are the user menus & EPG the same as the Thomson?
Thanks for any help.
If I've read the thread correctly so far then the following of my questions have already been answered -
a) Does the Fusion have a modulator? No, it doesn't output the digital on the UHF.
b) Does it have every-day or every-week recordings? No.
c) Does it have a digital audio output (either electrical or optical)? No.
If that's correct then I'm sad to say that these are big disappointments for me and I probably won't be buying this box (much as I'm tempted). The lack of UHF and Digital Audio outputs are show stoppers. The everyday/week thing is an annoyance (with Frasier, Friends, Countdown etc on daily - actually weekdays).
That's all a shame as there are many things about the Fusion to like. As an engineer the physical implementation seems quite neat to me (external PSU, compact and elegant PCB, good space in box, etc). I am also pleased that Fusion have offered useful feedback to their owners and thereby this thread. It makes a refreshing change to Thomson!
Still here from page 1, keeping a eye on all your comments and edging closer to a decision. I won't labour the heat and noise discussion, suffice to say that this would be my second DVB (1st been the impressive Daewoo) and this one may well be located about a metre away from my sleeping head in the bedroom. This naturally leaves me anxious of how low "low noise" is.
Many have claimed you can barely hear it 2 metres away and its non existent in a cabinet, but in the peaceful world of never, neverland, I wonder if the "white noise" is enough to frustrate me.
Comments welcome if you aren't fed up of repeating yourselves. By way of payment I've attached a link that may be of interest to those of you who own one. I don't recall anyone else mentioning it and I am assuming it is relevant to the model in question.
Decide to get a Fusion after reading peoples comments in this thread. Installed it last night and am generally very pleased, but after a few hours playing with it I have a couple of questions. Sorry if these have been asked before.
a) The Manual says that you can "chase" live TV for upto 30 minutes, but I seem to be getting more than that. Anyone else noticed this?
At half time in the footie I thought that I'd rewind to see how much I had, and I'd got at least the whole half. After that I pushed a few more buttons and seemed to restart the "recording" and so lost the history.
I'll experiment a bit more tonight.
b). I was replacing an old Nokia On Digital box, and I seem to be having some format issues with my TV set. Setting the Fusion box format to 16:9, and having the TV to auto format, I get a squashed picture - I guess the TV seems to think the format is 4:3. This was never a problem with the Nokia. Telling the TV that the format is 16:9 sorts the picture out, (except that ITV news now looks stretched as that is broadcast in 4:3??). The real irritation is that the TV seems to revert to Auto format if it is set to standby, or surprisingly if the Fusion is set to standby.
Anyone had a similar issue? Anyone know how the format is signalled from the decoder to the TV? A quick discussion in the office earlier suggested that it might be a pin on the scart cable, and maybe that wasn't connected properly (I'll remake all the scart connections this evening).
Still, It does seem like the box for me. Was pleasantly surprised that I got a 7-day guide overnight with no crashes.
Questionmark - Yes, you have answered all of your own questions correctly. Well done
Neil - I've said all along that the noise isn't an issue but I think in your case I would make an exception. I'm a very light sleeper and wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as this box. It is the sort of noise that your brain doesn't hear unless you concentrate but I think it would bug me if I was trying to get to sleep.
BigPaul - I've had no problems with format switching so I would agree with your friends and say your scart lead isn't fully wired or has a fault. I've not checked the 30 min buffer so can't say if it actually keeps more than this.
As an interesting side-note. One feature I've found to be really cool is the fact that you can pause the current channel you are watching and then switch over to watch a bit of another channel. You can then also pause this second channel and switch back to the first, etc. Obviously, you only have 2 tuners so you can't do it if you are recording something at the same time. Very handy feature though, it's great. I used it for the penalty shootout last night. paused the footie and watched 15 mins of Big Brother. When the adverts came on, switched back to footy and watched the penalties in fast forward to skip all the drivel in between and also relieve the tension. They're just too tense in real time !!
Many have claimed you can barely hear it 2 metres away and its non existent in a cabinet, but in the peaceful world of never, neverland, I wonder if the "white noise" is enough to frustrate me.
Comments welcome if you aren't fed up of repeating yourselves. By way of payment I've attached a link that may be of interest to those of you who own one. I don't recall anyone else mentioning it and I am assuming it is relevant to the model in question.
Well, as much as I love this box, I would not want it in my bedroom. I don't have a problem with the noise, but that's in the lounge.
I read about the 14 day EPG - that could be quite good, mostly because the 8th day is what is important in some cases - e.g. a 2 part drama over 2 weeks. A 7 day EPG does not cover setting the second part to record on the day of the first.
Software supports any Maxtor drive up to 160Gb - but mounting height/cooling/EMC is an issue - be warned!
Please Please Please, DTT Oracle, help us! Don't get all shy on us!
What's the biggest drive you would recommend (considering the height/cooling/EMC issues)? Was 40Gb choosen because it is the biggest recommended drive or just to keep costs down?
...I used it for the penalty shootout last night. paused the footie and watched 15 mins of Big Brother. When the adverts came on, switched back to footy and watched the penalties in fast forward to skip all the drivel in between and also relieve the tension. They're just too tense in real time !!
Oh my goodness, I can't believe you could turn away from the penalty shootout! I don't like football much but couldn't turn away from that... I wish I had thought to record it for my kids, who had to go to bed and miss the excitement.
Questionmark - Yes, you have answered all of your own questions correctly. Well done =
Bludger - I answered 3 out of my 6 questions. I'm glad to know I got those right, but would still appreciate any answers to the first 3....
i.e. 1) Does it have any editing facilities? (i.e. can I remove a chunk from an existing recording?)
2) Are the EPG and any programmed recordings retained through a power cut?
3) Are the user menus & EPG the same as the Thomson?
Can you edit out chunks? No, I don't think so. But you can insert a thumbnail picture anywhere you like, and then go to that next time you want to start the recording. But if you were thinking of editing out the adverts and then watching a seamless re-run .... no you can't do that. Nor can you pause the recording while it is being made, because you can't watch that channel on the same tuner.
Of course, you can make this kind of seamless recording if you archive to tape or DVD, editing on the fly.
(Personally, I don't see a PVR as a solution for long term storage. Isn't the whole point of it to time-shift? Editing is not a feature I want, or miss. "Watch once and throw away!" )
I don't know if the EPG and programming information is retained during a power cut, but previous posts about changing the hard drive seem to imply that this information is all stored on the disc. If that is so, then yes, it will be retained.
As for the Thomson question: Dunno. I've never seen one!
John
SOmeone - can't find it again now! - asked if the ability to watch a current recording from the start is a hardware limitation. I think the answer must be NO. Since you can pause live TV it MUST be possible to time-shift and "watch while you save". Moreover, Fusion promise this in a future software upgrade, so that must be where the solution lies
Someone else has suggested that recording subtitles is particularly hard to implement. Perhaps it is, but it is clearly possible, since the Humax evidently records subtitles as closed captions.
Fusion assured me by email that they are working on those two issues right now, "but these things take time". They have been so good and straight-forward with their responses to consumer input that I am inclined to trust them on this.
With hindsight, my theory is that the long delay in releasing the PVR was to enable the launch of the totally bug-free product we are all enjoying today. Maybe the two remaining issues were not considered serious enough to delay the launch further, but that does not mean they will renege on the undertaking to get them sorted!
The everyday/week thing is an annoyance (with Frasier, Friends, Countdown etc on daily - actually weekdays).
I have the Thomson unit and too thought a series link would be essential, but it's so easy to use the EPG to set programmes (at least on the Thomson) that I don't miss it.
It's much better than Skys EPG, you get 6 channels along the bottom with enough detail that you can see the whole programme name, and the EPG information in the top left (on Sky you have to press the i button for this). The top right shows a preview of a channel (see here for a screenshot. You just press <RED> then <GREEN> then <EXIT> and it's in the programme list and you're back in the EPG again. I find I can whip through pretty quick and set things really easily.
Comments
The 2x, 4x, 8x, etc. all work ok as does pointing the remote away from the box. Seems to perform just as well as the original remote. There's just LCD a slight limit on the icons you can activate on the screen, since Calendar, Library, etc. didn't exist when the m1+ was invented !
I've had this with OFA. Unless someone has submitted their original remote then it is likely you will be asked to assist by submitting your own. This could cause a problem what with the Fusion STB not having buttons other than channel up/down & power. I have used this service twice with about 3 weeks turnaround on average. Hope this helps.
Do you have a reliable source for that?
We know that the Fusion uses the same STi5514 controller as the Thomson DHD4000 and later Pace Sky+ boxes. Neither of these other boxes support >128GB (true capacity, or 137GB in "disk" speak). It therefore seems that the odds are stacked against the Fusion supporting 160GB? (It may well work with a 160GB drive, as the Thomson does, but you will probably find the accessed capacity tops out 128GB as the addressing "wraps round").
Since the STi5514 is an ATA-5 compliant controller, and uses LBA, I assume that this is a software limitation? However, since it is logical for Fusion to have based their design on the ST Micro reference platform, including the software components, it seems unlikely that this will behave differently from the other products?
I'm sure you are right but could you let me know your source regarding the hard drive swap? Thanks
Ouch! I'm sorry people ... someone else just asked that! GMTA I guess!
Is there anything that precludes the use of other brands of ATA-5 compliant disk?
Interesting... I wouldn't submit my own though... it's up to them to acquire one from Fusion if they want to stick to their claim of their product being ever upgradeable.
In theory, any ATA-5 compliant drive should work. However, in practise, you will probably find that some work reliably and that others don't!
The whole area of PVR HDD upgrades is somethink of a minefield. These boxes seem to be a lot more sensitive to a particular HDD's characteristics than your average PC. In general it pays to stay with the family of HDDs that the product initially ships with. In addition some HDD ranges generally seem more "compatible" than others.
Amongst the reasons why some drives may not work include differences in - spin-up times, spin-up and running currents, latency, physical layout, error handling, cache management, etc, Note that these things *should* all be transparent - i.e. the various HDDs should work similarly enough that they are interchangeable. In reality it is little more than the electrical interface that is standardised, and there are many differences at the software interface level (especially in how the HDD firmware handles certain atypical events). Sadly the different manufacturers, and even their different ranges have enough operational differences to make upgrading a somewhat hit and miss activity! This is exacerbated by the fact that a PVR, as a "closed box" product, is usually only QA'd with the drives that it is ever likely to be manufactured with (i.e. very few). These threads are therefore littered with experiences of drives that intuition suggested *should* have worked in a PVR upgrade, but which did not!
Since the Fusion ships with a Maxtor I completely agree with the earlier poster that this is the most logical starting point. The only other HDD I would probably risk would be a Seagate as they just *typically* seem to work well in other PVR upgrades. However, since this shares the same controller as the Thomson, I would also suggest trawling that thread for feedback on what seems to work there - notwithstanding that it *may* have different software, which is where the problems typically come from! The Thomson uses a Seagate, and apparently is also happy with some Samsung drives.
It seems to be pretty-well bug free. I have had no missed recordings, no lock-ups since the first night's failure to load the EPG. The EPG is superbly designed and makes life almost too easy, in that you tend to record more programmes than you are likely to find time to watch.
I don't have a problem with the size of the hard drive. It is twice the size of the Pace, and holds almost twenty hours of quality video. If it ain't broke .....
Noise: not a problem unless, perhaps, you are bat-eared; and as my wife has not complained I would say it is not a problem even if you are!
Heat: Not a real issue. Moreover, mine is running cooler than when I first got it. Can these things be "run-in", do you suppose? Anyone else found this? The case is now slightly warm to the touch. Just a little above blood heat. Absolutely not a problem. Underneath it is slightly warmer, but certainly not hot.
Rush out and buy one! You won't be sorry, and as the customer-base improves Fusion will be strengthened. We will get our updates all the faster!
On the heat issue - the plug/transformer gets very hot. Anyone know why they used an offboard transformer like this? I might switch it off at the mains overnight, perhaps leaving it on just once a week to get the programme guide.
Still v impressed with the box though. Picture quality and usability get a big thumbs up from me.
cheers all
mikef
I then used the format option and before I left for work this morning the box was working fine. I have some pics of the fan, I would have posted them to jswift but he appears to have lost interest after Thomsons complaint. If anybody has web space for them I will be quite happy to forward them. The fan looks just like an old pentium CPU fan.
Heat is still a big issue for me, my box is extremely hot all the time. When I opened it up to change the HD out I almost burnt my fingers on the existing drive. I wish I could get hold of one of those Samsung Spinpoint 160Gb drives as TomsHardware.com quoted them as running at only 35 deg C.
I also noted that when changing the HD, I lost my channel setting, the firmware update, my setup options and the program guide. So it seems that the Fusion stores all of its info on the HD.
The one question I really want answered is if an option to start watching a currently active recording from the begining is ever going to be possible or is it a limitation of the hardware.
Straight out of the box everything set up fine and the guide loaded on the first night no probs at all.
As for noise it’s far far quieter than a pc, the ps2 and the vcr. I set my box up late last night in the silence after I got back from the pub, it is a noise that your ears have to search for rather than just hear.
So far the Fusion meets all my needs and i am very pleased.
1) Does it have any editing facilities? (i.e. can I remove a chunk from an existing recording?)
2) Are the EPG and any programmed recordings retained through a power cut?
3) Are the user menus & EPG the same as the Thomson?
Thanks for any help.
If I've read the thread correctly so far then the following of my questions have already been answered -
a) Does the Fusion have a modulator? No, it doesn't output the digital on the UHF.
b) Does it have every-day or every-week recordings? No.
c) Does it have a digital audio output (either electrical or optical)? No.
If that's correct then I'm sad to say that these are big disappointments for me and I probably won't be buying this box (much as I'm tempted). The lack of UHF and Digital Audio outputs are show stoppers. The everyday/week thing is an annoyance (with Frasier, Friends, Countdown etc on daily - actually weekdays).
That's all a shame as there are many things about the Fusion to like. As an engineer the physical implementation seems quite neat to me (external PSU, compact and elegant PCB, good space in box, etc). I am also pleased that Fusion have offered useful feedback to their owners and thereby this thread. It makes a refreshing change to Thomson!
Many have claimed you can barely hear it 2 metres away and its non existent in a cabinet, but in the peaceful world of never, neverland, I wonder if the "white noise" is enough to frustrate me.
Comments welcome if you aren't fed up of repeating yourselves. By way of payment I've attached a link that may be of interest to those of you who own one. I don't recall anyone else mentioning it and I am assuming it is relevant to the model in question.
http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/members/fusion_14day.htm
a) The Manual says that you can "chase" live TV for upto 30 minutes, but I seem to be getting more than that. Anyone else noticed this?
At half time in the footie I thought that I'd rewind to see how much I had, and I'd got at least the whole half. After that I pushed a few more buttons and seemed to restart the "recording" and so lost the history.
I'll experiment a bit more tonight.
b). I was replacing an old Nokia On Digital box, and I seem to be having some format issues with my TV set. Setting the Fusion box format to 16:9, and having the TV to auto format, I get a squashed picture - I guess the TV seems to think the format is 4:3. This was never a problem with the Nokia. Telling the TV that the format is 16:9 sorts the picture out, (except that ITV news now looks stretched as that is broadcast in 4:3??). The real irritation is that the TV seems to revert to Auto format if it is set to standby, or surprisingly if the Fusion is set to standby.
Anyone had a similar issue? Anyone know how the format is signalled from the decoder to the TV? A quick discussion in the office earlier suggested that it might be a pin on the scart cable, and maybe that wasn't connected properly (I'll remake all the scart connections this evening).
Still, It does seem like the box for me. Was pleasantly surprised that I got a 7-day guide overnight with no crashes.
regards
Big Paul
Questionmark - Yes, you have answered all of your own questions correctly. Well done
Neil - I've said all along that the noise isn't an issue but I think in your case I would make an exception. I'm a very light sleeper and wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as this box. It is the sort of noise that your brain doesn't hear unless you concentrate but I think it would bug me if I was trying to get to sleep.
BigPaul - I've had no problems with format switching so I would agree with your friends and say your scart lead isn't fully wired or has a fault. I've not checked the 30 min buffer so can't say if it actually keeps more than this.
As an interesting side-note. One feature I've found to be really cool is the fact that you can pause the current channel you are watching and then switch over to watch a bit of another channel. You can then also pause this second channel and switch back to the first, etc. Obviously, you only have 2 tuners so you can't do it if you are recording something at the same time. Very handy feature though, it's great. I used it for the penalty shootout last night. paused the footie and watched 15 mins of Big Brother. When the adverts came on, switched back to footy and watched the penalties in fast forward to skip all the drivel in between and also relieve the tension. They're just too tense in real time !!
Well, as much as I love this box, I would not want it in my bedroom. I don't have a problem with the noise, but that's in the lounge.
I read about the 14 day EPG - that could be quite good, mostly because the 8th day is what is important in some cases - e.g. a 2 part drama over 2 weeks. A 7 day EPG does not cover setting the second part to record on the day of the first.
Please Please Please, DTT Oracle, help us! Don't get all shy on us!
What's the biggest drive you would recommend (considering the height/cooling/EMC issues)? Was 40Gb choosen because it is the biggest recommended drive or just to keep costs down?
Oh my goodness, I can't believe you could turn away from the penalty shootout! I don't like football much but couldn't turn away from that... I wish I had thought to record it for my kids, who had to go to bed and miss the excitement.
Bludger - I answered 3 out of my 6 questions. I'm glad to know I got those right, but would still appreciate any answers to the first 3....
i.e. 1) Does it have any editing facilities? (i.e. can I remove a chunk from an existing recording?)
2) Are the EPG and any programmed recordings retained through a power cut?
3) Are the user menus & EPG the same as the Thomson?
3) Are the user menus & EPG the same as the Thomson? - no, same EPG (4TV) but different appearance.
Can you edit out chunks? No, I don't think so. But you can insert a thumbnail picture anywhere you like, and then go to that next time you want to start the recording. But if you were thinking of editing out the adverts and then watching a seamless re-run .... no you can't do that. Nor can you pause the recording while it is being made, because you can't watch that channel on the same tuner.
Of course, you can make this kind of seamless recording if you archive to tape or DVD, editing on the fly.
(Personally, I don't see a PVR as a solution for long term storage. Isn't the whole point of it to time-shift? Editing is not a feature I want, or miss. "Watch once and throw away!" )
I don't know if the EPG and programming information is retained during a power cut, but previous posts about changing the hard drive seem to imply that this information is all stored on the disc. If that is so, then yes, it will be retained.
As for the Thomson question: Dunno. I've never seen one!
John
cheers
mikef
Someone else has suggested that recording subtitles is particularly hard to implement. Perhaps it is, but it is clearly possible, since the Humax evidently records subtitles as closed captions.
Fusion assured me by email that they are working on those two issues right now, "but these things take time". They have been so good and straight-forward with their responses to consumer input that I am inclined to trust them on this.
With hindsight, my theory is that the long delay in releasing the PVR was to enable the launch of the totally bug-free product we are all enjoying today. Maybe the two remaining issues were not considered serious enough to delay the launch further, but that does not mean they will renege on the undertaking to get them sorted!
It's much better than Skys EPG, you get 6 channels along the bottom with enough detail that you can see the whole programme name, and the EPG information in the top left (on Sky you have to press the i button for this). The top right shows a preview of a channel (see here for a screenshot. You just press <RED> then <GREEN> then <EXIT> and it's in the programme list and you're back in the EPG again. I find I can whip through pretty quick and set things really easily.