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Head2Head

FREEVIEW ADAPTORS
Philips DTR 320/05 or Sagem

ITD72? Its time to go

migration of E4 from the subscriptionbased Top Up TV and the launch of new channels More4, ITV4 and Sky Three
reeview has never been such a strong contender to satellite and cable as it is now. Since the
all to be found on certain boxes, but most impressive is the drop in price of such machines. Heres two that will expand your televisions potential for the price of a weeks shopping
a 60 box, an engineer would surely be unnecessary), but of most note is a currently unusable LAN port; the manual enticingly labels it for future use. Initial setup is a doddle. Scanning for channels takes almost no time at all, and even from an indoor aerial the DTR 320 found all the TV and radio stations, displaying excellent signal strength along the way. Nor did it take the 7-day EPG long to update with all the relevant data. Features are plentiful: theres a timer mode to ensure you never miss your favourite programme, which can be set from the guide, an uninstall service option that can remove Top Up TV channels from your list (as youll not be able to access them even though it displays their guide listing) and all interactive and text services are available at a touch of a button on the well-spaced and thought-out remote control. Another plus point is Fast Zapp, a means of changing from one channel to another within one second a trick not possible on some. Of most note, though, is something inside the box; an included pulse killer chip neutralises signal interference allowing for a constant, steady signal with little judder or drop out. It works too; not only does it suffer from less signal glitches than Ive seen on any STB before, but the picture has less artefacting. Colours are superb, with vivid reds being eye-searing when your screen has been calibrated correctly. And blacks are deeper than a Barry White single. I did notice blocking noise and some picture break-up over fast-moving scenes, but only on certain channels, suggesting that its the quality of the broadcast rather than the Philips.
Soon well all need digital TV tuners, either in-built into our TVs and recorders or through a set-top box. Rik Henderson tests two reasonably priced contenders
theres a very healthy range of over 30 television channels to choose from (depending on your location), plus 24 digital radio stations. And with a Top Up TV subscription you can receive a further ten stations; its a highly attractive prospect already, without having to wait for the grand switch off. The equipment to receive these channels has never been more attractive either. Reception boosting technologies, up to 14-day electronic programme guides and digital audio outputs are
Philips DTR 320/05 N 60 (approx) N 9070 N www.philips.co.uk
The Philips STB retains the companys trademark style that youll be very familiar with if you own one of its DVD players or recorders; a rounded, bevelled fascia is a suitable match for other equipment from the brand. It doesnt look cheap and nasty like most lesser TV boxes, and would sit nicely on a shelf in the living room. The rear looks good too, if youre

SYSTEM RATINGS COMPARED

PHILIPS DTR 320/05
Highs: Pulse killer chip to reduce interference; excellent picture quality Lows: Quite large; no Top Up TV card slot
a connection nut, with some intriguing additions. Two RGB Scart outputs are present, for connection to your TV and a recorder, plus stereo audio outs. A coaxial digital audio output is also supplied, which can be switched to stream either PCM or AC3 audio, and, of course, an RF loopthrough. Interestingly, a service-operable RS232 port is included (mainly because, for

Sagem ITD72

Highs: Top Up TV card slot; sharp pictures Lows: No digital audio connectivity; few features
Picture Sound Features OVERALL

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SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS COMPARED

Philips DTR 320/05

Specifications: Pulse killer chip; Fast Zapp (1 second channel change); Dolby Digital bitstream out (AC3); PCM audio out; uninstall/install services; Favourite lists; Parental locking; 7-day EPG; Interactive and Teletext access; Subtitle support; Timer programming; Record header message; Freeze video Connections: 2 x RGB Scart outputs; coaxial digital audio output; stereo audio output; currently inoperable LAN port; RS232 service port; RF antenna loopthrough; Dimensions: 65(h) x 335(w) x 225(d)mm Weight: 1.5kg

Specifications: Top Up TV card slot; Favourite lists; Parental locking; 7-day EPG; Interactive and Teletext access; Subtitle support; Timer programming; Freeze video Connections: 2 x RGB Scart outputs; RF antenna loopthrough Dimensions: 35(h) x 220(w) x 135(d)mm Weight: 1kg
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Tried&Tested

Philips DTR 320 outclasses the Sagem ITD72 in nearly every respect
Sound quality is also fine, and certainly as good as any Sky box. Its truly an impressive package. The only thing missing is a Top Up TV card slot, but considering the channels already available I suspect youll hardly yearn for it. anyone hoping to connect to a home cinema. But the underside of the box does have a Top Up TV card slot, so thats one thing it has in preference to its Philips counterpart here. Unfortunately, Im not overly convinced that this is enough of a selling point since E4 completely free-to-air. Like the 320, the ITD72 is a cinch to set up. Scanning channels for the first time may even be performed quicker that its rival, but access to other modes, such as television screen formats and RGB outputting, is only accessible through the pin-locked installation menu, so make sure you have those details to hand (a tip for those who are struggling, the default pin code is 1234). However, you can actually adjust the intensity of the RGB setting between Low, Medium and High, depending on how strong you want your colours (its in detriment to contrast though, so be wary). Other features are limited; it has a 7-day EPG but you cant set the timer function by clicking on the programme you dont want to miss, instead you have to access that mode through the menu screen and set times individually. Im particularly impressed by the layout of the guide screen (with a streaming thumbnail screen in the corner and a moving bar that shows how long the programme has been running for) but I had some difficulty getting the List function to work (in fact, it didnt) even though it was clearly labelled. The onscreen information bar is also too big and gets in the way spectacularly. I can find few faults with the picture quality, however, and its sharpness is perhaps better than the 320, but there was some ghosting issues on fast panning shots and the in-built signal boosting technologies were a little less forgiving when buses and motorbikes zoomed past my window. Sonically, of course, youre restricted to the stereo feed through Scart, which is decent enough but hardly ideal. Its a true indication that the ITD72 was never intended to be hooked up to a home cinema system, and is perhaps best suited to the bedroom.

Sagem ITD72 N 60 (approx) N 158 N www.sagem.co.uk
The Sagem ITD72 is an altogether more standard looking STB. Its smaller for a start, and easier to hide, which is just as well considering theres something a little cheaper-looking about its grey plastic exterior and cylon front panel. The back of the machine is barren, with just two RGB Scart outputs and an RF loopthrough. The absence of digital audio connectivity is a fatal flaw for

Conclusion

There really is little competition here. Not only does the Philips offer a digital audio output, better timer and guide functionality and is better-looking, its reception technologies make it ideal for any location; through an indoor or external aerial. Sure, the Sagem has Top Up TV compatibility, but for the addition of 10 extra channels (which you can take or leave as far as Im concerned) it is lacking in so many other areas that it cant compare I
Philips (top) wins outright on connectivity. Crucially, it has a digital audio output that the Sagem doesnt. The Ethernet port has no use.as yet
The Philips remote has a particularly fast response time
Sagems remote feels soft and sluggish by comparison
H O M E C I N E M A C H O I C E 79

WHV303.27_sagem_pvr7280t

9/12/05

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On test

Freeview PVR G Approx price: 180

PVR7280T

Sagems Freeview PVR doubles up on capacity and tops up TV. But can it give satisfaction to Danny Phillips?
ith the recent addition of E4, More4, ITV4 and Sky Three to its channel roster, Freeviews popularity looks set to soar. But another factor in the rise of Freeview is the growing number of hard-disk personal video recorders (PVRs) on the market.They let you watch TV on your terms, thanks to almost lifechanging tricks like pause live TV and simultaneous recording and playback not to mention ultrasimple recording directly from the 7-day EPG.With the growing number of programmes available to watch, youre going to need all the help you can get! Until recently, Freeview PVRs have been fairly thin on the ground, but a wave of twin-tuner models from the likes of Panasonic, Humax,Topfield

looks & features

The PVR7280T is basically a bigger version of Sagems ITD72 Freeview receiver with a hard-disk drive shoved inside. Its a sleek looking unit with pleasing dark grey and silver styling, and its the slimmest, smallest PVR weve tested. Around the back, the socket selection is stripped to the basics, but thankfully it includes two Scart outputs (one RGB, one Svideo/composite) for simultaneous hook-up to TV and recorder.Also provided is an aerial loopthrough, which doesnt output digital TV pictures, plus analogue and digital audio outputs. But hang on a minute if its Top Up TV ready, wheres the card slot? Unusually, its located on the base of
The bad news, however, is that you cannot record two programmes at the same time
and Inverto has opened up the market.And back in Issue 298, we looked at Sagems 40GB PVR6240, an attractively priced but ultimately disappointing effort.This version boasts a hefty sounding 80GB hard-disk and adds Top Up TV compatibility lets see if it fares any better. the unit, but this makes sense given that youll rarely remove the card. Unlike Sagems PVR6680T, theres no USB port or memory card reader for viewing digital photos.As mentioned, theres an 80GB harddisk drive, which translates into 40hr of programmes and theres only one recording quality setting, so you
cant lower picture quality to save hard-disk space. Recordings can be set directly from the 7-day electronic programme guide, or theres a manual timer function (which turns out to be rather important, but well come to that), which can be set to repeat daily or weekly. The hard-disk allows you to watch a recording thats still in progress, or a previous one simply select it from the recording list.And if youve already watched part of it, the resume function lets you pick up where you left off.Theres also a buffer memory, which lets you pause live TV or rewind up to 30 mins back to catch bits you may have missed, but you cannot permanently keep anything stored in this buffer. Unlike most DVD/HDD combis, Freeview PVRs dont usually let you edit recordings, and the PVR7280T is no exception. However, it does allow you to merge two recordings into one, though were hard pressed to come up with a use for this. Rounding up the features list are access to digital text and a cool wireless-style graphic for playing radio channels.
A big hard disk, Top Up TV and a good price are the headlines for this new improved Sagem PVR

Details

FEATURES
Hard-disk capacity: 80GB Recording modes: 1 Max recording time: 40hr approx Non-linear editing: Merge only TV tuner: 2 digital terrestrial Dimensions; 315(w) x 225(h) x 48(d)mm Weight; 1.7kg Other features: Other features: 7-day EPG; 6-event timer; pause live TV (30 min max); simultaneous play and record; favourites list; parental lock; MHEG 5 compliant; digital text and subtitles; level & quality indicators for antenna positioning; subtitle recording

Key connections

Digital audio output
Will become very useful if Freeview ever broadcasts multichannel Dolby Digital sound

TV Scart output

Sends RGB, S-video or composite video to your TV for high quality picture, along with stereo audio

Aux Scart output

Hook this up to a recorder to archive programmes stored on the hard disk outputs S-video and composite

SOCKETS

RF aerial in/out; 2 Scarts (1 RGB/ S-video/composite out, 1 S-video / composite out/RGB in); optical digital audio output; analogue stereo audio output (minijack); smartcard slot

CONTACT

www.sagem.co.uk
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Also Consider >>

HUMAX PVR-9200T 160GB HDD and records two channels while you watch another superb Reviewed: Issue 302

TOPFIELD TF5800 Our 2005 award winner boasts superb pictures and tons of features but at 300 its pricey Reviewed: Issue 298

Remote

Too small to use comfortably and the buttons are all too similar
Looks ##### Layout ##### Labelling #####

ease of use

First the good news.The PVR7280T is quick and easy to set up, locking down all the channels quickly, while TV options like 16:9/4:3 selection, are easy to locate.The menu system as a whole is smart and intuitive, despite its creative use of English the phrase Do you confirm erasement? when deleting a title is our favourite. The EPG is also well presented, listing channels down the left, programmes down the right and a synopsis at the top, but it still finds space for a window that plays live TV. Programmes can be browsed up to seven days in advance and you can skip straight to the desired day. Its no match for the Sky Plannerstyle menu of the Pace Twin, but
overall its easy to master. The bad news, however, is that you cannot record two programmes at the same time like some PVRs you can only watch one channel and record another. If you try and record a programme that clashes with a scheduled recording, an onscreen message appears to inform you that the scheduled one will be cancelled. But even more frustrating is that this restriction makes it difficult to schedule recordings of two back-toback programmes in the EPG.The PVR adds padding either side of the actual timeslot, to account for overrunning programmes. However, this padding is set to a ludicrous amount on one occasion it added 25mins to the end of a scheduled recording.The only remedy is to enter the manual timer mode and fiddle with the start/end times, or just set it manually in the first place, which defeats the object.

performance

Operational criticisms aside, the PVR7280T delivers powerful pictures. Sagem seems to have mostly ironed out the quirks prevalent in the PVR6240, as the blockiness, break up and gauze-like effect seem less noticeable. On the whole, pictures are rich, detailed and vibrant, just as digital TV should be. Reception is robust too. Electrical interference that causes pictures to

Fact file

I 80GB HDD I Twin Freeview tuners I Top Up TV card slot I Seven-day EPG I Simultaneous play and record I Pause live TV
drop out on our reference Pace Twin only causes the PVR7280T to stutter momentarily.Also, the EPG consistently displayed a fully-stocked list of programmes in our test, with no missing information. More good news comes in the form of sharp stereo sound, quick channel changing and digital text access, plus a ludicrously fast x600 search speed that lets you whizz through long recordings in no time. The hard-disk is fast-acting too, playing recordings with no delay. On the down side, now & next programme details can take a long time to appear after you press the i key on the remote. Because this is a frequently accessed function, it becomes very frustrating its quicker to enter the full EPG. Programmes were also occasionally labelled incorrectly Madonnas I Want To Tell You A Secret became Countdown, and recordings were sometimes split into two parts. Plus, we frequently couldnt put the box in standby without stopping a recording, which meant we had to leave the box on overnight. Fine, except that we were sometimes greeted the next day by a whole nights worth of recorded TV.

Probably the smallest PVR weve ever tested and not bad looking too, as silver grey boxes go

Ratings

WHATS GOOD
Hard-disk capacity; recording quality; Top Up TV compatible; 600x search speed

WHATS BAD

Cant record two simultaneous or back-to-back programmes; other operational niggles

conclusion

Despite the sub-200 price and generous 80GB hard disk, the PVR7280T is plagued by too many operational niggles to be considered good value for money. Its inability to record two back-to-back or parallel programmes will be seriously crippling for TV fans, especially with the growing number of shows on the airwaves.You might be better off spending a bit more on one of the PVRs that do offer these features
Picture Sound Features Ease of use Value
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OVERALL VERDICT

Impressive in places and nicely priced, but frustrating to use and lacks important features
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