HOMECAST HT9200DTR is the next MyFreeview|HD DTR product approved by Freeview

[admin]

Release: 21 August 2009

HOMECAST HT9200DTR is the next MyFreeview|HD DTR product approved by Freeview

Homecast and DTV Solutions Limited announce that the Homecast HT9200DTR has now been approved by Freeview as the second MyFreeview|HD Digital Television Recorder.

Set for release this September 2009, the Homecast HT9200DTR is a high end consumer electronic product. It will be released with a 500 GB hard disk drive and will allow consumers to record two channels at once and watch a third channel from a selection of channels available.

Mr. Anil Hari, Managing Director of DTV Solutions Limited says “We are delighted to have our third product approved by Freeview. This makes us the second company to offer a full range of Freeview approved receivers in New Zealand. Homecast has put a lot of time and effort into developing this receiver and have come up with an excellent product.”

Consumers can purchase the HT9200DTR from Freeview accredited retail stores or direct from DTV Solutions Limited. The recommended retail price is $899.

Information can be obtained at www.dtvs.co.nz
Sales enquiries to: sales@dtvs.co.nz
Phone: +644 232 2957

[Daniel_C]

Hi,  I purchased one of these on the weekend and it seems a fairly nice unit, very simple to set up.  The guy in the shop when I asked him, said the USB ports could be used for attaching additional storage and the USB Guest plug could be attached to a laptop to download and save recordings if the HD fills up.

So far, all of the usb ports appear to do nothing except for provide the ability to upload (or save) the machine''s firmware, with this said, 4 USB ports seems a little overkill - Or is there some hidden/crippled fuctionality?

Additionally, can the ethernet port be used for anything useful like connection to a media server similar to the way a PS3 can?

I chose this model over the Zinwell variation as it has a lower profile, plenty of ventillation on the top and sides and doesnt rely on a fan at the back to keep it cool.

Are there any plans to utilise it''s I/O connectivity a little more, or are the additional ports merely a cosmetic tease?

Thanks in advance.

Daniel

[DTVS]

Hi Daniel

The additional USB and ethernet port are there for future expansion.

At the momment the Freeview Specifications are not yet finalised. Once this is done and the protocols are decided on we can work towards enabling them.

SG

[Peter]

Does it support Dolby 5.1?
The brochure says high quality audio, but the Audio mode section only has stereo or mono

[DTVS]

Hi Peter

Yes the Homecast HT9200DTR does support DD 5.1 via Optical S/PDIF

SG

[Daniel_C]

Hi,

As an idea for a hopefully simple improvement. Would it be possible for all programs recorded via series link to be stored in a folder (with that program''s name) and then only list the dates the program was recorded in that folder.  This would reduce the large amount of scrolling required when many programs have been recorded.   At the moment, it appears to be not possible to create folders/directories to arrange and store recorded content.

Thanks.

[bukster]

I'm tossing up between buying either the Homecast HT9200DTR or a Magic TV. Both seem fairly similar in their specs, however the homecast has a cooling fan, controls on the front (so if you break the remote, you can still use it) and a sensible name.

However, one thing I would like to do is put recorded programmes onto a USB stick, so I can put it on my computer, perhaps to burn onto DVD if I want to keep something.

Daniel_C is right, 4 USB ports that don't do much is pretty useless. DTVS said it was for future expansion. Is there any timeframe for adding some functionality to the USB ports beyond uploading firmware? It seems a pretty important function. The Magic TV can't do it either, so if Homecast beat them to it, they will have a big advantage over Magic TV in terms of what I want to do with the unit I buy.