Posted by Citizen Bob on 10/12/06 12:53

On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 10:01:12 -0700, <normanstrong@comcast.net> wrote:

>> It's on the box: "DIVX Certified".

>Excellent. An undocumented feature.

How is it undocumented if it is printed on the box?

>Can you play the HD or the DVD player WHILE the HD is recording? This is
>essentially the same as the time slip feature on a Tivo. Also there should
>be no problem playing a DVD while the HD is either recording or programmed
>to record.

>Theoretically, it should be possible to record on the DVDR while watching
>the HD, but I'm willing to yield on that feature.

I tested each of these permutations:

* I can record a program to the HDD and play a different program from
the HDD at the same time.

* I can play a program from the HDD while recording a program to the
DVD.

* I can play a DVD-format (e.g., DVD-5) program from the DVD while
recording a program to the HDD.

* I cannot play an AVI-format (Data Disk) program from the DVD while
recording a program to the HDD.

Time Shift (TS) is implemented as a Ring Buffer (aka "Circular Queue")
in memory. That means it has a head pointer and a tail pointer.
Playing occurs at the position of the head pointer and recording at
the tail pointer. When you first turn on TS, the head and tail
pointers are the same and the head follows the tail. That means you
are playing live material. If you Pause it, then the head pointer
stops moving and you see a freeze frame of the TV program. The tail
pointer continues to move along with the recording process. When you
un-Pause it, the head pointer begins to move which means you are
playing from that point on.

There is another way to use the TS feature, and that is to go back in
time. If the head and tail pointer are the same, you are playing live
TV. If you skip backwards the head pointer will move backwards in time
and start playing at an earlier time. That way you can see something
over again without having to stop the recording. Of course the
recording continues while you do this.

The TS buffer is 60 minutes in length. However, if you are recording
to the HDD. the buffer grows to 3 hours. You can save the contents of
the buffer to the HDD or to a DVD. You cannot change the TV channel or
else one of two things will happen depending on how you set TS up: 1)
Changing the channel will clear the buffer; b) Changing the channel
will preserve the buffer.

This unit is attractive because of its low price, it's low extended
warranty cost ($18 for 2 years) and the fact that you can return it no
questions asked to WalMart for a full refund within 90 days. You can
pay $400 for units that are no better and maybe even worse. The only
way to get what you want is to build it yourself, and I almost did
that but the components are not quite up to speed at this time. By
next year they should be, so I will build a PVR then. In the meantime
for $220 I have a HDD DVDR that so far works adequately.

I got burnt with that ILO because Cyberhome went under, but I doubt
Polaroid will crap out on me - and this time I am getting an extended
warranty so I should be covered for a couple of years.

Actually $100 per year depreciation is not all that bad for bleeding
edge technology. That ILO cost me $99 and I got a year's use out of
it. If I get 2.25 years out of this Polaroid (90 day factory warranty
plus 2 year extended warranty), then it will have cost me $100 per
year. You spend $1000 on a computer and in 5 years it is ready for the
trash - that's $200 per year depreciation. And how many $400 Pioneers
make it to 4 years?






--

Govt is an insult to human dignity. With or without govt,
you would have good people doing good things and evil
people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil
things, that takes govt. Govt is the root of all evil.

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