Overview;
Read all five posts first before asking questions. If you are looking for firmware links they are at the bottom of post 5.
Update
The model with the far better remote they called "II" is apparently being upgraded again with the addition of a rear panel RE ch. 3/4 switch. It's not detailed on their site except for a firmware upgrade warning. See post 5.
Thanks to member satpro, the "II" version has had a 'mod' done for the USB port. The power feed now runs directly from the power supply, not from the board.
Carrying over from the short 'speculation' thread, Rjax44 and myself thought a fresh start would be in order. When I first saw this and the price, I sort of dismissed it. But, upon further reading and some debate, I thought I would give one a try. The price was raised to around $58 from a low of $40, but for a ATSC tuner w/ DVR capability??
(Note; these are also sold under the Homeworx name through Mediasonic. There are many others selling similar versions with different enclosures, most without a display. The basic electronics components are the same which means similar performance. The difference being the firmware and whomever writes it.)
Other than the price, what sets this apart from all others is the size or lack of. From the on line photos, you can't really tell it is as small as it actually is.
iViews's current (as of 1/23) websites page is here;
The DVR isn't the only thing that is tiny. The remote and the manual are also. I have been in contact with iView (with far better results and communications than some other encounter) and was told a revised manual and a firmware update should be available shortly.
Below are photos of the box and contents, rear panel, comparisons of the DVR and a 3 1/2" HDD enclosure, another of this and a a comparison between the original remote and the replacement. BTW, I'm not suggesting that anyone place a HDD enclosure directly on top of the DVR, I just used that for size comparison.
Note, the last photo, the top shield for the tuner was removed for the photo.
.
.
.
Components;
System on a Chip (Processor) apparently is a MStar 7816, thanks to member blue_z;
ATSC_digital_TV_box_for_america
Discuss Here About Only All Mstar CPU Successful Repair & Problem History - GSM-Forum
Samsung S5H1411X01-T0 DTV receiver/demodulator (released 2007)
Spansion FL032PIF Flash memory 32 Mb
Nanya NT5TU32M1600BE System memory 64MB (Thanks to nickle2 for correcting the model number and to demonfoo for confirming the memory size)
Rafael Micro RT534 Modulator
Artschip JRC4558 Dual Op-Amp
?? NM120AA Tuner (unknown, possible Russian based company)
Interestingly, the demodulator is the same one used in this 10" Haier TV I reviewed;
Haier HLT10 10" portable LCD TV
Trying to read the text on some of these was a real eye strain. Namely the memory chip with the mark on the surface and the one chip inside the tuner. Neither of which I'm sure about at this time. Take a look below;
.
iView has joined the forum;
Read all five posts first before asking questions. If you are looking for firmware links they are at the bottom of post 5.
Update
The model with the far better remote they called "II" is apparently being upgraded again with the addition of a rear panel RE ch. 3/4 switch. It's not detailed on their site except for a firmware upgrade warning. See post 5.
Thanks to member satpro, the "II" version has had a 'mod' done for the USB port. The power feed now runs directly from the power supply, not from the board.
Carrying over from the short 'speculation' thread, Rjax44 and myself thought a fresh start would be in order. When I first saw this and the price, I sort of dismissed it. But, upon further reading and some debate, I thought I would give one a try. The price was raised to around $58 from a low of $40, but for a ATSC tuner w/ DVR capability??
(Note; these are also sold under the Homeworx name through Mediasonic. There are many others selling similar versions with different enclosures, most without a display. The basic electronics components are the same which means similar performance. The difference being the firmware and whomever writes it.)
Other than the price, what sets this apart from all others is the size or lack of. From the on line photos, you can't really tell it is as small as it actually is.
iViews's current (as of 1/23) websites page is here;
Affordable TV Converter Boxes, Sticks, and Streaming Media Players und
Enjoy massive discounts on the best TV Converter Box & Mini PC products: Deals on Android Box & Mini PC, TV Box & Mini PC items & more - such as the new Cyberbox. Shop iviewus.com today.
iviewus.com
The DVR isn't the only thing that is tiny. The remote and the manual are also. I have been in contact with iView (with far better results and communications than some other encounter) and was told a revised manual and a firmware update should be available shortly.
Below are photos of the box and contents, rear panel, comparisons of the DVR and a 3 1/2" HDD enclosure, another of this and a a comparison between the original remote and the replacement. BTW, I'm not suggesting that anyone place a HDD enclosure directly on top of the DVR, I just used that for size comparison.
Note, the last photo, the top shield for the tuner was removed for the photo.
.
.
.
Components;
System on a Chip (Processor) apparently is a MStar 7816, thanks to member blue_z;
ATSC_digital_TV_box_for_america
There is a thread (elsewhere) on this SoC:
Discuss Here About Only All Mstar CPU Successful Repair & Problem History - GSM-Forum
Samsung S5H1411X01-T0 DTV receiver/demodulator (released 2007)
Spansion FL032PIF Flash memory 32 Mb
Nanya NT5TU32M1600BE System memory 64MB (Thanks to nickle2 for correcting the model number and to demonfoo for confirming the memory size)
Rafael Micro RT534 Modulator
Artschip JRC4558 Dual Op-Amp
?? NM120AA Tuner (unknown, possible Russian based company)
Interestingly, the demodulator is the same one used in this 10" Haier TV I reviewed;
Haier HLT10 10" portable LCD TV
Trying to read the text on some of these was a real eye strain. Namely the memory chip with the mark on the surface and the one chip inside the tuner. Neither of which I'm sure about at this time. Take a look below;
.
iView has joined the forum;
added comments regarding the addition of a ch. 3/4 switch & USB port power upgrade