[CanOBeans]

I just read this on www.americansatellite.com:

The Ultimate TV® receiver will automatically record in the best quality available.


Can I choose the record quality when using the DVR service?

No, the user cannot choose the quality of the recording. The quality is based on the bit stream of the DIRECTV® signal.


Is this true?


I am suprised by this because I know that Tivo allows you to adjust the recording quality........I was anticipating UTV to have the same functionality.....not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination......just surprised....

 

[Puglas]

This is true -- there's no ability to change the recording quality for UTV.


I'm pretty sure this is because UTV dumps the compressed signal directly from the stream to the HD; changing the quality would probably require decompressing and recompressing, which is what Tivo would need to do.


One advantage of this is that there may be signal loss when de/re-compressing.

 

[CanOBeans]

With that in mind.....what is the average record time people are getting from the "up to 35 hour" units then?

 

[LongRufus]

Quote:

Originally posted by CanOBeans With that in mind.....what is the average record time people are getting from the "up to 35 hour" units then?

In general, I find that the "usable" capacity of a UTV in hours is about half of the total GB's of the HD. In other words, if you upgrade to a 120GB drive, you get about 60 hours of record time before the UTV file system bogs down. You can squeeze a few more hours in, but UTV starts to delete unkept previously recorded shows and stops recording some upcoming shows. Most factory equipped UTV's with the "up to 35 hour" claim have 40 or 45GB drives, so you get 20-22 hours of record time before you start to run into problems. keep in mind though, this is for normal broadcast network shows. Movies on the premium channels, and especially PPV's with DD, will take up more room on your HD.

 

[Axiom]

Quote:

Originally posted by CanOBeans I am suprised by this because I know that Tivo allows you to adjust the recording quality

The DirecTivo combo box does not allow you to choose recording quality. There is no encoder in the DirecTivo. Only the standalone Tivos have the encoder and capability to change the recording quality.

 

[jbartonegrand]

Both Sony and RCA user guides are available at:

http://www.ultimatetv.com/userguides.asp


so there is no need to wait for your equipment to arrive to RTFM. They are available for download as PDF files.

 

[glenw]

CanOBeans.....you're getting this all wrong.....UTV records the ACTUAL digital data directly to the hard drive. A recording will look every bit as good as the original. There's no compression going on. What you see is what you get, and in UTV's case, this is excellent.

 

[TexasJames]

Quote:

Originally posted by LongRufus In general, I find that the "usable" capacity of a UTV in hours is about half of the total GB's of the HD.

My findings are a little different. Rather than "half", I get about 2/3 of the GB size (that is, my 120GB drive holds about 80 hours). But as LongRufus notes, the actual show size can vary widely -- from a low with B&W mono-sound shows to a high with action movies (remember, mpeg compression) in living color and DD 5.1 surround sound. In other words, "your mileage may vary". -TJ

 

[Puglas]

I'd agree -- I found about 20-25 hours was my max with the 35-gig, and so far it seems like 70-85 hours on the 120gb (although I haven't gone over 60%, so this is an estimate).