Starchoice

dmarsden

I just picked up a DSR500 at Future Shop today at the reduced price of $400C. Spotted it online and bought it in the store. Salesman expects PVR (HD?) from Starchoice to come out at around the $800C range.
I've combined the DSR500 with a Toshiba RD-SX32 DVR with an 80 gig HDD and support for DVD-RAM & DVD-R etc. Easy to set up, easy to use and it improves the standard signal to my 34"SonyXBR800 by converting it from 480i to 480p - very nice package and a big improvement on my regular channel reception. I learned to record on the DVR inside of 4 minutes using the "Easy Nav" button, which when combined with the Timer mode on DSR500, makes for a great package. (Still not HD recording though.)
Just a sidebar - I was unable to set up Toshiba remote to control the DSR500 for VCR+ programming but the box is so simple to record with, you are better off not even trying.
Now if SC provides us with more than 5 channels of HD programming and more movies in the West, we'll have something to cheer about. In the meantime - go BC Lions!

mister_rdz

Has anyone heard anything on the delivery date and/or specifications on the replacement for the DSR500? I'm (im)patiently waiting to buy a HD Receiver and would hate to spend $400.00 today and have the new one available next week!

Dave

dmarsden

Sorry, the only thing I heard was from a techie that told me the replacement would be in the same series from Motorola with a capability to record in high def. No details on the date. My bet is that it will only be able to record regular network programming unless they work out details with the movie studios over digital rights (flagged broadcasts). The price was estimated to be somewhere near $1000.
Hope that helps.

mister_rdz

Thanks, that helps a bit - I guess. However, it doesn't make a decision any easier. Do we know if the new unit will support PIP, or will it just have the capability of recording one channel while we watch something else?

Dave

dmarsden

Support for PIP is unlikely as you would require a two tuner type satellite set from Starchoice.
The next generation will aim to accomplish the following objectives: 1. provide a Tivo type ability to the SC system with time-slip capability for regular satellite transmissions and/or 2. provide the ability to record in high def.
Firstly, it's important to remember that high def signals are an entirely different beast than regular video signals and that secondly, there is a lot of debate with the movie studios as to whether their copyrights will be jeopardized by recording in high def. Right now, they are attempting to "flag" high def signals to limit what you can record and what you can do with the recording once you have it. Needless to say the studios are extrememly sensitive about that issue as high def recordings are better quality than current DVD's.
I think SC will definitely pursue a Tivo like ability as one of their next generation products. Personally, I got tired of waiting for them so I bought a Toshiba DVR with an 80 gig HD that allows for time-slip recording and gives me the ability to record off my Sony Digital 8 camcorder. I've been very pleased with the ease of use and the quality of the DVR and would recommend it to anyone.
My experience has been that when Starchoice introduces a product it takes about 6 months to iron out the bugs and their pricing is on the high side. I doubt that their next product will be revolutionary for 2 reasons: firstly, the movie studios are unlikely to give up too much in the way of digital rights to their products by way of high def recording and secondly, Tivo type recording is readily available by the use of DVR's (get one with a Hard Drive) with much greater flexibility.
To conclude, I believe Starchoice's next generation product will be available sometime in the next 2 months and that it will be limited in its functionality. Right now, the DSR500 should be available for $400, it works well and combined with a DVR probably will provide all the recording capability you can use.
I would save my money for the next generation of DVD player that will make another leap forward in terms of quality and content. Hope this helps.

mister_rdz

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I've decided to stop waiting and am going to buy the DSR500 today - a nice Christmas present for me!

Can't wait to get home from the office today and install the new toy tonight !

Dave

dmarsden

Enjoy - have a good XMas.

shootthepuck

Just wondering,has anyone heard of STARCHOICE making hd sports more available?It kinda sucks that we cannot buy SPORTSNET hd,TSN hd and or ESPN?It baffles me that they don't have the connections since we do get the normal feeds,if its a copyright issue then why can we receive the other?I know Bell owns TSN and ROGERS own SPORTSNET but I think STARCHOICE should pay for the right and past them on to us if need be.

dmarsden

I agree, there should be more high def Canadian sports on the other hand, I'm glad they're not interfering with American broadcasts of football etc. I can only imagine how badly Global can screw up an NFL game.
It will be interesting to see what SC does deliver in 2005 as far as HD content is concerned. Personally, I'm looking forward to hockey broadcasts in HD as you can see so much more of the ice surface.
They certainly don't overwhelm us with information about upcoming changes.

mister_rdz

I was wondering the same thing about HD hockey, especially since TSN is broadcasting the IIHF games in HD. Too bad we can't get them on SC! My wife and I have watched a couple of NFL games on our 60" Hatchi LCD HD TV and are amazed at the clarity of the picture. Almost looks like 3D. Now if we only had more channels and programs to choose from.

Dave

rgldw

I have a Sony KV36XBR400 tv that is about four years old and I want to get the DSR 500 hdtv receiver. I looked in the manual and it says I have HD/DVD in 1080i,480p,and 480i. There are two locations on the back of the tv that say this also. When I go to Sony's website they refer to hdtv capable, hi-scan and hdtv ready but only the last one can receive the increased resolution of HDTV,and does not say which of these is applicable to my unit. The sales people in the stores are of little help as they don't know which one is which either. Could someone give me a simple yes or no before I plunk down money to get this new toy? Also, can I expect to see improvement in picture quality? It is pretty awsome right now as long as I stay with the digital channels. Thanks for your help

dmarsden

Yep, (yes) you'll be able to get hi-def from the DSR500 in 1080i format. I read the manual and there is no reference to support for 720p but I don't think that's going to be a problem for you.
It looks like either of the component video inputs will provide high def for you and the DSR500 should do the rest (if you experience problems there is a hidden switch under a panel on the front of the DSR that let's you toggle to 1080i).
I assume you've got a DVD plugged in to one of the component inputs already - that will be showing a 480p picture. When you see HDTV in 1080i on your set it will be a significantly better picture than your DVD gives you. The improvement should be roughly 6x better than a standard satellite broadcast in digital format (TSN, CNN etc).
Remember that you are going to have the top and bottom of your screen clipped into a letterbox format as all true high def signals are sent in 16x9 widescreen. Given that you have a 36" set that shouldn't be too great a loss.
I suggest using high quality component cables and if you have a home entertainment centre don't forget to hook up for Dolby Digital 5.1.
Enjoy.
(I'm starting to sound like a schill for Starchoice but I'm just trying to be helpful as I had to learn all this stuff by trial and error - maybe SC would like to track me down and give me a couple of months free programming)

dmarsden

One other thing about the 36XBR400 and the DSR500, if you're not happy with the results, you can always just return the receiver.

rgldw

thanks for the help. One other question. I see ports on the back of the dsr500 on the sc website that look like usb and data. Does this mean there is a possibility that it can be hooked up to my computer for video capture???? Not that I am looking for this but the thought is appealing for sports events to capture that special moment.

dmarsden

Those ports are dedicated for future use - but I would imagine that they are designed for ethernet connection and thus, a hookup to your computer. If you have a video capture card, logically I would think that you will be able to use it, provided that the broadcast is not digitally flagged for copyright purposes.
They could also be setting up for broadband Internet content that might allow us to integrate the DSR500 to our home network with Microsoft's XP Media Centre PC's. Frankly, I'm just guessing here but I think the whole issue of convergence is coming to a head in the next year or so.
Right now, I'm trying to stream all my CD's and digital pics from my PC's to my home entertainment centres. Even something as simple as that is not as straight forward as it should be. Nobody can agree on formats, digital rights, quality etc. If the various stakeholders get their collective heads together over music, I'm sure video content will follow right on its heels.
One more guess I have is about the data port that I suspect might be capable of HDMI hookup in the future so movie studios won't have to worry about broadcasting movies that can be copied in a format that's twice as good as current DVD releases.
I built a new home recently and one of the things that I did was run ethernet to 9 different outlets including 4 entertainment centres. At the time it seemed extravagant but to be honest the wires don't cost much for a new home and now whenever I change a component, I have the ability to connect to my computer network. It's worked out great and already I'm able to seamlessly add products like media streamers to my A/V systems without running additional wires.
It all sounds really geeky but it was no more complicated than adding telephone jacks would have been in previous decades.