PC system builder Evesham Technology is expanding its range of consumer electronic goodies. Its latest additions are a £70 (inc VAT) set-top DVD player that can upscale movies for playback on hi-def TV sets and a twin-tuner personal video recorder for Freeview that's fitted with a 160GB hard disk and goes out for a VAT-inclusive £150.
DVD1000
As well as offering component and HDMI sockets for connection to hi-def screens, the DVD1000 is fitted with two types of digital audio output - coaxial and optical - plus a single Scart (RGB and composite) for use with standard-defintion TV set.
The player is said to be region-free - so it will handling imported DVDs, irrespective of where they come from, and to support playback of MP3 music, JPEG stills and DivX video.
Its conversion of standard-definition DVD to high-def goes all the way up to 1080i, and includes outputs at 480p, 576p and 720p as well.
Click on the image below for a close up and check out the specs below.
Click for larger image|
Evesham
DVD 1000 specifications |
|
|
Disks
supported (DVD) |
SS/SL
4.7" (DVD-5) |
|
SS/DL 4.7"
(DVD-9) |
|
|
DS/SL 4.7"
(DVD-10) |
|
|
DS/DL 4.7"
(DVD-18) |
|
|
Disks
supported (CD) |
CD-DA |
|
CD-R |
|
|
CD-RW |
|
|
Playback |
MP3 |
|
JPEG |
|
|
DivX |
|
|
MPEG-1 |
|
|
MPEG-2 |
|
|
Video
Outputs |
CVBS
Pal/NTSC (50Hz and 60Hz) |
|
Scart (both
RGB and CVBS) |
|
|
HDMI
(480p/576p/720p/1080i) |
|
|
Audio
Type |
Dolby
digital decoding |
|
MPEG
multi-channel decoding |
|
|
LPCM |
|
|
DTS digital
out |
|
|
Audio
Outputs (Digital) |
Coaxial |
|
Optical
(Toslink) |
|
|
Audio
Outputs (Analogue) |
2x
RCA (left/right) |
|
1x Scart (left/right) |
|
|
Power
Supply |
AC
240V, 50/60Hz |
|
Power
Consumption |
12W |
|
Dimensions
(w x h x d) |
418mm
x 42mm x 270mm |
PVR160
Freeview digital terrestrial offers many more TV channels than old-fashioned analogue terrestrial, including a large number of radio stations. Evesham's PVR160 Twin Tuner Personal Video Recorder looks just like the sort of kit needed to take full advantage, as the specs below show, and it's pretty reasonably priced.
Click for larger imageOn top of twin tuners, so you can record one programme while watching another, there's a seven-day electronic programme guide (EPG) for scheduling the week's recordings and this is claimed to be very quick and easy to use (no one ever says that their products are slow and difficult to use, mind!). As you'd expect, it's possible to choose between once, daily and weekly programmed recordings.
The built-in 160GB hard disk isn't huge by today's standards but is said to store up to 80 hours of programming. How easy would it be, though, to put in a seriously big replacement?
A Timeshift function automatically records the last 30 minutes of whatever you are watching, and lets you pause and rewind live TV so you can get back to the action if you're called away for less than half an hour.
The PVR160 comes with a "full-function" IR remote that said to be user-friendly. There's a pretty respectable array of socketry - all located at the rear - though a FireWire output would really be the cherry on the cake, even if it's not a likely inclusion at the PVR160's £150 price-point.
Click for larger imageThoughts on Evesham's latest offerings? Things you'd like us to check out when, as we hope, we get hands-on to write reviews? Let us know over in this thread in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this article
Evesham DVD1000 - home page
Evesham PVR160 - home page
LOW - Evesham's components and CE buying home page
Evesham Technology - home page
