Pace Twin DTV recorder Review

Overall Rating

Replays identical quality to digital broadcast.
Perfect freeze frame & slow/fast (forwards works ok).
Itemised recording library.
Watch a program from the start while it's still recording.
Watch any FreeView channel while recording.

Very unreliable. Often needs mains power to be switched off/on as the software has locked up and no longer responds to remote or front panel controls. (Has been returned to Pace - no improvement even with latest software Mar 2004).
Reverse search often skips straight back to the begining of recording after a couple of seconds.
Often fails to record a whole evening of recordings. (Recordings listed as zero seconds long).
Changing channels while recording often locks-up the unit and looses the recording.
No Video Plus. Very tedious to program the timer.
Needs much better ariel than my Pioneer receivers that are 3 years older.
Can't record 2 channels at once, as the Pace Sky+ box can.
Can't delete old recordings to make more room while it's recording.
Can't even record part of a program if the end of that program overlaps with a recording set on the timer. (Should ask you which has priority).
Only 10 hours recording. (No software re-compression offered).

The good and bad points say most of what there is to say.
I think this Pace Twin DTV recorder is not fit for sale as a video recorder. Over the last 11 months we have been used as testers for the various versions of software. After 3 months I sent it back to Pace for a replacement, but that's the same.
I would at least expect the basic functionality of being able to view a timer recording to be reliable and it is not! (Therefore zero star rating as a video recorder).
The software has not changed for 4 months now although they promised new software for December, so I guess they have abandoned it as it is.
The concept is good. If you want to play with the cutting edge of digital viewing/recording then go ahead and buy one. (Therefore 4 stars as an interesting toy!) If anyone in your household is going to get upset by frequently missing their TV programs then avoid this product!

Members' Comments onskysurfer's Review

• elchenuk on 12th Mar 2004

  Don\'t agree with this review. I have had excellent experience with my Pace. A lot of the negative points are very minor, and as far as the HDD goes I\'ve replaced mine with an 80 Gig version.

• JohnMarsh on 8th Apr 2004

  I bought a used Pace Twin and I have not found any faults yet. I reset it to the factory specs, hooked up my VCR/DVD combo, and it all works!
  
  I updated software about a week ago, and I have had no freezes, drop-outs, blank screens, etc.
  
  My signal strength is about 60% and I will upgrade my aerial soon, but it is really great!

• webgirl on 7th Nov 2004

  Completely agree with this review!
  
  PACE have even admitted the issues that are raised as pointed out to them in numerous, very long emails. They state a new software upgrade is due November 2004 and "should" fix the problems. Currently trying to reset the second box - I too took the original one back to no benefit - to original factory settings to see if that helps.
  
  I'm sticking to my SVHS recorder...!!!

• zanniehome on 6th Dec 2004

  I totally agree with the negative comments, I have had my recorder about a year.
  When I first bought it I was over the moon and recommended all my friends to buy one.
  But now I find that it generally works well but locks up, loses programmes etc just as the man said. I recorded Terminator 3 a couple of weeks ago went to watch it and after 39 mins it totally seized very frustrating.
  Someone told me that Digital stuff gets clogged up in the same way as computer hard discs and that this is what causes the problems. I do not know if this is true but it is very frustrating not to be certain of recording programes that I want to see.
  I too have been keeping up to date with all the new software.
  The recording time is also limited to 10 hours TV although virtually unlimited Radio and I find virtually unlimited Radio 4 and Radio 7 recording is a vast improvement from the previous cassette and timer limitations.
  I went away for easter leaving a full programme and when I came back nothing had been recorded. This has happened several times I think that I probably lose about one programme ever two weeks this way so I would not consider the system reliable.
  However it is quite userfriendly to programme if cumbersome.
  
  I am thinking of getting a DVD recorder (which is how I found this site) and using the pace recorder just for Radio

• jimmyoung on 5th Feb 2005

  elchenuk - would you mind spilling the beans about upgrading the HDD on the pace twin DTVR? Did you simply copy all files from the old to the new to ensure the software was retained (or does that reside on a flash chip on the board?). Did you need a certain spec HDD or just a standard notebook-size or regular 3.5" drive? Cheers for the info.

• skysurfer on 23rd Jan 2006

  I have put up with this machine for nearly 3 years now! Since the long awaited software update at the end of 2005 it has been more reliable.
  
  The setting of recording timers from the 7-day guide is simple and better thought out than any of the current machines I've seen. (A shame there's no picture/sound while in the program guide).
  The fast forward/reverse in playback is now almost faultless.
  Failed recordings are far less common. (1 failed in 2 weeks rather than 1 failed in 2 days).
  
  It's much better than it was but still frustrating on the occasions when recordings do fail... Rather old technology now compared with recorders that can record 2 channels at once and have 8 times the recording capacity like the Topfield 5800 or the Humax 9200.