DigiFusion FVRT100 Review

Overall Rating

True twin tuner (record two channels at once)
Excellent 14 day listings guide
Discreet styling, low profile

Some hardware faults (fixable)
No "Freeview Playback"

I've owned this Digifusion for more than two years, and have always thought it quite brilliant. There is a very substantial "BUT" which I'll get to in the last few paragraphs though...

Most people will be familiar with the concept of a PVR by now, but to explain - this PVR (personal video recorder) has two Freeview tuners on board, and a hard disk. This means it can record from up to two channels at once (if your favourite programmes happen to clash while you're out) or you can simply watch one channel and record the other. You can also pause live TV (on two channels if you like, and switch between them), or rewind by up to half an hour on the current channel if you realise you've just missed something. As a final trick, you can also record (or timeshift) two channels while you watch an earlier recording from the library.

Now, these days there are many other "twin tuner" Freeview PVRs on the market, but for my money none of them quite match up to the ease and elegance of the Fusion. For starters, a surprising number of them barely qualify as "twin tuner", as although they may have two tuners you can only actually use one for recording - so you can watch one and record another, but you can't record two programmes that clash. This is a serious limitation that often gets glossed over in reviews and write-ups. Of those that are "true" twin tuners, like the Humax and Topfield boxes for example, I find that yes - they do the job - but they often do it in a clunkier and less elegant way than the Fusion. For example, when a recording starts on the Fusion, a little green light appears on the front of the box - so you have easy visual confirmation that your recording is taking place, but you can carry on watching whatever else your watching without interruption. If it's recording two things, two lights come on (one for each tuner). With the Humax, when recordings start it insists on telling you with an on-screen display that pops up - interrupting your programme. This will also display on any recordings you may be making from the box while archiving to video or DVD etc, ruining your recording. Worst still, if you happen to be "chasing playback" at the time on live TV, it will conveniently propel you forward to live TV at this point, leaving you rewind back again. The Fusion, by contrast, is deceptively simple - it just lets you get on with whatever you're doing, while it quietly gets on with whatever else you've asked it to do in the background.

The other great strength of the Fusion is its 14 day epg (electronic programme guide). Most Freeview PVRs use the standard 8 day guide maintained by Freeview itself, but many (like the Humax again, sorry for picking on it) don't save the EPG to permanent memory, so when you call it up to schedule a recording it takes an age to load (as in 10 minutes plus for the full week's guide). On the Fusion, a full 14 day guide is downloaded at 3am every morning, and stored on the disk. When you come to actually use the box, a quick press on the guide button brings up the listings instantly - and there's a calendar to take you instantly to any other day in the next two weeks. This is an excellent system that works very well, but has just one disadvantage - because the data isn't "live", and is only correct up to 3am the previous morning, it doesn't take account of any late changes (ie football overruns etc). It's also not compatible with Freeview Playback's PDC-style "accurate recording" or series link features either - but then, the reliability of those systems is largely unproven at the moment, since they rely on the broadcasters transmitting the right signals at the right time. Personally, I'm happier taking my chances with a good - and instantly available - 14 day guide. It's especially useful for holidays!

For the geeks out there, this box offers some real opportunities for tinkering. For starters, if you have an FVRT100 (or a 150, or a 145) it's quite easy to upgrade it to the same software as an FVRT200, the improved model with repeat timers and personalised folders. Over on the Digital Spy forums, you'll find versions of this software (and the original 100 style software) available in a number of different "themes" as well, allowing you to customise the look of the menus. It's also easy to upgrade the hard drive to anything up to 120GB, giving you more than 60 hours of recording.

On current firmware - 1.7.8 for the FVRT100/145/150, or 0.1.1 for the FVRT200 - the software in the Fusion is rock solid and extremely stable. Assuming, of course, that the hardware is okay. This is where that BUT comes in...

The big downside, and Achilles Heel, of the Fusion boxes is their hardware. There are two separate problems with these models that, unfortunately, have seen many of them discarded or returned to the manufacturer long before their time, and they are these:

1. The supplied external power supply (the lead between the box and the mains) often fails, as it is underpowered for the job.
2. Two of the capacitors inside the box can eventually fail (mine failed after about 2.5 years).

In both cases, the net result is that the box - while it appears to be powered up and running - doesn't actually have enough power to work reliably. The display will either show "hold", or the box will work but be incredibly slow to change channel, enter a menu etc, and naturally recordings get missed - or lost.

The good news is that both of these problems are curable. The PSU can be replaced quite readily with a 12v, 5amp version and the internal capacitors can also be replaced with higher quality components, leaving the box in tip-top condition. In my case, I replaced the PSU about six months into the life of the box, and the capacitors two years later, and its running good as new now. If you look around the net, you'll find detailed instructions on how to make both these repairs - the PSU being as easy as plugging a new lead in the back, and the capacitors needing only the most basic soldering skills.

So, in summary - an excellent, but flawed PVR that genuinely does hold its own against the very best on the market now, but which may require some TLC to get the best from it. Places like eBay and Microdirect are full of dirt cheap examples now, so if you can get a bargain and the idea of invalidating your guarantee with a soldering iron doesn't scare you, I'd say go for it.

Members' Comments onfusioneer's Review

• mechanic1 on 4th Oct 2008

  I found this review helpful as I was aware of the PSU problems, but NOT the capacitors. I hope that this may solve my problem!.. As soon as I can find the details on-line.. many thanks.