A very good overall experience with the DigiFusion FVRT100. It has served my family well for over two years yet just in the recent month it has broken down causing problems yet these were quickly rectified by a TV repair shop. Very easy device to use with the ability to record 2 diffrent programs and watch a recording on the "Libary" supports all my family's television needs.

I am very satisfied with the performance of the DigiFusion FVRT100. However I utterly detest companies who treat their customers like dirt. I am going up to Comet/Currys now to buy another hard drive recorder after yet another total loss of recorded programmes with Digifusion machine. I see many other customers have had absolutely poor response from this company when they had similar problems.

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.

I have had a FVRT100 for about 14 months. From new, I got the EP9 message, and was advised that this was a software problem exacerbated if the machine was trying to compress a recording when the EPG was being broadcast (approx 3am) as the unit records on SP then takes up to 3 hours to compress the recording to LP. I was advised that this would be cured with an imminent software upgrade. As the problem persisted after the software upgrade, I was then advised that the problem was my aeriel as the machine needs a signal greater than 50% and preferably more than 60%. My signal strength through a high gain aeriel is 65%, but I checked out the aeriel anyway. I found a faulty connector at the aeriel splitter/amplifier which when fixed made no difference to the signal strength, but cured the "freezing" that was present on our 3 other freeview receivers. The EP9 persisted and progressed from a couple of times a month to the point where it occurred almost every day. To get rid of this and get working again, the machine needed unplugging and reconnecting. Finally, the machine would not restart and the hold message appeared on the display. I followed Digifusions advice of holding the two right buttons (programme down and on/off) for 15 seconds then waiting ten minutes. This worked about three times then the set died. Following advice seen on this site, I powered up using my golf trolley battery, and (touch wood) the set appears to be working again and so far no EP9.

I could have got a reconditioned one for £50 and sent mine back but I figured the 3 month warranty was not really worth it. After reading all the reviews on this page I decided to shop around for another make and have bought a Daewoo DSD 9503 for £135 it has 80 hours recording time, can tape 2 programmes at once and is very very quiet. The programme guide is not as good as the FVRT100 but the other benefits and ease of use more than compensate. Hope this helps.

My DigFusion FVRT100 hard drive recorder was bought from Dixons at £129.99 in October 2005, and I was very impressed by it. Many other people have said it changed the way they watch TV, and I have to agree. We rarely watch live TV anymore.

I have managed to mod this device with a 120GB hard drive, pushing the recording ability to over 60 hours. I also patched the firmware to make the menu more readable. In future I may also add a USB port and switch to allow my PC to access the recordings for storage to DVD. Please note that I have invalidated my warranty in doing these mods, so this is not for the faint-hearted.

For more information about the mods please visit:
http://digifusion.jeamland.org/
http://www.freewebs.com/dave_walsh/
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/index.php

The compression options are an interesting feature, but can cause desynchronisation with the audio and video and so are best left alone.

The picture quality on the DigiFusion FVRT100 hard drive recorder is amazing compared to that of the Sagem PTVR. I have returned two Sagem boxes because of crackling noises, and the record function didn't work properly on the second box!! The Sagem was easier to use, and the remote was much friendlier than this DigiFusion box. The DigiFusion box does make a terrible whirring noise but without the crackle, so I find this a little easier to cope with.

Does anyone know about this noise? I can't work out if it is a fan! I have had had to unplug this box every day at least once, only once losing my recordings!!

I would advise people to buy one, but do return it if you have problems like mine, I shall be doing so.

I am on third Digifusion box. First one-noisy click in harddrive. Second one wouldn't respond to remote. The box I have now performs brilliantly although it receives commands from remote and occasionally doesn't work. Turning set off and on solves problem. Great for recording one freeview channel while watching another.

First off, Dixons have nearly halved the price of the DigiFusion FVRT100 recently so I only paid £129 and from my point of view the box is a bargain, not like the other reviewers who paid upwards of £250 for it.

I am blown away by the picture quality, even in Long Play mode. There's an even more compressed Extended Mode but I haven't bothered using it yet. The single SCART can do RGB output which is very sharp. There are also phono stereo outputs, contrary to some reviews that I've seen.

It's a shame that there's no feature automatically to record a whole series of a particular show but I don't know of a Freeview box that can do this - Sky charge £10 a month for Sky + boxes to do that. There is a 7-day programme guide so you can manually set recordings a week in advance but setting recordings is a bit tedious - once you set a recording the menu jumps back to the top of the list of channels so you often have to scroll back down to where you left off to set the next recording. You can set a program to record with just two button presses or you can change the compression strength and length of the recording - this is handy now that TV channels are starting shows late to get more adverts in at the beginning.

The various menus are a bit hard to read as they are white text on a pastel background. The on-screen graphics in general are pretty stylish though, and the progress bar along the bottom of the screen is a groovy curve instead of a straight line.

Two tuners mean you can record two programs and even watch a third off the hard drive at the same time. Decent TV shows are like buses so it's a real boon being able to record two at a time. Once a show is recorded the box makes snapshots of the screen at five-minute intervals so you can navigate to the bit that you want easily, and you can insert a snapshot anywhere you like so you can find your favourite bit or the point at which you last stopped watching - handy for films if you don't watch it all in one go.

My main gripe with the box was the noise - the hard drive was constantly spinning even when it's in standby and it made a pretty irritating whine considering it's in my bedroom. However, last night there was a firmware update which addressed this and it does seem to be a bit quieter now. It's nice to know that Digifusion are actually pushing out upgrades over the air.

It's a bit irrtating that the now-and-next details don't come up as you hop through the channels. It takes up to two seconds for the channel to change so it should be able to put the details up for you at the same time. You currently have to move your thumb to bring the now-and-next up. I hope it's made automatic in the next firmware update.

Another quirk is that recordings play back as a loop - when the show finishes it goes back to the beginning and starts again. So if you fall asleep in front of the telly it will still be playing in the morning.

There is no Top-UP TV slot but at the moment there isn't anything on TUTV that I'd want to pay for anyway.

I have only had it freeze on me once. It lost the show that it was recording at the time but it didn't lose anything already recorded, or the order that I'd put my channels in.

As a device this box has been very good so far. What is really surprising is the way that PVRs like this can enhance the quality of your life. With at least 40 hours of recording you can "tape" loads of stuff to look at later and if it's not worth watching just delete it and move onto the next thing. You're not restricted to a 3-hour tape and you don't have to fast-forward for ages to find the next show. I can't remember the last time I actually sat through an ad break.

At the price it is now I'd say this an essential purchase if you don't want to shell out £240 a year for Sky+. Now I just need to know how big a hard drive it can cope with if I upgrade it. 300Gb should give me a year's worth of recordings.

I have been very pleased with my FVRT100 - it crashed a few times in the first week, which I solved by pulling the plug, but once the firmware had been updated, it worked a treat. The only thing I would comment on is the poor signal on the remote control - it needs direct line-of-sight to work reliably.

Got a DigiFusion FVRT100 after living with the Goodmans GDB2 and 3 boxes, both of which provide excellent pictures but had reliability problems. This is of course a different kettle of fish as it can also record.

The equipment can pause live tv and the quality is more or less indistinguishable from live tv. It's then very easy to rewind or even fast-forward to catch up with the live signal if you wish.

The unit is so simple to set up: plug it in, connect the aerial, and it sorts itself out. Recording is very simple too - just a couple of button-presses, one to select your programme and one to confirm. It's that easy!

Living as I do in a rural area with marginal reception, this box is as good as it could be; if your mains supply is unreliable you won't lose any recordings or settings - a real bonus as most VHS vcrs won't be this forgiving.


There's not a lot else to say - it's superb - component output, and quality is as good as live. It copes really well with 4:3 / 16:9 switching and can record two things at once - it'll tell you if there are any clashes.

There's a 7-day EPG which means you can plan ahead. However, only the BBC provides consistent information about programmes (but that's just the other broadcasters being lazy!). Your recorded library also includes this information, and you can record subtitles if you want. You can also record the freeview radio channels as well as TV (not many boxes do this).

The one minus point is that you can't set up a repeat event - for example, say you want to record "Neighbours" every weekday on BBC1 from 1740-1800. Most video recorders make this very easy, but this unit can't do that - you have to select each individual episode. It's mildly annoying but that's my only quibble with it.

I'd say buy it - even my aged parents can cope with this one!