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If you like the idea of the PVR (personal video recorder) features of Sky+, but don't fancy shelling out for a Sky subscription, the Mustek R580 is an alternative. It won't give access to Sky's extensive channel line-up, but it does allow you to schedule recordings, pause and rewind live TV, and burn recordings to DVDs.
Containing an 80Gb hard disk, the R580 is able to digitally record broadcasts from just about any source. Simply hook up a TV aerial, SCART device (such as a Freeview or satellite set-top box), or any other video source and it will capture high quality recordings.
The internal hard disk is capable of recording around 17 hours worth of programmes. It's not a huge amount of space and you'll soon find you have to delete recorded shows.
However, thanks to the built-in recordable DVD drive, it's possible to transfer recordings or live TV broadcasts direct to a blank DVD (both plus and minus formats are supported). It also allows the R580 to double-up as a standard DVD player, so you can cut down on the number of boxes sitting under your TV set.
Although a little bulky, the R580 looks stylish enough. During testing, we found it a little unresponsive at times; for example, there was a longer delay between pressing a button and activating a feature than we would expect.
The internal fan is also noisier than expected. It's not something that will ruin movies, but in a quiet room you'll be able to hear it whirring away.
The remote control and interface could be a little more user-friendly, especially when compared with the effortless operation of Sky+, and it took some time for us to master the various controls.
We certainly can't fault the quality of the digital recordings. Indeed, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between live broadcasts and recorded material.
The huge array of connection options on the R580 is a real boon. Along with the standard SCART and TV aerial sockets, you also get Composite and component outputs, and both digital coaxial and digital optical audio outputs - perfect to hook it up to a surround-sound speaker system.
Considering the price tag, we expected to see a few extras. A 160Gb hard drive would have been good, as would a digital tuner, which would also have eliminated the need for a separate Freeview box.
We like the idea of the R580 and expect to see similar devices over the coming months. But at this price, it's expensive for what it is.
See also:
A PC that wants to oust your set-top boxes and DVD player from the living room 05 Aug 2005
A Freeview recorder with two TV tuners that can transfer video to a PC 19 Jul 2005
All Home Entertainment
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