09-07-2002, 08:50 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Sony Unwraps Linux-Based Video Recorder
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,104642,tk,dn090402X,00.asp
Sony is really opening a can o' "Innovation Whup-Ass" this week! They've just announced a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) that runs on Linux and has a massive 160 GB hard drive. The device also offers the unique ability to be programmed via the Web - very cool! I've long been interested in a PVR, but sadly up here in Canada we have few options. Tivo and Ultimate TV don't seem to offer service up here, and while Bell ExpressVue sells a PVR, it's "dumb" - it has no ability to learn what shows you like to watch (Tivo does). This new Sony PVR looks like it has a lot of potential - I wonder how sophisticated the software is? It's unfortunate that they haven't enabled it to transfer programs to a PC or other devices - DRM is coming our way whether we like it or not.
"Sony has unveiled a video recorder based on a hard drive and running the Linux operating system, the first in what the company says will be a new range of audio-visual products that take advantage of the always-on feature of broadband networks. The Channel Server CSV-E77 will be launched on November 1 and comes equipped with a 160GB hard drive that provides enough space for up to 100 hours of recording in the lowest of the device's three quality modes. The other modes, standard and high quality, allow for 50 hours and 30 hours respectively of MPEG2 video. Sony says the hard drives used in the device are regular PC models and not the audio-visual hard drives that are being touted as better suited to video recording.
Other features include two TV tuners so you can watch one channel while recording another, although recording of two programs simultaneously is not possible. The E77 includes a VHF/UHF/cable tuner and can also hook up to an external satellite tuner, cable set-top box, or other video source."
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