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Very seldom do I catch myself uttering the word "genius" silently to myself as I'm reviewing a piece of equipment. I purchased several months ago the Logitech Harmony 895 universal remote. As part of the package arrived also a wireless remote-extender, which I never bothered installing.

The Logitech 895 transmits remote codes traditionally via infrared, but you are also able to transmit commands via RF which allows you to gain complete control of components that are hidden behind cabinets or walls. With a range of up to 30 meters, you can place your equipment out of sight, or even move it to the next room.

RF commands pass through walls and floors, just like AM and FM radio signals. When you add this extender, you can use your Harmony remote to control your system from a different part of the house — great for folks who have a multi-room audio setup. Or keep your components out of sight in an enclosed cabinet, and use your Harmony remote for convenient access.

The reason for the installation? The DSTV PVR is one of the worst appliances when it comes to remote controlling the unit - you literally have to point straight at it in order to control the unit. The remote extender comes with a base-station (depicted above), which at the back allows the connection of 4 wire leads with dual mini IR flashers to control up to 8 components:

The base-station is installed close to where your equipment resides and the mini IR-flasher is stuck close to the IR-receiver of the DSTV unit. The point-and-click action is a thing of the past, nowadays I am even able to change the music channel while sitting on the patio :-)

DStv operator MultiChoice announced at a press-release last week, that they will (finally) launch O-N-E high-definition channel on August 1. The channel, which will be available in a resolution of 720p, will be used to broadcast the Olympic Games from August 8 (apparently not life, but re-broadcasts), and from August 24 it will carry a new entertainment channel called M-Net HD.

The device, which includes a 500GB hard drive, costs the same as the standard-definition (SD) PVR model — R2 499 — and is capable of storing 150 hours of SD content and 50 hours of HD material.

Come on Multichoice --- ONE CHANNEL???? Most of the HD-content broadcast on the marvelous new HD-channel will be anyway multi-cast on standard definition: Season 6 of CSI Miami (Tuesdays at 8.30pm), Season 4 of CSI New York (Thursdays at 9.30pm, and Season 1 of Gossip Girl. Other shows include season 3 of My Name is Earl, season 1 of Samantha Who, season 4 of Lost and season 1 of Reaper.

But wait - there is more - a whole bucket of high-def movies (all of which you should have on Blu-ray already): Die Hard 4, Zodiac, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Spiderman, Oceans Thirteen and Shrek the Third.

The new HD-PVR is a step backwards though. While the current SD-PVR features dual-view (you can hook up two TVs, record one programme but watch two different channels in parallel), the "new" HD-PVR will only support watch one and record two - WTF? DSTV is broadcasting so many repeats anyway, so it is pretty pointless two record two programmes simultaneously anyway.

But there is XtraView which eventually will allow you to pair your existing decoder/PVR with your HD-PVR and will then give you view-three/record-three (if you pair the HD-PVR with a SD-PVR).

The device would have been appealing if even SD content looked better via HDMI (if you are running an LCD bigger than 46" you will find out that most programming appears washed out or grainy). But to just watch one channel with re-broadcasts in high-definition defeats the purpose of forking of R 2,500.00.

I am certainly not going to get a HD-PVR, as Multichoice will only launch XtraView "sometime in October". Multichoice was supposed to provide a firmware update to stabilise the PVR's by last year October and is only now managing (10 months later) to deliver it. So who believes that XtraView will be on time. Not to mention that you will either have to fit a splitter/multiplexer and in the worst cast re-cable/re-install (if you do not have a twin-LNB).

... at least this would be a good enough reason for Multichoice to justify their price increase for PVR/dualview to R 524,00/per month from 1st April. It is amazing that with new competition entering the market towards the end of the year, Multichoice still manages to increase their fees annualy without improving service.

While the rest of the world enjoys high-definition television and subscribers receive free PVRs/Tivo's as part of the subscription fee, this is obviously not the case with Multichoice. A PVR decoder still costs R 1999,00 and the latest high-def model to be launched will be in excess of R4500.

What's wrong with the following picture:
SKYTv in UK: for 21 pounds(R328): 300 entertainment channels

SkyTV in UK (£45 ~ R 500): 300 entertainment channels, free UK evening and weekend calls, free broadband (up to 8Mb download speed)

vs. DSTV's: 75 channels for R469

I use my decoder as a relatively good clock. The red light is just slightly irritating