Well known satellite pioneering company Opac, located at Ingleside on the outskirts of Sydney, has been involved in the supply of satellite and terrestrial receivers for some years, and is responsible for the  Mediastar brand.

The company has just released a new model combination satellite/terrestrial PVR HD receiver capable of using an external USB hard drive, aimed at the satellite enthusiast.

Labelled  the Mediastar HDX9100 PVR, the unit has a dual input satellite tuner capable of receiving HD signals (DVB-S2) and twin CI slots for smartcard use. Most importantly for  terrestrial viewers, the unit is Freeview compatible.

There are various output configurations available from the unit: HDMI,

YPbPr, S-Video, Composite Video, and SPDIF Optical. External connections include UBS 2.0, Ethernet IP, HTTP and FTP which can be set.

Other notable features are: 14 day EPG linked to PVR timer settings, Blind Scan, and Ethernet networking, and video mosaic function.

 The unit can record  2 channels simultaneously, and viewing is possible from the HDD or “off air” at the same time. The small footprint 330 x 200mm makes it an unobtrusive addition to any installation.

This receiver is likely to be a huge success with owners of large screen HD TV sets, particularly those who are watching subscription TV services and can take advantage of the HD capability.

It is equipped with 2 smartcard slots for NDS and Irdeto as well as 2 common interface sockets for PCICMA modules.

Available from Opac ( Tel: 02  9618 5777), Av-Comm and other major satellite resellers.

USB hard drives to suit are available from many sources.

RRP $599