In the battle to attract viewers to digital TV, cable has been at a disadvantage. For both Sky, with its excellent Sky+ box, and Freeview, with models such as the Humax PVR-8000T, boast hard disk-based video recorders that work seamlessly with their services to make recording programmes very easy.
All that changes this month with the arrival of Telewest's TVDrive (NTL subscribers will be offered a similar system next year). Its huge advantage over the Sky+ box is that it is compatible with high-definition TV, so if viewers have an HD-ready set they can watch a limited selection of programming in the new 1080i format, which delivers much higher resolution.
The HD footage, delivered via Teleport, Telewest's TV-on-demand service, is a significant leap forward. I watched the BBC's HDTV documentary Pride and was impressed by the rich colours and superb detail, especially on closeups.
Otherwise, the TVDrive is fairly similar to the Sky+ box. It also has a 160 GB hard drive, which can store 80 hours of standard definition programmes. It features an onscreen menu system so you can easily make timed recordings and pause live TV. Unlike Sky+, the TVDrive offers picture-in-picture on the programme guide, so viewers can see what they were last watching while setting the recorder.
It also has three TV tuners so you can record two channels while watching a third. These tweaks make its interface less intuitive than the Sky+ box, but it is still easier than programming a VCR.
Renting the box costs an extra £10-15 per month. Telewest says users will be able to upgrade cheaply when the next-generation TVDrive arrives.
The TVDrive is a far better bet for Telewest customers than teaming their decoder with a DVD recorder or VCR. It isn't revolutionary enough to persuade Sky+ owners to pull down their dishes, and the new Sky+ box due in April (three tuners, HD-compatibility and possibly a 300GB hard drive) will rival it. For now, though, cable has the strongest digital TV package available.
Telewest TVDrive website:
telewest.co.uk.
Story source:
guardian.co.uk.
