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ChannelMaster is considered as one of the most reputable
antenna and broadcast television hardware manufacturers in the world.
Established in 1949, ChannelMaster recently moved from being solely an antenna hardware
and accessory manufacturer to providing specialized set-top tuner boxes and personal recorders
for over-the-air digital TV and the growing Pay TV cordcutting movement. Its
newest product launched into that market is the DVR+
Now this is not ChannelMaster’s first attempt at an OTA DVR as the
DVR+ is a follow-up to two predecessors: the popular but completely unsupported
CM7000PAL (great device, but not even one SW update provided) and the largely unsuccessful
CM7400 (short-lived and rumoured to overhear, plagued with software bugs and tuner
issues to the point that some OTA retailers actually pulled it from shelves and
sold old CM7000PALs again).
So what is one to make of ChannelMaster’s newest DVR? Is
this something that people can finally put in their TV unit and enjoy... or is
this another half-attempt at a true cordcutter OTA DVR that falls short of expectations
like many others on the market? Let’s take a closer look…
Promotional photo courtesy of ChannelMaster.com
Model: ChannelMaster DVR+ CM-7500GB16
Size: 10" wide x 8 1/4" deep x 3/4" highPackage includes: DVR+, remote control, power supply, instructions and warnings
Input: RF connector (F-type coax), Ethernet, USB 2.0 x 2, Power, IR extension port
Output: HDMI, Optical audio
Pros: Uber-compact form factor, beautiful guide and user interface, easy and reliable dual tuner recording, excellent tuner sensitivity, expandable storage, great features, versatile and adaptable to your needs, plenty of accessories, able to have streaming apps, low power consumption, stable software, no monthly or yearly fees, compatible with SlingBox
Cons: Out-of-box recording capability somewhat limited, currently only one streaming app (Vudu) supported and is not available in Canada (see update below) , somewhat basic remote control
All connection ports are in the back and you can see that
the Ethernet port was the final limit on its thickness. With this compact form
factor, some things had to go and that includes the older output ports such as
component and composite, leaving only a HDMI port out.
The entire unit is a flat powdercoat black and the ChannelMaster
logo is tastefully embossed on the top surface. The unit blends in easily to
any high-end home theatre setup and is compact/lightweight enough to be placed
anywhere your heart desires. This cool looking unit is definitely a far cry
from the ostentatiously over-branded clock-boxes some Pay TV services are forcing on their customers.
The minimalist look is in: With its sleek appearance the
DVR+ won’t distract the eye
The remote control is simple, well-labelled and
non-cluttered with most buttons being well-placed for the functions having the
most frequent use. What you see is what you get as there are no features such
as a QWERTY keyboard or any fancy backlighting. The coloured buttons assume
different functions depending on what menu is being accessed.
Keeping it simple: No fancy form or splashy features with
the DVR+ remote
Build Quality
The unit comes professionally packaged and with a trilingual
basic guide (English, Spanish, French). What’s great is the DVR+ is actually built
with a metal casing. The finish on the box is of high quality and is fairly
scratch resistant. The unit itself seems solid, safe and well-built.
Installation
Initial setup of
the DVR+ is easy and user-friendly. There are very few connections to make and
the unit launches very easily. Upon first startup, the unit prompts the user
for their basic preferences and location for proper guide / time setup.
Afterwards, a graphic guides you in setup of the inputs followed by a channel
scan. The channel scan took an average of about 4 minutes to complete.
The above screenshots
show the main setup sequence
The one drawback we
found was there was no guidance or chance to aim the antenna during the setup
before the channel scan. Other DVRs usually have a “point antenna” screen
during the setup process where fine tuning can be done for channels of your
choice to ensure the first scan will run with the antenna in its optimized
position. This means if you missed some channels, you have to tune the antenna
manually through the Setup menu and
either add the channels or re-run a complete scan.
The initial guide
population requires some patience. If you are not using the internet
connection, you can speed up PSIP acquisition for the OTA TV signals by running
through all the channels manually with the remote “channel up/down” buttons. If
you are using an internet connection, the Rovi guide can take up to 24 hours
for the guide to fully populate (2 weeks of info, channel logos). We found that
in Canadian areas near the US border, it was faster to plug in a local US ZIP
code at first, causing the US network info to load quickly and then change the
location to the Canadian postal code which then loaded the Canadian stations.
Installing an
external hard drive was also surprisingly easy. For our evaluation we used a
Seagate 1TB USB 3.0 drive which was immediately recognized once connected to
the USB port. In a few steps the drive was automatically formatted, initialized
and the DVR+ rebooted itself with over 150 hours of storage added when all was
said and done.
Features and Performance
Features
While some
maligned the DVR+ for its lack of features “out-of-the-box”, we found that the
add-on capability is the actually quite advantageous. ChannelMaster has taken
an interesting approach here in that they offer a base model that is still
appealing to most OTA users and any customization can be done as add-ons by the
customer; when they choose and for only the features they deem necessary. Want
to go WiFi? Add it on. If you don’t, well you aren’t burdened with this option
in the price of the base unit. The hard drive is the same option, the built-in
storage is a paltry 2hours of HD recording, good enough for a show and pausing
live TV. Adding a 1 TB external hard drive is fairly economical these days (available
from ChannelMaster but can be found even cheaper on certain online sites or
during sales) and instantly adds 150 HD recording hours. If you want more, well
then the option is all yours. All to say the add-on versatility appears to save
DVR+ owners quite a bit of cash in the end as it gives them ability to shop
around to get the best price for their optional hardware.
Remote
The remote
control is basic and easy-to-use. There are no fancy features or backlighting
(except for the TV or DVR power button when a command is pressed). Unfortunately
it seems the ergonomics of the remote actually took a step backwards from the curvy
remotes of the CM7400 and CM7000PAL devices. Despite this boxy simplicity, the
layout is quite user-friendly though; it’s also lightweight and is fairly good
on battery consumption.The super-thin remote is powered by two CR2032 batteries (coin-cell type, included), which were chosen as they are probably the only ones that fit in there. Battery life is fair, but we recommend stocking a few extra as the size is somewhat uncommon in household applications when compared to AA or AAA. As there are no buttons on the DVR+, once the batteries do go, you're working blind.
Menus and Navigation
The main menu is easily
accessible and fairly with only four main options that pop up discretely on the
side of the screen and are easy to scroll through. There is a dedicated page
that relays signal strength information of the current channel to help with
tuning. There are also options to re-perform channel scans to add new channels
and a manual channel addition options. We also it found it noteworthy that in Preferences the “transparency” customization
option for the menu screens was a nice touch. Highlights of the menu screens are shown below.
A factory reset
option is also available in the menu as well if you ever need to take a
mulligan and start over fresh.
The DVR+ guide and GUI is
easily one of the best we’ve seen for an OTA set-top box. The guide comes in two
versions, a base setup that does not require an internet connection and an
upgraded version powered by online guide data company Rovi. What’s awesome
about the DVR+ is that both versions are absolutely free, something that the
DVR+‘s competitors seemed to miss the boat on as they charge monthly or yearly
fees for their premium guides (something that appears odd considering most of
the data is free online anyways, i.e. hellloooo there zap2it.com).
The DVR+ guide overlays nicely over the bottom half of the screen; transparency can be adjusted.
The guide does
not interrupt your TV viewing experience as it is overlaid over the main image,
with options on transparency level. Text is of a decent size and channels are
clearly marked, the guide is easy to navigate using the page up/down buttons
and the coloured buttons. Channels can be edited (removed from the list, handy
for getting rid of SD subchannels of HD feeds) but not renamed. The guide flows
well and there is almost no lag in the navigation. Browsing can also be done
one a channel-by-channel basis by using the Info
button and scrolling the up-down channel buttons one at a time.
You can also
scroll through the channels one-by-one using the information bar.
An internet
connection fixes this issue as the Rovi guide provides a beautiful guide with
channel logos and a full two weeks of programming data, refreshed on a daily
basis. The guide is one of the best that we’ve seen to date, and even some
people with pay TV service were envious (for example, Videotron’s guide does
not have the overlay feature and Bell TV satellite subscribers don’t even have
channel logos).
The basic guide (above) is a standard grill
populated by PSIP info only and does not require an internet connection. The
guide however is only as good as the data sent out by the local stations, hence
the reason some channels have no data at all the info stops after about 8-10
hours for others. The bottom photo is the same guide screen but with an
internet connection. The grill is full of data and full-colour channel logos
are present to ease navigation.
The only odd issue we found (although very minor) is that clicking Select on a program in the guide doesn’t
actually change the channel but instead triggers a pop-up that asks you if you
want to view the program or set a recording. Not a big deal but just requires
more clicks when channel surfing.
Tuner Sensitivity
We were very
pleased with the overall tuner sensitivity of the DVR+. The tuner was able to
scan all the channels it was supposed to pick up in the given locations, both
local and distant. Even in bad weather or low signal situations the tuner held
on with a good lock on and decent picture quality.
Given the
flakiness of the CM7400 tuner, we decided to really put the DVR+ tuner to the
test so we split the incoming signal to another TV with two identical coax
cables. We then slowly de-tuned our antenna on our weakest station see who
would be first to give out. As the signal got worse, the TV (2009 purchase
date) tuner gave out completely while the DVR+ was still able to resolve the
sound and bring in a picture despite some macro-blocking. Further tests showed
that the tuner was very robust in bringing in and holding weak stations even in
bad weather. ChannelMaster also pointed out that the tuner is future-proofed as
its firmware is upgradable via software update if need be.
Sniff-Sniff … why do you have to be so sensitive? The DVR+ (bottom)
held on to even the weakest signals with visegrip-like tenacity, showing limited
macroblocking while the TV tuner (above) threw in the towel at that point.
The only drawback we found was that as with all tuners of high sensitivity, the DVR+ tuner was more susceptible to multipath and co-channel interference than usual. We recommend not going too crazy on the antenna signal amplification as you are better off providing the DVR+ a clean, but weak signal (don't worry it'll pick it up) rather than a stronger, boosted signal with more noise.
Recording Capabilities
Recording capabilities are fairly limited out-of-the-box with the unit only able to pause live TV for 15 minutes and record about 2 hours of HD programming. Once you add external storage, the DVR+ really comes to life with its full dual tuner recording capabilities (save two shows at the same time). You can also not only pause live TV but you can now go back in time to an earlier point in the program even if you haven’t hit Record (and provided you haven’t changed the channel).
The DVR
recordings can be scheduled multiple ways. The easiest way is selecting a future
program via the guide, and then either choosing to make it a one-time event or
to record all occurrences of that name. Other ways include through the Search menu, setting up a manual
recording (channel + start/stop time) or through the extended DVR menu
selections from the main screen. General options to start the recording earlier
or end later are only available through the extended DVR menu, while more basic
options are available in the first two. Manual recording is the only way to go
if guide info is not available for whatever reason.
We found the recording features were well organized and easy to use. The status of the recordings is clearly identified as well without the need to navigate to other screens (below). Programs that we set recorded consistently and the dual tuner recording is a great feature since we weren’t forced to choose between two shows.
In the event of
conflict, there is a useful pop-up screen (below) that lets you resolve it on the spot,
which is better than some DVRs that simply tell you the program cannot be
recorded and then you have to fumble around to figure out what the conflict
was.
The only drawback
we found was that smart recording is still not fully enabled. For example, the
DVR+ even when connected to the Rovi internet guide does not have the option to
record new instances of a given show. Channel Master did comment that they are
looking at potentially enhancing smart recording capabilities in a future
software release. (see update below)
For playback, DVR
recordings can be accessed directly from the DVR button on the remote or through the extended DVR menu
selections. The recordings list is well laid out with recordings of the same
name automatically nested in folders for easy grouping and browsing (example: “The
Simpsons” in the photo below). Manual recordings however do not display the
name of the program playing.
Playback of the
recording can be paused, fast forwarded or rewound at different speeds up to
64X and there is the convenient skip fwd / skip back buttons as well. A great
feature of the DVR+ is these buttons are customizable and you can vary how far
they skip ahead or back (below). Not all DVRs have this capability and it’s pretty
convenient as someone who watches a lot of sports will most likely want
different settings to make on-the-fly replays that someone who is primarily
interested in skipping commercial breaks.
We also like that
the Back button is a shortcut key to
go back to live TV when watching a paused/timeshifted live program.
Storage
As mentioned
above, the DVR+ has only minimal storage and recording capacity out-of-the-box,
this provides about 2 hours of HD recording (6 SD) and the ability to pause
live TV for a max of 15 minutes. Storage is accomplished via a USB 2.0 or 3.0
external hard drive; the drive however must be more than 80 Gigs in size or
else the unit will assume it’s a USB key that is attached and look for SW
updates rather than format the drive for use as DVR storage. Space is
essentially unlimited as the DVR+ can handle drives in its two USB ports and
works with even the largest 4TB drives (although the DVR screen GUI slows down
considerably once you cross the 1000 title threshold).
The storage device
is transportable between DVR+ units as the DVR+ will recognize the drive as a
storage device and access the recordings, meaning it is possible to record
shows on a DVR+ unit at your house, then bring the drive with you to your
friend’s house to watch your recordings together on their DVR+. Recognizing the recordings on a laptop or PC
is not intended and unsupported by ChannelMaster, but possible if your computer
can find a way to read the Linux EXT2 file system.
Internet Connectivity and Apps
The DVR+ connects
to the internet via its Ethernet port or an optional WiFi add-on USB dongle on
sale at ChannelMaster. A wired connection is recommended for streaming.
Currently, the only
streaming app supported by the DVR+ is Vudu, which unfortunately is not available
in Canada. Trying to change the location setting in the Setup menu will not
work as Vudu bases itself on the location of your IP address. Having the
streaming apps showing directly in the program guide starting at channel 200 is
a cool feature, it makes browsing easier and keeps it simple rather than having
to exit and go to another menu.
The Vudu app occupies
the 200 channel position in the program guide for easy access but does not work in Canada.
There has been a
lot of talk but no confirmation on when or if more apps will follow. Many
people are most probably awaiting a Netflix app with the hops that it is also
supported in Canada. It would appear the future success of the DVR+ will be directly
linked to how many and which apps will become available on its platform.
Operation
Due to the
overheating issues rumoured and reported with Channel Master’s previous DVR
devices, we decided to do a stress test on the DVR+ under full operation in an
enclosed environment. The CM7000PAL was reported to run hot due to its internal
hard disk drive always spinning (even in standby mode) which generated
unnecessary power consumption and heat, leading many to blame premature failure
of the internal components on this. The short-lived successor CM7400 was
apparently even worse, although not unsafe it was rumoured to run hot enough to
cause software glitches and premature failures.
The experiment
was done by enclosing the DVR+ and the attached external hard drive “under the
dome” and running it for about 7 hours while recording two programs and
displaying another program already recorded. At intervals, we took the
temperature of the top of the DVR+ unit using a laser thermometer and as a
reference also took the temperature of the hard disk drive (HDD) as well. This
scenario is definitely a worst-case type of application: poor ventilation of
the unit and pretty much the most taxing functionality on the CPU and
motherboard. Using the DVR+ in a TV unit or stand would most likely be a better
environment than this.
Feeling the Heat:
We stress-tested the DVR+ to see if ChannelMaster had finally addressed the
overheating issues that were rumoured to have plagued its predecessors.
We let the unit
warm up to its steady-state operating temperature (about 30oC) and then put on
the cover and started the test. After a few hours the unit stabilized around 34oC
and maintained the same temperature. After not seeing a change over the next
hours, we stopped the recordings after a little over 6 hours and the unit began
cooling back down. Overall, a very satisfactory performance.
Prices and Where to Buy
Currently the DVR+ is only available for sale from
ChannelMaster USA via the online store. There is no talk of any Canadian
retailers picking it up for distribution north of the border at this time. The
unit as tested currently retails for $250 US with shipping to Canada putting it
slightly over $300 US. The pricetag is comparable to other DVRs but the one
positive is that there are no monthly, yearly or lifetime fees to pay which in
the long run will make the DVR+ quite economical. ChannelMaster seems to have
hit the right chord with people in the market for free TV by not charging any
fees after the initial purchase; other competitors can charge up to $50 a year
for so-called “premium” guide info. Subscriptions to any streaming apps on the
DVR+ would be extra of course.
For external hard drives compatible with the DVR+, ChannelMaster
recommends certain models of the Seagate brand. We used a similar Seagate model
hard drive bought from a local 3rd party retailer in Canada and it worked
fine while being less expensive than the ChannelMaster model, so for the HDD
accessory we recommend that you shop around.
Conclusion
The DVR+ is the most advanced and fun to use OTA DVR set-top
box currently on the market. We were thoroughly impressed with the overall
quality of the unit from its fabrication, performance and versatility in optional
consumer add-ons. This is a great DVR that can become excellent if ChannelMaster
continues to invest in providing updates, support and more streaming apps.
Overall rating: 9/10
For more information or to purchase the DVR+ please visit
the ChannelMaster website.
