Zinwell ZMT-640PVR

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#181629 2-Dec-2008 17:59

Well Noel Lemming and Bond and Bond are advertising them today for $1100-1145, so guess santa wont be hauling one down Cyrils chimney this year!

Cyril

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#181639 2-Dec-2008 18:41

That is flaming (I want to use a stronger word) ridiculous! Add in a hardrive and some other of bits and charge an extra $800. No thanks.

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#181678 2-Dec-2008 22:11

They won't sell any to SKY subscribers, for sure!

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#181721 3-Dec-2008 09:32

Got this now:

PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, 3rd December 2008
MyFreeview|HD in-store date plus new channels TV3+1 and Base FM contribute to more positive news from Freeview.

With less than four weeks until Christmas, Kiwis around the country are set to benefit from the availability of the first MyFreeview|HD approved Digital Television Recorder.

“We’re delighted to confirm that the first approved Digital Television Recorder (or DTR) that works with the MyFreeview|HD service will be available in leading appliance retailers from the 11th December,” says Steve Browning, General Manager, Freeview.

The MyFreeview|HD DTR uses the Freeview eight-day electronic programme guide to select programmes or series to record. This first Freeview approved DTR from Zinwell contains two tuners which means you can simultaneously record from two channels while watching another programme from the hard-drive. It has capacity for up to 80 hours of High Definition (HD) or 240 hours of standard definition (SD) programmes.

MyFreeview|HD is the only digital television service with TVONE, TV2, and TV3 programmes available to record in HD with no subscription fees. It also enables the viewer to pause live TV, automatically book alternate recording times if you already have two bookings set, and even provides recommendations for other programmes you may also like to record.

Freeview also continues to deliver on the promise of more free TV and radio channels with the arrival of Base FM on Freeview|HD and Freeview Satellite channel 71 and the announcement of TV3+1 from MediaWorks (owners of TV3 and C4) on channel 8 from next March.

Consisting of a high-profile collective of DJs, Base FM has swiftly cemented a reputation for providing its listeners with a fresh and compelling contemporary music offering.

“We’re almost five years old now and our line-up consists of some of the best artists and producers in NZ music today, we broadcast 24 hours per day, seven days per week and according to Research International have one of the highest time-spend-listening rates in the market. Our availability on Freeview will only serve to strengthen our appeal by improving the Base FM reach, quality and proposition,” says Jasmin Ziedan, Station Manager, Base FM.

TV3+1 allows viewers to watch their favourite TV3 programmes one hour later, thereby avoiding those primetime schedule clashes.

“In the UK, tuning to the +1 channel averages 38% of the tuning to the main channel on the same platform and we would expect no difference in New Zealand,” comments Rick Friesen, MediaWorks Director of Special Projects.

“In overseas markets where similar services have been launched the viewer response has been very favourable, so we’re excited about what this will mean for the continued growth and popularity of the Freeview platform,” adds Steve Browning, General Manager, Freeview.

openmedia

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#181730 3-Dec-2008 10:42

BaseFM have been up for several days now, but the channel page on Freeview's site still hasn't been updated.

Shame the other radio providers haveb't come to the party yet.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

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#181872 3-Dec-2008 20:41

in nz when there is new technology first rip off the rich and unknowledgeable. then when you've only sold 2 for the sixth straight month discount it by 10%.

meanwhile geekzoners buy a clone that occasionally gives unpleasant surprises.

JimmyLizar

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#181883 3-Dec-2008 21:14

What was the RRP of the first DVB-T receivers when UHF coverage started?

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#181918 4-Dec-2008 06:56

JimmyLizar: What was the RRP of the first DVB-T receivers when UHF coverage started?

$599 and now they are being sold for $399 so same maths suggests zm 640 will drop to $749 . prices on trade me for zm 620 are strugling to get more than $300 probably due to the price effect of the ET.
NO WORD YET ON WHETHER DSE HAVE A CLONE ?

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#181927 4-Dec-2008 08:07

wiredr:
JimmyLizar: What was the RRP of the first DVB-T receivers when UHF coverage started?

$599 and now they are being sold for $399 so same maths suggests zm 640 will drop to $749 . prices on trade me for zm 620 are strugling to get more than $300 probably due to the price effect of the ET.
NO WORD YET ON WHETHER DSE HAVE A CLONE ?

If you paid $599 for one you got serriously ripped off. I know Harveys did try and get $549 for them but DSE really set the market price when they launched their's a lot cheaper. From memory they were $449.

The problem here appears to be the huge margins that Next are adding - I know the margin DSE were making on their original boxes was huge and it was a huge cash cow. Why did they make so much? Simply because they could when all other retailers were charging so much for the same box.

$1100 really is nothing more than a joke and I would think that Freeview must be seriously unhappy with this. They hyped the PVR up so much but the reality is nobody except a few rich early adopters will pay this.

I was just doing a few quick sums before, for $1100 you can build a high spec PVR PC with around 1.5TB of space which will give you somewhere around 400 hours of programming and dual tuners with multi MUX recording using GB-PVR or Media Portal.

Now what would I buy? Hmm certainly wouldn't be the Zinwell.

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#181928 4-Dec-2008 08:21

To be fair, you're probably not the target market. Pleanty of people couldn't "build a high spec PVR PC".

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#181931 4-Dec-2008 08:38

bazzer: To be fair, you're probably not the target market. Pleanty of people couldn't "build a high spec PVR PC".

I am the target market. I want a PVR style box for my TV.

The fact nothing existed forced me to build my own and to be completely honest anybody who has done that knows how frustrating this is, particularly when it comes to H.264 support. Sure there are things a PC can do but buying an off the shelf box is so much easier. And it just works.

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#181934 4-Dec-2008 08:44

Is the DSE version of the ZMT-620 exactly the same?

If DSE originally sold that in April 2008 (DVB-T launch) for $449 and you can now buy it for $299, a 33% reduction in price over 8 months.

If DSE release their own version of the ZM-640PVR thats priced at say $949, it should then be around $640 mid next year.

A lot of assumptions, I know.

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bazzer

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#181949 4-Dec-2008 10:06

sbiddle: I am the target market. I want a PVR style box for my TV.

I would say obviously not, or the price point wouldn't have been set so high (if what you say about high margins are true and I think they probably are). Plenty of people with money to burn that want the latest greatest gadgets etc. They can't be targetting tech minded people because, as you pointed out, at that price you can build an arguably better system yourself.

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#181959 4-Dec-2008 10:27

JimmyLizar: Is the DSE version of the ZMT-620 exactly the same?

If DSE originally sold that in April 2008 (DVB-T launch) for $449 and you can now buy it for $299, a 33% reduction in price over 8 months.

If DSE release their own version of the ZM-640PVR thats priced at say $949, it should then be around $640 mid next year.

A lot of assumptions, I know.

From what I've heard DSE could have been comfortably selling the box all along at $299 all along. There was no need since Next were charging so much for the Zinwell branded one.

Expect to see pricing stabilise though in the short term with the significant drop in the $NZ - I've heard DSE are still paying a similair price now to what they were initially despite the product price in $US actually dropping.

JimmyLizar

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#181961 4-Dec-2008 10:31

Yeah good ole NZD. Currently good for my dad who is a farmer ie relies on export related earnings, but bad for us townies who want cheap consumer electronics

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