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9242 HD PVR Plus is Bell ExpressVu™'s BEST receiver.
This is an advanced two-tuner HDTV satellite receiver and integrated Personal Video Recorder (PVR) that is capable of recording up to 200 hours of programming (30 hours of HDTV programming). The HD PVR Plus dual tuners also feature the unique ability to record two shows simultaneously.
ExpressVu Bell ExpressVu is replacing its dual-tuner 9200 HD PVR with a new model: the 9242, which adds five hours more of high-definition recording, and 20 additional hours of standard definition recording. Like its predecessor, the 9242 allows ExpressVu customers to view one program while simultaneously recording up to two others. One program can also be viewed in one room, while a second is being recording in another, all using the same receiver. As with other PVR models, there's the ability to pause live television, fast forward and rewind at up to four speeds, skip forward and back, and view in slow motion, which is ideal for catching a great sports play that's worth a second look. Other options include split-screen functionality and picture-in-picture for catching two programs at once; as well as USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity.
Right out of the box, the 9242 sets the bar for state-of-the-art high definition PVR performance in Canada even higher,but its true potential lies down the road. The real story is what Bell ExpressVu can build upon, and the extra services they can deliver via the USB and Ethernet connectivity. Bell's new HDTV receiver and its feature set simply deliver the most advanced digital TV viewing experience.
With picture quality ten-times better than regular cable, the most HD channels available, and the best HD PVR, Bell offers Canadians the full HD experience.
bell express 9242 TV satellite recievier
USB connector.
The PVR is amazing, and with the dual tuners it makes watching TV enjoyable again. The 30 second fast forward button is perfectly suited for fast forwarding past a commercial or two, or three, or four. :) and if you go too fast, there is always the 10 second jump back/instant replay. In addition to recording two shows simultaneously, you can also watch a third from the hard disk. When you are not recording, you can pause live TV, or rewind up to an hour (assuming you were on the current channel for that long). On the rare occasions I have encountered timer conflicts, it was easy enough to find the same program on in a different time zone, thanks to the included time shifting channels that ExpressVu offers.
Having two tuners also has other benefits, such as Picture in Picture (pip), or you can set the receiver into dual mode where two separate rooms can watch TV independently of each other, using the supplied UHF remote. If the second tuner is not in use, the first TV can still reschedule recordings using the second tuner.
ExpressVu 750Gb External HDYou can also order an ExpressVu 750Gb external hard drive for this receiver to record up to 750 hours more of SD programming. This External 750Gb Hard Drive is compatible with the 9242 HD PVR. It allows you to store up to an additional 750 hours of programming (SD), and is perfect if you want to record entire seasons of your favorite shows or build a movie library! This device is only compatible with the ExpressVu 9242 model. It is NOT compatible with the 9200 or any other model of receiver. Feature Description Name External Hard Drive - 750 GB Dimensions of the box 215 x 230 x 80mm Dimensions of the drive alone 117 x 193 x 45 mm Additional SD recording hours 750 Additional HD recording hours 100 The External Hard Drive - 750 GB box includes: * LaCie Hard Disk * USB 2.0 cable * External power supply * Quick Install Guide
Whats in the box?
IR Remote Control # UHF Remote Control # Component Cables # Left and Right RCA Audio Cables # RF Coaxial Cable # Composite Video Cable with Left and Right Audio (RCA) # Telephone Cable.
There are only a few things that could be improved upon, such as the sluggish (sometimes) performance of the IR remote control. The PVR could do with some better ventilation, it gets very hot to the touch even when off. An option to also reconfigure or hide some of the guide would be nice, such as hiding the Descriptive video (Dv) channels, and the French channels would speed up my guide surfing. Also being able to group channels in a custom order such as: NBC-W, NBC-E, NBCW-HD, NBCE-HD would give a nice comparison, rather than having to move from the 200’s to the 800’s to see if the same show is on in HD. All said I am very impressed with this unit, and it has changed my TV watching forever.
9242 Satellte Receiver ReviewIf you're new to the satellite HD experience, like I am, you need to check out Bell’s 9242 PVR. Simply put, the 9242 is the best out of the box PVR available in Canada IMHO. Everybody is going HD crazy these days. HD is everywhere and is even front page news (Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD format wars). Cable and satellite providers are fighting it out for your hard earned dollar when it comes to HD. Buying an LCD or plasma TV is only part of the process behind going HD. You also need an HD tuner to view HDTV in all of its glorious wonder. Without an HD tuner, LCD and Plasma TV's will underperform. So make sure you account for some extra $'s when budgeting for an LCD or plasma TV. For those that don’t want a PVR (yes you do), Bell offers a standalone HD tuner, the 6131. This is a simple tuner priced at $299 to purchase or $10 a month to rent. Bell is getting ready to switch over from MPEG-2 formating to MPEG-4. The switchover is scheduled for sometime in 2009. The MPEG-4 format will deliver DVD quality images at lower data rates and smaller files sizes. Giving you the ability to squeeze more recording time out of your PVR’s HDD without sacrificing picture or sound quality. The 9242 is a dual tuner satellite receiver with PVR capability. To push programming to a second TV you will need to connect to your home's existing cable network, or run a separate coaxial cable to the second TV. I’m lucky since my home is wired ten ways to Sunday. But for some older homes this will be a little more challenging. The 9242 offers 30 hours of HD recording and 200 hours of regular programming. It also has an s-video out for TV2. Other Features of the 9242 • Independently watch and record on two TVs • HDMI Output • 2 Multi Function remote controls. Control up to 3 separate units (TV, DVD, and VCR’s) • The ability to pause live TV • Fast forward and fast reverse at 4 speeds (4x, 15x, 60x, 300x) • Skip forward 30 seconds, skip back 10 seconds • View slow motion or frame-by-frame • Set auto record timers • The dual tuner provides multiple viewing options including: -Single Mode: watch and record up to two live programs -Record two programs while watching a third -Picture-In-Picture function • Programming Guide with up to 9 days of program listings and information • ExpressVu Interactive Television • Parental locks • Call Display with history • Picture-In-Picture including split screen • Name-based recording (VuPass) • UHF based second remote • Ethernet Port for future use What I liked about the 9242: Ease of Use The 9242 is a dream to setup and use. The on-screen programming guide is very intuitive and easy to navigate. The step-by-step instructions are easy to use and follow. If you need to make adjustments or changes there's no need to continuously reference the manual. It's as easy as point and click. Recording Capability Like its little brother, the 9200, the 9242 has the capability to record two programs at the same time. This has saved me a couple of times as many of my favorite TV shows air at the same time. As I mentioned earlier, you can record up to 30 hours of HD programming. I went a little recording crazy over the Christmas holiday and the 30 hours came in handy. Name Based Recording You can select a program to record by name. The machine will remember this and follow the program even if it moves to a new date or time slot. It will also record extra time. For example, over the course of the season a “Special Two Hour” event might be planned for your favorite show. The 9242 won’t cut off programming half way through the show. UHF Second Remote The second remote is designed to control a second TV. The second remote has a range of 200 feet. Walls or other barriers don’t pose a problem. All you need to do is program your second TV functions into the remote and voila, it's done. Built for the Future The 9242 is built with growth in mind. The three main features here are a USB2 connection, an Ethernet connection and MPEG-4 capability. The Ethernet and USB connection will offer greater flexibility and features in the near future, such as the ability to share images or receive Internet based videos. What I didn’t like: Coaxial Output for Second TV It didn’t affect me but this could pose a problem for people with older homes. Conclusion I always recommend an HD PVR over an HD tuner. I liken it to buying the latest surround system and then recording to cassette tape. HDTV really needs to be recorded and stored properly. An HD PVR will do this while an HD tuner won’t. Plus we can’t forget the Pause live tv feature. The 9242 is a dream to use and its performance is off the charts, figuratively speaking of course. The 9242 is also $100 less than Shaw’s HD PVR and has many more features. Simply put, the 9242 is the best out of the box PVR available in Canada. It's feature rich and it's built with growth in mind. If you’re just diving into the HD pool and trying to figure out which way to go, then check out Bell’s HD Satellite Service and the 9242 PVR.
Last week Digital Home reported that ExpressVu had begun shipping the ExpressVu 9242, the Direct-to-Home satellite television providers’ new flagship High definition personal video recorder (HD PVR). This week, Digital Home caught up with Pat Button the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Bell Video and discussed with him the new 9242 HD PVR and Bell's plan for rolling out MPEG 4 broadcasts. We were interested in finding out: what made the new HD PVR so good; what new features buyers could expect from the 9242; when ExpressVu customers could expect MPEG 4 broadcasts; and whether existing HD equipment from ExpressVu would become obsolete when MPEG 4 broadcasting began. The following are questions posed by Digital Home publisher Hugh Thompson and Mr. Button’s responses. Digital Home: What makes you think the ExpressVu 9242 is the best PVR in Canada? Pat Button: We believe the 9242 builds off of the leadership our current HDPVR (9200) has shown for the last two years. It already led all other PVR's in both HD and SD recording capacity, the latter in some cases being double the competition. Its unique capability of serving two rooms with a PVR from on box is an industry exclusive; including allowing the 24/7 HD channels to be seen on the second TV even though it is in standard definition. Our EPG has proven time and time again to be the best in the industry, especially with our recent software upgrades allowing 9 days viewing. The key feature improvements from the 9200 to the 9242 are based on extensive usability and Customer Experience studies relating to the 9200. Digital Home: What are some of 9242 key features? Pat Button: The key highlights that I'd like to let Digital Home readers about are: * Dedicated HD Favourites list - if you haven't played with the guide button, ExpressVu is the only CDN Digital TV provider that shows Customers what they are subscribed to in a single button push. Very many HD Customers made their own HD channels favourites listing, we made it easier and will manage that ongoing, making it easier as more channels are added to their packages. As well we have added HD logos to all HD channels to better ensure that Customer know what channels are HD. * Additional recording time - 200 hours SD, 30 Hours HD – PVR’s create an insatiable desire to record and save more programming and the 9242 has a larger HDD allowing for 5 extra hours in HD, and 20 in SD. * In early 2008 we plan on opening up the USB port to allow photo applications on the 9242 which means you can use a USB key to do a slideshow on your TV. * Ethernet port – In ExpressVu we are very excited about the multitude of additional services that can be provided to customers that have a hi-speed service and connect it to their 9242. Dish network recently announced their own ‘hybrid’ plans, and Bell ExpressVu is well advanced in exploring similar type product enhancements. This Ethernet port allows it to have a number of future feature enhancements built for it beyond what our current 9200 would support. In early 2008 you will see more information regarding these exciting features. * MPEG-2/4 compatible – The 9242 will be future proofed for any channel that are launched using MPEG 4 delivery. It will be able to tune in and display programming for all SD/HD channels in either MPEG2 or MPEG 4. * TV-1/2 - with the dual tuner you have the ability to have content on 2 TV's. In the 9200 what you get to watch on TV2 is based on what is on tuner-2. This feature has been upgraded to allow you to view the content from both TV's, simply by changing the 2nd TV channel. This is kind of a neat feature since the parents I've talked to ask me if you can stop TV 2 viewing with the remote and the answer is yes, along with ensuring that is you want to control what your children are watching on TV-2, you can do it. * SD outputs for TV-1 - Feedback from our sales agents told us that we missed the mark when we had the 9200 only have HD outputs. Many customers are looking to future proof their purchases and they wanted to have the best SD based picture while having HD decode capacity. We have added these SD based outputs to ensure all Customer needs are met. * Black chassis - In the CDN market HDTV's are almost all black. When we began the planning for this model we understood the trend and planned for a chassis colour change. * Named Based Recording - currently this feature has been updated for the 5200/9200 and will be on the 9242. We are planning on adding this to the 5100/5800/5900, in early 2008. Digital Home: How much to buy or rent the 9242? Pat Button: The 9242 HD PVR is available across Canada for a purchase price of $599 or on rental basis for $20 per month. Last week Digital Home reported that ExpressVu had begun shipping the ExpressVu 9242, the Direct-to-Home satellite television providers’ new flagship High definition personal video recorder (HD PVR). This week, Digital Home caught up with Pat Button the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Bell Video and discussed with him the new 9242 HD PVR and Bell's plan for rolling out MPEG 4 broadcasts. We were interested in finding out: what made the new HD PVR so good; what new features buyers could expect from the 9242; when ExpressVu customers could expect MPEG 4 broadcasts; and whether existing HD equipment from ExpressVu would become obsolete when MPEG 4 broadcasting began. The following are questions posed by Digital Home publisher Hugh Thompson and Mr. Button’s responses. Digital Home: What makes you think the ExpressVu 9242 is the best PVR in Canada? Pat Button: We believe the 9242 builds off of the leadership our current HDPVR (9200) has shown for the last two years. It already led all other PVR's in both HD and SD recording capacity, the latter in some cases being double the competition. Its unique capability of serving two rooms with a PVR from on box is an industry exclusive; including allowing the 24/7 HD channels to be seen on the second TV even though it is in standard definition. Our EPG has proven time and time again to be the best in the industry, especially with our recent software upgrades allowing 9 days viewing. The key feature improvements from the 9200 to the 9242 are based on extensive usability and Customer Experience studies relating to the 9200. Digital Home: What are some of 9242 key features? Pat Button: The key highlights that I'd like to let Digital Home readers about are: * Dedicated HD Favourites list - if you haven't played with the guide button, ExpressVu is the only CDN Digital TV provider that shows Customers what they are subscribed to in a single button push. Very many HD Customers made their own HD channels favourites listing, we made it easier and will manage that ongoing, making it easier as more channels are added to their packages. As well we have added HD logos to all HD channels to better ensure that Customer know what channels are HD. * Additional recording time - 200 hours SD, 30 Hours HD – PVR’s create an insatiable desire to record and save more programming and the 9242 has a larger HDD allowing for 5 extra hours in HD, and 20 in SD. * In early 2008 we plan on opening up the USB port to allow photo applications on the 9242 which means you can use a USB key to do a slideshow on your TV. * Ethernet port – In ExpressVu we are very excited about the multitude of additional services that can be provided to customers that have a hi-speed service and connect it to their 9242. Dish network recently announced their own ‘hybrid’ plans, and Bell ExpressVu is well advanced in exploring similar type product enhancements. This Ethernet port allows it to have a number of future feature enhancements built for it beyond what our current 9200 would support. In early 2008 you will see more information regarding these exciting features. * MPEG-2/4 compatible – The 9242 will be future proofed for any channel that are launched using MPEG 4 delivery. It will be able to tune in and display programming for all SD/HD channels in either MPEG2 or MPEG 4. * TV-1/2 - with the dual tuner you have the ability to have content on 2 TV's. In the 9200 what you get to watch on TV2 is based on what is on tuner-2. This feature has been upgraded to allow you to view the content from both TV's, simply by changing the 2nd TV channel. This is kind of a neat feature since the parents I've talked to ask me if you can stop TV 2 viewing with the remote and the answer is yes, along with ensuring that is you want to control what your children are watching on TV-2, you can do it. * SD outputs for TV-1 - Feedback from our sales agents told us that we missed the mark when we had the 9200 only have HD outputs. Many customers are looking to future proof their purchases and they wanted to have the best SD based picture while having HD decode capacity. We have added these SD based outputs to ensure all Customer needs are met. * Black chassis - In the CDN market HDTV's are almost all black. When we began the planning for this model we understood the trend and planned for a chassis colour change. * Named Based Recording - currently this feature has been updated for the 5200/9200 and will be on the 9242. We are planning on adding this to the 5100/5800/5900, in early 2008. Digital Home: How much to buy or rent the 9242? Pat Button: The 9242 HD PVR is available across Canada for a purchase price of $599 or on rental basis for $20 per month.
Bell TV over Satellite Bell satellite-TV pvr receiver 9242
