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originally posted 6/4/2004 ATTENTION ALL HDTV ENTHUSISTS WHO WANT TO RECORD, PLAYBACK AND ARCHIVE PROGRAMMING: INTRODUCING THE NEXTCOM R5000-HD. Welcome to a new era in HDTV recording. Introducing the Nextcom R5000-HD, the first glitch free, all digital HDTV recording system for Dish Network, DirecTV, Bell ExpressVu and ATSC Digital Television (DTV). The R5000-HD delivers the video and audio performance of the Dish 5000 / HD Modulator, for quality and compatibility of it's recordings. Product Description The R5000-HD is a Window XP / 2000 based HDTV recording system installed in your set top box (STB) and connected to your PC via USB 2.0. Recorded programs are archived directly to the PC hard drive. The R5000-HD is compatible with Dish Network, DirecTV, Bell ExpressVu and DTV. Simple PVR functionality allows timer based recordings using Zap2it. The recorder can also be controlled with the STB VCR IR control. Playback is accomplished with either PC hardware MyHD, Roku, etc. or software VLC, Elcard, Divco, etc. (Not included). Professional installation in your existing STB is included with purchase. Set Top Box Compatibility Dish Network * Dish 6000 (Records all HD channels from Dish Network, DTV, and also SDTV MPEG2 Dish Network channels.) DirecTV * RCA DTC-100 * ProScan PSH-D105 * Hughes HIRD-E86 * Toshiba DST-3000 * Mitsubishi SR-HD5 * Philips DSHD800 (Records all HD channels from DirecTV and DTV. Standard definition DirecTV recording is not supported) Bell ExpressVu * Bell 6000 (Records all HD channels from ExpressVu including all PPV. Also records SDTV MPEG2 ExpressVU channels). Technical Details Writes standard, ISO 13818-1 MPEG-2 transport streams. Tested to be fully compatible with MPEG2 decoders such as MyHD, Roku, JVC 30000, JVC 40000, etc. Configurable output bit rate allows transport streams to be NULL stripped, ATSC rate, or other rates. No difference in compatibility (read playability) of transport streams recorded on any supported STB. Integrated IR sender/receiver allows PC to control STB and respond to STB VCR record commands. Pricing and Availability * MSRP under $1000 * Tentative availability end of August 2004. * Proof of DirecTV, Dish Network, or Bell ExpressVu subscription [edit: no longer required] for purchase. * Factory warranty 12 months parts & labor. * Pre-Order / Information web site available soon. PC Requirements * Windows XP/2000 * One USB 2.0 port or one PCI slot and a PCI USB 2.0 adapter * 512MB RAM * Pentium III 1.0 GHz (Dish Network), Pentium 4 1.8 GHz (DirecTV) * 9GB / hr Free disk space * HDTV playback software or hardware * Optional IEEE1394 Firewire card and DVHStool for D-VHS archiving Potential Future Enhancements * Integrated support for recording directly to D-VHS. * MPEG-2 Program Stream output for MP@ML (SDTV) programs. * AVS Forum NDA developers program (e.g. HiPix). Additional Information * Does not include required STB or PC. * At this time does not playback through the STB. * At this time does not support integrated recording directly to D-VHS. Our recommendation for D-VHS archiving is DVHSTool. * Beta test / Early adopters have already been selected, please don’t ask. We’ll contact you.