Bell ExpressVu launches new 9242 HD-PVR
ExpressVu ups the ante with a multi-TV HD-PVR that can record up to 30 hours of high-definition programming.
ExpressVu ups the ante with a multi-TV HD-PVR that can record up to 30 hours of high-definition programming.
The new 9242 HD-PVR Plus satellite receiver replaces the older 9200 HD-PVR Plus in ExpressVu’s HD line-up. Here are the specs for the new system:
- Record up to 30 hours of HD programming, or 200 hours of standard definition (SD) programming (320 GB)
- MPEG2 and MPEG4 compatibility (currently all programming on ExpressVu is MPEG2, but as new content becomes available, it will take advantage of the MPEG4 standard)
- Record 2 different programs while simultaneously watching a third (pre-recorded) show
- Playback SD or HD programs on the primary TV, while a secondary TV can independently watch SD programs or down-converted HD programs
- Includes two remotes: an IR unit for the main TV, and a UHF-Pro remote that can control the receiver from any room in the house, even through walls.
- Supports caller-ID (you can see a caller’s identification on your TV if you have this feature on your home phone line)
- 9-day Electronic Program Guide (EPG) that lets you browse available shows while watching the current program in a Picture-in-Picture (PIP) window
- Name-based show recording with the option of recording the show once, multiple times per week, the entire series or just new episodes.
- Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (requires a compatible TV or home theatre receiver)
- High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for a pure digital pathway between the receiver and the HDTV
- USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity
- Composite and s-video outputs for TV1
The 9200 was already a very capable PVR with many features I’ve come to rely on. The 9242 builds on this feature set with some notable enhancements including a favourites list exclusively for HD programming and the ability to output your primary TV signal via s-video and composite video in addition to HDMI, which will make connecting a second recording device like a VCR or DVD recorder much easier.
It’s also worth noting that the 9242 sports both USB 2.0 and Ethernet ports. And while ExpressVu is remaining mum on what these new ports will be used for – they say they’re for "future services" – we can take some educated guesses as to the direction in which they might be headed…
The USB 2.0 ports could allow you to connect external storage devices like flash drives or hard drives, which could increase the PVR’s recording capacity dramatically, and inexpensively. In an ideal world, the receiver would let you watch other media that had been recorded from a different source e.g. a PC, or perhaps an iPod, on your primary TV.
An Ethernet port could be used to connect the receiver to a high speed internet connection. Once that connection has been established, it opens the door to a host of new options such as Slingbox-type remote viewing of the receiver’s programs on any PC with a net connection. There’s also the chance that a web-based application could be built to let you set up recordings on your PVR remotely using the same data displayed by the receiver’s EPG.
Alright, enough crystal-ball gazing.
Two last points on the 9242 that are worth mentioning:
- The black chassis. The 9200′s silver garb seemed hip and stylish 2 years ago when most of the flat-panel TV’s were sporting this colour scheme, but let’s face it, black is definitely the new black.
- The included HDMI and component video cables. It may seem like a no-brainer, but if you had to buy these at retail they could easily set you back $100, especially if you went with a brand like Monster Cable.
If you want to pick up the new receiver as a stand-alone box, it will run you $599 at your local Bell World. It’s also available on a rental basis. Check out bell.ca for all the details.
Update – August 7, 2008: Bell has just announced the availability of expanded capacity for the 9242 via USB 2.0 external hard drives.
Well, I will be installing my first one of these systems tomorrow. They are nice, but not cheap. Basically just wanted to say I hope that tons of people take the time to read this article, as one of the most frustrating things we run into as installers with these systems was the fact no one seemed to have been told that the 2nd tuner on these things is "only" SD. Which will still be the case even with the new ones.
I was wondering if there is a way to install one of these Bell receivers that have been rented by someone and they owe money on them?
I am looking to purchase one but it has been rented.Please advice..
Thanks
no dont even try tht.call bell n ask y.
When will Bell put an IR Input on the Receiver for the 2nd Zone? All of these units are being installed into smart homes by custom av integrators and using the UHF remote for the second zone is not user friendly.
They finally just got the 9200s working half decent. I am not looking forward to all the bugs in this one.
I wonder when Bell is going to fix HDMI socket problem? My does not work for last 3 weeks. Any comments?
Well here we are in 2011, and the 9241 PVR still doesn’t support the HDMI cable connection to your TV set. Best Buy/Future Shop sold me the PVR and the HDMI cable which I would need to connect up …. right on!!
I’ve never had an HDMI problem with either the 9200 or the 9242… what exactly is going on with your 9241?
Will the new 9242 be able to send out the 1080p signal?
Hi Wayne, I believe the box can do 720p or 1080i but not 1080p. But that should be ok, since there is no 1080p content being broadcast on any TV service that I'm aware of.
Hello Simon,
I have a question for you on the installation/cabling aspect of this receiver. The Bell technician says that we need 2 RG6 cables to feed this receiver. in fact the second cable is only good to feed a second TV set, from what I can see. is there also a recording function to teh receiver that justifies another cable. Would it actually work with a single RG6 from the satellite?
thanks in advance,
PC
Hi Simon
Thanks again for the quick response. You’ve shed some lights on this ever changing world of TV. I will bring another cable to this receiver. I also eared that some satellites are fed by 4 LNB (cables) from the head. Are those sill out on the market? since I do structured cabling installations here and there in new residences, I thought of updating myself to the latest and greatest…
cheers,
PC
Two minuses:
1. The HDMI port should have been the latest version 1.3, not the old one. Maybe that's because the free cables could be thrown in for the old version since they are available at retail of less than a dollar a foot (check http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=2529&seq=1&format=2), notwithstanding the ripoff prices of Monster.
2. The USB port should have been set up already, at least for backing up SD programs – it will never be done in the "future". This is the same promise that was made with the 9200 when it was launched nearly 2 years ago, and its USB port still does nothing!
At the moment. I have some favourite shows recorded on my 9200 with no way to transfer them to the new 9242, so I will pass the "upgrade".
Andrew, there's no need to provide HDMI 1.3 on a device that will not be serving up content that takes advantage of this new standard. 1.3 enables 7.1 sound and higher bit-depth colour, neither of which is available via digital TV providers now or for the forseeable future. BTW, all HDMI cables can handle all versions of the HDMI standard – it's the signal that changes in 1.3, not the cable – much like USB 1.1 vs 2.0.
Simon, it is not correct that all HDMI cables handle all versions of the HDMI standard. HDMI 1.3 cables have different connectors (a new mini connector). Why would it have been benefitial for the 9242 to have provided this latest version? To achieve cable compatibility with 1.3 version connectors now showing up on an increasing number of consumer grade and upper end receivers (where I'd want to plug in the PVR) and flat panels and front projectors (to accept current and planned deep colour and lossless sound from HD-DVD, Blu-ray, PS3 game machines/video consoles etc). This does not interfere with the fact that HD broadcasters are not broadcasting in 1080p since the output devices with HDMI 1.3 are able to work quite nicely with any HD broadcast standard.
Incidentally, it would seem USB 2.0 requires different cables vs 1.1 to handle the higher throughput. I found this out when I retained my older USB 1.1 cables while upgrading the older laptop to a newer one. I had device lockups and such, until I upgraded the cables too.
Hey Andrew,
Are you absolutely sure? All the info I've been able to gather on HDMI eg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI suggests that much like USB and Firewire, there are multiple connectors (types A, B, C) but fundamentally the cables themselves can transport any of the version of HDMI. Moreover, the newer consumer devices that you mention will be 1.3 which is backward compatible with older versions, so again, if the receiver will never get content that makes use of 1.3, and it is compatible with 1.3 devices, why does the receiver itself need to output the 1.3 signal? I'm very surprised to hear about your USB difficulties, I have use dollar store USB cables with shoddy build quality and never had a problem with 2.0 transfers.
WOW Bell,
You would have been better served fixing the problems you have in the receivers already out. Instead add another crippled box of bugs to upset customers.
This machine adds nothing to your lineup except Mpeg4(someday), and USB and Ethernet give me a break 9 times out of 10 this vapourware never materializes.
Guess they haven't figured out a use for USB or Ethernet whereby a monthly fee could be added to our bills.
I agree with the many comments about introducing a new receiver when the existing 9200 does not work perfectly. I have had a 9200 for two years and so far Bell has not been able to to correct the problem of sound and picture being out of synch on the HD channels. In addition, when watching a pre-recorded program and pausing it for some reason the sound goes out of synch also. Bell offered a service call for $75.00, but I declined and will not expand my programming to include more useless HD channels. Come on Bell, fix the 9200's problems first before introducing a new, more expensive receiver.
Hey Brian, I had synch issues too on my 9200 and found that switching the audio setting from RF to PCM fixed it.
GOOD OLD ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL.
IF ONLY HE WERE ALIVE TODAY.
He would surely be kicking butt in the internet and telephone industry.
He would be asking WHO LEAKED MY VALUEABLE SECRETS OUT?
He would surely done better in the TELEPHONE and internet technology than we currently have.
HE WOULD HAVE SAID FIBEROPTIC ALL THE WAY.
STREAMLINE SUPERSPEED.
GET ON THE BACKBONE BOYS AND GIRLS.
hahahahahahahahaha
On Friday, November 16, I had an upgrade done from the old 9200 to the new 9242. Spend all morning waiting to tech to show up. The Installation went fine. Watched TV that evening and HD was fine. Saturday morning, came back from shopping around noon and turned the TV on. NO SIGNAL Noticed that the receiver was constantly re-booting, ending up with an error telling me that the "smart card" was not compatible with the receiver.
I called Bell and they could not do anything over the week end. I had to come home for noon on Monday to wait for the Tech. to come in. After an hour or so, he could not do anything with it. Of course, being a Contractor for Bell, he was not allowed to carry a spare unit in his truck. So here we are, waisted a whole afternoon from work to find out Bell will be sending me a unit by Purolator. It is supposed to be "plug and play". Can't wait to see that.
I should have stayed with the old 9200. Never had any problems with it.
you guys are so insane.. have you never heard of Free to air television.. bell sticks it to you when they get the chance to by raising your bills by insane amounts its time to join the free to air following and get ur tv for free.. i switched to free to air 2 years ago.. and have saved myself from being robbed by bell monthly
Hi,
I have just purchased a 46" LCD HD TV and was informed by Bell that I need to rent or purchase the 9242 for $600 ++.
After reading the comments of the unhappy Bell 9200's customers, I wonder whether I should keep the old 7200 model and forget HD programming (why buy a HD TV ?).
Hardy McDreamy seems to be happy with (Free to air television). I live north of Sauble Beach in cottage country and have a 52 ft. tower. Would "Free to air" make any sense ?? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks, Werner
WERNER:
I spend the summer on the Bruce Peninsula in the area where you live and use a 70 ft. TV tower to receive local TV signals. I recently purchased a 46" HD TV also and use a Bell ExpressVu model 9200 PVR to receive all of Bell's available HD channels (for which of course I pay a subscription fee). I did have some minor problems getting the 9200 set up with my new TV. I could not get the HDMI output to send a signal to the TV; however, the component outputs sent a very good HD picture to the TV. I was told by a helpful Bell technician (by phone) that this HDMI problem was temporary and that they would soon have it corrected, and also that I would get a better HD picture using the component outputs anyway. In spite of some minor problems with my 9200 units (I have 4 of them), I am generally satisfied with the way they work, and if I do have problems with them, I have found that the Bell phone support technicians are very helpful. The new model 9242 may have a few bugs to be worked out also, but it will probably be at least as good as the 9200 and seems quite similar except for a few add-ons which may or may not be useful to you.
As for the "free to air" TV mentioned by Hardly McDreamy, if he means the satellite FTA receivers sold by Viewsat and other manufacturers, you almost have to be a TV and/or computer technician to operate them. They have to be programmed as often as every few days from bin files found on the internet to make them work, and when there is no program available yet when they go down, you are without TV until a new program is devised. Although there are hundreds of channels available when they are working, you would probably not want to depend on this kind of FTA receiver as your primary source of TV signals.
I have installed an 8-bay reflector screen type of UHF antenna at the top of my TV tower to receive UHF HD signals from Michigan in the summer months when atmospheric conditions allow for long distance reception of these signals in that area. (There many HD channels broadcasting from Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, Bad Axe, and other places in southeast Michigan, almost all of them on UHF channels.) These terrestrial HD signals are free to use once you have the required antenna to receive them, and although there are not yet any Canadian HD terrestrial signals being broadcast in that area, this will change in the next few years. If you have a good UHF antenna installed on top of your 52 ft. tower, this is an option you might take advantage of during the summer months. Your TV will need to have a digital TV (ATSC) tuner in order to receive and process these signals. (Most recent model HD TV's come with an ATSC tuner.)
If your TV does not have an ATSC tuner and you get either a Bell model 9200 or 9242 HD receiver, you would be able to use the ATSC tuner which is included in these units to receive terrestrial HD signals in addition to whatever Bell HD channels you subscribe to.
I hope you found this information helpful.
GARRY
Hi Garry,
I like and appreciate your detailed description of what is invoved.
I'm not a TV nor computer technition, just an ordinary retired math teacher that watches TV occasionally.
In my case, considering your commends, it seems to make sense to go with the 9242 HD receiver.
Thank you for your time and extensive explanation.
Regards, Werner
So far – brutal Bell experiences. Install ordered Dec 13 for 2 receivers btwn 8am – 12pm, to coincide with my A/V install of my 60" plasma. Bell contractor's info is install is set for 12 noon – 5 pm for 1 receiver. No communication. Install's done by around 4:00. I have a 9242 in the family room and a non-PVR HD receiver in the fitness room downstairs. Two days later, exact same problem as Serge above. Came home to find the ###@@@!!**#*!! 9242 turning itself off/on, rebooting, and going through a 015 (getting signal), 122, and finally 394 (smart card) error. I called Bell and spoke with five different techs for over 1.7 hours (hung up on / cut off 3 times). Only solution is for them to mail me a replacement from Toronto to Vancouver on Thursday to get here next week. It's Monday (xmas eve) and I have no satellite tv for a chunk of the holidays. Bell sucks. I feel cheated and this new 9242 IS A PIECE OF —-. I have a Pioneer Elite 92 series A/V receiver with the HDMI going to my 60" Kuro. I'm using a Panamax power conditioner. All components in my system work fine. The 9242 worked for 1.5 days and is now dead. Serge, any luck with the new one? Simon, what say you?
I have pretty much same set up but pls note the HDMI connections from cable box are not working ..bell has been working on this forever
use component until software fixed
bell is very cagey in telling truth about this..A H all of them!