The new Kogan Freeview HD Digital Set-Top Box is a cheap and cheerful Freeview-compatible set-top box that also doubles as a PVR.

It’s not the fanciest or the best-looking unit on the market, but it makes up for that with its $89 price tag. Its basic functionality is as a Freeview set-top box, and in that respect it shines. Basically, this means you’ll be able to receive all those digital channels not provided by Foxtel - and the Kogan box is one of the better Freeview receivers on the market, thanks to the inclusion of ad-skipping functionality that actually works. This is thanks to the “jump” setting - you can jump ahead in specified time intervals, such as 30 seconds.

Then there is the (very basic) PVR functionality. Thanks to the USB port on the front of the unit, you can pause, time-shift and record live TV. You can even transfer recorded content directly to your computer simply by plugging in the USB drive (it will accept any). It isn’t the most convenient way of doing things, but it works.

Buy a cheap set-top box on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The new LG HR599D media player may be something of a Swiss Army knife, but at $1379, it doesn’t come cheap.

If that price wasn’t enough to make you look away, then you’ll be happy to know that the LG HR599D does offer reasonable bang for your buck: it’s a Blu-ray player, DLNA media player and dual-tuner PVR with 500GB hard drive, all rolled into one neat package.

If you want to break that down, that means that as well as playing your Blu-ray discs and DVDs, the HR599D can also play back content in a wide range of formats (MPEG2, MPEG4 AVC (H.264), SMPTE VC-1, DivX, DivX HD, MKV and AVCHD). That content can be delived in two ways, either via USB or from your home network (whether it’s Ethernet or wireless). Then, of course, there is the dual-tuner PVR functionality, which allows you to record, pause and rewind live TV. To top it off, LG has thrown in YouTube compatibility, so you can playback online content.

The good news is that the HR599D’s price tag is entirely justified. It’s easy to set up and use and handles most media very well. Blu-ray playback isn’t quite on a par with that of some high-end standalone players, but it’s still very good.

Buy a cheap Blu-ray player on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re not looking for a PVR with a multitude of bells and whistles, the Topfield TRF7160 should prove to be more than adequate.

It may not be the best looking (or the fanciest) PVR on the market, but it does exactly what it says on the box - and does it well. It’s a dual-tuner PVR, so you can record two programs at the same time to the 500GB hard drive, or record one show and watch the other.

It offers support for 1080i video output, which is high-definition (HD), but not “Full HD” (1080p). This won’t be a problem if you’re only planning to watch and record free-to-air TV, as no channels are broadcasting in 1080p at this stage. However if you’re big on future-proofing your equipment, you may want to look at other options. The lack of 1080p support will also affect you if you want to play back content in this format from an alternate source, such as Internet downloads.

If you are going to be viewing downloaded content, the Topfield TRF7160 supports four formats: DivX, .vob, MP4 and .mkv. Simply load the files to a USB drive and plug it into the port at the back.

The Topfield TRF7160 is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $699.

Buy a cheap Topfield PVR on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

A Personal Video Recorder (also known as a PVR) is a device that lets you record, pause, rewind and fast-forward live television. PVRs have come a long way in the last few years and are now fairly commonplace in Australian living rooms.

How PVRs work

Basically, a PVR is a set-top box with an internal hard drive to store content. It has a built-in tuner to receive the television signal - though ideally it should have two tuners. This is so you can be watching one channel while recording another or even record two channels at the same time while you’re watching something pre-recorded on the hard drive.

And the good news is that unlike the old days of the humble VCR, you don’t have to mess around with buttons and times in order to record something. Thanks to something called the Electronic Program Guide (EPG), you can use the included remote to scroll through a program guide for all available channels. When you see something you want to record, you simply press a button on the remote and the rest is done automatically.

Some PVRs have a DVD drive built-in, so you can transfer content that you want to keep to DVD. With a bit of technical knowhow you can also transfer content to other external sources, such as a computer.

HD PVRs

If you’re going to invest in this technology, then you should be looking at buying a high-definition or HD PVR. This means you will be able to watch and record HD content in all its intended glory. Unfortunately however if you have a PVR with a built-in DVD drive and want to transfer any HD content to DVD, the full resolution will be lost.

PVR hard drives

When it comes to the size of your PVR hard drive, you should go as big as your budget allows. This is especially true if you are going to be recording a lot of high-definition content, since HD content tends to chew up storage space. Some PVRs will allow you to connect extra drives for more storage.

Extra features

The more expensive PVRs usually throw in some extra features to justify their higher price tags. Although these are nice to have, they aren’t necessary for the basic functionality of recording and pausing live television. Extra features usually include networking functionality so you can view content from your computer and the Internet on the TV connected to the PVR.

Foxtel iQ

Foxtel iQ is, in fact, a form of PVR, combining recording functionality and a satellite receiver for the Foxtel signal. It incorporates some extra features specific to Foxtel, however there is no (official) way of transferring content stored on the internal memory to an external source.

Best PVRs

Topfield PVRs, such as the model pictured here, are undoubtedly the market leaders.

Buy a cheap PVR on sale

By Caroline Warnes