With a new satellite channel popping on my satellite receiver every couple of days, it’s becoming ever so hard to find the shows I want to watch, especially that most channels do not have decent EPG yet. And with World Cup at the doors, it’ll become even harder to keep up with the shows I like and watch the matches at the same time.

Enter Showbox! Showtime Arabia, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East, announced the introduction of a new Decoder, the ShowBox DVR; offering Tivo like functionality for all of their subscribers.

Like TiVo, the Showbox DVR will allow subscribers to watch what they want when they want. So you’re a fan of Lost? The DVR will automatically record that for you while you’re out on the evening, and you’d be able to watch that on your own time. Receiving an urgent phone call while watching your favorite show? Hit the timeshift button, and you’d be able to rewind and watch the show from where you’ve left for up to two hours.

The reportedly simple on screen TV guide and user interface will allow you to pick and chose which shows you want the DVR to record. The DVR comes with an integrated 80 GB harddrive, allowing you to record about 40 hours of your favorite shows and movies. It also comes with Dual Tuners, allowing you to view one channel while recording another! Sweeeeet!

No word yet on whether the internal harddrive is upgradable or if the internal content is DRM(ed). Showtime DRV hit the store shelves in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait on February 15th, and will be followed by other Gulf markets. I’ve contacted Showtime’s dealer in Jordan, they had no idea on what it is or when will it be available or whether it would work with non-showtime channels or not. More on this later.
[Via]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2006 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Gadgets, Random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.