The Pace PVR to go evolves on the Sky+ concept to allow the user to take their recorded items with them using a PMP style handheld device, nothing new in a handheld video player but it's the way it all hooks together that makes this special.

The 150mm x 137mm x 28mm PVR To Go unit is quite bulky at this concept stage but Pace hope to slim it down a bit before it goes into production, but it will be a larger unit as they want to ensure it has a large 5" screen to deliver a more "TV like" experience. The To Go unit slots into a base station or cradle this is either a DTT receiver or a Digital Satellite receiver depending on which model you get, both have conditional access with a slot for your viewing card and the files recorded onto the portable device stay wrapped in this CA layer ensuring piracy is kept at bay.

The model on show was a DDT200 this uses a 200MHz CPU and a 40gb hard drive, the unit has USB 2.0 meaning that a movie can be pushed onto the device in 3 minutes. However most shows will be recorded direct in MPEG 2 onto the PVR To Go handheld ready for you to take it away and watch your TV shows on the train or bus on your daily commute. There are challenges as the unit currently has around 3 hours use on a full charge and it requires a AC adaptor rather than using the USB to top up, but these may be addressed in the final version.

Where the Pace PVR To Go really succeeds where others have failed is the fully integrated EPG capabilities so that platform providers like Sky can make it as easy to fill up your TV To Go unit as it is to use the Sky+ box. Even at this stage the Pace unit has good image quality and this will be the major selling point for a portable media player that actually sells in any real volume.

There are already moves to add the DVB-H standard to the unit and a prototype of a PVR To Go unit with DVB-H reception was on show meaning that as this new form of broadcasting rolls out 2 Go users would be able to see live TV not just recording made at home.

Pace say that the PVR To Go will not be on sale directly but via platforms who can provide a total experience, so we wouldn't mind betting that 2006 will see the Sky to go unit launched in the UK.

Published - 13/09/2005

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