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Features
Remote Control
Inputs and Outputs

Features

Overview: The DHG-HDD-250 is an HDTV tuner and Digital Video Recorder (DVR) with a built-in 250 GB hard drive capable of recording both standard definition (SDTV) and high definition TV (HDTV).

TV Guide On Screen: TV Guide On Screen is an interactive program guide that provides an 8-day rolling list of TV programming. This makes recording a program as easy as highlighting a show and pressing select. TV Guide On Screen can also be used to find shows you want to watch and set them for automatic recording. This service does not require a phone line and is free. TV Guide On Screen offers these functions:

• Listings: Lists available programs with descriptions
• Search: List shows by keyword, alphabetically, or by category (including HDTV programming, movies, sports, children's programming, educational programming, news, variety, and series)
• Schedule: View and edit all upcoming scheduled recordings
• Setup: Make changes in system settings, channel display, and default options after the initial setup

Recording: Using TV Guide On Screen you choose a program to record. Once chosen, you can record just that episode (one-time recording), record regularly (record that program every time it airs on that station at that time, any day of the week), or record weekly (record that program whenever it's on the same channel, same day of the week, and at the same time). The start time and end time of your recordings can be shifted up to 120 minutes in both directions (recording can start early and run late). Recording can also be set manually, without TV Guide On Screen. Simply program the date, start time, end time, and channel for recording. The 250 gigabyte hard drive will hold approximately 30 hours of hi-def programming, or 200 hours of standard programming (or a combination of the two).

Watching Live TV: While the tuner is on, the DVR continuously records the current program onto the hard drive, this allows you to pause live TV and resume watching the program where you left off. You can also rewind or fast forward through the saved portion of the program, or playback in slow motion. If you miss a line of dialog, rewind to hear it again. If you change channels, the saved portion of the previous channel is lost, and a new recording begins on the new channel. Note: Because the DVR only has one tuner, you cannot watch live TV on one channel while another channel is recording, unless you have split your cable/antenna signal and can watch live TV tuned on the TV or a VCR. You can, however watch a previously recorded program while recording a current (live) broadcast.

Watching Recorded Programs: Like live TV, while watching a recorded program, you can pause, rewind, fast forward, or watch in slow motion. You can also start watching a program from the beginning that hasn't finished recording. If you decide to stop viewing the program to watch another program or turn off the system, you can resume playback from the point where you left off. Unlike a VCR, you can watch a previously recorded program at the same time another program is recording.

Live TV Pause Time: The amount of Live TV saved continuously on the hard drive is adjustable, 30, 60, or 90 minutes.

Replay: Separate from the rewind button, the remote has a replay button that backs up a specified amount of time. Options include 2, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 300 seconds.

Advance: The advance button works forward like the replay button works in reverse. The advance time offers the same options as replay, 2, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 300 seconds.

High Speed Picture Search: You can search forward or backward through a live or recorded program using four speeds, 3x, 9x, 30x, and 90x.

Smart Cue: The smart cue feature compensates for the delayed response between the time you see a program segment you want to view and when you press the play button so you don't overshoot your target. Smart cue works in fast forward and reverse (in fast forward it jumps back, in reverse it jumps forward) and the inserted time is adjustable.

Slow: Live or recorded programs can also be played in slow motion. Available speeds are 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, and 1/8 full speed.

Screen Saver: After 15 minutes with a program paused or a menu on displayed, the screen saver appears. Press any button to return to normal viewing.

Status Bar: When you press any of the transport buttons (play, pause, etc) the status bar appears showing the current program title, playback status (speed/direction), and current position within the title (minute 14 of a 30-minute recorded program for example, or shows the time if you're watching "live" TV). The status bar disappears automatically after a few seconds or when you press the play button.

Recordings List: Press the RecList button on the remote to display a list of all the recorded programs on the hard drive.

Deleting Programs: Once you have viewed a recorded program, you can delete it from the memory to make room for future programs. As the memory fills to capacity, programs will automatically be deleted to make room for new recordings. Programs can be marked and kept until you deleted them, however, a full memory can prevent future programs from being recorded.

Parental Controls: Parental Controls allow you to set limits on movie and television ratings and to lock specific channels or specific time (of day) blocks so that a 4-digit password is required to view them. Ratings limits can be set separately for TV programs and movies, based on the industry's rating systems.

Chapter Marks: You can add chapter marks within a live or recorded program, making it easy to find that point in the show again.

Favorite Menu: The favorite feature lets you create up to 13 categories of your favorite channels (a channel can only be in one category).

Auto Off: You can pick a certain time each day for the HDD-250 to turn off, this is recommended so the TV Guide On Screen can update the programming guide (it won't update while the tuner is on).

Optical Digital Output: The optical digital output allows you to send a Dolby Digital bitstream to a Dolby Digital receiver or decoder.

G-Link: Use the included G-Link IR blaster to enable automatic recording to a VCR using the TV Guide On Screen system.

Aspect Ratio (HD to SD): When you view a high-definition source using the standard definition output, you can choose:

• Letter Box: Black bars appearing at the top and bottom of the screen, full picture displayed
• Side Crop: Picture fills the entire screen by cropping the left and right portions of the signal
• Squeezed: Picture fills the entire screen with no black bars, image is squeezed (horizontally) to fit on screen

SD to HD: When you view a standard-definition source using the 720p or 1080i output, you can choose:

• Normal: Picture with an original 4:3 aspect ratio on your 16:9 monitor, with black bars appearing at the left and right sides
• Stretch: Evenly stretches the width of the 4:3 picture to fill the entire screen
• Side Stretch: Stretches the edges of the 4:3 picture to fill a wide screen, leaves center unstretched
• Adjust: Allows the 4:3 image width to be adjusted in 16 steps so the size of the black bars on the sides and the amount of the picture on the top and bottom that is cropped is flexible

HD to HD: When you view a high-definition picture using the 720p or 1080i output format, you can temporarily choose (setting returned to standard each time you change channels):

• Standard: Displays picture with no adjustment
• Expand: Horizontally stretched the image, useful if the program was produced in one format but broadcast in another
• Shrink: Horizontally compresses picture to 4:3, useful if the program was produced in one format but broadcast in another

Resolution Select Switch (Format): The HDD-250 receives and decodes all HDTV and SDTV formats. The output resolution is switchable using the format button on the front panel of the tuner or the remote. The output is based on the setting and the input as follows:

Auto HDMI: When the HDD-250 is connected to a monitor via the HDMI output, the format (1080i, 720p, etc) is automatically selected based on the native resolution or the monitor.

Remote Control

Remote Control: The supplied infrared remote controls this unit, plus basic controls of many brands of TVs, DVD players, VCRs, and A/V receivers. The unit is pre-coded for most brands.

Code Search: If none of the codes listed in the manual allow you to control your equipment, you can perform a code search to find the correct code.

Infrared (IR) Code: The remote control and tuner have 2 IR code settings, useful if you have 2 HDD-250 tuners in the house.

Inputs and Outputs

Rear Panel:

• Ant In: Threaded female 75 ohm RF jack, connects to over-the-air antenna
• Cable In: Threaded female 75 ohm RF jack, connects a coaxial cable outlet
• Component Out (1080i/720p/480p/480i): 3 RCA jacks labeled Pr, Pb, and Y
• Audio Out: 2 Pair RCA audio jacks, left and right
• Composite Video Out (480i): 2 RCA composite video jacks
• S-Video Out: 2 S-video jacks
• HDMI Out (1080i/720p/480p/480i): HDMI port, uncompressed digital audio and video to a high-definition TV or monitor
• Control S in: Mini-plug input for remote commands through compatible Sony equipment
• Digital Audio Out: Toslink optical digital output jack
• USB: USB type A, reserved for possible future use
• CableCARD: Slot for CableCARD
• AC in: Power input for use with included cord