IceTV's world class service is available to a wide range of PVRs, Macs and Media Center PCs. We hope this comparison makes the decision on which device to buy easier.
| IceTV & Windows Media Center PCs |
IceTV & Macs running EyeTV |
IceTV & Beyonwiz PVRs |
IceTV & Topfield Masterpiece HD |
TiVo®* | Freeview™ branded PVRs |
|
| Hardware / initial price | Windows Media Center PCs start from about $899 with a free 12 month IceTV membership | Elgato TV Tuners with EyeTV start from $129 with a free 3 month IceTV membership (Macs start from $849) | From $899 with a free 3 month IceTV membership included | From $999 with a free 3 month IceTV membership included | From $699 with lifetime TiVo® subscription included | From $399 |
| Annoying overlay ads when fast forwarding |
No | No | No | No | Currently on the US TiVo® and probably coming soon to Aus | Not confirmed |
| Media extender for other rooms |
Yes, using Xbox 360 or a second Media Center PC | Yes, using AppleTV or a second Mac | Yes, using a second Beyonwiz | No | Possible with the $199 Home Networking Package | No |
| Number of digital TV tuners |
Up to 4 HD tuners (With Windows™ 7) | Up to 2 HD tuners | 2 HD tuners | 2 HD tuners | 2 HD tuners | Up to 2 HD tuners |
| EPG (TV Guide) format | Unencrypted & open, so it can be used with devices we don't directly support | Encrypted & proprietary | Encrypted & proprietary | |||
| Series Recording | Yes, internally and via IceTV Interactive | Yes, via IceTV Interactive | Yes, via IceTV Interactive | Yes, via IceTV Interactive | Yes, internally | No |
| Keyword Recording | Yes, internally and via IceTV Interactive | Yes, internally and via IceTV Interactive | Yes, via IceTV Interactive | Yes, via IceTV Interactive | Yes, internally | No |
| Storage / Hard Drive | Any size you'd like and external hard drives supported | 500GB, external HDs supported | 500GB, external HDs supported | 160GB or 320GB, 1TB TiVo HD Expander available for $249 | 250GB | |
| DVD and CD player | Yes | Yes | Yes (DP-S1 only) | No | No | No |
| DVD burner | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Blu-ray® player | Yes, with ViewSonic VOT550 | No | No | No | No | No |
| Access to online content | Yes, anything you want | Yes, anything you want | News and Weather via WizTV | YouTube™, Flickr®, Local Weather and more coming soon | TiVo® CASPA and selected Blockbuster® movies | No |
| Web browsing | Yes, anything you want | Yes, anything you want | No | No | No | No |
| HDMI or DVI output | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless networking | 802.11g or 802.11n available or as standard on all new models | 802.11g (DP-S1 only) | Coming in January | Yes, but only with TiVo® wireless adaptor for $69.99 | No | |
| Wired networking | Ethernet | Ethernet | Ethernet | Ethernet | Ethernet | No |
| Fast forward/back | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Skip forward button | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Remote recording via web |
Single show recording, Series Recording, Keyword Recording, Favourites, Keyword Favourites, Recommendations and more | Yes, basic functions via Yahoo7, more advanced via TiVo® Genie (beta) | No | |||
| Remote recording via mobile specific site |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, via TiVo® Genie (beta) | No |
| Remote recording via iPhone app |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| TV guide widget for PC and Mac |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Video file playback | WMV & MPEG4 as standard. H.264, DivX and many more available for free download | H.264 & MPEG4 as standard. WMV, DivX and many more available for free download | WMV, AVI, VOB, MPEG4 and many more as standard | Only video recorded can be played back | Playback of some content is possible with the $199 Home Networking Package | No |
| Music file playback | MP3, WMA and many more as standard | MP3, AAC and many more as standard | MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, AC3 and many more as standard | MP3 only | Playback of some content is possible with the $199 Home Networking Package | No |
| Transfer recordings to a PC or Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Possible for selected TV shows with the $199 Home Networking Package. $40 TiVo Desktop Plus keys are required for each additional PC. Mac transfer might require Roxio Toast, sold separately. | No |
IceTV's service is available on more devices, such as other Topfield PVRs and MythTV media centers. Please see our compatibility page for a full list of what's supported. Learn more about IceTV.