This week's Ask Engadget HD question couldn't possibly be any nearer and dearer to our hearts. For years now, we've wondered why nobody is producing standalone OTA HD DVRs. Sony's DHG-HDD500 and LG's LST-3410A were the last two significant options that we could find, but hopefully our searching abilities are severely flawed.

"In the continued theme of the recent question regarding To TiVo, or not to TiVo?, I have a question regarding standalone HD DVR's. My question is: Where are they? Seriously, I don't want to pay a monthly fee to TiVo nor do I want to have to boot up a HTPC all the time. All I want is a standalone unit with no monthly fees to record OTA HD. Does an animal like this even exist? Thanks!"

Like we said, there are a few animals such as this if you don't mind scouring the secondhand market, but we'd love to hear from any relative newcomers that we've somehow overlooked. Oh, and where the heck is that EchoStar TR-50 we spotted at CES 2008?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Was it really 2006 when Linux lovers were sinking their gums into Neuros Technology's OSD? Two years later, we're finally seeing shipment of the OSD 2.0, which diverts quite significantly from the original in terms of design and ups the ante by adding support for encoding high-definition video at 720p in MPEG-4 and D1 resolution in the H.264 format. It's built around a Texas Instruments Davinci-based CPU module and a mini-ITX motherboard / enclosure, but rather than just being a very hackable consumer product, this one is described as a "super-reference design" by CEO Joe Born. You'll likely remember the WhereverTV, which is of course based on the OSD 2.0, and the firm has already landed another partner for the box in Hupla. For the individuals who just want an undisturbed unit, you can latch on now for $250.

After a long summer of staying all but silent, Conceptronic is hitting back with an all new PVR / media player. The aptly-named Media Titan brings along optional 802.11n wireless support, twin hard drives, dual DVB-T tuners and support for more formats than you can shake a stick at. You'll also find a bundled remote, three USB ports for external storage, HDMI / Ethernet ports and UPnP AV compliance. Pricing remains a mystery for now, but citizens of Germany, Spain, Portugal and France can expect to find out later this month. Full release after the break.

[Thanks, KJ]

For as much grief as television providers get for their lackluster set-top-boxes / HD DVRs, we wonder why everyone doesn't own a TiVo? Actually, that'd be Tyler who's wondering:

"I'm using an HD DVR provided by my cable company, and most times, it works well enough. I've heard that TiVo boxes are superior, though I'm having a tough time justifying the additional monthly cost. I'd love to hear some pros and cons from current / former owners, as well as whether or not they think it's worth it."

Time to take a stand for your box, TiVo owners. What makes it so worthwhile? Is now a good time to buy one?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

It's black, it plays nice with your PS3 and it enables owners in DVB-T territories to watch live TV via their PlayStation 3. Yep, it's Sony's PlayTV, and it has recently been reviewed on video by Stuff's Ruth Owen. We'd go into elaborate detail about exactly what she thinks, but then you might be discouraged from actually clicking through and hearing her most delightful accent. So we won't.

[Thanks, JimB]

Time flies when you're having fun, but not when you're waiting anxiously for a new piece of kit -- particularly one that has been delayed numerous times. For Europeans waiting on pins and needles for the release of the PlayTV DVR for PlayStation 3, your time has arrived. Before rushing out to get one, however, might we interest you a short unboxing and a brief overview? No pressure whatsoever, though.

No sooner did we ask the audience which PVR application was best than the XBMC team reveals the next major installment of XBMC Media Center. A post over at the official website informs us that Team-XBMC "has hit a feature freeze in anticipation of an upcoming stable release of XBMC, codenamed Atlantis." The software is set to be released for Windows, Linux, Mac and Xbox simultaneously in around two months, and the crew is asking for your help in discovering bugs early in order to get a stable release out the door in short order. So, you planning to pitch in?

[Thanks, Michael]

Here lately, we've seen a number of questions flow in regarding TV tuners, so it makes sense that folks taking the plunge and building their own HTPC would want to know what flavor of software to mix in with it.

"I recently pieced together a pretty simple HTPC with an OTA TV tuner and I'm looking for the best PVR software to pair up with it. I'm currently running Windows XP MCE, but I could make the swap to Vista or Linux if the applications are good enough for either of those two. What would readers recommend for each operating system? Which one gives the least amount of hassle and works smoothly the majority of the time? Thanks!"

A pretty open-ended request, you see, but a valid one nonetheless. What's your favorite PVR software? Does Beyond TV have your heart? MythTV / SageTV the one(s) for you? Feel free to list the pros and cons of applications you've tried -- wouldn't want anyone to miss anything!

[Image courtesy of Parker1]

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

First off, Pinnacle's latest PCTV HD Pro Stick came out months ago, and as a matter of fact, the original actually surfaced years ago. However, it's latest ploy for press does make a valid point: USB TV tuners and / or HD DVRs are a must-have item for surviving the Olympics. Oh sure, you can do what most Americans will do and simply tune into the highlights, but this is your one shot in four years to catch planet Earth's greatest summer athletes doing their respective thangs in high-definition! Still, you've only got two eyes and one pair of ears, so now would be a very opportune time to pick up some form of recording device to make sure you don't miss a, er, too many moments.

The Beyonwiz DP-S1 dual-tuner HD DVR was a pretty hot piece for those in Australia last year, but we'd agree that it's about time a suitable replacement hit the market. Enter the DP-P2, a 300GB twin-tuner HD DVR created to capture both pay-TV and free-to-air signals on its internal hard drive. The unit supports IceTV Remote, which enables users to "choose from multiple remote recording options using any web browser, web-enabled mobile phone or while using the all new IceTV Widget." Furthermore, the unit can connect to a home network in order to stream local media (music, images, videos, etc.) on the living room TV, and those with another Beyonwiz in the house can have this newcomer stream content from the old one onto the primary set. A bit steep at AU$999 (that's 969 of those Greenbacks), but it's available now for those with deep wallets and an incurable infatuation with high-def.

Conceptronic's beastly Media Giant HD media server / DVR that made headlines a few months back is officially on sale across the pond, with a number of tipsters chiming to say that it is being offered for €379 ($603) from Metro Group. Better still, those who order are being treating to tracking numbers on the double, meaning that those who take the dive should have it in their hands in no time. Expensive? Sure. But that's the price you pay for built-in PowerLine networking (Pro version), a slew of ports, a 500GB hard drive and lots more features listed in the read link.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Foxtel's HD+ services may have launched a few days back in Australia, but that's not stopping OpenTV from pushing out a release trumpeting the arrival of the iQ2. As you could likely guess, the set-top-box is powered by OpenTV's Core2 middleware, but frankly, that's not the part we're interested in. Merely hearing the words "quad-tuner" just gets our juices flowing, and with nearly "double the recordable capacity" of the current Foxtel iQ, we'd say it's a surefire winner for Aussies looking to delve into the beautiful world of high-definition.

We know, you've been waiting ages for Dream Multimedia to finally launch a product in the DM 8** series, and we're elated to see that your suffering has at long last come to an end. The European satellite receiver boasts a 300MHz MIPS processor, Linux operating system, OLED front-panel display, MPEG-2 / H.264 hardware encoding, DVB-S tuner (DVB-C and DVB-T are optional), a SmartCard reader, RS-232 port, Ethernet, DVI, two USB 2.0 sockets and an eSATA hookup for external storage. Sadly, we're not savvy on a price, but you can dig into the read link for a breakdown of the technical specifications should you be so inclined.

[Thanks, Rob]

Merely months after Elgato launched EyeTV 3, along comes an update to make it even more attractive -- particularly outside of American borders. EyeTV 3.0.2 adds in full support for H.264 digital broadcasts in standard-def and HDTV resolutions, and considering that locales such as Norway and New Zealand are already beaming out material via this standard, we'd say it's a welcome inclusion. Beyond that, the new version also provides QuickTime exporting of ATSC / NTSC Closed Captions for use on iPhone, iPod and Apple TV devices (seen above), but obviously, that's for North America alone. You'll also find a few new deinterlacing options, improved on-screen menus and a handful of bug fixes to boot. Venture on down to the read link to read up on all the changes and get your download a-movin'.

[Via ITWire]

We've seen it announced, delayed and pictured -- now the time to place your order has finally come. The highly-anticipated Hauppauge HD PVR -- which sports a hardware H.264 encoder, component video inputs, NTSC / PAL / SECAM support and loads more for HD junkies to love -- is finally available to order. You heard right, for $249 you can drop this puppy in your shopping cart and await its presence in your humble abode. Shipping times, however, could be another matter entirely.

[Thanks, JAW IV]