Sharp's first personal video recorder (PVR) is designed to be as energy efficient as possible.

The TU-R160H is a twin-tuner digital Freeview PVR that has up to 80 hours of recording capacity thanks to the 160GB hard drive.

However the company says that to lessen the environmental impact of its products, it has designed this PVR to be more energy efficient than many of its rivals.

In standby mode, Sharp claims many rival devices currently on the market can consume up to 15 watts (W) of energy; however the TU-R160H has a power consumption rate of 0.5W.

Sharp has also designed the PVR so it doesn’t need a cooling fan; this in itself helps reduce the power consumption and Sharp said it means the device runs more quietly than its competitors.

Another selling point the company hopes will attract buyers is the Picture in Picture function. This feature allows people to check on the programme they are recording within a small display that appears on the screen while they are watching another channel

The device also offers viewers a delay TV feature, meaning they can pause a programme for a few minutes if they need to, as well as an eight-day electronic programming guide.

Sharp has also considered the needs of people with hearing problems and included the facility to record subtitles if the programme uses these.

The PVR will go on sale in most major high-street shops and online outlets such as Dixons, Argos and John Lewis and costs around £230.