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Channel Master DVRs For OTA

362K views 982 replies 152 participants last post by  Gibsons 
#1 ·
This should work in Canada too. My TV guide on my old DVD recorder displayed Canadian TV station content, so this machine should too.

From C-Net:

EchoStar TR-50: An HD DVR for those without cable or satellite
(Credit: EchoStar)

If you think everybody has cable or satellite, you couldn't be more wrong. In fact, if you live in an area that's well-served by digital broadcasters, now's a better time than ever to get your TV over the air (or "OTA," as the cool kids say): yeah, you get only a handful of channels, but they're in crystal-clear digital quality--DVD quality at "worst," uncompressed high-definition at best. The problem--as we're reminded by many an e-mailer--is that there just isn't a good DVR solution for the rabbit-ears crowd, especially if you prefer high-def. (You can opt for a TiVo HD, but you'd still have to pay a monthly fee for their programming guide.) But that may finally be changing, thanks to the EchoStar TR-50. For all intents and purposes, the TR-50 takes many of the features found on Dish Networks' excellent satellite DVRs (such as the ViP622 and 722) and brings them to antenna-based TV viewers.

The unit offers ATSC and NTSC tuners, so it can view and record over-the-air HD digital, standard digital, and analog channels. Dual tuner action means you can watch (and record) one live channel while simultaneously recording a second--or record two channels while playing back a previously recorded show. There's also full control over live TV, including rewind, pause, slow motion, 10-second "instant replay," and--for recordings--30-second skip. The TR-50 also sports a 7-day electronic program guide (using over-the-air metadata on the digital band), which should eliminate the pesky VCR-style manual "timer recordings" (you remember: "8:00-9:00 p.m. / Thursdays / channel 4"). The box also has a full range of outputs, including component and HDMI (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i resolutions supported), as well as standard-def composite and RF outputs for older TVs. Dish hasn't yet specified the internal hard drive size, but the USB 2.0 connector will ensure expandable storage. Perhaps most interestingly, the TR-50 includes an Ethernet port and the ability to decode MPEG-4 video, and EchoStar touts its ability to "access premium Internet-based TV programming via broadband Internet," as well as "DVR management and timer creation via Internet"--though the timeframe for such features wasn't disclosed. Likewise, the exact release date and pricing information remain a mystery. But if it's affordable--and lacks TiVo's monthly fee--the TR-50 may be the perfect fit for TV viewers without satellite or cable who still want to enjoy HD programming on their own schedule.

Separately, EchoStar also announced the TR-40. That model is merely a digital set-top box (no DVR). It will let analog TV owners (or those with HD monitors that lack a tuner) receive digital and high-def signals over the air--a necessity after the scheduled February 2009 analog TV shutdown.
 
#979 ·
CM Stream+ Stay Away :( :(

I got my hands on the latest DVR from CM, and..., it's not very good.

The OTA tuner is weak, it does not pick up channels that the tuner in the TV does.

The recording is not straightforward. The OTA guide and interchanging to apps is just okay - nothing great.

The kicker..., I only used it a few times, put it away because it really sucked, gave it another chance a few months later, whereby it got really hot and then died, luckily before I shot it.

Do not buy this. The latest TVs do a much better job of working with OTA, Netflix, Apple, and your favourite apps, and the OTA tuners are much better.
I just bought a new TV and it's awesome, from the unbelievable picture via OTA, or 4K content, and the interface of the apps with your OTA channels - it's pretty much seamless, and you can record very easily. I got the Samsung Q6 and I'm quite impressed with how everything works together. It has a nice OTA channel guide, very simple to use remote similar to the apple remote; very intuitive, it blows away the CM+.
 
#981 ·
Do not buy this. The latest TVs do a much better job of working with OTA, Netflix, Apple, and your favourite apps, and the OTA tuners are much better.
I just bought a new TV and it's awesome, from the unbelievable picture via OTA, or 4K content, and the interface of the apps with your OTA channels - it's pretty much seamless, and you can record very easily. I got the Samsung Q6 and I'm quite impressed with how everything works together. It has a nice OTA channel guide, very simple to use remote similar to the apple remote; very intuitive, it blows away the CM+.
I have a 7000 that is starting to fail. Locks up several times per day needing a reboot.

I was intrigued by your comment about TVs (and have not looked at them in years). Are you saying that Q6 Tv has both an OTA channel guide (that works) and you can record OTA with it without additional equipment? (or do you have to buy hard drive or anything else?)

Thanks in advance.
 
#980 ·
As a user of both the Stream+ and DVR+, I would have similar comments.


The DVR+ isn't the best, but is far more responsive, easier to use, and less buggy than the Stream+. The thing I hate about the Stream+ is that it is slow. Sometimes, it takes 5 seconds or more to switch from one channel to another!

The guide on the Stream+ is unreliable - I'm constantly having to play around with U.S. zip codes to find a good guide list for both WNY and Golden Horseshoe channels. Using a Canadian Postal Code doesn't work for the U.S. channels we pick up.

The concept of the Stream+ is good, it's just not developed enough for practical OTA and OTA DVR use at this time.
 
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