Hi - I live in Toronto and have recently switched over to a digital antenna. Our TV is a 2006 Vierra, so we have a built in ATSC tuner. This is great for watching the digital channels, but my problem is recording them. I have an LG DVD Burner with HDD, but it does not have a built in ATSC Tuner. Is it possible for me to still record the digital channels, since it is running through my television? Or should I be buying a new DVD burner or a separate tuner?

Thanks!
Sandra

I researched this possibility myself a while ago. And while I didn't check out LG, the models I did see weren't capable of acting as a fully functional DVR (scheduling recordings, viewing a programming guide, etc).

Even if you could get this device to record live TV for you, you'd need to keep the TV powered up for the duration...and ensure that nobody decides to change channels on you.

Check the threads here discussing DVR's and pc/server-based options. Even TiVo is compatible with OTA. Some solutions have dual tuners, which make recording and viewing much more practical.

Even if you could get this device to record live TV for you, you'd need to keep the TV powered up for the duration...and ensure that nobody decides to change channels on you.

Yes, you definitely need something with an ATSC tuner operating independently in the background and apart from the TV. Even VCRs had their own tuner, since what would be the sense in watching live TV and recording it, or powering up the TV just to record an event?

And its for that reason I didn't go the PC route, since is more complicated and I'd need to buy a separate tuner and keep the PC running full-time, not to mention more wires and keeping the PC close to the TV since I'd never watch through the small PC monitor

It's been about 1 year now that I have been using a Sony RDR HX-780 DVD player / recorder with 160GB internal hard drive.

In my opinion - for my somewhat "simple" recording requirements - it has been AWSOME so far. It only has an analog tuner - no digital tuner - and it only records in SD - but all the features and options, excellent operation, manual, ease of setup and use ... simply awsome for my current purposes.
( I record mostly off analog cable - but with the various inputs on this unit ... it's not hard to imagine connecting a digital convertor box to one of the inputs at the back ... for use as an independent OTA digital receiver and source - for recording - only in SD though ...)(it edits recorded titles right on the HDD of the unit, and then burns to all sorts of DVD format).

Sony also shows a Sony RDR HX-1095 with both digital and analog receiver inside. 500 GB internal HD. Still only SD. I have no experience with this unit ... just saw it on the web. [and yet it still says(!) "This product is a previous model and could be no longer available at your local dealer." ]

I think it is only a matter of time until we start seeing for sale in Canada/North America the stand alone recorder, both - digital -and- analog tuner w/large HDD drive - DVD and BLUE Ray burner for recording HD content.

In fact ... it may already be available - I am only imagining - but very expensive right now.

(I've heard rumours - maybe this sort of unit is available elsewere - like JAPAN - but perhaps not in North America yet - to your average consumer.)

Maybe SONY is going to bring this sort of thing to the NA market?
If anyone is gonna do it ... I'd bet Sony will.

And I'd bet it'll be AWSOME ... just like my ol' RDR-HX780 !

Others may know alot more about this subject than me ... please post.

If you have the bucks to spend a Blu-ray HD recorder would be the ticket.. look for one that works as a stand alone PVR blu ray recorder/player and it can record in HD to the harddrive which you can then burn to a HD dvd and record in HD... ... but the price can be as much as you pay for a HD LED tv set.

such as a Panasonic DMR-BW500

I am going to switch to OTA but I need something to record tv off the antenna and basic cable to a Hard Drive that also features a guide.

I am a OTA newbie.

Any ideas.

cdnuser please start with this: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=125161

I've merged your post into this thread about what you're looking for, but first definitely do the list of steps in that link I just gave. :)

Thanks for the post, re the Panasonic Blu-Ray Recorder

Searching around on the net ...

Looks like SONY does have some Blu-Ray recorders out recently.

Likely still expensive ... but impressive.
(The SONY BDZ-EX200 has a 2 Tera Byte hard drive ! And I think it has dual digital tuners. Looks like they also record to DVD also. Yes, interesting. Check out the Specs.)

http://www.blu-ray.com/Sony-BDZ-EX200/394/?show=userreviews


Also found:

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2009/08/26/sony-japan-launches-five-new-blu-ray-recorders-with-hd-dvr-functionality/#

I quote:

"Sony Japan has released information on five new DLNA Blu-ray recorders with digital TV tuner and DVR functionality, which allow you to record your favorite programs in HD (if possible). The one HDMI (1080 24p) and other output-equipped BDZ-RX100 (1TB, Y180,000), BDZ-RX50 (500GB, Y150,000), BDZ-RX30 (320GB, Y120,000), and BDZ-RS10 (320GB, Y100,000) will all arrive this September, while the monstrous 2TB BDZ-EX200 (Y280,000) with two HDMI (1080 60p/24p) and other outputs will show up in retail stores in early November. Did we mention you can record two programs at the same time with most models?"

Searching on the internet, appears there's some variations on the model names of the Sony Blu-ray recorders I mentioned in the previous post.

Sony BDZ-EXnnn vs. Sony BDZ-RXnnn

Anyway ... maybe the RX models were earlier model names for the same line of products -not sure.

Searching more on the internet, I get the impression / seems like these Sony Blu-Ray recorder products seem fairly new to the North American market.

Not sure if actually available in North America YET.

Product descriptions online all seem eerily ... very similar, and user reviews are few.

Many user posts I've found on these products ask: "When will they be available in ... ?" [ U.S. / North America ? ]

[ * People Calling for the release of the product in the U.S. / North America ]



Some questions I had were:

- does it record in 5.1 surround sound ?
- do the dual tuners do NA Analog (NTSC) and Digital (ASTC) and standard NA Analog Cable ? ALL channels?

The Test Freaks description seems to suggest:
YES - to Dolby 5.1 sound.
Confusing info about the tuner capabilities.

Anyway ... still digging / searching for more info on the web.
(finding what looks like User Manuals and Reviews in Japanese ... I think.)

The specs page seem to indicate it has A/V inputs for the purpose of dubbing A/V to digital, and has dual analog tuners. I can suspect at least one analog tuner is therefore recordable.

For 5.1 I would assume it does, since the MO for proper DVRs is to record the incoming digital stream directly.

I built my own DVR/PVR. I went OTA 2 years ago and this fall added a Home Theater Personal Computer or HTPC to the system. All you need is a computer with a decent processor and video card. Then install an ATSC tuner in an empty expansion slot and connect it to the TV with an HDMI cable. I have been using mine for a few months now and it works beautifully. Full HD recording and playback. But that is not all, you can surf the net and stream video to the TV. Most things over the Internet are of equal video quality to regular cable. Assembly of the system, although it sounds technical, was very simple. There was a lot of complaining around my house when I canceled the cable, but they are slowly coming around and warming to the benefits of the new set-up.

That's great, I did the same thing. This thread is for store-bought machines though, so have a look in our HTPC Forum (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=31) for PC-based solutions.

Hey all,

I've been going through a lot of threads trying to sort out old from new data, so maybe someone can summarize this for me. I live in the Western GTA, and have a 2007 50" Viera and would like to dump my present Cogeco HD PVR and the $25.00 it costs me every month.

Is there a PVR that can record OTA? Is there some voodoo magic needed in setting it up? Are there any companies that so this? What gear best suits my needs and where can i buy it?

Thanks...

Hi cncmike,

You're looking for a Channel Master CM7000PAL DVR

It's very simple to use. You just set it and forget it. Many people here like them. You could do more complex things like set up your computer to become a PVR (HTPC - Home Theatre Personal Computer) but if you're looking for simplicity that the whole family will understand right away, the 7000PAL is what you want.

Check out the store that sponsors the Digital Home OTA forum. They have a store in Mississauga and excellent customer service.

Also check out this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=95820

...and this thread:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=56806

As discussed in the CM7000PAL DVR thread, the problem with it is it doesn't get very much guide data for Canadian stations.

TIVO works better, but you have to pay a monthly fee or else pay for a (device) lifetime plan.

The option I went with is to build an HTPC. It is a bit more work, but is much more powerful and flexible than any PVR.

+1 to the HTPC... I used a sat-box ATSC DVR before building my new computer. New computer is much more user friendly, has better guide data, more reliable recording. The main thing is it's almost infinitely expandable as far as storage goes, and very expandable as far as tuners go.

That and you could build a decent HTPC these days for around the same price as any of the other options.

I found this on Zinwell website:

http://www.zinwell.com/dig_detail.php?productsid=416

It's an HD DVR for ATSC/Clear QAM. It seems to be a new product and very rare on the market for now. Cheaper than the CM 7000 Pal DVR, but single tuner.

At last. This could be the simple reasonably priced VCR replacement everyone has waited for.

Made in Taiwan and $200 at Solid Signal, records SD and HD and can be expanded with a USB external hard drive. Now if it only had 2 tuners.

This looks like a good deal.I could use a second OTA PVR.I have a Zenith HDR-230 ASTC PVR from 2004 made by LG.

Strange it has an A/V input but not an NTSC tuner. :confused: It would cost nothing to add and even in the US not all LPTV/Class A/Translator stations are ATSC yet, plus it could be used for analog cable.

It is also strange they would cripple it with such a small hard drive. The difference in cost between a 320MB drive and a 1.5TB drive is miniscule and it won't be long before the 320MB drive is obsolete.