ATSC DVR & PVR Recorders

[Jakeman3]

Of the available OTA DVR products that are currently available what is the best solution for a simple recorder for OTA HD broadcasts? Is it worth waiting for the CM7400 or is there a better solution curretnly out there. The CM7000 doesn't seem to be getting very good feedback, the same with the Tivo for Canadians - and I'm definately not signing up for something that has ongoing fees...

[poutanen]

Jakeman, my vote goes for an HTPC and here's why...

1) Most standalone OTA DVRs base their EPG on PSIP data which is sketchy at best. Sometimes you have a few hours or days of data, SOMETIMES it may go out to about 2 weeks. On the other hand, a Windows 7 MC based DVR downloads it's EPG from a 3rd party and you tend to have great EPG data out several weeks. I had a multiple tuner based solution and scheduled regular recordings as well as special ones and NEVER had an issue.

2) You can install multiple tuners and hook them to multiple antennae. This is particularly useful in Southern Ontario where Buffalo and Toronto may be in totally different directions, requiring two or more antennae to receive everything. With a single input DVR you are forced to either join antennas resulting in a loss, or you have to use a rotor. With an HTPC you can install multiple tuner cards and in Windows 7 Media Centre (and I'm sure Sage TV and others can support this too) you can select which channels are associated with specific tuners).

3) Networking... It is VERY nice to be able to have one PVR and multiple boxes to at least play off that PVR. There are multiple solutions out there to allow playback of recorded TV on other TVs in the same house, some of them very reasonable in price.

4) Storage: Some PVRs allow you to run an external drive, which is nice; however that requires buying an external drive (at a premium vs. internal) and it generally must be dedicated to the PVR. In my HTPC I've got a 1.0TB drive for my O/S, music, saved videos, etc. etc. etc., and another 1.5TB drive just for recorded TV. This is easily expandable to fit whatever I want size wise.

5) You may already have 90% of what you need. If you've got a comp with an HDMI output and at least a 500-750 GB drive, chances are all you need is a tuner card or USB tuner to get started. I could build a new computer today for about $400 plus O/S that would make a beauty HTPC plus fulfill regular PC duties as required...

[realtek]

Originally Posted by Jakeman3

Of the available OTA DVR products that are currently available what is the best solution for a simple recorder for OTA HD broadcasts? Is it worth waiting for the CM7400 or is there a better solution curretnly out there. The CM7000 doesn't seem to be getting very good feedback, the same with the Tivo for Canadians - and I'm definately not signing up for something that has ongoing fees...

Another OTA DVR worth looking at is the TVIX M-6620N. It has the same TV guide limitation than the CM7400 (PSIP). But I don't know wich one is better in terms of features and stability...

[ReallyOldGuy]

Hello Jase88: I live in the small town of Logan Lake, 50 km from Kamloops BC.
I have today emailed Channel Master, expressed my disappointment with the CM-7000PAL experiment, and queried them about the viability of using their new CM-7400 when it becomes available. I will see what develops and keep you and this thread informed. In the interm I will keep my fingers crossed that it will work. I will check out your reference to a HTCP, but I am afraid that I am technicly challenged and just the thought of doing this scares me.

[hoganz]

I have a new DVD Recorder with an ASTC tuner, but my TV is an analog TV tuner. So, when I record on my DVD recorder, I can use the built-in ASTC tuner. But when I want to watch regular TV, I have to use the DTV box. How do I wire this on a TV with no A/V Jacks?

[majortom]

using a video modulator, where u'd connect the video out, and audio out to the modulator input. The modulator would then output on Channel 3 or 4, and u'd tune ur old tv to channel 3 or 4 to watch. You can do the same thing using an old VCR as a standalone modulator.

[ProjectSHO89]

What is the make and model of your "DVD Recorder with an ASTC tuner"?

Does it have an RF output for use on channel 3 or 4 (standard def analog)?

"... I have to use the DTV box." Are you referring to a separate digital converter box or the new box?

[classicsat]

If the recorder has only A/V out, use an RF modulator whuch has RF passthrough.

If it has RF out, use an RF A/B switch to switch between converter and recorder.

A may/may not work way would be to combine the RF out from the converter with the antenna RF in on the recorder, possibly with a filter/diplexer. Put the recorder in bypass mode to watch from the recorder.

[Wayne]

Here is another Windows Media Center Embedded device. This one is an OTA PVR that has dual ATSC tuners and a 320GB hard drive (320GB in 2012 ??? I wonder why they wouldn't go with a 1TB hard drive?). It also should allow you to play media files from PCs and play streaming media services - Hulu and Youtube are mentioned (but not Netflix). Supposedly a BR drive is optional. You will be able to use an Xbox to act as an extender for this device.

This could be a good option for folks looking for an OTA PVR that could do a few other things as well.

Expected cost is $599 - which is actually a bit steep as I think you could put a PC together to do all this for less. I wonder if it will work for Canadians or not?

The only downside is that they made the same announcement 12 months ago and the expected price was $499 at that time.

http://thedigitalmediazone.com/2012/...top-box-in-us/

[Jase88]

Looks like there's some interesting DVR options coming out of CES for OTA viewers. Thanks for updating us, Wayne.

[bladeduguay]

I just want a simple list of PVR's available to record OTA, in Canada.
I know about the Channel Master 3000. But is there anything else?
And I think I saw a Panasonic, but no hard drive and no HD recording.

And I do not want to record on my computer, thanks but no thanks.

HELP!

And thanks to anyone who can provide answers.

[redzone]

all the "pvr's" are just computers preconfigured to do 1 thing... just food for thought.

and no i dont have any real input for you other then to build an HTPC

for under 400-500 bucks you can build a machine that will play any video/ OTA/ Music? Youtube etc ..

[j0dest3r]

I'd love to find a cheap one for my mom as well. The guide data issue is most unfortunate. I guess I will have to convince her to use her laptop.

[pnear]

Just to add some interesting devices I've been watching to the list:

Simple.TV, network PVR
https://www.simple.tv/getting-started

Ceton Q, embedded media center & whole home extender
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/10/c...nder-hands-on/

[Ed Bear]

Greetings, pals... I discovered this forum when looking for solutions to last August's analog TV shutdown.
I'm in Vancouver, near Kits Beach and facing north from near sea level, with unobstructed line-of-sight to the Mt. Seymour transmitter farm. Since I'm north of a high ridge and in an apartment where towers are out of the question, I don't even try to get US channels.

Let me add a bit bout my perspective as I look at the digital OTA recorder options:

I hope I'm not violating the forum restrictions on politics by saying that I believe widely-available free television is important to an informed democratic civilization. That said, I was perfectly happy with my VHS VCRs and Samsung 27" NTSC TV. I also have two DVD players, a Zenith and a LITE-ON, which can play just about any disk format.

* I'd much rather invest in equipment than commit myself to perpetual subscription fees and recording/playback limitations.

* I'm not interested in any specialty channels, internet-based services, or program guides. I buy the paper every Friday, and there are only 7 channels to deal with; I have only dial-up internet. I get my movies from our excellent free library system, or at cinemas, if I can't tape them off the air.

* Dedicating a computer to television and leaving it on 24/7 won't do. They're noisy and produce a lot of heat, as well as burning power and wearing out. And I only run Linux.

* I won't buy anything on-line and, while I'd phone order for shipping, it would be nice to have a local store. I wouldn't mind driving down to the US, but getting a new birth certificate and passport for the new border rules would be an expensive pain.

* Being able to transfer to VHS, USB or DVD without restriction would be fantastic! I like to take things to watch with friends.

HDD recorders were tempting, but I chose to put off any upgrades until the digital conversion rather than have to replace everything. Alas, I found out that VCRs and HDDRs had been taken off the market, and the DVD/VCR combos with digital tuners couldn't record VHS off the air! Couple that with the limited recording time and cost of DVDs, and the fact that the protected format couldn't be played on any other devices (there goes watching one while recording another), and I gave up.

Some local stores (I shouldn't name them, right?) were quite helpful and let me take home pieces of equipment to test, and grateful for my reports of success. I ended up buying one TERK indoor amplified antenna (you were talking about them here) and a cheap $5 splitter to feed two tuner boxes, and get seven local channels perfectly, with dropouts perhaps twice a month. The quality is much better than my best analog reception ever was, though the 480-line image on a 525-line screen is a bit of a pain. Sometimes the nitwit broadcasters cut part of the subtitles off!

I like the HD Access tuner box best - it's small, provides a flawless composite signal, good function setup (including signal strength on a 1-100 scale) and remote. I wish it had a channel display so I could see the channel it's set to without turning on a VCR and monitor, though... and for some reason all those at the vendor had really poor-quality video and hum-plagued audio through their RF outputs, even using the store's cable input.

The iView tuner box is bigger and looks nicer, but its remote has dreadful buttons and needs to be less than five feet from the front of the tuner, pointed dead-on. Its screen fonts and functions are clunky, it has no channel display or signal strength indicator, but quality is good on both composite and RF outputs.

This is important because I can set one box to output on CH3 and one to CH4, allowing one VCR to automatically select from two pre-selected channels. I also have a two-composite-input VCR that can select from either composite output, but because of the poor RF from the HD Access box I usually run with the composite from each to a separate VCR. Composite video creams RF quality anyway; even the iView's RF output is no better than the best analog signal I used to get. Fine for daily news and most shows, though.

I have to leave the tuners on 24/7, burning power and wearing them out, because there's no way to program them, or control them from a recorder.

SO - I was overjoyed to see, during my latest visit here, the appearance of the Channel Master, Brite-View and DIVCO TVIX PVR M-6620N options! Auto channel changing, twin tuners and auto on/off!

The Channel Master 7000PAL has it all over he 7400PAL for me - I don't want to use a special (possibly soon to shut down) service, and wi-fi/networking and other frills. But it's $450 plus tax, and discontinued, so the 7400 is likely to be insanely priced. I see they have a Vancouver phone, though!

The Brite-View looks interesting, particularly as it can be had without a drive, and is under $200 - but it seems to have vanished, too? (I will take my channel results and source inquiries to the other threads.)

The TVIX is attractive, too - but also seemingly unavailable. I can't find a price.

Given these details, what do you folk suggest I try? Any other self-contained options? Lots of programmable event slots would be nice, too - at least 8.

ED BEAR<<(+*+)>>
(SASK//proved)