Help finding a certain DVR

Shicks18

Okay, I am currently looking for a new DVR. My requirements for this DVR is that it can record in HD, have a hard drive, playback on tv, and can also transfer recordings onto a computer. A baseball game I played in was aired on FSN (The Big 12 Championship), and I want to be able to record it when it reairs on tv and burn the game onto a DVD.

Any help? Also, I would prefer it not to have a monthly fee (like TiVo)

AudioGenics

if you have electronic capability or perhaps a friend or relative
you could try building your own DVR....

check the diy SITES for examples

Shicks18

Well I looked around at that stuff and to make your own you need a PC, which I am using a 5 year old laptop. DIY would be out of the question unless there is a way to make one without using a PC.

danger boy

Shicks i'm not sure one even exists.. Tivo would prob be the closest thing to what you're looking for.

A few months' back i was looking for the same thing.. and everywhere I went.. basically everyone said the same thing... there isn't a product they could think of that records HD, has a hard drive and a burner built into one unit. with the correct outputs I needed. so I gave up.

I think I remember one small company making something like that. but it was extremely expensive.. like 4K if I remember right.

Shicks18

sorry if I confused you. The unit doesn't need a burner built into it. All I would need on this DVR is a USB to be able to transfer the files to a PC. All it needs it:

HD Recording
Playback
Hard Drive
A way to either connect to PC or transfer files via USB
No Monthly Fee

kawizx9r

Shicks18, whats your cable/satellite provider? If it's Cox (which I had in so.cal) or Comcast (which I have now) I just recorded shows on provided dvr/hd box as one normally would. If you can pick up a stand alone dvd burner, you can hook that up to your dvr box, set that thing on play and record said program on the dvd recorder. Only problem is some dvd recorders have limited recording functions when it comes to recording from an output source, and if you have one of the providers I listed above, only thing is you'd have to register the product you buy with your provider. I've got 2 tv in my place, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Got a splitter near the living room tv where I get my comcast signal and run one cable to the dvr box in my living room, and another dvr box in the bedroom. The one in my bedroom I got from CL for 50 bucks (has built in HDD, supports HD programming and has dvr features) as opposed to getting one from your provider for an upfront cost+dvr capabilities per month+returning it once you cancel your service. All I had to do was get it registered so it worked correctly

Shicks18

I have comcast, I thought about a DVD recorder, and still might buy one. However, I wouldn't be able to burn in HD.

danger boy

why does it have to be registered with your cable provider? seems odd to me.

danger boy

Shicks18 wrote: »

sorry if I confused you. The unit doesn't need a burner built into it. All I would need on this DVR is a USB to be able to transfer the files to a PC. All it needs it:

HD Recording
Playback
Hard Drive
A way to either connect to PC or transfer files via USB
No Monthly Fee

Let me know if you find one.. I could use one too.

Shicks18

Will do, Archos TV+ seems to be the closet thing, but I have heard a lot of mixed reviews. Have you looked at the unit any?

Also, theres been speculation that Apple TV is coming out with an HD DVR Apple TV at the year's end or sometime 2010.

kawizx9r

danger boy wrote: »

why does it have to be registered with your cable provider? seems odd to me.

Well heres the thing, I talked to Comcast themselves requesting another cable box, and they told me about these extra charges etc per month because you "rent" a box from them. I told them can I just buy one of my own and utilize that instead because the rent will easily surpass the amount of $ I pay if I bought one used. They were openly honest and told me yea I can do that, they just won't provide any help if I had any technical problems and that all I had to do was get it registered if it was compatible. Well I got it hooked up to the bedroom and all the local+expanded cable channels worked but the signal for HD channels was kind of screwed up. I called and registered my box, they reset my connection and like 1-2minutes later it was working just like the box in my living room. All features worked to include dvr/tv guide/etc. We've had it for like 2 months now, and noticed no increase in charges/etc as opposed to bills 1-2months before that when we first got comcast hooked up here. I was just told it requires registration for it to work properly, sometimes people try to use their own boxes/etc or something if they try stealing it from a neighbor also utilizing a splitter/etc from what I could make of it. Guess its just to authenticate that youre the account holder as well? I don't know all I know is it works perfectly fine.

Kex

Is this what you're looking for? They have been discontinued recently, IIRC, but you may still find them used in the $200+ range (I think).

http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/d/dvdr3576h_37/dvdr3576h_37_pss_aen.pdf

I got mine about a year ago and it has some definite advantages over the service provider units: not just the built in DVD recorder, but also the fairly advanced (if somewhat clunky) editing abilities, not to mention the lack of a monthly fee to pay. It is less convenient to program than a DVR from your provider since it won't recognize the program guide, so you have to resort to old fashioned timer settings like the non TV-guide capable VCR units, and make sure the internal clock is accurate. You can edit out commercials and unwanted material from the start/end of the recordings.

There is a huge thread on this unit on AVS, and the reports mostly agree that it was the best unit of its kind available in the U.S. (there are far more advanced choices in Europe, apparently, where the market is not tied up by the service providers). I use mine for SD, not HD, so I can't comment specifically on how it would record in HD.

digitalvideo

Shicks18 wrote: »

I have comcast, I thought about a DVD recorder, and still might buy one. However, I wouldn't be able to burn in HD.

You might want to check into Dish Network and it's DVR-HD box which is rated as one of the best. I use to have Comcast but I wasn't happy paying around $100 a month for only around 65 channels and I got over 100+ channels now for around $30 a month with my choice of HD channels with Dish. My neighbor has Direct TV and it's more expensive and they give you more sports channels but Dish Network gives you more movie channels.

The DVR-HD box you get free from Dish Network. I notice the picture on my tv is more sharp and crisp with satellite compared to what I had before. But the DVD-HD box from Dish is first class!

www.dishnetwork.com

Kex

digitalvideo wrote: »

You might want to check into Dish Network and it's DVR-HD box which is rated as one of the best. ...

The Dish Network HD DVR does work very well IMO. Very simple to use, and quite effective. Their Turbo HD package seems like a pretty good deal as well.

I'm not sure how you get stuff off the DVR however. I've been researching this a little bit, and it seems that you may not be able to record HD content onto any DVD recorder available in the United States without first downscaling to 480i, as crazy as that may sound! The Dish Network DVR will allow you to connect an external hard drive, but there's a stupid fee of some description for that service. This may be the only way to keep the recording in HD format, short of moving to Europe or Japan ...

If anyone finds out anything more about this disturbing concept (and if my initial assumptions are indeed correct, of course) perhaps they could share the information in this thread.