Looking for hardware to record HDTV brodcast (Rabbit ears)

[stealthblue]

Looing for hardware to record HDTV brodcast (Rabbit ears-No cable or Tivo subscription fees at all.). Something like TIVO but no fees at all, just schedule a broadcast recording, records to H. Drive, and rewatch later? Not intrested in PC solutions, just Audio/Video devices on the market.

Thanks for any insights...

[redwudz]

Not sure what you mean by 'Not interested in PC solutions...' The most common way to record OTA (Over The Air) HDTV is to use a PC HD tuner card. There may be set top DVR (Digital Video Recorders), but most use DVDs and you won't fit that many minutes of HD video on a DVD. Maybe there are HD DVRs out there. Or maybe a box with just a hard drive to time shift HD video.

But others may have some suggestions.

And welcome to our forums.

[jagabo]

If you're in the USA look for a DVR with an ATSC tuner. For example:
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DVR670-DVR670KU-Recorder-Built/dp/B001TOD3KU/
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-MDR-513H-F7-320GB-DVR-and-DVD-Recorder/14291489

[usually_quiet]

These are the only two DVD recorders currently in production with a hard drive and an ATSC tuner for recording over-the-air broadcasts. Recordings are timer based like a VCR, not guide based, however they provide the option of burning anything you want to save permanently to a DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/Magnavox-MDR515H-500GB-DVD-R-Digital/dp/B004PYDE1E
http://www.amazon.com/MAGNAVOX-MDR513H-F7-Recorder-Digital/dp/B003DPKOKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie...5206619&sr=1-1

This is a recorder with two ATSC tuners for recording over-the-air broadcasts and just a hard drive. Recording is guide based, and it provides up to 8 days of listings. The program guide is built from either digital TVGOS data (your area must have a station broadcasting it) or PSIP data in the broadcasts it receives, if there is no TVGOS data. If TVGOS is not available where you are, you will find that some stations provide no useful PSIP guide data on which to base recordings. They have no DVD drive, so the only way to save recordings is to record again from the CM-7000 PAL's analog video outputs using a DVD recorder or PC capture device.

http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7000PAL-Digital-Recorder/dp/B0033TJPJW

Walmart sells all these items as well, but you will need to shop online. In-store sales are too poor for any brick and mortar store to carry these items.

[Edit] The CM7000-PAL is sold at some other online outlets too, particularly those catering to OTA enthusiasts. Refurbished Magnavox units turn up at J&R Music world on an irregular basis.

I forgot about this earlier, but there is one other ATSC dual-tuner non-subscription DVR: http://www.sundialmicro.com/dvico-m6620n-plus-tvix-pvr-dual-tuner-wireless-network-med...2038_1866.html You must purchase and install the hard drive yourself. It is somewhat buggy, and only uses PSIP data for its guide, but it is supposed to provide the option of exporting recordings to a PC. It can also be networked and doubles as a media player, although it has limited abilities compared to most other media players.

Don't expect the CM7000-PAL or DVICO TVIX PVR M6620 PLUS to offer the same guide-based recording functionality as a TiVo. Their firmware lacks the kind of intelligence to do name-based recording, for example. A PC-based solution is the only non-subscription option that even comes close to equaling a TiVo's abilities.

[TBoneit]

Those two Magnavox units are fine. I have the 500Gb version. They have no guide of course, you need to set manual timers. I also hear reports that if you leave the one I have on a analog channel it can freeze when turned on, Digital no problem.

I use it for the digital sub-channels from basic cable in Clear QAM. Mainly Antenna TV on 11.4 in NYC. Three Stooges, Benny Hill etc.

The forward and reverse skip times are adjustable. I currently have them set a 30seconds forward skip and 15 seconds reverse skip. This works on recordings not live of course. Great for skipping those commercials.

[usually_quiet]

There is one other thing I forgot to mention about the Magnavox HDD DVD recorders. While they can record HD channels, they downscale recordings to SD resolution. If upscaling on playback is an acceptable substitute for true HD recording, they can still be a good option.

If set up correctly, they can still record a picture from and ATSC HD channel in 16:9 aspect ratio and without letterboxing, if letterboxing isn't part of the HD picture, but the recording is stored as 720x480 anamorphic 16:9. If your HDTV does not upscale well, these recorders do a decent job at upscaling when connected to the TV with HDMI.

[stealthblue]

Thanks for the info looks like there are some good options to go with.

[lacywest]

Here is another idea to consider ... The DVD Recorder I use is a Panasonic EZ27 ... records not in HD but it does record the digital broadcasts in my area over an antenna.

And to mention ... the EZ27 does not have a Hard Drive in it but a DVD-RAM disk works just fine.

To record the shows you want to record ... use a DVD-RAM instead of a DVD-R ... they behave like recording to a hard drive. As the EZ27 is recording to the DVD-RAM disk ... you can start watching the shows.

Thursday night I recorded ... CSI:Crime Scene Investigation ... and ... The Mentalist ... after I got my chores finished I went to the bedroom and hit the "Play" button and started watching the shows I was recording.

The picture that is displayed on my Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV is very nice. I use the recording mode setting ... Flex Record.

Schedule a show is easy ... click on the button ... "SCHEDULE" ... and program in the show you want to record. No rocket science is involved.

After your through watching the shows ... just ... Re-Format the DVD-RAM and use it again ... and again ... and again.

If the DVD Burner in your PC can read a DVD-RAM disk [my Pioneer DVD Burner can] you can process it ... snip out the commercials and make a permanent DVD Video with it.

If you should check out the reviews on the EZ27 or the EZ28 ... the reviews are not going to be wonderful ... but I have had only one lockup on it ... in the past 2 weeks ... and all my recordings have not failed ... at all.

OH ... and it can play DVD Disks that have Divx videos burned on them [in DVD Data mode] ... if you are like me and collect Divx or Xvid videos from the Internet you can watch them too. Only one catch ... they have to burned onto DVD-R disks ... or DVD+R disks ... a re-writable DVD Disk ... is not going to work.

[the_man_one]

pansat 9200 hd sat reciever records ota hd, pansat 1000tc does also, coolsat 8000 & 8100 hd also..... maybe a few other boxes, but all require a standalone hdd & are in the $300 to $400 usd range... also 3 of the 4 i named are discontinued (1000tc is still in production)

[Bjs]

Simply purchase a hd topset box like the strong srt 5245 and connect an external hard drive.

Programing and recording is simple and avoids format shifting to dvd as you end up down-scaling from high definition.

[usually_quiet]

Simply purchase a hd topset box like the strong srt 5245 and connect an external hard drive.

Programing and recording is simple and avoids format shifting to dvd as you end up down-scaling from high definition.

Terrestrial receivers with PVR functionality that don't require a subscription are practically non-existent in the USA. The best-known have been covered.

Most people in the USA who do TV their TV viewing via satellite subscribe to a paid service that uses encryption. The satellite receiver/PVR used is nearly always one purchased from the service provider. Although some of these boxes can also receive and record terrestrial broadcasts, they are of no use at all without a subscription.

Finding and watching unencrypted satellite transmissions is a hobby here, and there is not a great variety of equipment available to choose from. The Pansat tc 1000hd mentioned earlier in this thread is a box made for this market. It has an accessory package to permit one to use it for receiving unencrypted satellite transmissions, and without that, it is just a terrestrial receiver/DVR (if an HDD is added). Someone involved in the hobby might know of something else, but I'd be surprised if there were more than one or two similar products available.

[jman98]

stealthblue - I have no way to know what your knowledge is or if you've even tested just receiving OTA signals, but I live within 12 miles of all the transmitters in my area and most of the major network ones look like crap OTA. There seems to be rather significant signal loss or interference with many OTA channels in my neighborhood. If you have not already done so I'd strongly advise before you start spending money that you have tested your OTA reception where you live.

[the_man_one]

usually quiet there are at least a couple of other boxes in the fta recievers that do this

[usually_quiet]

usually quiet there are at least a couple of other boxes in the fta recievers that do this

You listed 4, and then said all but 1 are out of production. Are there other good satellite DVRs with ATSC tuners that you did not mention, but are still in production?

If discontinued items are added to the list, the list of options grows in all areas, but I am reluctant to tell people to buy items that may be difficult to find, may be near the end their lifespan if they are found, and often have more flaws than current similar products.

[lacywest]

stealthblue - I have no way to know what your knowledge is or if you've even tested just receiving OTA signals, but I live within 12 miles of all the transmitters in my area and most of the major network ones look like crap OTA. There seems to be rather significant signal loss or interference with many OTA channels in my neighborhood. If you have not already done so I'd strongly advise before you start spending money that you have tested your OTA reception where you live.

It is great HUH ?? ... living within the broadcast stations receptions ... I too live within the reaches of all the stations in my area.

But my antenna is on top of my roof attached to my chimney.

[usually_quiet]

Finding information about which FTA receiver/DVR models offer an ATSC tuner is not easy. It took several Google searches to find one more satellite receiver/pvr that offers an ATSC tuner, the Sonicview SV-HD8000. Just as with the Pansat box, the external hard drive must be purchased separately. There could be a few more, but out of the 7 satellite receiver/PVR boxes I looked at, this was the only additional one I found that listed an ATSC tuner.

http://www.ftafever.com was the best source of information I saw. Their product descriptions are fairly good. Some other retailers had very little in the way of product descriptions.

[oldfart13]

These guys have been into it for a long time:

http://www.sadoun.com/

Check their forums for additional info. Might answer some of your questions...

[the_man_one]

ok the sv 8k was another one, i knew there was at least one more... the boxes are not out of date, just out of production... hackers mostly used these boxes to hack dish network... which as i understand it is impossible now... the boxes are quite usable for ota & sat reception (fta)... as matter of fact i have a pansat 3500sd thats not been updated since 2006 & its quite functional for fta reception

[the_man_one]

oldfart, yes they are an old company... satguys.us are another great forum to visit

[usually_quiet]

These guys have been into it for a long time:

http://www.sadoun.com/

Check their forums for additional info. Might answer some of your questions...

I took a brief look at the website. None of their FTA receivers appear to offer ATSC recording capability. FTA equipment questions in the forums were mostly related to FTA gear they sell. If I had questions about those, it could be a useful resource.

I like satelliteguys.us better for general information. satelliteguys.us has turned up in most of my previous Google searches involving satellite-related topics.

[oldfart13]

Yes, satelliteguys.us is also listed on their site with a link to their website. They seem to communicate back and forth with each other. Not into FTA and can't help with ATSC since that isn't viable here until August. Most of the forum people seem to only want to record channels to internal HDDs and then erase the programs (time shift) rather than archive said programs. That's what killed DVD recorders in North America and elsewhere. No one cares to record shows (for archival purposes) since the DVD set will be out as soon as the season ends. The way of the world it seems...