need dvr without subscription plan

[dvdnewbie64]

Does anybody know of a dvr that you can use with out a subscription? I live in Canada, so hopefully someone knows where I can buy one here.

[usually_quiet]

Will you record off antenna, cable, or satellite? Do you demand TiVo-like functionality or will you be satisfied with something simpler. Do you have to have the ability to record in high definition?

There is the DTVPal DVR, but it only records digital channels off antenna, and consumer reviews have not been entirely favorable. A DVD recorder with a hard drve might work (if you can find one, not as easy as it used to be), but won't have all the bell and whistles that a DVR provides, plus they don't record in high-definition. The only other option is to create a Home Theater PC which is a rather expensive and sometimes frustratng proposition.

[jman98]

I record to my PC as that suits my needs as little as I need to time shift, but I considered getting a DVR for a relative and people I know swore to me that you can buy Tivo without paying for the monthly subscription. You could check into that.

[dvdnewbie64]

"I record to my PC"

Could you tell me a little about that or point me to a link explaining how that is done?

[usually_quiet]

Try Googling "home theater pc guide". Reading some of the most recent articles listed should get you started.

[usually_quiet]

I remember you now... A few days ago I helped you set up a DVD recorder, and your cable set-up included a cable box, so I'm assuming you have digital cable,

I haven't built a HTPC myself, but every once and a while I research it for fun. Unless you really love tinkering with computers, I think you are likely to find building/refitting a PC to record from cable will require too much effort to be a worthwhile use of your time. Also, this project will cost between a few hundred dollars (to refit a newish computer with a suitable CPU that you already have) up to over a thousand dollars (for a new computer with the right hardware and software installed). If you are doing this to save money over renting a cableco DVR, it will take a while recover your expenses.

If you plan to use a PC to record from digital cable, you will still need to tune the signal first using a cable box. This is necessary to decrypt the majority of your your cable channels, as well as tune them. While there are cable card-capable external tuner/capture card for PC's, from what I have read about them, they are a bear to get working, and your cable company has to be involved in setting them up. Also, renting a cable card costs about the same as renting a cable box. Without your cable box, the most you will be ableto record are analog channels, plus a few local broadcast channels that are unencrypted.

So, you would need a TV capture card (ideally one with hardware encoding), and an IR blaster (so the computer can change the channel on the cable box). To have DVR-like functionality, you will also need good scheduling/capture software that is compatible with your operating system, and supports your capture card and IR blaster. You will also need an internet connection for regular updates to the TV guide that the scheduling software uses.

To use one of the current generation of TV capture cards you need a newish PC with a CPU that is powerful enough to meet its specifications. It will need a good graphics card with TV-out, and big second hard drive too, especially if you plan on capturing HD programming as HD.

If this still seems like a fun project, then there are resouces on the web that can help you. You might start here at the Media Center PC / MediaCenters forum and the Capturing forum.

[jsliu111]

Yes, there are several options for you:

• DTVPal DVR
• TiVo
• DVD Recorder
• Windows Media Center PC

I think the best option for you maybe the DTVPal DVR, there is a device called channel Master. And Tivo is also great. But it need monthly fee. You can check this DVR without subscription for details.