Question about DVRs

[jacatone]

I still have basic analog cable with a Sony CRT TV/VCR and coaxial connector. Is there a DVR out there that'll work with my setup? Went to a couple of electronics stores and all they seem to have were Tivo's. Thanks.

[usually_quiet]

These HDD DVD recorders would work fine for analog cable and would allow you to record any clear QAM channels you may have available, although the HD QAM channels would be down-converted to SD. Recordings have to be scheduled VCR-style, but you can save recordings to DVD if you want. Both are sold online only as far as I know.

Magnavox H2160MW9 - Available new at Target or Wal*Mart and sometimes as refurbs at other stores
Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 - Available new from Amazon, Target and Wal*Mart

There are some online stores selling international/gray-market HDD DVD recorders that have an NTSC tuner, but no ATSC/QAM tuner. This is one example http://www.220depot.com/DVD-Recorders.html but there are other similar stores too.

Other than that, if you must have a TiVo-like guide/functionality, there is TiVo, Moxi, your cable provider's DVRs, or a PC-based solution.

[jacatone]

Actually, I'm looking for a DVR for my living room. Something with a hard drive that I could tape say 30 hours worth of content on and just watch on my big 36 inch Sony CRT. I already have plenty of old VCRs and don't really need a DVD-Recorder.

[yoda313]

Just be aware that most true dvrs require activation to work with menus and program guides. That means a subscription fee to some company. There may be a standalone dvr that can do it without a subscription service but you'd have to do your research.

A tivo is a paperweight without a subscription. It is totally worthless unless they've changed their model since I stopped using their series 2 analog model a few years ago. You can't even do manual recordings once you stop your subscription.

A computer system would be ideal if you have a pc near your tv. Than you can use a capture card to do ota hd recordings to do your recordings. Then you can use free online program guides like titantv to do your recordings. They can even work with analog signals so long as they have an rf tuner connection - There is always a svide/composite analog option as well but that precludes channel changing by the recording device - it would have to be done manually at the source not by the program - or left on the channel you want to record but no channel changing afterwards.

Best to do you research on the types of features you want.

A dvd recorder might be a good idea to look into. If you can still find one with a harddrive you'd be able to record directly to the harddrive without burning discs. Some should offer free or at least manual recording scheduling. Again do your research first so your not left with a piece of equipment that won't work without some subscription fee you don't want.

[usually_quiet]

The Magnavox H2160MW9 has a 160GB HDD which would record over 60 hours worth of programming in its SL quality mode. The Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 has a 320GB HDD which would record twice as many hours of programming. The prices asked are quite reasonable compared to the alternatives.

I am using a PC based solution with TiVo-like features for over-the-air recording and a DVD recorder without a hard drive for cable. Timer-based recording has its drawbacks, but so does using a program guide. You can make mistakes with timers, but program guides can also be wrong every now and then.

If you use a program guide to schedule recordings for the PC or 3rd party DVR unit, then you must provide a connection (Internet or telephone depending on the device) to download a daily schedule. Only your service provider's own DVRs can use their program guide.

Moxi is not subscription based (at least for the basic service), and works much like a TiVo but costs $600. I am not sure if Moxi or another party provides the guide, or if their devices would keep working if Moxi went out of business.

[usually_quiet]

Actually, I'm looking for a DVR for my living room. Something with a hard drive that I could tape say 30 hours worth of content on and just watch on my big 36 inch Sony CRT. I already have plenty of old VCRs and don't really need a DVD-Recorder.

I just noticed what kind of TV you have. A PC-based solution might not be a good choice for that TV.

PC graphics cards provide a good picture using VGA, DVI, or HDMI, but CRT TVs don't have those connections. Some graphics cards provide S-Video output but the picture quality is not as good as most consumer electronics would give you with that connection. It is hard to get a good view of your PC desktop or clear text at 720x480 resolution. As a further complication, many CRT TVs don't have an S-video connection and recent PC graphics card don't provide any other analog connections.

[Edit] As far as I know, there are no DVR options for cable other than the ones already covered. There are only two or three additional DVRs that I am aware of, but those are strictly for recording digital over-the-air channels. They will not tune analog channels or digital cable channels.

I looked at Moxi's FAQs to find out what they give customers to justify the pricetag and found out an external tuner (a Hauppauge 1950 kit) would need to be purchased for an additional $129 to record analog channels. Looks like Moxi would be an even more expensive solution than I thought.