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  1. Member
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    yeah there are Blu-Ray burners for PC, we're hoping for Set Top stand-alone player/recorder,
    Looks as though it will never happen here in North America. What gets me is, manufacturers have pushed "High Definition" on consumers for many years, all the technology to record HDTV is in place, yet there aren't any machines available that will do (at least what I want) on the US market. I want to be able to record, edit & burn to disc for archiving purposes, any content broadcast on my cable line or over-the-air digital HDTV. Oops ! Sorry, can't be done.

    Here's my Wish List :

    A machine similar to Panasonic EH67 in appearance with....
    Digital/analog ATSC/NTSC Dual Tuner
    1.5 TB SATA hard drive
    e-SATA ports for expansion
    Combination Blu-Ray/DVD DL burner with the ability
    to read/write every kind of disc ever invented including DivX
    Multiple HDMI/Component/Composite/VGA/Firewire Inputs & Outputs

    Maybe 10 to 20 years from now ?

  2. The Old One SatStorm's Avatar
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    Officially this happens here too. What differs, is the so called "unofficial firmwares" that bypass all those limitations. Those unofficial firmware / images, are given away by the manufactures, same way it is happening all those years with the region hacks on the DVD Standalone players.

  3. Originally Posted by SatStorm
    I don't understand why to get a standalone recorder, when there are so many alternatives. I mean: Hook HDD / USB Stick, press rec. No quality loss, simple data storeing. How could it be easier?
    You are very fortunate to have this option in your country, it sounds perfect! Unfortunately there are no such alternatives in North America, and they are unlikely in the near future. Each region is ruled by different interpretations of copyright law and each region is influenced (or not) by the corporations that own the content people want to record. As the home of Hollywood Inc., North America is the most locked down region and the most frustrating for those who like to archive their own recordings. A version of your "USB stick" is in the works for us, most likely in the form of a revised SD memory card format backed by Hollywood. Hopefully it will come to fruition and we'll actually get to buy it, we've been fooled before by such empty promises.

  4. Member edDV's Avatar
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    I wish we got unencrypted near free access to French or Italian wines. Wait, we do when the dollar goes strong. It doesn't seem to work with BMW or Mercedes.
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  5. The Old One SatStorm's Avatar
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    AFAIK, you can buy a Dreambox (or other alike recievers), load a couple of CCams & plug-in's and use your NDS card with it.
    You can even use DVB PC cards with phoenix smartmouses easy, but that needs PC.
    The problem is how to buy that equipment there and how informed about those matters are.

    Regarding Copyright Laws, whatever the Big Ones wish to call same things, all those are just modern replacements of VCRs.
    Big Ones try to make us believe that this is not the case here, but people don't bite it.

  6. Member
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    PuzZler I agree. I'm not saying we should eliminate TIVO for those who CHOOSE to shell out unnecessary dough. I just think we ought to be granted the option to take advantage of the technology that we know is already out there but is currently forbidden to us. We ought to have a choice.

  7. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Tivo wouldn't be so bad if it had an integrated "save to DVD" function. Something written in low-brow terms that even a vapid teenage girl would understand.

    But oh no, we have to have complicated jargon in DVD devices.

    And everybody has to fight over who gets 25 cents in the patents per unit.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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  8. Member
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    Originally Posted by nina96
    If a Blu-ray recorder becomes available in the U.S., the problem of the inability to record in high def is solved.

    A blu-ray recorder with 2 tru-way technology would eliminate the need for the stupid box. You could get your all-important Sopranos without need for an stb. .
    At present, cable and FIOS can't provide cable cards that allow true 2-way communications. They are still working on a way to do that. There is nothing like cable cards available for satellite subscribers that allows third-party recording devices to function within their system.

    At the moment, support for cable cards is poor. The only consumer electronics I have seen that allow cable card installation are very high-end TVs, $800 MOXI HD DVRs (no subscription needed) and newer TiVos (subscription required).

    Originally Posted by nina96
    You could get your all-important Sopranos without need for an stb..
    You could watch them, but possibly still not record them. Some premium TV content, including HBO is copy protected now.

    Originally Posted by nina96
    The abilty to both play and record in one machine. A Blu-ray recorder can also play both Blu-ray and dvd discs.
    Many people don't need to worry about the extra space or extra cables needed for a DVD/BD player, and there is a reason to have a dedicated player. A decent DVD player can be had for $30 to $60. If it breaks, no big deal.. On the other hand, the DVD burner on a HDD DVD is expensive to replace. The same would most likely be true for a Blu-Ray HDD recorder.

    Originally Posted by nina96
    And the machine is yours, no rental, no subscription. I repeat, TIVO sucks, and is totally unnecessary. Americans are allowing themselves to be duped and ought to be demanding that the technology that exists should be made available in the U.S. Instead they choose to pay more and get less and waste space.
    Why do people buy luxury cars when they might buy a less expensive automobile? Status and comfort, that’s why. A TiVo is like a luxury car. Of course they are unnecessary, but actual need is not the point of buying one.

    Let’s talk cableco/satco DVR, the choice of the masses for time shifting TV: The cost of renting them is often reasonable. Last year, an inexpensive HDD DVD recorder cost $250 to $300, and that is a lower price than the more fully-featured models sold a few years ago. A SD cableco DVR would cost me $11/month. That's about 2 years to break even. Will the HDD DVD recorder last longer than that? Often they don't.

    If you want to discuss BD HDD recorders, if they existed here I don’t think one could be purchased for less than $1000 and have the features you want. Even at $20/month for a cableco HD DVR, it would take over 4 years to break even.

    The people who chose differently than you or I would did are not overwhelmingly stupid, nor were they necessarily duped. They have reasons for what they did. They want to time-shift conveniently, period, They are not interested in archiving, editing, or transferring VHS tapes to DVD, so it does not matter whether or not the device they have can do those things.

  9. Member
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    The choice for everyone is not there though. The options are not being made available and TIVO dupes people by letting people think they can't do anything about it. Most people using TIVO that I have spoken to DO prefer more options in one machine, but are not even aware they could have a choice if they just petitioned for it. They just go with what's out there because they don't realize we could do better. TIVO lets them believe they don't need anything else. Their customers buy into it. And gee, it must be nice having all this extra space for unnecessary equipment, and the money in this economy to afford premium channels, and the luxury of TIVO.

    Tru 2 way is coming along. Consumers have to be made aware of it and start to ask for it, then it can become widespread and prices will drop. Same with Blu-ray. FIOS is new. Cablecard-like devices CAN be developed for fiber-optic and satellite technologies if we start clamoring for it. Obviously with no competition, TIVO dominates. It is not serving all of the public.

    I've had great luck with Panasonic products. 20 years, same vcr, no repairs. My hdd dvd recorder is the best, easiest, most efficient machine I ever bought. If it was Blu-ray, and had tru two-way technology, I'd have what I want in a single machine and likely wouldn't be needing another machine for years to come. The initial investment is worth it. As it is now, my machine cannot record DIGITAL channels to my hard drive. I can't get over how many people are willing to accept having separate dvrs and players when they don't need to. They ought to be screaming for the technology to come to the U.S. The bugs can't be worked out here if we never get any access to it at all. We deserve to have all the options.

  10. Member lacywest's Avatar
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    My 2 cents ... I am converting all my PCs ... 6 of them ... with HDTV Tuner cards ... I do like recording my TV shows ... quite a few of them come on at same time and my Wife and I ... we have to juggle to record them all.

    We had Directv turned off for a few months ... but we turned it back on ... they were bugging us to pay the bill with a collection agency. Directv raised the rates a few months ago ... so when we turned it back on ... we changed the package ... we cancelled HBO and Showtime.

    We get all the network broadcasts in this area ... thanks to a decent antenna mounted on my chimney. And with Divx Author 1.5 ... I have no problems converting DVR-MS to divx videos.

  11. Member lacywest's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by nina96
    I've had great luck with Panasonic products. 20 years, same vcr, no repairs. My hdd dvd recorder is the best, easiest, most efficient machine I ever bought. If it was Blu-ray, and had tru two-way technology, I'd have what I want in a single machine and likely wouldn't be needing another machine for years to come. The initial investment is worth it. As it is now, my machine cannot record DIGITAL channels to my hard drive. I can't get over how many people are willing to accept having separate dvrs and players when they don't need to. They ought to be screaming for the technology to come to the U.S. The bugs can't be worked out here if we never get any access to it at all. We deserve to have all the options.
    I've been using the Panasonic EH50 for awhile now ... I have 3 of them and use them to record the programing from Directv's HD HR10-250 ... I will miss the ability of it recording from analog transmissions but it will stay on the shelf next the Directv HR10-250 ... continuing to record the stuff to DVDs that we dont want to delete.

  12. Member
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    What's extra money? I can remember when a VCR seemed like a luxury item. When I bought my own Panasonic DVD recorder four years ago, the $400-and-up HDD DVD recorders I saw seemed like an unnecessary and extravagant purchase to me. I bought a $200 non-HDD DVD recorder. Yes, I still have it and it still works, but I put money into it for repairs after 15 months, and I need to take it apart to clean the spindle every few months so it will continue recording. Most people would have junked it after it broke. The lifespan of HDD DVD recorders is impossible to predict on an individual basis, but they generally don't last as long as TVs or VCRs. I'm sure many have already discarded their HDD DVD recorders from 2005 too.

    There's no way I could afford any third-party recorder with some form of cableCARD support. There's a reason why it is only available on high-end electronics. I'm not in favor of pushing for it on recorders. Plus, my provider charges for installation and only provides one free of charge. The others cost $2.00/month each.

  13. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by nina96
    FIOS is new.
    Actually, I think Verizon FIOS service began rolling out in '03 or '04. I hear very good reports on it. Unfortunately, it seems to have very limited service areas thus far. There seem to be many large, well-populated counties here where it is not available (yet) at all. I'm very reluctant to give any cable Co. my business the next time around, and would give DISH a try instead, if FIOS remains unavailable.

    Originally Posted by nina96
    As it is now, my machine cannot record DIGITAL channels to my hard drive.
    I don't see why that would be. I've been recording a great variety of digital (incl. Hi-Def) channels from TWC on my Pioneer DVDRs for years. This only records them in SD (Standard Def.), but for archiving purposes that will have to suffice for now. It's a lot better than nothing.
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  14. Member
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    I'm not suggesting that all hdd recorder/players REQUIRE cablecards or any other such devices in all machines. I'm saying we should be offered more options to choose from in the U.S. Everytime I enquire, they cite the American dependence on TIVO as the culprit. That and the cost. But if they had offered the same options for the U.S at the same time they did in Japan, prices would have dropped considerably by now. The word of space-saving and convenience has to be spread. No one can extoll the advantages of something no one has direct access to. They always start out placing new options in the high-end stuff. As consumers start testing them out, the bugs get worked out, changes are made, and we then start seeing it more and more in lower-end products that the average person can afford. Once the competition starts, prices go down. My Panasonic hdd recorder has no digital tuner so it can't record digital channels. I've never minded that because I had only analog. But the switch-over leaves my current machine useless as a recorder. I can now use it only as a player. I've only had it since 2005 and I paid $200 (gotta find the right deal). Not a huge price for a multi-action machine I've never cleaned or had to have repaired. It has years of life left in it but I can't use it to it's full advantage now. If cable tv still offers analog service, I suppose I can subscribe and still record analog, but how long will it be before they phase out analog? I'll need a box and where will I put it? I don't have room for both a dvr and a separate player. And even basic cable is expensive. Panasonic has recorders with digital tuners but none with a hard drive. The least they could do is offer a recorder/player with hard drive.

  15. Member
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    nina96
    you can actually buy a Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder here in the US, except it's made
    for use overseas use, but will work with the common Video/Audio inputs. A friend of
    mine wanted to replace his defective Panasonic E80H, so he bought a DMR-EH67.
    Only problem is, it has a PAL tuner instead of NTSC, but attached to any source such
    as a cable box or satellite receiver with Composite Video outputs, will record Standard
    Def digital television just fine, as will your 2005 model Panasonic.

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/511644-REG/Panasonic_DMR_EH67_DMR_EH67_Multi_Sys..._Recorder.html

    I have several HDD/DVD recorders with analog tuners, since I subscribe to digital
    cable, I receive both digital and analog cable signals straight from the wall outlet
    without the need for a cable box, in addition to the programming I actually pay for.
    The bonus here is that, Broadcast HDTV signals are also re-transmitted over the line,
    so I can record stations like CBS, NBC & FOX HD downconverted to 480i.

    You do have options such as buying an inexpensive DTV converter box, many of them
    will work with an indoor antenna depending on where you live. You can also buy something
    like a used LG LST-3510A HD tuner on EBay, which will tune either digital cable or over the
    air digital broadcast signals. I have one for about 3 years now, it works very well pulling in
    free QAM digital cable and OTA digital broadcasts.

  16. Member
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    Japan uses a different OTA digital system than N. America. We can't benefit by being similar to them anymore as we did when both countries used NTSC analog.

    If you are an antenna user, there are coupon-eleigible converter boxes that could extend the life of your current recorder. There is one model of converter box with timers that will work quite well. The Zinwell ZAT-970A or the newer ZAT-950A. If your machine included a G-link cable to change channels and control STBs, there are other digital converter boxes that will work with it. One is the Channel Master CM-7000. If it uses analog TVGOS, the DTVPal Plus can provide it, as well as tune the channels IF your local CBS station is transmitting the digital TVGOS and keeps correct time. These devices are small, book-sized mostly. If you can't find a place for one of them heaven help you.

    With a few exceptions, cable companies are more or less required to provide local primary sub-channels in analog until February 2012, but the major players are already beginning the process moving their extended basic analog customers to a similar digital tier.

  17. They don't have Cablecard-type devices in Japan or anywhere else, it would be strictly a USA-specific feature, and they've learned the hard way that USA-specific features do not sell. Nobody here is clamoring for Cablecard-compatible TVs, even though they're available. And the horrifically bungled ATSC-QAM transition has completely discouraged them from bothering further with cable features: they know the American cable monopolies do whatever the hell they want in blatant defiance of FCC regulations or consumer desires. The transition to the toothless, easily negated QAM standard has given mfrs final proof the USA recorder market is a complete waste of their time and that we are locked to renting proprietary hardware from the cable vendors. As far as the digital tuner for OTA, do what everyone else here is doing for our legacy DVD/HDD recorders: use your government coupon to buy a couple of ATSC converter boxes for $20 each and plug one or both into your Panasonic. These actually work WAY the hell better than the complete crap ATSC tuners built into 90% of the newer DVD recorders. In other words, if they DID market Panasonic DVD/HDD recorders with ATSC, everyone here would be bitching to the skies about how they don't work right. You're actually better off using your old analog version with an adapter (have you read the complaint threads all over the net regarding the new ATSC dvd recorders? None of their tuner/timers work! And the ATSC Panasonics just freeze up solid, even worse!).

    What you say about trickle-down evolution and pricing of high-end electronics is usually true, but it didn't happen with DVD/HDD recorders. This pattern only occurs when sales increase year after year and economies of scale kick in. DVD/HDD recorders did not increase their sales, instead they stalled on USA launch in 2003 and sales regressed every year until the mfrs said "screw this" and dropped the USA in 2007. Europe, Asia and Australia still have a wide selection of DVD/HDD recorders because cable is not a factor at all, nearly everyone gets their signal OTA, and those countries/regions moved quickly to settle on a DTV standard and implemented it intelligently. We've been screwing around developing an incompatible, asinine DTV standard since the Clinton presidency, botched its launch, botched forcing it down mfrs throats prematurely, botched ensuring cable would play along, and wasted the entire opportunity. We voluntarily allow cable monopolies to choke us to death with no hardware access. This makes the very concept of an independent recorder untenable, never mind unsellable. We all agree with you that we'd buy an updated DVD/HDD recorder. But we're a drop in the bucket, we don't even register on mfr radar. They need a mass market regularly buying these at a price commensurate with their cost to make. That didn't happen in 2003. It got worse in 2005. Today its a sick joke. They cannot offer us something if 99.7% of consumers have no interest in buying it. The fact that you (or I) want one so desperately is not enough to change the status quo.

  18. Member
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    If I don't have space for a cable box/dvr, I don't have space for a converter box. I didn't have room for both a vcr and a dvd recorder so I only use the dvd recorder and gave my 20 year old vcr to a family member who now uses the still working machine. I have room for a tv and the recorder/player. The cable company in my area says if I subscribe to basic, I don't need a box (basic is still expensive), but they say if I want digital cable, I need a box. I don't want the box.
    I hear you. They're not gonna bother bringing to the U.S. what they believe won't sell. I just think that they could sell if we were not locked in to our current system, and I believe we are locked in because Americans have been duped into thinking there's no other way and that bugs can't be worked out.

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    There is no room for even a H: 1.3” x W: 5.9” x D: 4.2” converter box like the DTVPal Plus, which will still work standing upright on one end like a book? It includes event timers too, by the way. I use an earlier version of the same product.

    The only major difficulty is the internal clock. The entire DISH DTVPal product line lacks one. They all depend on the time sent in the DTV signal. If that is wrong, then scheduled events will not begin or end at the right time. Some TV stations are not maintaining accurate time in their signal, although that is a violation of FCC regulations, but hopefully that situation will improve.

    I can give you one other solution. It doesn't seem like you archive TV shows to DVD. If recording over-the-air TV is more important to you than watching DVDs, there's the non-subscription based DVR, costing $250 at the moment. It 's the DTVPal DVR. Here is a description at http://www.digitalstar.com/product/DTVPal-DVR.aspx It is the only OTA HD DVR option available in N.America other than TiVo. It won't work exacly the same as your Panasonic, but neither would a new HDD DVD recorder.

    It is only for use with an antenna. It has a program guide, VCR-like timers and records in HD, but there is no DVD drive. It's relatively new, and they are still working out some bugs via firmware updates, but the worst ones appear to be fixed. A new DTVPal DVR should have the latest firmware, but if at some point in the future a firmware update is needed, it can be downloaded to a computer, copied on a USB stick and installed.

    The DTVPal DVR is smaller than the HDD DVD recorder you already have, so a compact DVD player might fit next to it. If not, the TV you have will someday fail and you will need to replace it. At that point, get a TV with an integrated DVD player, or the ability to play whatever distribution format movies use at that point.

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    Every idea is worth a try. I will find a solution eventually. I just don't want to give up on having all the options available to us.

  21. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by usually_quiet
    The only major difficulty is the internal clock. The entire DISH DTVPal product line lacks one. They all depend on the time sent in the DTV signal. If that is wrong, then scheduled events will not begin or end at the right time. Some TV stations are not maintaining accurate time in their signal, although that is a violation of FCC regulations, but hopefully that situation will improve.

    I can give you one other solution. It doesn't seem like you archive TV shows to DVD. If recording over-the-air TV is more important to you than watching DVDs, there's the non-subscription based DVR, costing $250 at the moment. It 's the DTVPal DVR. Here is a description at http://www.digitalstar.com/product/DTVPal-DVR.aspx It is the only OTA HD DVR option available in N.America other than TiVo. It won't work exacly the same as your Panasonic, but neither would a new HDD DVD recorder.
    Since you seem to be a past or present customer of theirs, can you tell me if having DISH locks you in to using only their gear, other than their tuner box ? For example, a rep from Verizon told me that their FIOS gear does not support S-Video, which would be needed for best results with older standalone gear like my Pioneer DVDRs. (It looks like this will be moot, since FIOS is not available in the locations that will be of interest to me.) Tivo or other outside hardware may or may not interface with what you happen to have either. This stuff needs to be researched before you jump to some other service provider, even if you don't have the space constraints nina96 is having to deal with. But I would go pretty far out of my way to ditch TWC. The only good thing I have to say about them is that the (Motorola) boxes of theirs that I have support every type of connection, and have more than one set of the connections I need most.
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    Originally Posted by Seeker47
    Since you seem to be a past or present customer of theirs, can you tell me if having DISH locks you in to using only their gear, other than their tuner box ? For example, a rep from Verizon told me that their FIOS gear does not support S-Video, which would be needed for best results with older standalone gear like my Pioneer DVDRs. (It looks like this will be moot, since FIOS is not available in the locations that will be of interest to me.) Tivo or other outside hardware may or may not interface with what you happen to have either. This stuff needs to be researched before you jump to some other service provider, even if you don't have the space constraints nina96 is having to deal with. But I would go pretty far out of my way to ditch TWC. The only good thing I have to say about them is that the (Motorola) boxes of theirs that I have support every type of connection, and have more than one set of the connections I need most.
    Sorry, I can't tell you anything about their satellite service, satellite receivers or satellite DVRs. I have never had satellite service from them or anyone else for that matter. You'll have to look for information at their website.

    I only have the DTVPal converter boxes at present, which have composite-out and coax-out only. I researched the DTVPal DVR as a possible recording solution in the event that my parents decide to dump cable and become antenna-only viewers again. The DTVPal DVR has coax out, composite out, component out and HDMI out. There's no S-Video out, which I would miss as well, but then its not for me.

  23. You can't get a DVD recorder with HDD as TIVO sued the manufacturers for using their patented PVR technology and won over 200 million dollars, see link:

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/06042009/business/tivo_wins_echostar_lawsuit_172435.htm

    Anyway, back to the topic. You can still get a DVD recorder with a hard drive. But you have to buy a imported model, one of those region free dvd players/recorders. I did extensive research as we needed 12pcs for the US base in Annapolis, Maryland. We ended up buying 12 of the Panasonic DMR-EH67 from world-import.com.

    Here is the link of the model we bought: http://www.world-import.com/dvr-550h.htm

    When I bought them last month I had a hard time finding them as most manufacturers stoped production of this type of recorder. Good Luck
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    Good info! Exactly what I've been saying. TIVO is monopolizing this area, lining their pockets while limiting our choices.

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    Originally Posted by nina96
    Good info! Exactly what I've been saying. TIVO is monopolizing this area, lining their pockets while limiting our choices.
    Did you actually read that article? I also used Google to find out more information. The suit began in 2003 or early 2004. As far as I could determine TiVo has only sued DISH Network and their subsidiary EchoStar because their sattelite DVRs infringed on patents held byTiVo. They did not sue Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, or any other company that made HDD DVD recorders for the US market. If any HDD DVD recorder manufacturers used TiVo's patents in their products, they must have paid for the right to do so.

    The difficulty is that TiVo out-competes them at the price point needed to make a reasonable profit on a third-party recording device with an HDD.

    If you truly want an HDD DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner, Walmart's website has Magnavox 160GB models back in stock, though for how long I cant say. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10104532

    Further complaining here does nothing to change the situation.

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    Oh I think the squeaky wheel often gets the grease. Yeah I read the article and I'm fully aware of the details. Since it was indeed an old article I too obviously had to seek more info. I thought that was a given. TIVO was within their legal rights. Their actions still contribute to the "we NEED to rent a box" indoctrination. With no other options no one seeks out other plans. They get get comfortable where they are and accept status quo. Mostly applies to satellite which I would never use anyway, but I'm trying to avoid being forced to use an additional box altogether, STB, DVR, converter box etc. I do know that a blu-ray hdd recorder from panasonic is not a forbidden impossibility, which is why I will still voice my opinion and fight for more choices. TIVO is still ruining my chance for multiple options.

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    So let me get this straight, instead of making use of what may be your final opportunity to obtain the very last HDD DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner that is likely to be made, you have decided to "fight" for a device that doesn't yet exist, may never exist, and would always be too expensive for you to purchase if it did exist?

    Buying a HDD DVD recorder or the DISH DTVPal DVR (which is strictly for recording over-the-air TV and has nothing to do with DISH satellite service), would be more constructive than more complaints here. You would be supporting manufacturers who make products for this US market, and demonstrating that a demand for these product categories exists. Nothing speaks more persuasively than money.

  28. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Is this not a free forum to express our opinions, put info out there? I've gotten many good suggestions, including the Walmart Magnavox, which is definitely a very good temporary fix. I appreciate that info very much. I don't care to support Walmart and its shoddy business practices so I'll search for it elsewhere, and have had bad luck with Magnavox, but I appreciate all the ideas out there. The machine I want does exist, just not in the U.S. at this time. I have no reason to believe it can't or won't be available in the future. And certainly it will not be unaffordable forever. If enough people were to makes their wishes known to Panasonic, they very well may be persuaded. Right now I think the economy is playing a part in this too. When you voice complaints, you get help from others who have similar issues and thought they were the only ones. They realize they're not alone, and it generates discussions that lead to very helpful solutions.

  29. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by nina96
    Is this not a free forum to express our opinions, put info out there? I've gotten many good suggestions, including the Walmart Magnavox, which is definitely a very good temporary fix. I appreciate that info very much. I don't care to support Walmart and its shoddy business practices so I'll search for it elsewhere, and have had bad luck with Magnavox, but I appreciate all the ideas out there. The machine I want does exist, just not in the U.S. at this time. I have no reason to believe it can't or won't be available in the future. And certainly it will not be unaffordable forever. If enough people were to makes their wishes known to Panasonic, they very well may be persuaded. Right now I think the economy is playing a part in this too. When you voice complaints, you get help from others who have similar issues and thought they were the only ones. They realize they're not alone, and it generates discussions that lead to very helpful solutions.
    That machine is sold only at WalMart. It is actually made by Funai under Magnavox's label, and I have a vague memory that it was an item manufactured exclusively for WalMart. So congratulations, you have succeeded in finding a reason why each and every solution provided to you is unworkable.

    The only other HDD DVD recorders with ATSC tuners made in the last two years were from Philips, but they are currently being sold on eBay at two or three times their original price, and were likely bought at WalMart. Only a couple of other vendors ever carried them. Philips will exit the consumer electronics business at the end of the year, so those were the very last HDD DVD recorders that will come from them.

  30. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Then Walmart it will have to be for now. I won't give up on my dreams and I have every right to fight for more options. I'd never buy such items on Ebay anyway though, too risky. I remember the Phillips, and I did seriously consider them, but then I heard from a Panasonic rep that they were edging towards bringing them to the U.S.(they estimated by 2009 at the time I called) , so I held out thinking surely they'll introduce them by the time the digital switchover took place. When that did not occur I contacted Panasonic again. This time they said they have no CURRENT plans for U.S. release, meaning the option is still open, but not in the immediate future. It was thoroughly disappointed, as Panasonic is the only brand of vcrs and dvd players/recorders that have remained trouble-free for me personally, but I am undeterred. Clearly the door has not closed on the idea, and in the meantime, you are correct, I along with others can indeed demonstrate a desire such products by purchasing items like the Magnavox (though I still shudder at giving business to Walmart). But I had not known about this particular recorder until it was mentioned here. Never came up in my searches. Proves my point about the squeaky wheel. Regular people heard my complaints and offered me multiple solutions. So I thank you very much and everyone else in this forum and others.




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