Want an HDMI timer recording device for Time Warner Cable

[tthomasjr]

I have basic Time Warner Cable with a basic box. TWC wants to charge me $30 a month extra for a dvr. I only want to record one show weekly and I am looking for a device that I can attach to my HDMI output of my TWC box and digitally record a show at a set time. So far the only option that appears to work is EzRecorder 310 by AverMedia but it has no storage capacity, all external and is well over $100. I am also learning that I may need to by an HDMI splitter??? to decode the HDMI or it will remain scrambled which is confusing to me because its the same signal that goes to the TV out of the TWC box and it handles it. Just looking for a little guidance to a cheap little device to record from a basic cable box on a weekly basis. Thanks in advance.

[netmask56]

You will need a splitter like this https://beyonwiz.com.au/products/hdmi-splitter/ I'm sure there would be local USA versions available?

[usually_quiet]

I have basic Time Warner Cable with a basic box. TWC wants to charge me $30 a month extra for a dvr. I only want to record one show weekly and I am looking for a device that I can attach to my HDMI output of my TWC box and digitally record a show at a set time. So far the only option that appears to work is EzRecorder 310 by AverMedia but it has no storage capacity, all external and is well over $100. I am also learning that I may need to by an HDMI splitter??? to decode the HDMI or it will remain scrambled which is confusing to me because its the same signal that goes to the TV out of the TWC box and it handles it. Just looking for a little guidance to a cheap little device to record from a basic cable box on a weekly basis. Thanks in advance.

There are two HDML Cloner products, the HDML-Cloner Box Pro and the HDML-Cloner Box Evolve, with timers. Like the EzRecorder 310, both the HDML Cloner products lack internal storage, but sometimes the HDML Cloner products are bundled with a flash drive. Both the HDML Cloner products cost over $100.

According to some reviews on Amazon, the HDML-Cloner Box Pro and the HDML-Cloner Box Evolve ignore HDCP, so in theory you don't need a splitter.

...but HDML Cloner products have some disadvantages compared to the EZRecorder 310. Like all HDML Cloner products, they deinterlace interlaced video, but they record 1080i as 1080p30 rather than 1080p60, which means that they discard half the frames and recordings will be less smooth for some types of programming, so you should plan on setting your cable box to output 720p60 if you decide to buy one. Also, they can't auto power-on your STB and change the channel for recording like the EZRecorder 310, which is problematic because many STBs shut themselves off after a period of time.

[orsetto]

So far the only option that appears to work is EzRecorder 310 by AverMedia but it has no storage capacity, all external and is well over $100. [...] Just looking for a little guidance to a cheap little device to record from a basic cable box on a weekly basis.

The first thing you need to get clear on: the days of $100 recorders died with the VHS VCR and "boxless" analog cable. There haven't been any "cheap" recorders worth a damn since digital cable took over, and if you want full HDMI recording quality you must pony up for the AverMedia 310 + USB HDD + a splitter. Everything else is either dysfunctional garbage, as usually_quiet told you, or you go straight to a TiVO and don't look back. No mfr cares that you only want to record one show a week: that fact doesn't change the cost of making a recorder. There are no bargains to be had if your TV source is cable. None.

To be blunt: if you are stuck on not wanting to spend $$$ upfront or have a fixation about "not paying monthly fees", you need to give up cable service entirely and settle for what your antenna can pick up. You CAN just about squeak by under $100 total for a Homeworx off-air tuner-recorder plus external 500GB USB hard drive. It won't be very reliable, but its workable and provides full HDTV recording quality without needing a splitter accessory.

But cable recording? Forget it. The battle of consumers vs cable companies ended about six years ago, and consumers lost all recording options. You either pay out the ass for a TiVO with lump-sum lifetime upfront subscription, pay the normal $200 down and $20/mo TiVO service fees, pay TWC (ne Spectrum) monthly for their own DVR, screw around with the AverMedia 310 or a PC recording setup, or rethink your entertainment options altogether.

I am also learning that I may need to by an HDMI splitter??? to decode the HDMI or it will remain scrambled which is confusing to me because its the same signal that goes to the TV out of the TWC box and it handles it. Just looking for a little guidance to a cheap little device to record from a basic cable box on a weekly basis.

HDMI was specifically designed to prevent recording: that was more than half the motivation behind its invention (for damn sure it wasn't about convenient single-plug connections: thats just the bait they used to sell consumers on the idea). Your TV can "see" the HDMI signal because your cable box tolerates it as a display device. But your cable box does NOT tolerate a recording device like the AverMedia being connected, unless you add a splitter known to create a bridge between the two. The technical reasons why are unimportant: you'll need the splitter, period.

TiVO gets around all this by blackmailing the cable companies into granting them full access to their decoder technology. TiVO doesn't record from HDMI: it replaces your decoder box completely, tuning the channels directly off the cable wire like in the old days. It can do this because it has a slot inside where your cable company installs the same decoder module they stick in all their own boxes and PVRs. No other recorder mfr has enough clout to scare the cable monopolies into cooperating this way, so TiVO has no competition and a lock on the luxury recorder market. One way or another, most people get stuck paying a monthly fee for their cable PVR. Since TiVO's interface is staggeringly better than TWCs, and the monthly cost is comparable, it remains a popular alternative. The AverMedia 310 would be more economical long-term if you can't imagine recording more than one show per week. TiVO only makes sense for heavy users who can justify the cost vs convenience.

[usually_quiet]

Other than a TiVo, currently the only other fully-functional CableCARD solution for recording all the same channels is a SiliconDust HDHomerun Prime plus Windows 7's Media Center on a PC. (I'm using that now, after first trying an HDMI capture device with a PC.)

For the last 2 years SiliconDust has been working on their own viewing and recording apps which don't necessarily require a PC, but their solution probably won't be fully functional for several months.