Record over the air shows

This is a very complex subject and is critically dependent on what you are trying to accomplish. The devil is in the details. How are you getting these TV shows to record? Antenna? Cable? DirectTV? Do you want to record more than one at the same time? How are you gonna play 'em back? Can you just play 'till it's done, or do you want fast forward, pause, setup record times, and other control functions? How do you expect to access these functions? computer? phone? Directly on the device? Are you gonna keep 'em forever or just time shift and delete? Do you need to share them? Free HDMI port on what? Can you dedicate a computer to this functionality? Where are you located (country)?...and that's just to start. Like I said, a very complex issue...

I have a Tivo that does it all for you and also streams the common online sources but it won't let you record streams. I have a 1 TB drive in there and it would take a real long time to fill that up. You can also download the Tivo shows to a PC and burn DVDs from there.

You mean an HDMI port on the TV. I really wish TV's had output ports but other than sound, so far I haven't found any.

Check, and if I'm wrong and it's an output port, please let me know the make and model.

Bob's idea is probably better. There are old desktop computer for $40 at hamfests and probably on craigslist or yard sales that will run this software fine, right Bob?

Even computer repair shops will have loads of boxes but will probalby want 50 or even 60. Although as the number of old computers continues to grow, maybe the price there is lower too.

My TV is a Westinghouse DWM42F2G1.

The manual says the HDMI connection allows transfer of all audio/video control signals through the one cable only. These signals are transferred in digital.

Andy

No need for undue complexity.

I simply want to record like was used when we had VCRs.

I have no cable, just an antenna.

Free HDMI port is on TV.

I have no need to record to a computer.

Andy

I've had Tivos since they first came out and I love it. It was a very smart DVR when others were still dumb. It downloads the schedule and you can just get a seasons pass to a series, it will then record them all, even if the one next week is two hours instead of one, or it's in a special time slot. You can also put in keywords and it will record shows that match those or an actors name and it will record all shows with that actor in them. I suspect many DVRs have those features now, especially the ones from the cable companies, but I've never seen one as easy to use as Tivo.

The downside is they aren't cheap and you have to pay for the TV schedule service, either monthly of with a lifetime purchase if you're going to use it for more than a dumb recorder that just goes by time and channel. It also requires an internet connection. He could look on Ebay for used ones with a lifetime subscription. In any case, I'd just get a DVR, not try to integrate one out of a PC.

The HDMI is an input to the TV. The DVR needs it's own input and tuner.

to the OP

I would buy a cheap ATSC digital converter box.

These were made to connect to an antenna and output standard ANALOG video that you can connect to an older TV and or a VCR or other video recorder using the old type YELLOW RCA connector.

The only down side to this is the video will be standard def, not high def.

But you can watch it on any new or old TV.

mark

I understand and did so when I posted.

Me too.

Trader says it's an input port. For a varietyi of times when you can import something to be displayed on the TV. For example, my DVDR has an output HDMI port, that I could connect to the port on your tv. Or if you have a Tivo or something else that you want to input.

HDMI is, or was 10 years ago, the latest thing, one cable for sound and picture. I don't know

That was meant to save you money and possibly bring greater versatility. If you have a spare computer, the software is free, iirc, so the only thing you have to buy is something for remote control .IIUC. Or you can skip that and the whole thing is free, and probalby has more options than most VCRs.

You can look on the web and find other "Record OTA, or off the air" devices. There is one online vendor I used to deal with that had 2 or 3 modlels but I can't remember the name. It was big on antennas-- I bought a couple amplified antennas from them, had an alliterative name, I even had a whole mailbox of advertising they sent me, but I seem to have deleted it. Solidsignal.com, that's it. (and the mailbox is there, namedd solid, but it shows no unread emails, when I thought almost all of them were unread. I was only looking at the names of the ones with unread email.)

But the thing you have from Walmart doesn't seem bad. You know yyou have to buy a separate external harddrive, but that in a way is a good thing, because my harddrive is internal, and when it fails it will be a challenge to initialize a new one. (I used to have instructions and maybe still do, and they might well be online at an avs forum, where I saw them in the first place) So it's better if they're external and you can just buy another. It's the mechanical parts of thigns that fail.

But I've been doing well, timed recording and watching about 18 hours of tv a week, every week for 11 years.

It's not surprising that it's Walmart selling this. You and I are spending like poor people, and that's walmart's market. So 11 years ago when I bought my DVDR, they were about the only place selling it. I think it's by Philips, and it has a DVD reader adn writer, but it's much easier to record to the harddrive, and I can play back a prior recording while making a new one. (Although 4 tuners is just about ridiculous. I haven't seen two good programs on at once, let alone 4. Still, once an IC is designed, it costs only a few cents to make each one.)

Mine has no digital tuner so I have to use a converter box, and there are several little flaws that could have been corrected in a firmware update, but none was ever written.

I know mine will break eventually, so it's good that this thing by Tablo is out there. It appears not to have buttons on the case and I hate that, but what can I do. The ones at solidsignal were adequate also. (I just found out that the supermarket 3 minutes from me is closing, probalby because Walmart sells food. I hate walmart food. I could decide to go to the grocery at 11:20 PM and be back by 11:35.

BTW, googling your model I found recondiitioned for 180 or 150 orsomething.

I have 3 spare remotes that I bought over the years, one for the kitchen, one for my office, and one for the bathroom. If I have to change DVRs, I'll have to start over on that. And I use Powermid so I can control the central DVDR from any of those rooms, and the basement. I have some spare powermids for when they break (and they do break).

I also have an amplified antenna so I can get DC stations here in Baltimore. This probably wonn't apply to you becuse there aren't that many examples of two cities so close to each other, yet far enough away that the regular antenna doesn't work.

Then the signal for baltimore was too strong so I had to buy an attenuators (a little thing with one input, one output and a knob, only

on what device? TV? It's unlikely for a TV to have an HDMI output, despite the fact that one could be useful at times (corporate paranoia?).

They always seem to do that. Just show a picture of the front, which doesn't help much if at all. What you really need is a picture of the BACK, showing the inputs and outputs.

There's a link to what's called a manual, but it's looks like just a sales brochure. However, there is a low-quality picture of the back. There's just a few connections:

power ethernet RF (antenna, the ONLY input)

The blurry picture shows one other thing, probably either a blue LED or a reset button.

No outputs, maybe you're supposed to steam to some other device. I'm not sure, but a smartphone may be required to use this device.

What device are you wanting to record from?

Apparently, it has no internal storage. You connect a USB drive. There has to be a limit to the capacity, but they don't say.

Having the DVD would be useful. I've seen such things, although I don't know if any are still available.

How come they don't sell these at every Goodwill and Sal Army? When digital started, they gave away $40 coupons and millions of people bought these things, and by now most of them must have digital tvs. So what happened to all the converter boxes.

There are some on ebay but the one time, two years ago, I looked at goodwill there was at most one and it had no remote. Even though vcr's there did have remotes.

I am impressed, in that it does most of what the 300 dollar thing does and it's only $30. Also requires external HDD but like I say, that's a good thing. They make very litte ones now, that fit in one's shirt pocket and hold lots of ttuff. They also make USB devices that will hold an SD card, though the one that I saw only works with 64GB, no more. AT 1 meg a minute (not HD) that's 1000 hours. I guess that's plenty.

Can SD cards do many times writing and rewriting? At one time and maybe still flash drives could only rewrite a few? times, and what is an SD card but a flash drive run over by a steam roller.

They have SD cards that go up to 256GB for only $40!!!! maybe for the phone if I ever fill the 64GB.

I still want multiple remotes, so that when I come in, I won't have to go upstairs for the remote so I can use it in the kitchen during dinner. There is a guy on ebay who sells remotes for almost everything,. He uses programmable remotes, and he programs them. I wonder if he has this one. Does he have to have an actual remote to copy, or do they send out written codes or some other method for people like him????? (especailly since he's the only one I know of.)

That's no downside to me. None of my tvs are high def. Most are only

I forgot to note that the ratings for this are not very high, but I'll read the low ratings and decide if the poster's objection would relate to me, and sometimes they are just ridiculous. Of course sometimes they sound important.

The first one star review names a competitor, iView-3200STB One of the best reasons to read reviews. It's ratings are even lower, and I see the guy who mentioned it didn't like it either!

Search for that in Amazon and other competitors show up. Sunyo might make sense in Korean?, but in English it looks like they're just plagiarizing the Sanyo name.

BTW, malkober, do you have this thing (how long?) and do you like it?

The seocond one-star review makes it sound very bad too. I wonder how some people give something one star because of real shortcomings, and others give it 5 stars. There's a topic for a phd thesis.

I agree. I have a stack of "TV" cards and the software and they are all clunky. These days the TV cards have DRM hardware in them that limits what you can record anyway. The Tivo I have (Roamio OTA) came with lifetime for about $300. I paid that much in 1999 for a Replay with monthly service. I still liked the Replay better. Commercial skip was automatic, among other things. The recording interface was as good or better than Tivo or Dish. The Dish DVR did seem to have most of the features I got in the Tivo as far as the guide, recordings etc are concerned and Dish has a feature I wish Tivo could figure out. The TV popped up caller ID on incoming calls and logged them all.

I have a DVD burner with a ATSC tuner but you are still dealing with little bits of plastic and the inputs other than the tuner are low def. It outputs in Component Video tho. (HD)

That's how Amazon got rich, giving more info about the product and more pictures than anyone else, afaik. Gearbest actually gave more info about related phone models, but that's an exception.

So since I just praised Amazon, I looked for Tablo-4-Tuner on Amazon and it's there with, so far it looks like, more pictures and more info.

Since we know the Amazon people didn't go tot he factory and take pictures, it means the maker or distributor sent out the picturs but other vendors don't bother to use them all. Don't they learn anything from Amazon?

Sure enough, Amazon gives a good picture of the same backside. it's a reset button.

It also has a video cartoon that suggests other very goood features, that I didn't gleran from the first ad at all.

If you connect to a router, you can send everythign by wifi to anything that gets wifi, mostly laptops but iiuc tv's with roku etc. also. ???? And you can record things and then play them back from anwhere with an internet connection. Nothing has been that important yet, and when I'm away from home I don't even think about home, but I lead a dull life.

Amazon also charges less than Walmart, $237 (Didn't I say that walmart wanted 300?)

That's one way. Go to amazon and wtch the video, though it goes very quickly

BTW, few people if any need an HD antenna. Most don't even need an "antenna". If you're near the transmitter, just a piece of wire sticking inthe center hole of the coax connector is probably enough. Not sure what the optimal length is but if your within 10 or 20 miles, you probably don't need optimal length. Before digital most of my antennas were about 40" long, one conductor wire. NOT coax which is shielded.

It's probalb plenty high by how. 11 years ago I could store 300 hours I think it was. Of course my goal is to record, play once, and erase. But one could have a second ext. drive for things he wanted to save forever. If he recorded on the worng one, he could use a PC to move them from one to another, but that means a lot of unplugging and plugging.

What I have is not for sale new anymore. And maybe not used, plus an internal harddrive gets old.

me neither.

My beuatiful setup is quite messed up now so I played the last DVD on my computer and watched it while sitting at my desk.

I still have a vcr connected, but I have to go downstairs to the kitchen to watch it and the remote-remote is not set up. (a little red plastic teardrop that has to be stuck to the red IR window on the VCR. They make them with 2 and even 3 teardrops connecting to the same plug that goes into the Powermid.)

No remote control, you have to use something like your phone to tell it what to do. I wonder if I'd be able to use my old phone with no sim as a second remote???

Has nothing to do with need. There are many issues that you will encounter along the way. Thinking about it on the front end can save a bunch of $$.

That's easy. ATSC TV converter box to your VCR. Done. I used to have 4 converter boxes hooked to two VCRs. VCR couldn't change channels, but it could select from two input sources.

You will record to a computer. Decision is whether to construct one for cheap or pay for one inside a little dedicated box that almost does what you really want.

A 2.8GHZ dual-core computer running windows 7 can record 4 tuners while playing a fifth recording.

I played with HD-Homerun tuners. Trivial to set up. Problem is that I didn't like the compression artifacts.

This is one of the gotchas that you'll encounter. It is very annoying everywhere, but here's an easy way to see it in action. Watch a football game. The camera follows the ball carrier down the field. What does the background view of the stands look like. If it moves smoothly, you're in good shape. If it's jerky and fuzzy, you're not gonna like the result. But, I don't watch football, you say. OK. Look at a closeup of a person with a wrinkled face. Looks great if they don't move. When they move slightly, the wrinkles disappear, then paint in as the compression catches up. It's very annoying. HDTV is very demanding.

Media Center in windows 7 records the raw stream. Looks great. Downside is that it's about 5GB/hour.

Don't know about the Dish DVR but I learned that my Comcast X1 DVR does not record the shows but leaves them on the cloud for you to view but you must be connected to the cable. I learned this when power and cable went out one night. I connected my generator but could not view DVR'ed shows. If the power goes out and DVR is set to record you will be able to view the show when it comes back on even though power was off during recording time.

Here's a question that seems related to this.

I watch 1950's and 60's TV that's broadcast over the air, and I use a digital converter, and I record it on my digital DVDR harddrive.

When I play it back, will I have lost something, a) from the original?, b) even from what is broadcast in digital?, c) even from what my digital converter put out because even though philips didn't mention it int he manual, they were bound to have used compression?

Sometimes I think a syllable of a word is missing. Is that because of a, b, and c above? Or is it because my hearing is failing a little bit? :) Give your best guess.

When I watch Law & Order and one or two other shows, sometimes the music is so loud I can't understand what they are saying. I know my hearing is failing a little bit, but I don't see how better hearing would let me hear better when the music is so loud. And I know about selective frequency loss, but it's usually the high frequencies that are lost, part of the music, and not voices, which tend to be lower. If I could listen to the original, without a, b, and c above, would I be able to hear it like one should? Give your best guess.