Community Newsletter: Q&A: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs
- 3/10/08 5:01 PM
JVC
by shadowone - 3/7/08 7:09 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Check out the JVC DR-MX1S. It will do anything and everything.Hard drive,VHS,DVD.Tuners. Also copy's from one to the other.I am very pleased with mine.
VCR/DVD
by bhorn1 - 3/7/08 7:10 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My advice is to buy a basic DVD that will transfer your VCR Tapes to a DVD format. You can find those for somewhere between $60-$100. Then if you have a HD TV and subscribe to either a Satellite service or cable you would purchase a HD DVR PLUS RECEIVER which will enable you to watch one program and record another in HD. You can also record in advance programs or record all of a program that is on every week-its called season pass with Direct TV.
That was supposed to go to Shadowone
by rebart1 - 3/7/08 7:35 PM In reply to: A real answer by rebart1Great post, Shadowone.
It isn't important
by welrdelr - 3/7/08 7:13 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Really.
You said that you have other things in life to worry about and take care of, then do so.
I have your solution and an option to not have monthly fee's
by kasjes - 3/7/08 7:52 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I kind of have to go with the majority in recommending TiVo but there is one unit that hasn't been mentioned. The Humax DRT400 or DRT800 is definately the way to go. I have had one since they came out at Best Buy. First and formost it has TiVo and able to do sooo much. Schedual recordings 2 weeks in advance, pick a show and record the whole season without reruns, Rent a movie from Amazon and have it downloaded to your machine, plus so much more. Just go to TiVo.com to see all it can do. The next thing on this unit is a DVD player and recorder. You can take anything on your hard drive and record it to a blank disk it even records to rewritabsks if you wa use them more than once. As for your VCR tapes to DVD all you have to do is hook up your VCR to the front of the Humax and record them onto the hard drive. The two models have either a 40 hour or an 80 hour drive stock. I have found it very, very easy to replace the hard drive with a larger one if you want more space.
The only problem is where to find them because I don't think they are sold in stores anymore BUT They are everywhere! E-Bay has a lot of used and new ones very cheap I even saw one sell for 30.00 last week plus shipping, you can also find larger hard drives there if you want one. If you are a little wary of buying someone else's stuff with no guarentee, Just go to the website weaknees.com it is an authorized dealer of TiVo's and besides the warantee you can get a rebate right now so that a 40hour model only costs 49.00 with free shipping.
I know that your wife doesn't want to pay fee's and here is the best part. When Humax started making these units they had a deal with TiVo that lifetime service would be offered. So as long as these are being sold you can still buy a lifetime option from TiVo and never pay a monthly fee. I think Lifetime is 399.00 and you never pay again. TiVo is so great I have one in each bedroom and you can start a show in one roiom and watch from where you stop in another room!
I know I sound like a commercial for this but I tried everything else and this is the best solution. I even got one for my daughter and my sister and they LOVE THEM. Good Luck. Eddie S.
Two Questions
by anna3333 - 3/10/08 12:26 PM In reply to: I have your solution and an option to not have monthly fee's by kasjes1. You said you easily replaced the hard drive in the unit. I was told that a new hard drive HAD to be purchased from Tivo (or weeknees), which costs WAY more than just buying the same GB in a quality hard drive from Best Buy or Newegg. I think its because they put some kind of crap on the drive to identify it. I suppose you could try to clone it onto a new disk, using the PC. Where did you get your larger drive and what did you need to do to install it?
2. I assume you are aware that Tivo's so-called "lifetime" warranty is not YOUR lifetime, but the lifetime of that particular Tivo unit. As soon as THAT unit goes (whether you buy a new one to get a bigger HDD or whether it breaks), your "lifetime" warranty is also GONE!
Dazzle
by mallard47 - 3/7/08 7:52 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I didn't spend the money to buy a dvd-r or combo. I bought a dazzle and it has pinnacle software with it. Just hook this up to your tv and your computer ( which we have a laptop) and it transfers tape to disc with pinnacle.
Here's one DVR to pass up....
by johnbiest - 3/7/08 7:58 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Last year I bought the Phillips DVDR3575H, a DVR with a DVD burner and a digital tuner. I mainly wanted to have a DVR for the ability to pause live TV or rewind whatever I was watching for a few minutes - simple stuff. The only fee-free options I saw out there were both at WalMart, the Philips and some Polaroid model for a bit less, so after disregarding some bad online reviews, I gave the Philips a try, because the Polaroid got even worse reviews. Here is what I found:
Every feature, and I mean EVERY feature, was harder to use than both the TiVo and Adelphia DVRs (Scientific Atlanta 9300) that I was used to. The chase feature (the one that allows you to rewind and pause live TV) had to be turned on by the user, then accessed through the "recorded programs" menu, and it didn't just record the last 30 or 60 minutes - it records until you hit "stop" or until the hard drive is full (then the show disappears completely). The (recorded) program list is not a list, but a page of thumbnail pictures, six to a page. You have to watch a few minutes of every show just to see what you have. Terrible design. And of course, since you pay no fee, you get no program guide, so it's like programming an old VCR - you have to set the time and the channel through the menu.
Like all DVD recorders, it won't let you record copy-protected VHS tapes to either DVD or the hard drive. It's kind of noisy, with a cooling fan in the back and a whirring hard drive, even when you aren't using it. And it's slow to respond, slow to load discs, etc.
The good points - both analog and digital tuners (NOT HD, just standard def digital, but the picture is still great). The actual recordings look great. Once you jump through all of the hoops, it works as advertised.
Like many others on this thread have said, you get what you pay for. That program guide alone is worth every penny. I think the best value is probably just buying a simple DVD recorder and using a TiVo or whatever DVR your cable company carries. TiVo, especially, has smoothed out the rough edges. My SA 9300 still does some mystery purges at times, but it's getting better (through online updates, I guess). You may be paying a monthly fee, but I paid $300 up front for my machine, and by the time those two costs would even out, there should be something better to buy. I'm wishing I had stuck with the TiVo.
Check Post - Like all DVD recorders ....
by Winchester257 - 3/8/08 4:57 PM In reply to: Here's one DVR to pass up.... by johnbiestDVD Recorders can do this with some help from two other devices.Check my post (# 110 ? I believe) from March 5th,2008 @ 8:48 AM which was in response to "TreknologyNet"'s post.Page 7 or 8?
Record here, watch there
by DorianBenkoil - 3/7/08 8:06 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I hear you! But for me the issue is, I want to be able to record something in one room, then watch it anywhere I want, in any room. How, though? ... If I use a TiVO, it's locked. Slingbox is only to a computer. Digital cable is only the set top box on that TV... what to do? I want to record my digital media, and move it around at will...
OR is it all easier than I think??? I don't want to spend $$$ beyond the equipment and whatever minimal monthly fees...
db
video/audio distribution amplifier
by NicksNotes - 3/7/08 9:12 PM In reply to: Record here, watch there by DorianBenkoildorian,
consider getting a video/audio distribution amplifier. that'll allow you to then distribute the video/audio signal from one room to several monitors/speakers (or TV) in another room(s). yes, you'll need to run cabling, too (the upside to hardwire is that you won't ever have to worry about signal interference or configuring wireless nanana).
then, for controlling that main unit (now in the other room) via remote, you'll likely need to use some infrared receiver/transmitters. like a set of leapfrog's or pyramind's. they're relatively inexpensive (crutchfield, radio shack or eBay has 'em).
Solution
by Winchester257 - 3/8/08 4:58 PM In reply to: Record here, watch there by DorianBenkoilThe solution to this is Verizon Fios's Motorola "Home Media" HD DVR.
There is nothing that compares to TiVo
by samjemb - 3/7/08 8:09 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been a TiVo user for nearly 10 years. I have two standard definition units (single tuner each) and two high definition units (dual tuners each) and I have Cablevision's IO service (I did have Verizon FIOS, but the customer service was absolutely horrendous - a story for another day).
For anyone looking for a simple to operate, virtually set and forget way to record and watch your favorite TV shows, there is nothing as simple, as effective and as intuitive as TiVo. Yes, there is a monthly fee, but in the end it's worth the price. And, with the TiVo series III, you can add your own external drive for vastly increased storage capacity. You do not have to use a drive from TiVo!
I tried the Scientific Atlanta DVR from Cablevision and the Motorola DVR from Verizon, and neither one compared to TiVo on any level.
But if a monthly subscription is absolutely out of the question, there is another route. I also have a home built DVR using a PC with two digital tuner cards and running Beyond TV (from Snapstream Media). I use this system to record OTA high definition program material only. (To get good reception, I had to install a quality uhf antenna in my attic.) Beyond TV is about the nearest thing to TiVo that I've seen in terms of ease of use, flexibility and reliability. The TV schedule service is free, but you can only record from an antenna or unencrypted channels from your cable service.
David
Read Post # 24 (as it now stands)
by Winchester257 - 3/8/08 5:07 PM In reply to: There is nothing that compares to TiVo by samjembRead my post # 24 from March 8th,2008 @ 4:29 p.m. which was in response to a post by "massimj".This explains why Tivo is not worth it anymore.
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