Best HD DVR?

[Ki Choi]

Interested in learning from the video gurus what's available in recording devices for HD program from OTA HD DTV broadcasts such as NFL games (without access to cable or Direct TV, etc.)

Thanks,
Ki

 

[amirm]

I use Windows Media Center feature in Win7 with a silicon dust networked tuner. https://www.silicondust.com/products/hdhomerun/atsc/ Ceton I believe makes similar boxes now. What is great is that you can then put the tuner where the coax enters your house (assuming you have an Ethernet tap there) and then your PC can be anywhere, including using a laptop! As long as you have a Home Premium version of Windows 7, you have everything you need. Put a large drive on it and you can record for hundreds of hours. The only other thing you need is an IR remote for media center. These can be hard to find locally but Newegg sells them and they are pretty cheap ($20) or so. Share out the folder and any Windows PC on the home network can play the recorded content.

Performance is superb with very high-speed guide. No fees to pay ever.

I have two HD Tuners boxes and each has two tuners for a total of 4. Never run out of tuners to watch anything!

Note that this functionality is unbundled in Windows 8.

 

[R Johnson]

I currently use a Pinnacle 80e ATSC USB tuner stick and its software. The nice thing about this is that it saves a "TS" file by essentially just dumping the OTA contents to a disc file, including 5.1 audio. I playback the TS files with VLC on the computer, or having put the file on a USB stick, I can playback on my Samsung TV, or with my Sony Blu-ray player, or with my WD Live Streaming Media Player.

The downside: Hauppauge bought Pinnacle and killed it. Hauppauge makes similar devices but I prefer the Pinnacle's software. Actually I have two sticks, one of which now seems to be failing - terminating the actual recording early. The other has never done that, but sometimes scheduled recordings have not been made. No idea why.

Amir's solution is attractive and I need to look into that approach. I have the impression that when using WMC, the recordings are in a Microsoft specified format which may be less flexible than the TS file. This may or may not be the case.

 

[Ki Choi]

Thanks Amir. I didn't realize you and R Johson had replied to my question until now...

Just ordered the HDHomeRun HDHR3-US !

Will keep you posted if my scheme to record Seahawks games from OTA broadcasts while I am out of the country and store it in one my laptops. Will figure out how to play the file back. Hope the JRiver media player will also play the file from HD.

Thanks,
Ki

 

[Asamel]

Ki, you should just record them to reel to reel. Do you really need the video?

Bruce in PA

Really, let us know how this works for you.