OK, who knows something about DVR's?
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Posted on Dec 12, 2009 03:45 pm
dbmasters
Administrator Since: Apr 03, 2002
My wife wants on for Christmas...all I know is we need something to record a show or two now and then, we don't need a service like Tivo where we can program it from the internet, our phones or anything stupid like that...just a simple device to record some shows, and set record times, like scheduled records...if it happens to have a DVD burner it I wouldn't complain.
Any recommendations, advice or insults would be accepted.
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olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Dec 12, 2009 04:16 pm Some DVD burners have an HDD for recording they're rather pricey though and not really the same thing as a DVR more like a VCR.
You don't say what service your on, cable, dish, direct-tv, but that would probably be the cheapest & best route for DVR service through whatever provider you're using.
There are far more advantages to using a DVR service than being able to set timers from the internet, you can set timers from the program guide, only record new events, daily, weekly etc, search for events in the program guide, etc, lots of options. With a dual tuner DVR you can record an event while watching something else, record 2 events at time while watching an already recorded event, pause the DVR and resume watching your show when you come back, right where you left off etc.
If you're a Dish subscriber they have IMO and indepent ratings the best DVR's going with the most options and it's cheap even for the dual tuner DVR's.
Dan
Dec 12, 2009 04:21 pm Love the new avatar! That guy reminds me of Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino".
I am with Mediacom...yeah, I have considered just getting a receiver with the DVR in it for a few bucks a month from them, but I just hate renting...if I could buy one myself and have it, regardless of what TV service I use (cuz I switch in knee jerk reactions when I get pissed sometimes) I feel I'd be more ahead...but I do see the possible advantage of integration with the cable service...
Doug BabbittSound as good as you playMember
Since: Dec 23, 2008
Dec 12, 2009 05:44 pm We rent one through our cable company (Comcast). It's really slick .... just hook it to the cable like a standard box and you're up and running. We got it 2 years ago and I can't imagine being without the ability to pause live TV, time shift (watch the Tonight Show at 8 PM), and FF through commercials.
The best part is I can set it to capture every episode of my favorite shows, like Live at Abbey Road and Classic Albums. Right now I've got Jeff Beck: Live at Ronnie Scott's waiting for a few more viewings. On New Years Eve, we'll watch James Brown Live from the House of Blues.
The upside on renting is that you can swap out a defective unit or upgrade to new technology at will.
Dec 12, 2009 06:01 pm I don't have the DVR. I just have a straight up DVD-R.
And I have to say that I am disappointed with the whole thing.
Reason being, that you are tied the the size of the DVD that you put into it. So, on it's highest setting. Which is called XP, you only get 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Going to the lower settings, you don't get anything in HD. Only standard def. And going lower just makes the image even lower in quality.
If you can get the HDD recorder, I think like everyone else is suggesting, I think that your going to be rather happy.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 12, 2009 06:10 pm hah, that's funny.
we used the DVR that came with our Satellite, which was great. We used it all the time. Like Tadpui said: i'll gladly pay a 5$/mon fee for no commercials =).
Unfortunately, i have no real help to offer, but had to chuckle and Rob's post.
Oh yeah, we had to pay another 5$ / mon for insurance, in case the unit dies, which it did, and we saved like 450$ on cost of another one.
Usually i don't go for the insurance, but it paid off in this case. Course we used our A LOT!
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Dec 12, 2009 07:16 pm I agree with Doug, renting/leasing the DVR reciever is the way to go, I've upgraded mine 3 times already and it costs next to nothing. With the latest one I can record up to 60hr's HD, 300hrs SD, and I can add external HDD's to increase my storage capacity. If I were to ever leave Dish, which I doubt would happen (been with them for ~10 years now) but I'd just turn in the DVR and go with whatever the new service offered.
Once you use a DVR you'll never go back to TV without one. :)
The new avatar is Walter, from the Jeff Dunham (ventriloquist) show, he's my favorite character, I can relate so well to him. LOL
Dan
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Dec 13, 2009 01:27 am I had a Tivo for a while and it was great. The software is terrific and it has a few features that the cable companies don't offer, like the ability to give between 1-3 "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to a program. After a while, Tivo learns your tastes and will start to record things on its own that it thinks that you would like. But Tivo is cost prohibitive at this point. A dual-tuner HD-capable Tivo box (their Series 3 machine) is $500 new, plus the $12/month service fee that you pay to Tivo on top of your cable bill. Those prices may have changed since I checked last, but you get the idea. Tivo is the Mac of the DVR world - slick interface and easy to use, but bloated prices.
The cable companies offer thier DVR machines for a fraction of what a Tivo costs. I think that ours through Time Warner Cable is about $7 per month, and maybe another $1 or $2 per month for the HD-capable box. The interface is clunky and confusing, it finds more ways to screw up a recording that we ever could have ourselves, and we're almost on a first-name basis with the cable guy. It's a capable box though, it does all of the stuff that a DVR should do: dual tuners, HDMI connectivity, great picture quality.
If I had never owned a Tivo, I would probably have no qualms about the cable company's DVR. But having seen just how slick the interface could be, Time Warner's DVR frustrates my wife and I.
Now I see that AT&T is rolling out their fiber-optic-based U-Verse system. They offer a 4-tuner DVR as part of their package, which would be awesome. It won't take too long with an entire family using the machine before 2 tuners starts to be a bottleneck. But most stations broadcast even their first-run shows more than once per night/week. You can always play the shell game with your showings to record everybody's shows on 2 tuners.
I agree with OD, once you finally get used to actually using a DVR to its fullest extent, there's no way to go back to normal TV viewing. I had no interest in getting a DVR for a while, and I had them confused with DVD-R actually. I though "why would I want to record TV shows to DVD?". Well, it's a whole different thing. It's a terrific way to get past watching all of those annoying-as-hell commercials. Plus it lets you watch TV on your own schedule, not the networks'. It just takes some getting used to, but it's so worth it!
And yeah, I consider the monthly charge for the DVR as my "don't have to watch commercials" fee :-)
Dec 13, 2009 09:12 am Thanks a lot for the advice guys, I appreciate it. I guess I will just go with mediacom's integrated DVR. I already have their HD receiver in one room, I guess adding DVR to that wouldn't be much.
I was torn between that or having another component. I didn't think about the virtually free upgrades, that's true...very good point.
Dec 13, 2009 09:26 am Late to the party as usual, but I must concur with my colleagues. I have a DVR unit through Charter Cable, and I don;t know what I'd do if I had to give it up.
Go for it, man.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 13, 2009 08:30 pm DVR here as well. We have 3 boxes set up for it. Don't really use it but its there if we want it. Mediacom as well so same as you.
