HI I logged this in another forum and was pointed here:

Here is what I am thinking about so far to use for low cost DVR:

USB HDTV Tuner dongle ($69.95 + shipping):
http://www.hdtvonpc.com/proddetail....op_u6010a&cat=5

Anyware MediaGate ($79.95 + shipping)
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...duct_id=4694729

I plan on recording via the laptop with the USB tuner dongle and saving the files to the Mediagate and then playing back later on HDTV via component.

Question is I was told earlier that HDTV broadcasts in MPEG2 and this Mediagate is supposed to handle MPEG2 but is there different types of MPEG2? Would this device be able to handle the HD recording produced via the USB HDTV dongle tuner? Is there a specific file type that I should use for HDTV recording that is considered the defacto HDTV standard for this HDTV recorded media conveyance?

Also in the other forum they stated that the Mediagate wont handle High Definition but if the file is MPEG2 wont that handle it? Or is there some other technical reason why this wont work?

Thanks for your help
Preston

MPEG-2 covers a set of standards that are suitable for devices ranging from cell phones to HDTVs. Obviously, not every device is going to implement everything covered in the spec. That's where "Profiles" and "Levels" comes in. If you had gone to the mediagateusa.com web site and looked at the specs for the MG-25, you would have seen this:

* Supports MP1/2 MP@ML, MP4 ASP@L5, 4.x and 5.x, JPEG

MP@ML only goes up to 720x576, which is not HDTV. HDTV requires support of the Main Profile @ High Level (MP@HL). MP@ML does encompass video DVDs, so you can RIP regular DVDs onto this device, but it can't handle a high-def MPEG-2 stream.

Note that this device can upconvert to 1080i (a feature of the Sigma media processor they're using), but it can't handle a high-def MPEG-2 stream, so you cannot get true HD out of it. It's like an upconverting DVD player.

Thank you, I did go their website but I didnt understand what those parameters were although I did do some research I couldnt find a good explanation.