OTA Recorders?

A no-fee, no-service std def (SD) HDD-DVD recorder for antenna or cable is the Magnavox 515, as described here.

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It downconverts HD to SD 480i thru the tuner or line inputs. An HD show records and displays VERY good.... DVD quality.

The coax in/out circuit passes HD thru untouched. It has 1080p upconversion of the internal 480i signal.

Only has a single tuner. You can record one show while watching another show with your TV's tuner (coax passthru) or you can play a prev. recorded show on HDD or from a DVD home or commerical movie.

Click #1 in my sig. for lots more info.

You can with the Channel Master CM-7000PAL HD-DVR - it has dual tuners, a guide and no fees:

www.channelmaster.com/

Look under "Shop Online", then "Set Top Boxes". An "Open Box" one sells for about $260., after the extra 10% off using the coupon code "shopcmstore".

Amazon.com has it new for about $300.

There is a thread for it in the "HDTV Recorders" forum here that you can check out (you should also read through the first post in the "Dish DTVPAL DVR" thread, as that's an earlier, discontinued version of the same unit).

That's what I referred to as "tuner." The coax input is a built-in amplified splitter, with one output to the tuner and one to the coax out (passthru).


Your HD broadcasts would be input to the tuner, which would downconvert that signal (channels) to std def 480i, as reqd by the DVD spec.

If your interest is mainly recorded OTA quality for watch-and-delete, a HD DVR would be better, like the CM 7000 mentioned aboive.

However, if you also want to copy home movies, play comm. DVDs, etc. and create DVDs from what you record, the Mag will do that in one box, only in std def quality.

Another way to DVR OTA is with a mild HTPC. One of those tiny PCs, running a Pinnacle kit with a USB tuner and a remote, and let Windows Media Center do the recording and Netflix. Of course, you need a tv with a PC input, or a monitor large enough to watch tv on.

Someone mentioned to me the Nfusion HD FTA receiver. External HD over network or USB to record video. I have the receiver but haven't done any PVR yet.

I have built one for a customer. Running WMC7, and Dual ATSC tuner it works great!

I certainly can't compete with Magnavox on price, but I can get pretty close ($400)

It allows you to integrate HULU and youtube, and netflix, as well as whatever other internet media service you have interest in.

I installed Classic Archive TV for some of my retired customers. They love watching TV shows from the 50's and 60's (Roy Rogers, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore...)

You don't have to pay service fees, but you do have to have "always on" internet to get guide updates and internet TV.

Unlike the Magnavox, you can record 2 shows at once and watch previously recorded/downloaded movie/DVD/internet TV, or record one and watch another live.

Plus you have the capability to extend it to another TVs in the house with media extenders, or XBox over the home network. And you can add more tuners for more simultaneous recordings (the one we use has 8 tuners, and serves 4 TVs)