Recorder with HDMI Inputs? Yes it exists - Page 3

Instead of DVD's you can use SD cards or HDD/USB sticks and play HD content on a media player.

Some views of the MTV7000D probe that with a better arrange, it could have a SD card slot or even a BR-DVD drive:

Front:



Back:



Inside from the front:



Inside from the back:



Mainboard:



Sigma SMP8655 processor and some Nanya chips:



Detail of the AltoBeam demodulator chips (tuners):

That machine is so clean and beautiful inside it should have a clear case to show it off. I don't know if they purposely designed it to eliminate clutter, but KUDOS to the engineers.

Imagine...if the cable industry hadn't informally agreed to starve out cablecard we could have full function devices for cable and ATSC.

Only the industry rules of HDCP keep us from having a decent home recorder...and the other informal policy that any recorder must be on someone else's string......

Making up a connector, and licensing it to everyone, and forcing everyone to use it is brilliant. If you don't play nice with HDCP like the cartel wants you to, they can sue you for licensing violations for making that connector. If you live and sell in China, nothing will happen, but any US importer who had a presence or on shore stock would be facing the usual overkill from the usual groups, hiding behind the "HDMI Coalition" label.

Thanks for those photos. Just wish i could find one. I tried one of those links a few posts back and after translating, it said they wont ship outside of HK. That does not mean its set in stone and it always pay to ask as you never know. I come across a lot ebay sellers who say USA shipping only but when i ask them they are kore than happy to ship to Australia.

Going by reports of people who use the MTV3700/4000 in australia that has no line inputs, the picture quality, functions etc is very good quality so the 7000D would be much the same.

Hi all,

I'm new in this forum...Yès, totally new, and I don't know anything at all from technics.
So what i aks if for you maybe very stupid question....Here it is :
I live in Belgium. Know for region to be "region 2" concerning dvd standards or format. If I download a film on this device, and then I transfer it on European dvd disk in this device, will it be possible to play this dvd on our local dvd region 2 players ?
Many thanks for letting me know !

Eric

Hi all,

I'm new in this forum...Yès, totally new, and I don't know anything at all from technics.
So what i aks if for you maybe very stupid question....Here it is :
I live in Belgium. Know for region to be "region 2" concerning dvd standards or format. If I download a film on this device, and then I transfer it on European dvd disk in this device, will it be possible to play this dvd on our local dvd region 2 players ?
Many thanks for letting me know !

Eric

Welcome to the forum. There's no such problem, all the files that you have recorded with this machine, can be shared to your PC and then burned in Region 2, 4, 1, 0, etc.

This is my first time back to the new forum. Trying to make a post here but not sure why it wont work.
.

Would this device be able to record Xbox gameplay via the hdmi inputs?

Yes, the MTV7000D would record Xbox, PS and Wii's HDMI output signals.


Edited by profhat - 6/28/12 at 5:59pm

Ok that's cool, I want to purchase lol.

You will need to move to Hong Kong to do so since that appears to be the only place it is available.

Available in NZ - no need to go to Hong Kong

I did some research, and these are manufactured by pixelmagic. I contacted them to find out about overseas distribution and got this amazing link "http://www.pixelmagicsystems.com/dealers-new-zealand.html" for deales in New Zealand.

Just thought I'd post the update.

If you mean this model for the NZ market:

http://www.magictv.com/nz/MTV3700TD-features.html#

then it is lacking the HDMI input on the HK model. The HDMI port shown is output...

You will need to import the MTV-7000D or the Mini by yourself. Not a hard task, just a little expensive.

I was checking different options from TiVO through Fios DVR. Either there is a monthly fee for the service or you have to pay a premium for lifetime service that may be terminated some day. I do not trust this kind of deal. Moreover these two does not allow to capture/buffer from external HD sources. Calculating pros and cons it was clear that standalone service fee-free HD recorder with capability to record from external HD source is what is best and most versatile solution. And currently MagicTV does it all. Sure MTV7000D model costs around 500 USD, but think how much basic TiVo or Verizon DVR costs (with lifetime service)....

So I am getting MTV7000D-MINI through friend of mine from HK, should arrive next week. I can't wait to test its capabilities.

Update
Got it finally. Sharing my experience in below thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1438132/magictv-mtv7000d-mini-hdtv-hdd-dvr-pure-hd-recorder


It is not cheap, I agree. But when I compare MTV7000d-mini cost I paid ($500) equipped with 1TB HDD with TiVo 4XL for example which cost almost $800 with lifetime service, it turns that I saved almost $300. With MTV capability of recording also from external sources (which tivo can't do) it is pretty good deal imho. Of course for those who need EPG based recording this is still not an option unless you are resident of HK.
Edited by esdwa - 11/16/12 at 6:54pm

Congratulations, it will be nice if you can share some pictures of you new toy. This is a great day for all those users and costumers that are sick of a world full of video restrictions.

Great day, huh.

Why don't you back up Mickey and the parade a bit and first post some details as to how an ordinary person in the US (without a friend or relative in Hong Kong) would go about importing one of these into the US from a Hong Kong manufacturer who doesn't want to ship outside of HK.

Here you go, MINI is the size of typical cable STB


MINI display reminds me of old fashioned VCR but no worries, the OSD is great.


Rear connections example


Menu system is simple and sleek


Browsing recorded shows


Unless you are in HK, you have to use timer programming, which imho is very easy and intuitive


There are several recording quality modes. For 1080i best is HG mode which ensures no quality loss


1TB HDD is great. MINI accepts external USB drives up to 2TB capacity


MINI is true multisystem device. You can select 50 and 60Hz HD output formats. The unit will convert any source video format to selected output format "on fly"


One of setup diagnostic features is test screen which ensures your TV aspect ratio is set properly


MINI offers lots of "gadgets" like news, weather. To stay on top what is happening in HK...


Among other useful info MINI displays even the type of video format compression used while recording.


Remote looks and feels great and it can control most of popular TV sets


The box is huge because it contains thick printed manual and bunch of cables.

Edited by esdwa - 11/18/12 at 6:22am

Forgot to mention, MagicTV app available for Android form Google market allows to stream live and recorder videos on the go.


MINI is found automatically in LAN/WAN. You can access multiple units as well.


Android phone app allows to select streaming speed up to 5Mbps which is enough for HD quality of typical smartphone


I stopped using my Slingbox SOLO since I got my MINI, picture quality is much better with HD streaming

Does this device just re-encode HD content or does it actually do a bit-for-bit clone of the data sent in via HDMI?

If it can do bit-for-bit I wonder if it retains any HDCP in the stream, thus not allowing the data to be copied to another device, like a PC, which could burn the data to a BD or downrez to a DVD. Though I suppose if the HDD was not encrypted, the data could be read by a PC and a backup could be made from that. 1TB is a lot of storage, but at 9 GB/hr it'd quickly fill up.

The only mode that records video data bit by bit is when recording broadcast through built in tuner. This is because the broadcast data is already compressed (unlike uncompressed video through hdmi) so MINI does not have to compress it further, just store it on hard disk like tivo does - unless you select higher compression mode to save space on the disk. So because HDMI interface outputs uncompressed video, storing such humongous amount of data uncompressed would fill 1TB disk within just few hours. That is why MINI naturally has to compress the data like any other encoder. Having Sigma SMP8655 chip on board it guarantees option for many different compression levels including looseless that ensures no quality loss. Although it is not mentioned in user manual, which recording quality mode ensures looseless compression, I have found that setting it to best HG results in picture quality on my 55" LCDTV same as original.

Anything sent out HDMI is baseband. That means it’s uncompressed. So if your output HDMI setting is set to 4:4:4 1080p 60Hz that would be a bandwidth of 1.49Gps yes that’s with a G for Gigabits. Compressed OTA 1080i 60Hz is around 18.0 Mbps. That’s an M for Megabits. SD 480i 4:2:2 output at baseband uncompressed works out to 270.0 Mbps.

In other words there is no compressed bit for bit going out HDMI – but its all uncompressed so its totally lossless when traveling in uncompressed. So if you receive OTA at 18.0 Mbps – send out via HDMI uncompressed at 1.49Gbps – you have to convert it to something at your "external" recorder’s end.

Cable/FIOS HD streams are <=20 MB/s, right. This device looks like it could keep up with that, it's just not an option. I wonder what the bitrate of broadcast HD in HK is.

Ah, gotcha. So then there's really no way to do a bit-for-bit copy of HD material from content providers?
Edited by i86time - 11/17/12 at 7:51pm

The HDMI protocol is of course designed to retain HDCP – it just uncompresses the compressed signal. That’s why as (Kelson always points out to death ears) No legal North American recorders will record an HDDCP protected signal via HDMI.

As estwa pointed out the built in tuner will capture the OTA stream bit for bit. The same as a cable co PVR will capture a cable signal bit for bit. But if you output the signal via HDMI the signal will travel out uncompressed. This is OK going out to your TV but going out to another recorder the signal will be –uncompressed – recompressed and if HDDCP protected it won’t output to say a Hauppauge card with HDMI input. (If the unit abides by North American CP laws.)

I do hope you meant deaf
LOL, a chinese unit made for a chinese market which is renowned for the way they treat western IP.

Any unit legally sold in the US that has an HDMI input or output must have an HMDI license -- terms of that license require implementation of HDCP. No US legal recording device can record an HDCP protected signal -- that is the whole purpose of HDMI and why it was forced to replace DVI -- to prevent the digital version of the analog loophole and not allow digital copying of a digital HD stream.

esdwa appears to be the only person on AVS to have gotten his hands on one of these. In the other thread he noted he had his PS3 hooked up to it and I asked him to do a simple test of playing a commercial BluRay disk and seeing if the MagicTV would record it. If it does then the unit has no HDCP compliance on the HDMI inputs -- all BluRays trigger HDCP. I akready suspect that is the case since he said has it hooked up to a cable STB and in general STB's trigger HDCP for all their HD output -- but a BluRay test would be definitive.

The point being that without HDCP compliance this would be a really cool box, especially if content stored on an external USB drive was stored in a muxed container such as .MPG or .m2ts. However, unless you have a friend or relative in Hong Kong willing to put one in a brown box and ship it to you, you have no chance of legally importing one of these even if the manufacturer was willing to ship it.

Thanks again! Maybe this xmas I'll try [again] to get one from HK.

I'm sure that someone will solve that , still the MTV7000 is a great alternative for people who need to save LIVE events using the HDMI output of his/her Satellite box, or just record games from his/her new console.

And in the same way to limit the right of a portion of the American Costumers to choose an easy way to record and share its favorite shows in HD without to buy a TiVo LifeTime or to rent a Cable Card.

BTW the inline record process is done almost in the same way that our loved Magnavoxes. But that's enough for me.