Magnavox 537, 535, 533, 515, 513, 2160A, 2160, 2080 & Philips 3576, 3575 - Page 734

You just described my HTPC except that mine is much cheaper, faster easier, plays and records anything and doesn't require a cable box

Wajo: Thanks for your reply. I have the 16:9 ratio set on the cable DVR. I send the Component outputs from the DVR directly to my widescreen (HD) TV. and get the widescreen ratio. on the tv. No problem there. The cable co.provides basic broadcast chnls. through the coaxial cable before it goes to DVR . This is where I split it. Outside the OTA chnls.recieived by the coaxial cable itself, The cable DVR carries all the Premium chnls. and high end chnls.Since the Magnavox does not have Component inputs ( thanks FCC) I only have the Composite and S-video to chose from to feed to the Mag. I've tried them both and the Mag. displays each in Letterbox. I guess the culprit is the cable DVR sending out the signal in letterbox when using Composite outputs.Possibly the device you referred to in your response, the Component to Composite converter would do the job but the cable DVR only has one Component output and that's the one I'm using to the TV. Hence the use of Composite to Magnavox. P.S. The members in the AVS forum are way out of my league Most of the technical dialog you guys discuss is WAY over my head . Thought I'd try anyway Thanks PC

Congratulations. How is working the HDMI input on your machine?

You are 100% right. Ask to your cable co if there's a way to deactivate this option, by yourself or with a new Firmware, or just ask them if there's a chance to change your DVR for a new unit - model - brand much moar "Composite friendly" or with double analog outputs.

Profhat. Thanks for the reply.. I'll try asking the cable co. about the suggestions you made, but I don't think their customer reps. can help. They know less about the DVR than I do. Lots of luck trying to get to talk to a tech at the cable co. Thanks PC

Wishful dreaming.

It would help if you indicated the make and model of the box. My own experience with an SA8300 is that I needed a converter to get 16-9. Now with my TiVo it outputs 16-9 through the composite without any need for a converter.

Sorry, can't imagine why I would need one of those. Cable card tuner takes care of HD input. Does your DVD recorder have an HDMI input?

Your HTPC, and necessary software, is cheaper than $600? That is surprising. It's easier to use than a DVDR? Frankly, I don't believe that, especially for me, since my computer skills are minimal.. And, BTW, almost everything I want to record requires a cable box. I assume you mean that your HTPC uses a cable card? Perhaps the HD DVDR would too. Are cable cards making OnDemand available yet? I record from it regularly.

There are component>S-Video converters with component pass-through, so your component out could still feed your TV. I have two of them.

Once you get it set up properly (which I admit is a challenge if you have limited computer skills), it is just as easy to use as a DVR and far easier than using a combo of a cable box and a DVD/HDD recorder. I almost never interface with the PC directly. It's not even in the same room as my TV. I simply use a media center extender and a regular remote. The experience is completely seamless to the end user. Unlike a DVD recorder, I have a full guide and all normal DVR functions just like a cable or satellite DVR.

I have no cable box. I use a cable card tuner. However it will not work with On Demand and probably never will. I find Hulu and other sites have far more content than On Demand anyway. In the 20 or so years On Demand has existed, I've probably used it maybe 10 hours.

I used DVD recorders for many years, with both satellite and cable. While they served me well, when cable card tuners recently became available, I switched over and haven't looked back. They are a far better solution in every way. No timers to deal with, beautiful integrated guide with one-touch recording, unlimited storage space, several tuners, and full HD. With no cable box fees, the tuner and other hardware pays for itself very quickly.

Personally, I started with an old used PC I got for $25 including free Windows Media Center, a video card I got for $15, a used 4-tuner Ceton for $125, a $110 2TB hard drive and an IR remote receiver for $15, grand total under $300. My cable card costs $2/month.

Of course I wish a subscription-free DVR like the Ceton Q would come along. But it looks like that will never happen. If I had satellite, I'd use their DVR since the price is very reasonable. Cable DVRs on the other hand are incredibly expensive and have an interface from the 80's. So I use the best bang for the buck these days which is an HTPC. It is complicated to set up, so I agree it's not for everyone. But if you can make it past that, it's very easy to use.

Hi all,

New to the forum - came across this thread while trying to figure out what I really need for my purposes. I would really appreciate any and all advice you guys could offer. I'm blown away by the knowledge on this subject here. If I cant get a good answer here, I'm not sure it's out there anywhere. Again, thanks in advance for any advice.

I have a Motorola DCX3400 HD DVR through Comcast cable that has the whole program guide, dual tuner, pause live TV, etc. We enjoy everything about it except the seemingly small storage space. I personally like to record and save sports programs (basketball) for watching far in the future. Currently, we're running low on space. It seems the unit will hold about 45 hours of programs (some SD, some HD). The problem is I have about 20 hours of games from last season I do not want to delete and I'm sure to record another 20+ this season. In fact, I'd record even more games if I wasn't afraid it would fill up the space and limit the rest of my family's ability to record their shows.

Currently, I am able to swap the cables and connect the DVR output to my VCR and copy in real time to VHS but not only is this time consuming but it seems like I'm going backward. I already have a lot of old games on VHS and find that storage method too clumsy. I do this only when the storage space gets close to full.

What I'd like to do is the following, in order of priority:

• have all of my games archived in a way that is easy to store and access. Either on a non-cable HDD or DVD.
• be able to watch the games / highlights on my laptop.
• be able to dabble with editing the games and creating my own highlight videos that could be burned to DVD or uploaded to Youtube, etc.

I think I will only need to go through the process of removing programs from my cable-issued DVR once every six months. At that point, I'd probably remove 20-30 hours of programs for archiving and/or editing. This is not a regular thing I'll do nor is it for professional purposes or for creating DVD's for others.

So it looks like I could:

• Just get a simple $100 DVD recorder and do real-time recording from DVR to the DVD recorder and then use the DVD's in the laptop. I'd wind up with a stack of DVD's each season.
• Get the 53x and do real-time recording from DVR to the 53x. Then choose to watch from the 53x to the TV or burn programs to DVD as needed. This seems like I'd still eventually run out of room on the 53x and need to burn it all to DVD's anyway so might just add an extra step.
• Get the 53x and then learn how to pull out the HDD, connect it to my laptop, cut and paste the files directly to my computer, and then re-insert the HDD into the 53x. Is that even possible? Practical? Would I be able to play those files back on my laptop?
• Same as above but replace the HDD in the 53x once per year and use the old HDD as my archive medium (one HDD per season). Is it practical to do that? Is it a lot more expensive than the DVD's?
• Buy a new 53x whenever it gets full.
  
  I'm also not sure if there is a way to hook up the 53x in between the Comcast DVR and the TV so I could record the unscrambled live signal (not OTA programs) onto the 53x instead of recording it to the Comcast DVR in the first place. Or record it on both just to be sure!
  
  Thanks again for any suggestions.

If your cable box has HDMI output, do what I did.

Get an HDMI splitter, and run one output directly to your TV.

Then use the other to go thru a filter, carrying the true 16x9 picture to the recorder, converted to an input format the recorder can handle. (The filters can do a different output than the input they take.)

Even carried to the recorder in composite, if the output (from the filter) is in widescreen, it stays in widescreen. Same with S-Video.



I don't think I've seen ones with component pass-thru. What kind do you have, and where did you get it? (MUST know ALL options! )

I have an Audio Authority, no longer available, and an Atlona, which I ordered from Amazon. Both pass through component.

xlgman, you can swap in and out HDDs in the Maggie DVDRs, but you can't use them in your computer. I think the best thing for you to do is to buy the 1TB HDD DVDR. Dub the games to the DVDR's HDD as you watch them. Or record them on your Comcast cable DVR, and transfer them in real time later, say at night, when you are sleeping, or when you go to work. You can cut out the commercials later, and burn them to DVD at high speed. No need to swap HDDs, or buy multiple units.

Burning to DVD when desired is the easiest procedure. The manual for your STB isn't very model specific, but I find even composite outputs fed to my 513 are quite good. Best would be to record directly to the 53x HDD and edit before writing to DVD.

I would suggest you take the STB output you select and feed it to your TV to see what aspect ratio is being sent. It will also verify your STB will send content out multiple ports at the same time.

You haven't specified the connection method from the STB to the TV.

Good luck.
Edited by JoeKustra - 10/22/12 at 8:39am

If your STB is compatible, why not get a DVR expander for it which will increase its storage capability. As I'm sure you know, it's a dedicated external HDD which usually connects to your eSATA on the STB. I've seen them on ebay for under $50 for 500 GB, $75 for 1 TB.

You are correct. We tried dubbing 18 titles, clear the titles, add 18 more. Yes! It worked. Thanks DigaDo!

slsdoug

Well, here is one. There are better ones out ther though. Yes, the better ones are more expensive.

No, it haven't one and that's why I was asking you. Also I forgot your Cable Card arrangement. It's a shame that there's not Satellite Card tuners for PCs.

If I cant use the HDD on another device after I swap it out, it doesn't sound like something I'd do. Your suggestion is the most likely solution, but is it a lot better for me than just a plain old DVD recorder for a couple hundred bucks less?


I think the HHD farm sounds over my head.


What would be the best way to wire up the Mag if I want to record on both at the same time?
What would be the best way to wire up the Mag if I want to dub from the STB to the Mag while watching the recording?
I currently use the HDMI output from the STB to the TV. The STB also has coaxial, S-video, Component, and Composite outputs.


I currently use the HDMI output to the TV. The STB has several different outputs including HDMI, coaxial, component, composite, and S-Video. I honestly don't have any idea what the pros and cons of each are and would need some guidance to figure out how to wire the STB, Mag, and TV so I don't need to switch cables in any way. I do not currently use any other outputs except the HDMI to connect to any sound system - just rely on the TV's speakers.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

Comcast says my box is not compatible.

C AV Guy, that one doesn't look like it has component pass-through to me. It doesn't list component outputs.

The advantage of the DVDR with the HDD is that you can just keep the stuff on the HDD, and delete it later if you don't want to keep it, and easily edit it, if you do want to keep it. You never have to worry about running out of disc space, while recording in real time. Also, you never lose anything recorded in real time, because of a defective disc. Believe me, and probably everyone else here, a DVDR with a HDD is a much more useful machine than one without. If you have one, you won't want to live without one.

As to the HDD farm, that would be a lot simpler than switching the HDDs between your DVDR and your computer, as you suggested, which isn't possible anyway. Sounds like a simple plug and unplug, once you get it set up. If I had a Maggy, I'd probably do it.

You don't have a Magnavox HDD/DVD recorder?

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Walmart has the 533H at $228 as their "Feature of the day". No free home shipping, just store pickup.

1. The mag always displays what is being recorded on the active output.
2. The best signal from STB to mag would be S-Video and R/W for audio. That's in the book and indexed in post #1.

To record and watch at the same time/same channel is implicit. To record one title and watch a different one implies the channel is on your cable without being scrambled.
Edited by JoeKustra - 10/23/12 at 5:38am

An option for a more storage would be to use R/W discs on either a straight DVD recorder or one with a HDD. You can then take these discs to your computer and copy them onto your computer's HDD or a HDD connected to a computer via E-Sata, Sata or USB. That's a lot easier than swapping HDDs all the time. For editing I assume there is software your can obtain that would allow you do do that on your computer.

I collect classic movies and that's how I do it.

Hello every one, long time no see. I see Kelson is still keeping every one straight on the details.

I am a few post short of chiming in on 234's question, but here are my two cents. BTW has any one heard how much longer Comcast is still going to send out analog? My 3 Pioneer 810's (tivo) and 1 Phillips 3455 are still hanging in there.

My father in law has the Maggie Maybe one day it would be 537, and even though it is in the next room, I have yet to see it in action.


It seems to me that having both BD and DVD lasers on a burner is still going to be around for a while. Why not just stay with downresing what is recorded in HD on the Hard drive into DVD format. What if Funia still marketed a stand alone BD/DVD player that was able to reasonably play back this recorded format for the forseeable future? I do not see blank BD sales ever taking off like DVD's did.

I think that in the best interest would be muliple channel recordings, which is doable, because the surveilence aspect of recording is never going to go away. Being able to jump the cable card hurdle and recording ones preference of quality are the three biggest advantages.

1: Multi channel simultanious recording.
2: A tuner that will handle cable card encription
3: The choice of recording quality. HD at the top end and 6 hour digital (single dvd) on the lower end.

Seems to me that the tuner is involved in every aspect. Is there such a tuner available?

Having multiple HDMI input is really only a work around for the cable card encription hurdle. That would just entail having multiple hd settops feeding input to the unit.

I have not looked at the wish list, but having a hot swappable two disk array that rebuilt itself if one drive failed would be the only other logical choice in maintaing a healthy recorder.