[wideLoad]

Anybody know what the cheapest STB w/ OTA reception and Firewire is?


I know the Sammy SIR-T165 has it but even used on ebay they are going for 400 (and new for 600 i think). I was reaaaaaallly hoping that the LG 3100A would have it... but alas it does not.


On another note, are there any devices which will translate RGB or DVI to firewire? Or is that just dreaming??


The overall goal that i have is to pipe HDTV feeds to my computer via firewire (or any input really) and then encode them into WM9 (many cool posts on that). I already own a LG 3100A even though it didn't have the Firewire just to fool around with. Maybe there is still some way to record to WM9 even w/ the 3100A???


I'm so pissed that more STB's don't have firewire.... is it too expensive or is this more of a "digital copyrights issue".... ughhhhh


w

 

[arxaw]

There are no stock DirecTV boxes with firewire, but you can buy a "modified" aftermarket one, which will also receive OTA channels


See: http://www.169time.com/

 

[dt_dc]

I thought the original question was OTA ...


Anyway, if that's the case ... there's the MIT MDR-200
http://www.digitalconnection.com/pro.../mdr200_pb.asp


Note: I know absolutely nothing about this box other than the fact that it's the cheapest Firewire OTA STB I've heard about. However, it has been discussed quite a bit on this forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=327430

 

[Rudy1]

Quote:

Originally posted by wideLoad Anybody know what the cheapest STB w/ OTA reception and Firewire is? I know the Sammy SIR-T165 has it but even used on ebay they are going for 400 (and new for 600 i think).

I've got both the Samsung SIR-T165 and the MIT MDR-200. They both work very well to record OTA HD. Timed recordings with both units can be a bit difficult to set up if your local DTV stations don't transmit accurate time info in their PSIP stream. Also, the clock on the MIT MDR-200 operates in 24 hr. mode, so you have to remember to make the necessary adjustments.

 

[wideLoad]

How is the OTA reception sensitivity on the MIT MDR-200? Does it compare to the latest generation OTA boxes from Zenith/LG? Or maybe how does it compare with the Sammys (151/160/165)?

 

[TomWhitlow]

wideload:


My MDR-200 works great with my NEC LT240K. But the MDR-200 manual states (on page 19) "Note that the IEEE 1394 interface of the PC related HDD or camcorder is not compatilble with this product." The 1394 ports are actually just for i-link interface.


Tom

 

[jsb_hburg]

Quote:

Originally posted by TomWhitlow wideload: My MDR-200 works great with my NEC LT240K. But the MDR-200 manual states (on page 19) "Note that the IEEE 1394 interface of the PC related HDD or camcorder is not compatilble with this product." The 1394 ports are actually just for i-link interface. Tom

The MDR-200 can be hooked up to DVHS or to a Mac running VirtualDVHS. I haven't tried the RCA AVHDD. It will not per the manual connect to an external hard drive.

 

[Rudy1]

Quote:

Originally posted by wideLoad How is the OTA reception sensitivity on the MIT MDR-200? Does it compare to the latest generation OTA boxes from Zenith/LG? Or maybe how does it compare with the Sammys (151/160/165)?

In my experience, the MDR-200 exhibits increased reception sensitivity compared to the Samsung STBs that I've used (T150 and T165). When I first got mine I only connected one indoor antenna to it, so I kept one of those metal caps over the unused RF input. That unused input was able to tune four of our local digitals (including the two VHS stations) perfectly. Now that I've got two separate indoor antennas connected to it, I get all of the local digital stations without problems. Of course, your mileage may vary.