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[The Faceless Master]

seriously, i judt want something simple, i don't even have cable, i just want something that i can use to tape tv shows over the air, and i'm not looking to break the bank...

that or i could buy a cheap VCR .. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[tedtropy]

seriously, i judt want something simple, i don't even have cable, i just want something that i can use to tape tv shows over the air, and i'm not looking to break the bank...

that or i could buy a cheap VCR .. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

You get basic TiVos for less than $100 if you shop around. It'd probably be your best bet. That or you can get a cheap capture card for your PC for around $40 and just use VirtualDub to nab your shows. Both of those are going to work better than your shitty basic VCR.

 

[crumbs]

Tivo's nice, but is it really worth the $13 per month for the service if it's only for a couple OTA channels.

 

[Escape Goat]

but how will you watch all your porn?

 

[tedtropy]

Tivo's nice, but is it really worth the $13 per month for the service if it's only for a couple OTA channels.

You can use a TiVo without the paid subscription. It basically just works like a manually configured digital VCR.

 

[The Faceless Master]

well, i was searching thru some pvr's and i found this...

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90125859

my only question now is do i need a subscription or not to record...

i've been setting vcr's since i was a kid, i dont need or want to pay $13 a month to set it to record a tv show...

 

[Shogmaster]

well, i was searching thru some pvr's and i found this...

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90125859

my only question now is do i need a subscription or not to record...

i've been setting vcr's since i was a kid, i dont need or want to pay $13 a month to set it to record a tv show...

If your computer's not too old, and you have some spare room in your HD, you could get a capture card for around $150. Hauppauge PCI cards are great. Straight MPEG2 encoding for anything faster than a 1800+ Athlon XP. 1 hour of 640x480 MPEG2 is about 3 GB of hard drive space though, and you need a decent speed HD on primary IDE channel (or SATA).

And then you can transcode the MPEG2 files to DViX or XViD via AutoGK
to save room (3GB to 700MB without noticeable visual quality loss), or to burn to CDs.

 

[The Faceless Master]

actually, i have an All In Wonder 9000 in my PC (Athlon XP 2500+), but i want a standalone device i can use with my TV...

 

[mrklaw]

You should be able to buy a cheap OEM DVD recorder for under $200.

edit: Just had a quick look and walmart do one for $150

 

[retardboy]

If you get the Ilo DVD recorder from Walmart (It's made by Lite-On). It uses the best encoder out there and will give you better picture quality than any of the name brands. Walmart also has the Ilo with a HDD so you can record onto the HDD and if you like it, burn it onto a DVD. That costs like in the high 200s thoughl. The just dvd recorder costs 150 like the above guy said. RCA also has a cheap PVR if you just want that. No sub fees and does have a free channel guide.

 

[The Faceless Master]

You should be able to buy a cheap OEM DVD recorder for under $200.

edit: Just had a quick look and walmart do one for $150

no, i don't one that uses dvd media, it's either gonna be hdd or vhs...

If you get the Ilo DVD recorder from Walmart (It's made by Lite-On). It uses the best encoder out there and will give you better picture quality than any of the name brands. Walmart also has the Ilo with a HDD so you can record onto the HDD and if you like it, burn it onto a DVD. That costs like in the high 200s thoughl. The just dvd recorder costs 150 like the above guy said. RCA also has a cheap PVR if you just want that. No sub fees and does have a free channel guide.

the pvr at buy.com is $100 with a $50 MIR to make it $50

 

[gigapower]

Get a 40hr Gen2 TiVo box. Amazon has them for $179.99 with $100 mail in rebates.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Get a 40hr Gen2 TiVo box. Amazon has them for $179.99 with $100 mail in rebates.

that's still almost double the price of the 40 hour ReplayTV though

 

[VPhys]

no, i don't one that uses dvd media, it's either gonna be hdd or vhs...

What's wrong with a DVD recorder?

 

[The Faceless Master]

What's wrong with a DVD recorder?

well, i don't want or need permanent copies of what i'm going to record every day, i mean, it's the same shows every day and i only plan to watch once...

oh, and after investigating, i found out that the latest models of replaytv and tivo both *require* a subscription (either lifetime or monthly) to work.. what the fuck? i can set a vcr, i can set that shit... looks like i might have to get another vcr... some technological age...

i grow tired of using my PC for the menial task of tv recodring...

 

[Marty Chinn]

You realize DVD recorders can use rewriteable discs....

 

[Joe]

you can get vcrs at best buy/circuit city for around $50-$60.

good dvd/vcr combos start at around $100.

 

[Alcibiades]

dude, VCR > bothering with all that extra stuff...

plug 'n program and you're set, no worrying or extra hassles, it's cheap and fast

 

[The Faceless Master]

You realize DVD recorders can use rewriteable discs....

yeah, but there are issues with the media in the first place, like length of recording and swapping disks every day if i dont have the time to watch what was recorded that day, if i wanted removeable media, i would just get another vcr... which i am leaning towards after seeing the huge joke that all these dvr/pvr's are

you can get vcrs at best buy/circuit city for around $50-$60.

good dvd/vcr combos start at around $100.

really?

 

[mrklaw]

if you are leaning towards a VCR, then if you can stretch to a DVD recorder, its the same only better!

DVD-RW will record at a much better quality. Or you can store more than you would on a single blank tape at a lower quality.

And they are way more portable - easy to rip onto your PC if you so desire, or copy to a portable media device like an Archos or a PSP. Or just watch on your DVD Rom at work during lunch.

 

[8bit]

yeah, but there are issues with the media in the first place, like length of recording and swapping disks every day if i dont have the time to watch what was recorded that day, if i wanted removeable media, i would just get another vcr... which i am leaning towards after seeing the huge joke that all these dvr/pvr's are

You surely don't watch over 6 hours of television a day, do you?

 

[cybamerc]

DVD-only recorders belong in the stone age. There's nothing better than not having to worry about space or keeping track of discs or tapes.

My Pioneer DVR-520H is one of the best purchases I've ever made and I don't even have that many channels.

 

[mrklaw]

I agree with you, which is why I have a 240GB Tivo (wish it had a DVD burner on too). But his budget is limited, as are his usage needs, so I suggested a DVD only recorder instead of the only other likely candidate which was a VCR.

 

[Marty Chinn]

yeah, but there are issues with the media in the first place, like length of recording and swapping disks every day if i dont have the time to watch what was recorded that day, if i wanted removeable media, i would just get another vcr... which i am leaning towards after seeing the huge joke that all these dvr/pvr's are


really?

PVRs and DVRs aren't a joke at all. They just don't fit you. There's a reason why they are only $99 when the components cost more. They are making up their money off the subscription fees. A PVR/DVR is essentially a Linux PC with a 40 gig hdd in it. If you don't watch much tv, then of course its no good to you. But a PVR/DVR is hardly as a joke as anyone who has used one extensively can tell you that they can't live without it now. There's something nice about only having to proram something once and then never have to deal with it again. Never have to worry about time changes. Never have to worry about repeats. A DVD Recorder is no different, and in fact better than a VCR when it comes to swapping out discs which is the same as swapping out tapes. Plus many DVD recorders let you time shift live TV and I think even start a program at the beginning while its still recording.