Antenna and DVR?

[soulcougher73]

Wasn't sure if this should go here or audio/home video forum. Feel free to move to right one.

What are the best options are out there today to record TV shows over antenna? Preferably one with a tuner in it also as my Pioneer is only a monitor.


Edit: Moved to Audio/Video by Moderator PM

 

[vi edit]

It really comes down to cost and how convenient you want it. You flat out can't beat Tivo. But it comes at the cost of a very expensive lifetime contract tied to that specific box or a recurring monthly fee to maintain the service.

You can cobble together a windows media center and use an xbox as an extender just fine and skip the costs. But it's not near as reliable, easy to use or setup as a Tivo system.

There's also things like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-...rive-DVD-Recorder-with-Digital-Tuner/36246088

It doesn't have a monthly cost, but it's also not a full HD (I don't think) and no other "smart features". It also has a very limited programming guide.

I used to do the Windows media center thing but eventually just broke down and went with a Tivo roamio and antenna. It just works better and the built in smart features are nice (netflix, amazon prime, ect). It costs $15 a month for that convenience though...so it comes at a price.

 

[soulcougher73]

It really comes down to cost and how convenient you want it. You flat out can't beat Tivo. But it comes at the cost of a very expensive lifetime contract tied to that specific box or a recurring monthly fee to maintain the service.

You can cobble together a windows media center and use an xbox as an extender just fine and skip the costs. But it's not near as reliable, easy to use or setup as a Tivo system.

There's also things like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-...rive-DVD-Recorder-with-Digital-Tuner/36246088

It doesn't have a monthly cost, but it's also not a full HD (I don't think) and no other "smart features". It also has a very limited programming guide.

I used to do the Windows media center thing but eventually just broke down and went with a Tivo roamio and antenna. It just works better and the built in smart features are nice (netflix, amazon prime, ect). It costs $15 a month for that convenience though...so it comes at a price.

A friend at work was talking about that one. He is leaning towards one called Tablo. You heard of that one? Looks pretty cool. Another one he mentioned was Channel Master DVR+. Im going to do some reviewing tonight of these options. The channel master has no monthly cost. The Tablo is $5/m or $150 lifetime.

http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm
https://www.tablotv.com/

 

[quikah]

Tivo OTA + lifetime service is on sale for $300.

Only negatives to this is the disk is kind of small (easy to upgrade though) and you need to buy a Tivo Stream ($129) if you want to stream to tablet/phone/desktop.

 

[Dulanic]

I've been torn between Tablo and using MythTV on my server. I'll be tracking this thread so please update with the way you go and how it works.

 

[soulcougher73]

Tivo OTA + lifetime service is on sale for $300.

Only negatives to this is the disk is kind of small (easy to upgrade though) and you need to buy a Tivo Stream ($129) if you want to stream to tablet/phone/desktop.

Where do you see it on sale for $300? I see the OTA Roamio for $50 and $15/m.

Nevermind i found it. Have to google tivo sale to get to that special page. Tempting at $300 vs. Tablo at about $495 for same thing, but you do get the app steaming with Tablo where id have to buy the Tivo Stream for another $130 to get that.

 

[soulcougher73]

Ended up ordering the TiVo OTA DVR with lifetime sub for $300. Thought about Tablo pretty hard but the upfront cost is quite a bit more with having to get external hd and another Roku. Should be here Tuesday.

 

[MustISO]

Post back when you've had a chance to give it a shot, I may end up doing that for at least one of our TVs.

 

[NutBucket]

It's a nice box. My folks have a Roamio for OTA duties (purchased before they had the OTA only model). They definitely have it down pat; nice interface, fast tuner, etc.

 

[mvbighead]

Interesting. I have gone the OTA DVR route, and have been using MythTV with Openelec Chromeboxes for about a half year or so now. I also have Kodi running on FireTV and FireTV stick.

It's definitely a good setup after some tweaking, but I'd think Tivo is probably the best as suggested in this thread. I was looking for their deal, but I get a maintenance page right now. Interesting to see what all is included.

 

[slag]

I think I'm going to go with something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-HDTV-D...V-Tuner-With-Remote-Control-PVR-/360905456909

I have an external 2 GB drive that will work, there is a built in guide, and it will record shows that I want to watch. What am I missing?

 

[Binky]

I think I'm going to go with something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-HDTV-D...V-Tuner-With-Remote-Control-PVR-/360905456909

I have an external 2 GB drive that will work, there is a built in guide, and it will record shows that I want to watch. What am I missing?

That looks like a simple OTA recording box with no guide. I highly doubt that it has an effective guide, although it does say "Epg (electronic Programing Guide) and program Information."

 

[NutBucket]

A tape-less VCR is a good solution for some people but you're losing the automation aspect. For me, I just like being able to tell the DVR to record new episodes of a show. Let the DVR use the guide data and such to figure out when those episodes air and record them. That's just part of the functionality you pay for.

The EPG provided by most stations is rather basic and I've found it's accuracy to be dubious at times.

 

[slag]

That looks like a simple OTA recording box with no guide. I highly doubt that it has an effective guide, although it does say "Epg (electronic Programing Guide) and program Information."

I looked around and couldn't find where it pulled the data from or for that matter, how it got the data.

 

[NutBucket]

It's pulling from the OTA broadcast. It tends to be a bit crude....

 

[soulcougher73]

So far (one night) i love the Tivo OTA DVR. Easy set up. Quick and responsive controls. All the built in apps are nice so i dont need another box like a Roku for example. Set up Spotify, Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora so far. Set up some shows to record series but Thursday is the first record so havent tested that out yet.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Where did you even find this unit for sale? On TiVos site but have not been able to find any without the stupid $15/month contract. what the hell? I swear I've seen them with "pay once" before??

edit: the small print say you can pay a one-time-fee of $600. yeah no thanks.

 

[soulcougher73]

Where did you even find this unit for sale? On TiVos site but have not been able to find any without the stupid $15/month contract. what the hell? I swear I've seen them with "pay once" before??

edit: the small print say you can pay a one-time-fee of $600. yeah no thanks.

Looks like the sale ended. Guess i got in at the right time. It was basically $50 for the box and you could pick wither $15/m plan, $50/year plan or $250 life time plan. I picked lifetime. Came to about $305 with taxes etc.

The normal lifetime plan is $500 so was 50% off. At $500 i wouldnt do it, but $250..sure why not.

 

[quikah]

They had the sale on and off over the summer. They just released a new box yesterday, the Bolt, guess they were trying to clear out some inventory...

Glad you like it so far. I have had the Roamio for about 2 years now. Go to tivocommunity.com for Tivo dedicated forums.