DVR question

[NetWareHead]

My friend approached me with a situation that i'm not too sure how to handle. Basically he is trying to impress some perspective clients and needs to record a tv show where a product his company sells is being used successfully. He would like to play back this tv show for the clients when they come to visit. He asked me if a dvr can accomplish what he needs.

The facts:

1. Non HD cable box (cablevision) is the source. We have choice of coax and rca style audio/video cable that can go to tv.

2. TV is new 42 inch HD flat screen with rca, coax and hdmi inputs

3. This has to happen this weekend, so I cant be ordering stuff off of the internet and waiting for shipping. I have to be able to accomplish this with stuff I can buy at best buy.


I went to Best buy on the way home from work and spoke to a sales guy. He showed me a tivo but said that i would need a subscription for it to work. If my friend has to pay for a subscription for the sake of this weekend, so be it. But I would like to find a straight up DVR without any strings attached to do the recording and playback.

Is a tivo my only choice here? I'm pretty sure it can do what I'm asking for but I just thought I would pass this question to the people in this forum first. Thanks

 

[masteryoda34]

You can buy TV tuner cards for PCs that will record cable television. Works nicely if you have Windows Media Center.

 

[NetWareHead]

No computer integration is possible. I thought of that too but there are no computers that are available to use for this purpose.

 

[sivart]

really? Even with a USB Tuner card? A 1GHz machine (dedicated to recording) could handle the task with sufficient memory.

Sounds like picking up a cable DVR box would be the best way. If the show is on a local channel (I.e. NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox) you could pick it up using an antenna and record it in HD.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Can't you get a DVR through your cable provider? What about recording the show on a PC, burning to a DVD and playing it on a DVD player?

 

[NetWareHead]

Well at this stage it is too late to get a cable box from the cable company and there are no available PCs to use as a recording equipment. I'm pretty sure im going to get a tivo and test it out for him.

 

[sivart]

TiVo will probably require a 1 year subscription. So that would be an extra $150 that you won't get back. Just something to watch out for.

I would visit the cable company in person and see if you can pick up a DVR.