Does HR10-250 record OTA channels?

[blueman2]

WIth the HR10-250s getting cheap, I was wondering if it might be worth buying one just to time shift OTA channels. I know my locals are all MPEG4, so the unit is worthless for satellite. But still worth something for OTA HD recording if it works for that??

Also, does it have a guide so that I can set recordings for OTA? I will of course subscribe it to DirectTV.

[jt1134]

I will of course subscribe it to DirectTV.

As long as you do that, you can record away with plentiful guide data. :D

[VaBeachGuy]

http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53343

[captain_video]

For OTA-only recording you'd probably be better off getting an ATSC tuner and installing it in your PC. Here's a good place to go for info on HTPC tuners:

http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/index.html

There are lots of programs that will turn your PC into a DVR, The two most popular commercial programs are BeyondTV and SageTV. There are also several freeware programs that are reported to work quite well, such as Meedio, XLobby, and GBPVR.

The real advantage to using your PC for OTA recording is that the shows are all recorded unencrypted and you can edit and burn them to DVD with no conversion. Aside from the hardware and software investment, there are no monthly fees involved. I built an HTPC with six ATSC tuners strictly for OTA recording and it works great.

[VaBeachGuy]

For OTA-only recording you'd probably be better off getting an ATSC tuner and installing it in your PC. Here's a good place to go for info on HTPC tuners:

http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/index.html

There are lots of programs that will turn your PC into a DVR, The two most popular commercial programs are BeyondTV and SageTV. There are also several freeware programs that are reported to work quite well, such as Meedio, XLobby, and GBPVR.

The real advantage to using your PC for OTA recording is that the shows are all recorded unencrypted and you can edit and burn them to DVD with no conversion. Aside from the hardware and software investment, there are no monthly fees involved. I built an HTPC with six ATSC tuners strictly for OTA recording and it works great.

I've thought about doing that too but there just isn't enough OTA that I'd record to justify the investment. If I could find a video card that has HDMI in and would record from my TiVo/HR20 then I'd be all over it. I don't expect that kind of animal anytime soon though.

[stevel]

Ain't gonna happen. The whole point of HDMI was to prevent recording.

I'm not sure what kind of "investment" you're thinking of. I bought a Pinnacle ATSC tuner (USB stick) for $65 (open box) at CircuitCity the other week. Even list it's about $100. Cheaper than an HR10 would be to keep going (and that requires service to record.)

[captain_video]

I've thought about doing that too but there just isn't enough OTA that I'd record to justify the investment. If I could find a video card that has HDMI in and would record from my TiVo/HR20 then I'd be all over it. I don't expect that kind of animal anytime soon though.

I think you'll find it much cheaper to get the tuner card than an HDTivo. I've seen ATSC tuners for as little as $59. There are no monthly fees involved whatsoever. There are several freeware programs that will provide guide data and DVR functionality.

[VaBeachGuy]

I think you'll find it much cheaper to get the tuner card than an HDTivo. I've seen ATSC tuners for as little as $59. There are no monthly fees involved whatsoever. There are several freeware programs that will provide guide data and DVR functionality.

Yeah, but there's really nothing OTA that I'd record. The only thing I want to record (for the most part) is NFL, which I need DTV for which means I'd need a video card with HDMI in or Component in capability and would record compressed HD.

I think (hope) HD DVD recorders will be out eventually though and will do away with the need for a video card.