Over The Air DVR

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm going to mount my new digital antenna in a week or two and cut the cord with DirecTV. I'd like to still be able to record the few shows that we watch and/or football games. Does anyone have a recommendation? I'd prefer not to have a monthly charge for TiVo but I'm not sure that the other options are all that great. It would be nice to have an on-screen guide but it's not necessary.

[delcecchi]

I'm going to mount my new digital antenna in a week or two and cut the cord with DirecTV. I'd like to still be able to record the few shows that we watch and/or football games. Does anyone have a recommendation? I'd prefer not to have a monthly charge for TiVo but I'm not sure that the other options are all that great. It would be nice to have an on-screen guide but it's not necessary.

If you are somewhat computer savvy, you can use a computer with a tuner card to record the programs.... In fact windows media center might have everything you need, or there are things you can buy inexpensively.

Search for something like "record tv on computer"

[aanderud]

Windows media center and a tuner card in the computer (assuming you have a free slot in there) is a great option. You can get a remote for it and whatnot -- my tuner card actually came with a remote but even if yours doesn't, you can get one with an IR receiver. The tuners I had in my homemade DVR were analog tuners and I quit using them in 2007 or so, but digital tuners are easy to find these days. For tuner cards, there's the 'HD Home run' for digital, as well as other cards by pinnacle studio, hauppauge, and others.

There are other options out there for software if you don't like the windows media center. Myth TV is one option. Another is SageTV. I used SageTV for years. Some of these have plugins that will detect and skip commercials for you and whatnot too.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks. I like those options but assume that you've then got to leave your computer running all of the time?

[CHM]

I went with Tivo. My son's had Channel Master, sold them and bought Tivo.

I'm happy. I think it's $15 a month. Heck, I was running late so instead of making coffee I ran through the drive-thru and bought a mocha. Over 5 bucks! Sheesh! Seriously though - both my boys say the program guide is much more accurate now with Tivo.

[aanderud]

Thanks. I like those options but assume that you've then got to leave your computer running all of the time?

Yes, with the options I listed, you pretty much leave the computer on all the time. I guess I hadn't really thought about it since I left the computer on all the time anyway. This day and age, they MIGHT have some software that allows the computer to sleep in between recordings and wake itself up when it needs to record a show -- who knows. I know mine never did that. You'd also want it to wake up when the remote was in use for watching a recorded show, of course.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks everyone

I don't run my computer much right now but it is a pretty substantial system (I built it last year), my guess is that I'll spend as much or more in electricity running my desktop full time than if I pay $15/mo to Tivo.

Here is something that I found regarding electrical usage:

Quote:

For example, let's say you have a big high-end computer with a gaming-level graphics card and an old CRT monitor, and you leave them on 24/7. That's about 200 watts x 24 hours x 365 days/yr = 1,752,000 watt-hours, or 1752 kilowatt-hours. If you're paying $0.36 per kWh, you're paying $631 a year to run your computer. (In California, PG&E's highest tier is $0.33/kWh, and the average in Hawaii is $0.36/kWh. source)

Let's try a different example: You have a computer that's less of an energy hog, like in iMac G5 20", which uses about 105 watts, and you're smart enough to turn it off or sleep it when you're not using it. You use it for two hours a day, five days a week. That's 105 watts x 10 hours/week x 52 weeks/year = 54,600 watt-hours, or 54.6 kWh. If you're paying 10¢ per kilowatt-hour, then you're paying about $5.50 a year to run your computer.

That's quite a range, $5.50 to $631 a year. It really depends on what kind of computer it is, how much you use it, and your local rate for electricity -- and especially whether you turn off the computer when you're not using it (or at least sleep it). Both the examples above are extremes. I used to have only one example somewhere in the middle but then I'd see people on blogs and forums misquoting it by writing, "Mr. Electricity says a computer costs about about $150/yr. to run." No, that is not what I said. I said that was just an example. Your situation is almost certainly different, and you need to consider all the variables listed in the first sentence of this paragraph.

[delcecchi]

If you are using it as a dvr, you could at least turn off the (CRT?!!) monitor. And rates in MN are more like 10 cents rather than 30+ cents.

And, at least for a laptop and maybe a desktop, you can have the computer reduce its performance and hence power when it doesn't have much to do.

[Nilsfisher]

IMO..... There are mini towers that can be built/bought for just this purpose, they use very little electricity over a full tower with a bigger power supply and the tv can be hooked up as a monitor so there isn't i need for one next to the tv.

All that being said, I'm sure everyone knows how well windows works, most of the time anyway, in my experience, I think you would be happier with a system that is made and designed to just handle tv and storage. I would go tivo. I have it and would not go back to a computer to record tv.

After spending money on a tv tuner, hard drives to store the HD programming and everything else needed, it's a little cheaper to go with tivo.

Also, there is only one of the new tivo roameo systems that record OTA channels so going with an older tivo premier might be a better option.

That's my two cents on what I have researched and found out for myself.