Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

I'm just trying figure out the advantage of a DVR over the VCR if I am
recording analog video from my cable provider. If I don't plan on
saving the movies, shows, etc. for very long, what does it matter? I
won't have that huge mass of tapes lying around.

I know this might be a no brainer, but I was hooking up my computer to
my capture device and cable, etc. and was so happy my PC was capturing
live TV just like tivo, a dvr, whatever you want to call it and then my
wife says, "Hey, why don't you just tape it?" "I forgot I could do
that" (and yes it hurt.) I just wanted the VCR for the TV Tuner (cable
-> vcr -> canopus advc-100 -> PC (recording software (my setup)).

Thanks for comments.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

A DVR makes higher quality recordings than a VCR. DVDs which you record are
quickly duplicated (with a computer) if you wish to make duplicates, which
are exact copies with no degradation. (Try doing that with a VCR). Blank
DVDs cost less than a quarter apiece in the U.S. and can hold 6 to 8 hrs of
programming at a small fraction of the cost of a video tape. A DVR can,
optionally, contain a hard disk which allows you to only record things to
DVD if you truly want to keep them, and, optionally, edit out commercials
before making the disk. (Try doing that with a VCR). DVDs allow rapid random
access to any place in the program, while video tapes require a lot of time
to wind and rewind.

Finally, DVRs can now be had for as little as $120 if you shop carefully.
They are modern devices with a lot of supporting infrastructure like 400
disk DVD juke boxes for $270. VCRs are a 20+ year old technology with a
rapidly dwindling supply of equipment and media.......There are other
benefits as well, but these are the ones which immediately come to mind...

Smarty



<needin4mation@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126930201.126893.74430@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> I'm just trying figure out the advantage of a DVR over the VCR if I am
> recording analog video from my cable provider. If I don't plan on
> saving the movies, shows, etc. for very long, what does it matter? I
> won't have that huge mass of tapes lying around.
>
> I know this might be a no brainer, but I was hooking up my computer to
> my capture device and cable, etc. and was so happy my PC was capturing
> live TV just like tivo, a dvr, whatever you want to call it and then my
> wife says, "Hey, why don't you just tape it?" "I forgot I could do
> that" (and yes it hurt.) I just wanted the VCR for the TV Tuner (cable
> -> vcr -> canopus advc-100 -> PC (recording software (my setup)).
>
> Thanks for comments.
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Does Tivo edit out commercials?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

My prior reply said that a DVR could be had for as little as $120 if you
shop carefully. I guess I was using last week's pricing.....

Walmart now has one for $98......

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/pro [...] id=3610576

Smarty



"Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote in message
news:auidnU5iGMoHB7beRVn-pg@adelphia.com...
>A DVR makes higher quality recordings than a VCR. DVDs which you record are
>quickly duplicated (with a computer) if you wish to make duplicates, which
>are exact copies with no degradation. (Try doing that with a VCR). Blank
>DVDs cost less than a quarter apiece in the U.S. and can hold 6 to 8 hrs of
>programming at a small fraction of the cost of a video tape. A DVR can,
>optionally, contain a hard disk which allows you to only record things to
>DVD if you truly want to keep them, and, optionally, edit out commercials
>before making the disk. (Try doing that with a VCR). DVDs allow rapid
>random access to any place in the program, while video tapes require a lot
>of time to wind and rewind.
>
> Finally, DVRs can now be had for as little as $120 if you shop carefully.
> They are modern devices with a lot of supporting infrastructure like 400
> disk DVD juke boxes for $270. VCRs are a 20+ year old technology with a
> rapidly dwindling supply of equipment and media.......There are other
> benefits as well, but these are the ones which immediately come to mind...
>
> Smarty
>
>
>
> <needin4mation@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1126930201.126893.74430@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm just trying figure out the advantage of a DVR over the VCR if I am
>> recording analog video from my cable provider. If I don't plan on
>> saving the movies, shows, etc. for very long, what does it matter? I
>> won't have that huge mass of tapes lying around.
>>
>> I know this might be a no brainer, but I was hooking up my computer to
>> my capture device and cable, etc. and was so happy my PC was capturing
>> live TV just like tivo, a dvr, whatever you want to call it and then my
>> wife says, "Hey, why don't you just tape it?" "I forgot I could do
>> that" (and yes it hurt.) I just wanted the VCR for the TV Tuner (cable
>> -> vcr -> canopus advc-100 -> PC (recording software (my setup)).
>>
>> Thanks for comments.
>>
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

But you can't do the live tv thing on that one can you? Isn't that
just a tv tuner DVD burner combo?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Yes, the $98 model does not have the hard disk / editing feature. For that
you will pay more.


My point was not that you can have ALL of the features by purchasing the
least expensive model. I merely want to illustrate that the DVRs and the
blank DVD media can be had for very little cost, and even the more deluxe
units with hard disks, editing, etc. are inexpensive.

Smarty



<needin4mation@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126934484.797323.214280@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> But you can't do the live tv thing on that one can you? Isn't that
> just a tv tuner DVD burner combo?
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

If I had that at least I could use it as a tuner instead of a VCR and
accomplish my tivo stuff on the PC and have this burner on the side
too. Maybe? What do you think?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

The burner in the DVD recorder cannot be used as a general purpose DVD
burner (since it has no computer interface) so you should consider this type
of product if you want to make DVDs without the use of a computer. They are
fast, easy to use, and make good quality DVDs. They are not a computer
peripheral any more than a normal VCR would be (with some exceptions),

A PC with "Tivo stuff" is relatively easy to configure, and a number of us
on this newsgroup use SageTV (from Frey Technologies) or other similar
products to do exactly that. This will require a video capture card, extra
software, and a burner, with a total cost of maybe $200, assuming you
already have a mid power (or better) PC already. The video capture card is
$60, the software is another $80-$100, and the burner will add another $50
or so. There is no monthly fee whatsoever (unlike Tivo), and many features
which TiVo lacks as well.

I don't see the choice as being either a DVD recorder ***OR*** a PC with
"TiVO stuff". Many of us do both, and use the results from one to edit on
the other. But either can be a good choice by itself, depending upon what
you want to accomplish.

Smarty



<needin4mation@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126935820.551505.34860@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> If I had that at least I could use it as a tuner instead of a VCR and
> accomplish my tivo stuff on the PC and have this burner on the side
> too. Maybe? What do you think?
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote:

>Yes, the $98 model does not have the hard disk / editing feature. For that
>you will pay more.

For a person who just wants to time shift off the air
TV programs (analog)..... is the DVD burner unit with
NO hard drive OK?

Do I really need the extra expense of the units that
have a hard drive as well?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

The least expensive DVR will do the time shift in the same manner as a VCR,
and thus avoids the hard disk / extra cost entirely.



<me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:uvfoi15spsrtjagfv6g3tkgbqgbp28um5l@4ax.com...
> "Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote:
>
>>Yes, the $98 model does not have the hard disk / editing feature. For that
>>you will pay more.
>
> For a person who just wants to time shift off the air
> TV programs (analog)..... is the DVD burner unit with
> NO hard drive OK?
>
> Do I really need the extra expense of the units that
> have a hard drive as well?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

<me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:uvfoi15spsrtjagfv6g3tkgbqgbp28um5l@4ax.com...
> "Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote:
>
>>Yes, the $98 model does not have the hard disk / editing feature. For that
>>you will pay more.
>
> For a person who just wants to time shift off the air
> TV programs (analog)..... is the DVD burner unit with
> NO hard drive OK?
>
> Do I really need the extra expense of the units that
> have a hard drive as well?

I find that the DVD Recorder without a Hard Drive is great
for transfers from other, analog, storage media such as
VCR or Laserdisk. A RW disk from these conversions to
a digital format is an easy way to provide this material to a
PC for further manipulation, in a digital state.

I have a reconditioned RCA DRC8000N for this, and it
is capable of "timeshifting" using the "Guide Plus" service,
but I've never used it that way. In fact I've never used its
tuner for anything. ( But I have the DirecTiVo unit for that.)
It should be pointed out that, to get the true benefit of
"time shifting", you need a scheduling service of some kind.
There are some that work with PC based setups, and I
seem to remember that some of those were free.

For "time shifting" the hard drive is hard to beat. I use
the hard drive in my DirecTiVo DVR, for that. Sometimes
the material that I have shifted, gets captured to a more
permanent format; DVD+R and/or "TeraStation" NAS
file.

The "TiVo" phenomena is not just a matter of the
equipment, but lies in its abilities to gather up the shows
you wish to watch/capture, with minimal instructions. It
can even display some AI and offer up "Suggestions"
based on your viewing habits.

The DirecTv version of TiVo, and the new DirecTv
DVRs have an additional advantage in that they can
simply record the outputs of their dual tuners to the
hard drive. The satellite signal is a form of MPEG
already, it's Digital all the way to the hard drive. So,
what you see off the hard drive is exactly what you
would see directly from the satellite, live.

Luck;
Ken

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote in message
news:VpSdneD-VJ2WO7benZ2dnUVZ_smdnZ2d@adelphia.com...
> My prior reply said that a DVR could be had for as little as $120 if you
> shop carefully. I guess I was using last week's pricing.....
>
> Walmart now has one for $98......
>
> http://www.walmart.com/catalog/pro [...] id=3610576
>
> Smarty
>
>
>
> "Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote in message
> news:auidnU5iGMoHB7beRVn-pg@adelphia.com...
>>A DVR makes higher quality recordings than a VCR. DVDs which you record
>>are quickly duplicated (with a computer) if you wish to make duplicates,
>>which are exact copies with no degradation. (Try doing that with a VCR).
>>Blank DVDs cost less than a quarter apiece in the U.S. and can hold 6 to 8
>>hrs of programming at a small fraction of the cost of a video tape. A DVR
>>can, optionally, contain a hard disk which allows you to only record
>>things to DVD if you truly want to keep them, and, optionally, edit out
>>commercials before making the disk. (Try doing that with a VCR). DVDs
>>allow rapid random access to any place in the program, while video tapes
>>require a lot of time to wind and rewind.
>>
>> Finally, DVRs can now be had for as little as $120 if you shop carefully.
>> They are modern devices with a lot of supporting infrastructure like 400
>> disk DVD juke boxes for $270. VCRs are a 20+ year old technology with a
>> rapidly dwindling supply of equipment and media.......There are other
>> benefits as well, but these are the ones which immediately come to
>> mind...
>>
>> Smarty
>>
>>
>>
>> <needin4mation@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1126930201.126893.74430@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>>> I'm just trying figure out the advantage of a DVR over the VCR if I am
>>> recording analog video from my cable provider. If I don't plan on
>>> saving the movies, shows, etc. for very long, what does it matter? I
>>> won't have that huge mass of tapes lying around.
>>>
>>> I know this might be a no brainer, but I was hooking up my computer to
>>> my capture device and cable, etc. and was so happy my PC was capturing
>>> live TV just like tivo, a dvr, whatever you want to call it and then my
>>> wife says, "Hey, why don't you just tape it?" "I forgot I could do
>>> that" (and yes it hurt.) I just wanted the VCR for the TV Tuner (cable
>>> -> vcr -> canopus advc-100 -> PC (recording software (my setup)).
>>>
>>> Thanks for comments.
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
Just to interject, i've been using DVR's for about 5 years now, I started
with ReplayTV's and kept upgrading
to better models and finally just sold them all and pay a low monthly rental
fee of $7 to my cable company for their
latest dual tuner model.
Using a dual tuner DVR is even a better step up than say going from a vcr to
a dvr to begin with.
Not only do I set series to record automatically whenever they are on, so
when a network moves a night or time, it's recorded automatically
but I no longer have to worry that when a show is moved i won't be able to
get it because of a previously scheduled show causing a conflict with
the one tuner, Now I never miss programs! That is the greatest freedom from
televisions scheduling. Even from season to season my shows are
remembered and I have it set to only record new episodes so I don't waste my
time with reruns.
I wouldn't go back to a VCR if they paid me $100 a month to use one,
seriously!!
AnthonyR.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Smarty" <nobody@nobody.com> wrote:

>The least expensive DVR will do the time shift in the same manner as a VCR,
>and thus avoids the hard disk / extra cost entirely.

A DVR has a hard drive in it, no?

You see..... I want the cheapest way to time shift
using off air signals as possible. No cable TV

So for abt $100 I can buy a DVD burner...with no hard
drive of course

Just not sure if NOT having any hard drive is viable
for time shifting tho. Is it?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

I have a DVR that my wife purchased for my birthday last May. I now
wish that it had a hard drive in it. I will probably be getting a
Lite-On with a hard drive and replace one of my other DVD players at a
later stage. The Lite-On's appear to have a wide following of hackers
who update the firmware of the recorder to disable Macrovision
recognition and regional restrictions.

That said, the quality of the DVR is needed for my projection
television. VHS tapes looked washed out when playing on the 52"
screen. DVR plays back as well as the OTA material that was recorded.


I am another one who shall not go back to tape again.

Cheers...

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Okay, you've convince me: I'm cheap.

But I have decided I want a mythtv box instead of tivo or replay. I
refuse to pay a subscription fee. I already pay for too much cable
that I don't watch. I do appreciate everyone's answers.