Digital Video Recorder Recommendations?

[nikster]

Hi,

I'd like to record TV to a hard disk so I can watch those late night football games at a more appropriate time.

I was looking around but couldn't find anything in Chiang Mai, so it seems like this isn't really mainstream. I found some DVD recorders but that's not what I want. I want the box for time delayed watching, rather than recording and collecting...

Where can I find such a device?

Does anybody have recommendations?

thanks!

[webfact]

Just a thought. Whats about an online recorder? There are a few provider who offer an online recorder.

[nikster]

Interesting - do you have any experience with an online recorder? Which one?

[webfact]

Interesting - do you have any experience with an online recorder? Which one?

not so long ago I was interested in recording some TV program and on a search I found some companies who offered an online recorder and actually did record the programs I was interested in.

I know such services do exist but can't remember names.

I trust I know what you are looking for at least I can imagine it.

A hardware search found this. http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/dvx-digita...-tv-hard-drive/

But not sure it is available here in TH and its also not the "box" you are looking for. Maybe an intermediate solution

/edit typing errors

Edited April 26, 2009 by webfact

[thaicbr]

Nikster. what about old school, video recorders still do kinda what you want.i'm getting a lovely one for 20 quid when i go back to the UK to see the family. and you can buy the tapes at Makro.

[marcus]

I used to see DVD recorders with a harddisk in Tesco Samui, but found it more convenient to build my own

All you need is a PC close to your TV and a video capture card (which will normally come with the necessary software, but you can download several programs for free)

Benefits :

* much, much cheaper (assuming you already have a PC of course)

* these DVD recorders mostly have small hard disks, while a computer these days can have almost unlimited disk space

* you program your recorder on a computer screen, much easier as using a remote. In civilized countries you can mostly use EPG, but that's still a dream for Thai TV

Online videorecorder : I use one and I'm very happy with it, but as far as I know, it's only available for Dutch and German speaking people.

It works like this : I connect to a Dutch website. They offer channels which are available in the Netherlands, I program this site as a normal videorecorder, and later I download this show to my PC. It's a great way for me to watch my home TV in a pretty good quality. But the only drawback is that they focus on the Dutch and German speaking market. There are some channels in other languages, but probably not what you're looking for.

[nikster]

Nikster. what about old school, video recorders still do kinda what you want.i'm getting a lovely one for 20 quid when i go back to the UK to see the family. and you can buy the tapes at Makro.

Amazing the modern times replacements for these are apparently very hard to find.

A lot of the ones offered in the USA are part of a cable box like the PVR offered by True UBC. It's like TiVo. The PVR costs 16,000 THB at True + unspecified monthly fees (which are waived the first year). Yes True has this, it can pause live TV and all, but there's no way I want to spend that much money for a device that only works with the True service and will become obsolete once HD TV arrives here.

I don't have a PC nor do I want to put one near the TV. I guess one of those new Atom based tiny boxes would be OK. I used a TV card as TV in a hotel once - the room didn't have a real TV, only a PC with TV card. And for all the hardware firepower that went into this, the experience was just so poor. Things would occasionally not work, Windows would go do something or require attention while watching TV... it was really bad. It worked, but not well enough to spend any kind of money on it....

[marcus]

Nikster. what about old school, video recorders still do kinda what you want.i'm getting a lovely one for 20 quid when i go back to the UK to see the family. and you can buy the tapes at Makro.

Amazing the modern times replacements for these are apparently very hard to find.

A lot of the ones offered in the USA are part of a cable box like the PVR offered by True UBC. It's like TiVo. The PVR costs 16,000 THB at True + unspecified monthly fees (which are waived the first year). Yes True has this, it can pause live TV and all, but there's no way I want to spend that much money for a device that only works with the True service and will become obsolete once HD TV arrives here.

I don't have a PC nor do I want to put one near the TV. I guess one of those new Atom based tiny boxes would be OK. I used a TV card as TV in a hotel once - the room didn't have a real TV, only a PC with TV card. And for all the hardware firepower that went into this, the experience was just so poor. Things would occasionally not work, Windows would go do something or require attention while watching TV... it was really bad. It worked, but not well enough to spend any kind of money on it....

Nikster,

What kind of BS is this ? You ask if this this recorder is available in Thailand, I say yes, and you reply " I know it's available but too expensive for me"

I offer a cheaper alternative, but you say " solly, no have computer" - a bit strange answer from someone who is posting on TV... Anyway, the proposed solution works well for me, seems you went to the wrong hotel...

I think I will go and watch a recorded TV program, maybe some other idiot can help you.

Good luck!

[nikster]

I have about 5 laptops, but no desktop PC. I am not going to put one in the living room as a permanent fixture.

Didn't find any DVD recorders with hard disk anywhere - if you know of one, let me know.

I found a bunch of surveillance DVRs but not sure they'd work in a consumer setting. Cost from BHT 9000+.

Conclusion: This is not an easy thing to find. MythTV is basically what I need so maybe that plus an Acer Revo would work. Or if you have a 2008 model LG LCD TV with TimeMachine for sale, let me know

[Tywais]

You can look here at some DVD Recorders with drives > Sinsiamelectronics

[marcus]

I have about 5 laptops, but no desktop PC. I am not going to put one in the living room as a permanent fixture.

Didn't find any DVD recorders with hard disk anywhere - if you know of one, let me know.

I found a bunch of surveillance DVRs but not sure they'd work in a consumer setting. Cost from BHT 9000+.

Conclusion: This is not an easy thing to find. MythTV is basically what I need so maybe that plus an Acer Revo would work. Or if you have a 2008 model LG LCD TV with TimeMachine for sale, let me know

I saw them in Tesco, but just go to the website of any manufacturer (for instance Sony), look for a dealer in your area, and I'm pretty sure they can order one for you.

There are fortunately also external TV tuners. I bought this one a couple of years ago in Panthip Plaza and it's working well for the thb 1200 I paid for it.

[nikster]

You can look here at some DVD Recorders with drives > Sinsiamelectronics

Thx for the link! Looking good....

[pmcd8243]

Get a USB TV tuner. I bought one for under 1000 Baht. Plug it into one of your laptops and you are good to go. Record to the hard drive on the laptop and you can burn a disc or load on a thumb drive. You can also play right off of the laptop to the TV.

P

[nikster]

Get a USB TV tuner. I bought one for under 1000 Baht. Plug it into one of your laptops and you are good to go. Record to the hard drive on the laptop and you can burn a disc or load on a thumb drive. You can also play right off of the laptop to the TV.

P

Certainly the by far cheapest option... got one for BHT 1000, gonna try and see how well it works tonight.

[nikster]

Thanks to those who PMd me with solutions.

The best solution for me is a Dreambox PVR 600 - costs BHT 6000 and replaces the UBC TV satellite box, can use the smart card from UBC. This should make for a much better receiver and has a digital HD based video recorder included - perfect! Cuts down on the number of boxes and remotes as well.

The BHT 1000 USB video recorder card for the PC worked as expected - it "works" in that it records video to the HD. But also as expected, usability is crap, the included software is buggy and prevented my laptop from going to sleep, I had to reboot. It's also not usable as a constant fixture (pass video through PC at all times) because for some reason the video is very choppy on the PC screen. The recordings are perfect though: Great quality, no stutter. It's an emergency solution more than anything else.