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DVR for OTA TV


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Late arrival to this topic, but what we did was use our computer. You may not have room, or want to take the room, but we have a desktop computer with a digital TV tuner card in it. I hooked it to the OTA and recorded shows (only one at a time) and shows were recorded to the Hard drive of the computer. We could play back on the RV's TV.

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Thoughts on the products mentioned so far:

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From Tablo's web site the following is required:
An iPad running Apple iOS7+ OR an Android tablet running Android 4.1+ OR a computer/smartphone running the chrome browser
An internet connection.
A USB hard drive is required both for watching live TV and recording programming.

If you'd like to watch programming on your big screen TV, you'll also need an Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, AppleTV (which uses AirPlay from an iPad), Roku or a Chromecast dongle. You can also use the web app with an HDMI-enabled computer connected to your TV.

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The TiVo OTA has four tuners, and includes 1TB of hard drive storage. I can't find any information on whether an internet connection is required. If you plan on using the TiVo OTA in places where you won't have an internet connection it would be best to check and see if it will work.

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The Channel Master DVR+ has two tuners and it will function without an internet connection but the program guide will be very basic. You can subscribe to a guide service that will give a better program guide. The internal storage will hold only two hours of HD programming so you would need to add a USB hard drive.

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Units such as the iView and HomeWorx have only one tuner and no internal storage. To use it as a DVR requires an external USB drive. There is no provision for connection to the internet therefore none is required. A very rudimentary program guide is generated from the info that is embedded in the TV signal. These units are also media players. If you have a collection of videos, movies, and music they can be played using these units.

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Using a computer as a DVR requires the addition of a TV tuner. If you have a PC with Windows 7 it comes with a program called Windows Media Center. It's a bit of a challenge to set up but once it's done it works well. Windows 8 does not come with Windows Media Center but you could download it for free from Microsoft for a short while. Afterwards, you had to purchase it. As of October 30, 2015 it is no longer available. Windows 10 has no option for Windows Media Center. An internet connection is required to generate the program guide. It is possible to set up recording manually without the guide but it's a pain. At home I use a Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center and it works very well.

Tom
—————————————————
2005 Born Free 24' Rear Bath
Towing 1978 VW Bug convertible
Minneapolis, MN

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I am looking for a DVR just for OTA TV, no subscription. I can't seem to figure out the right search terms so that is what I need help with. When I enter DVR for OTA I get a lot of subscription services and I don't want those.

 

I would like to record TV programs from OTA. That is all. A guide would be nice but not necessary. The only time I would use this is when I can't get my satellite to work(trees).

 

 

I don't have a DVR, and use this to record both OTA and satellite. There's no program guide or automatic recording--you have to manually enter what you want to record by date and time. It's basically a VCR but with a hard drive instead of tapes.

 

http://www.magnavox.com/product/product.php?id=214

 

I didn't take the time to investigate much since this may not be anything you're even interested in. They're expensive, but there are some available on Ebay. I do know they vary in hard drive size, but I'm not sure if anything else differentiates the models.

 

I'm very happy with mine, although there's still an element of human error in entering the recording data--with OTA channels being things like 8.1, 8.2, etc., you have to be real careful.

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Tom,

A big thank you from all of us looking at this thread. You did a great job in summarizing all the options. We are leaning toward Tivo or Channel Master. We don't need it until August so we have time. I put a Price Check on both so if the price drops on Amazon I will gegt notified.

 

I have Windows 10 so can't go that way and I don;t have Apple, even if I did, I wouldn't. I have had too many apps stop working when operating systems get upgraded to risk anything like that.

 

Thanks again................................

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Thoughts on the products mentioned so far:

----------------------

From Tablo's web site the following is required:

An iPad running Apple iOS7+ OR an Android tablet running Android 4.1+ OR a computer/smartphone running the chrome browser

An internet connection.

A USB hard drive is required both for watching live TV and recording programming.

If you'd like to watch programming on your big screen TV, you'll also need an Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, AppleTV (which uses AirPlay from an iPad), Roku or a Chromecast dongle. You can also use the web app with an HDMI-enabled computer connected to your TV.

----------------------

The TiVo OTA has four tuners, and includes 1TB of hard drive storage. I can't find any information on whether an internet connection is required. If you plan on using the TiVo OTA in places where you won't have an internet connection it would be best to check and see if it will work.

----------------------

The Channel Master DVR+ has two tuners and it will function without an internet connection but the program guide will be very basic. You can subscribe to a guide service that will give a better program guide. The internal storage will hold only two hours of HD programming so you would need to add a USB hard drive.

----------------------

Units such as the iView and HomeWorx have only one tuner and no internal storage. To use it as a DVR requires an external USB drive. There is no provision for connection to the internet therefore none is required. A very rudimentary program guide is generated from the info that is embedded in the TV signal. These units are also media players. If you have a collection of videos, movies, and music they can be played using these units.

----------------------

Using a computer as a DVR requires the addition of a TV tuner. If you have a PC with Windows 7 it comes with a program called Windows Media Center. It's a bit of a challenge to set up but once it's done it works well. Windows 8 does not come with Windows Media Center but you could download it for free from Microsoft for a short while. Afterwards, you had to purchase it. As of October 30, 2015 it is no longer available. Windows 10 has no option for Windows Media Center. An internet connection is required to generate the program guide. It is possible to set up recording manually without the guide but it's a pain. At home I use a Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center and it works very well.

The Channel Master also has a 1 tb hard drive built in as an option. I went with an external as it costs less that way. Plus if you have a hard dive crap out you can replace it easily and cheaply. I had to replace one after a year and a half.

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Hooking up an OTA RG6 cable to the Hopper 3's outside antenna thingy requires a 6" black box called a dongle from Dish. Can be bought over internet. I inherited one; but without a cord. The end for the Hopper connection seems to require a proprietary plug. Will look into getting one tomorrow.

 

My question is if my OTA gets connected to my Hopper 3, and the locals show up on the Dish guide, does that mean I can record, postpone, and pause local programming just like satellite shows?

 

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My question is if my OTA gets connected to my Hopper 3, and the locals show up on the Dish guide, does that mean I can record, postpone, and pause local programming just like satellite shows?

If you get the OTA Dongle connected and run the channel scan, then yes it will be treated like another tuner for recording shows. As a show is being recorded, it can paused.

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Using a computer as a DVR requires the addition of a TV tuner. If you have a PC with Windows 7 it comes with a program called Windows Media Center. It's a bit of a challenge to set up but once it's done it works well. Windows 8 does not come with Windows Media Center but you could download it for free from Microsoft for a short while. Afterwards, you had to purchase it. As of October 30, 2015 it is no longer available. Windows 10 has no option for Windows Media Center. An internet connection is required to generate the program guide. It is possible to set up recording manually without the guide but it's a pain. At home I use a Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center and it works very well.

 

I still have Media Center on my computer because I upgraded the computer from Windows 7. However, there are some free applications that work in place of Media Center. Two I know of are Media Portal and NextPVR.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/6/2017 at 11:26 AM, Chalkie said:

 

I still have Media Center on my computer because I upgraded the computer from Windows 7. However, there are some free applications that work in place of Media Center. Two I know of are Media Portal and NextPVR.

I recently upgraded my Win 7 notebook to Win 10 and Media Center disappeared. I did not do a fresh install but rather an upgrade which retains installed software and documents.  I reverted back to Win 7.

How did you retain Media Center?

Tom
—————————————————
2005 Born Free 24' Rear Bath
Towing 1978 VW Bug convertible
Minneapolis, MN

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On 3/3/2017 at 3:49 PM, SWharton said:

We are leaning toward Tivo or Channel Master. We don't need it until August so we have time.

If you also want to record from a park cable system, then your OTA DVR should include a QAM tuner just in case the park is using digital cable. There's only 1 DVR I found that can record both OTA and QAM sources:

ota-and-qam-dvrs-1.jpg

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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Call some pawn shops and ask if they have a CD/DVD player/recorder. You should use DVD's instead of CD's for increased recording time though. Sounds like this is the only time you plan to record like this, so when finished you don't have much money involved and you can take it to recycling.

It is isn't obvious, I'm cheap with some things.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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22 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Call some pawn shops and ask if they have a CD/DVD player/recorder. You should use DVD's instead of CD's for increased recording time though. Sounds like this is the only time you plan to record like this, so when finished you don't have much money involved and you can take it to recycling.

It is isn't obvious, I'm cheap with some things.

We have a DVD recorder/player that we don't use anymore. Since we got the DVR for DirecTV, it has plenty of recorded shows for when we don't have satellite reception. Be glad to sell the reorder/player. Chuck

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5 hours ago, SWharton said:

chuckbear,

 

I don't see how a cd/dvd player will record over the air............That is the orginal topic.............

Because this is not a player. It is a recorder/player. You simply connect the OTA antenna coax to the input on the recorder/player and the coax output to the TV Connection. Set it to record whatever channel you want at whatever time, make sure a DVD disc is in the unit and it will record to the DVD disc. Chuck

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Chuck and Susan      1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34            Triton V10 on Ford Chassis

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On 3/28/2017 at 10:58 AM, chuckbear said:

Because this is not a player. It is a recorder/player. You simply connect the OTA antenna coax to the input on the recorder/player and the coax output to the TV Connection. Set it to record whatever channel you want at whatever time, make sure a DVD disc is in the unit and it will record to the DVD disc. Chuck

Yep, I've done this for  several decades. I now use my DVD player/recorder with my Dish satellite system. Prior to that I used my old VHS tape player/recorder. Most folks thought the TVO was a great innovative machine, but it merely updated and simplified the process of recording movies.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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On 3/3/2017 at 5:05 PM, morninghill said:

TIVO needs to connect to the TIVO service at least once every two weeks. This can be phone or internet. This maintains the program guide.

I am so glad I found this thread (I think)! The information being reported here is different than what I was given by TIVO.  I was told that TIVO would not work with a phone hotspot nor would it work with a WIFI extender.  They couldn't explain why - just said it wouldn't work.  Your comment suggests you know from experience that it does work, is that correct?

Also, when changing locations, I will obviously have to do a new channel scan.  Does this adversely effect your season pass recordings.  In other words, do they record even though they are now on another channel and/or time?  I have received conflicting information on this.

Thanks for your help.

Roger

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/23/2017 at 10:56 AM, Zulu said:

If you also want to record from a park cable system, then your OTA DVR should include a QAM tuner just in case the park is using digital cable. There's only 1 DVR I found that can record both OTA and QAM sources:

ota-and-qam-dvrs-1.jpg

 

Just an update . . .

Channel Master just came out with the CM-7003 Converter Box which has both ATSC (OTA) and QAM (digital cable) tuners. The CM-7003 also has a USB 2.0 slot for media playback (not recording).

Note that the iView 3500STBII is still a better deal as the iVIEW has a USB slot which can be used for recording as well as playback.

This box is intended for those folks rely on park cable, but who do NOT have a TV with a built-on QAM tuner. Note that some RV parks have digital cable while others do not.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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The TiVo Roamio OTA DVR is the way to go. These have been on sale lately, and unlike the Channel Master DVR, you won't need to buy an external hard drive of anything extra. I would just google reviews for tivo roamio ota and you should be able to get an idea of what your options are. Good luck! 

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