I don't know anything about DVRs really, but is there one that I can buy where I DONT have to sign up for any type of service?

1/24/2006 9:22:16 PM

use your pc

1/24/2006 9:22:57 PM

elaborate.....

1/24/2006 9:23:58 PM

nyuse yoir compudur [/hairlip]

1/24/2006 9:32:34 PM

and from where do i get these shows smartass and if i dont want to use my computer is there a DVR like this

[Edited on January 24, 2006 at 9:34 PM. Reason : .]

1/24/2006 9:33:32 PM

buy a tv tuner for your pc and get some DVR software

or buy a seperate PC to place near the TV for dvr use only if you dont want to use your primary comp.

1/24/2006 9:35:18 PM

he means to put a TV tuner card in your computer and let your computer do all the recording.

if you dont want to do that, you need to get a Tivo or some other DVR like through Time Warner, but all come with a service fee.

[Edited on January 24, 2006 at 9:35 PM. Reason : ^ beat me by 5 seconds ]

1/24/2006 9:35:23 PM

or buy an xbox360

1/24/2006 9:36:02 PM

and i assume i can get a card like this at any bestbuy/circuit city type store?

1/24/2006 9:36:21 PM

maybe.

but you can usually find whatever best buy is selling for cheaper online.

1/24/2006 9:37:31 PM

alrighty... well i will at least go to best buy to see what i should be looking for... ill probably end up getting it there though since ill need someone to put it in

Thanks

[Edited on January 24, 2006 at 9:39 PM. Reason : .]

1/24/2006 9:39:03 PM

I'll put it in for you for $10

And I prefer shopping at best Buy cuz I am a Rewards Member.

1/24/2006 9:40:43 PM

^no offense but how do i know u wont fuck up my computer... i mean im all for work between students and all but this is my baby

1/24/2006 9:42:42 PM

does xbox360 have built in DVR?
(i havnt been following the xbox craze)



and is there really no DVR service without a fee? (without using a PC)

1/24/2006 9:42:48 PM

Xbox doesn't have a built in DVR, but it can network with your main media center pc in the bedroom to record shows and stuff.

1/24/2006 9:45:29 PM

http://www.byopvr.com/

my suggestion is a hauppauge wintv-pvr-250 with sagetv software

1/24/2006 10:08:48 PM

okay... what specs do i need for a computer to put this in bc i dont wanna use my main one

1/24/2006 10:11:23 PM

Quote :

"^no offense but how do i know u wont fuck up my computer... i mean im all for work between students and all but this is my baby"

And you know for a fact that the toolbags at Best Buy wont?

1/25/2006 8:48:03 AM

if you cant put the card in yourself

what makes you think you can set the thing up to be a DVR successfully?

1/25/2006 9:18:37 AM

http://www.gbpvr.com/, hauppauge tv tuner, big hard drive

1/25/2006 9:25:53 AM

Speaking of DVRs. Is anyone using one of the new DirecTV DVRs (the R15) without a phone line. I'm looking to get one since they're $100 with $100 rebate, but I won't be able to hook it to the phone. I know all the regular receivers don't really matter, other than potential PPV issues down the road.

1/25/2006 12:10:00 PM

yeah, if you you're not comfortable putting a card in your computer yourself... you should probably steer clear from using a pc as a DVR. Just get a tivo or time warner dvr and save yourself the trouble. Besides, after rebate a tivo or time warner dvr is going to be cheaper by far than a decent tv tuner card and installation fee at best buy.

Sure Tivo and time warner will charge you monthly service fees, but if you don't know what you're doing their systems will be much better than anything you're likely to get working on your own. Add to that the possibility that your computer won't handle dvr functions too well because of its age and crap like spyware. Also, remember that while recording you're going to take a performance hit, so if you're trying to use this computer for more than just recording tv it COULD be a pain in the ass, depending on how slow of a system you have.

^ I've got a direct tv tivo system (50 bucks after MIR), and it is not connected to a phone line. we also don't bother with pay-per view on it. not sure about the non-tivo direct tv dvr's though.


[Edited on January 25, 2006 at 1:32 PM. Reason : ]

1/25/2006 1:31:43 PM

whats a minimum requirment for a pc dvr

1/25/2006 3:10:00 PM

god it costs like 7 bucks a month

you can't be that much of a jew

1/25/2006 3:49:47 PM

^no... I just dont like the hassle of remembering to pay sevice fees especially while in college with not necessarily a permanent addy. And I don't want my mom to pay for it even if it is a low cost b/c I know I will forget, which is why I like to pay cash up from for everything. I was just looking for a one time deal in terms of DVR as opposed to something having a monthly stipulation. I knew I would have difficulty operating something homemade which is why I'm asking questions, and as far as Best Buy goes... I know if they fuck it up, I can take it back there.

1/25/2006 5:49:29 PM

Quote :

"yeah, if you you're not comfortable putting a card in your computer yourself... you should probably steer clear from using a pc as a DVR. Just get a tivo or time warner dvr and save yourself the trouble. Besides, after rebate a tivo or time warner dvr is going to be cheaper by far than a decent tv tuner card and installation fee at best buy. Sure Tivo and time warner will charge you monthly service fees, but if you don't know what you're doing their systems will be much better than anything you're likely to get working on your own. Add to that the possibility that your computer won't handle dvr functions too well because of its age and crap like spyware. Also, remember that while recording you're going to take a performance hit, so if you're trying to use this computer for more than just recording tv it COULD be a pain in the ass, depending on how slow of a system you have. ^ I've got a direct tv tivo system (50 bucks after MIR), and it is not connected to a phone line. we also don't bother with pay-per view on it. not sure about the non-tivo direct tv dvr's though. "

A big advatange that you get with TWC (i don't know about Tivo, but I doubt they have this feature) is that when you don't own it and it breaks you aren't screwed. Anyone that has ever owned a computer knows that hard drives have lots of moving parts and wear out.

When the hard drive wears out you take it back and get the latest version.

1/25/2006 6:14:15 PM

Yea folks, how much cpu horsepower do I need for this system. I haven't looked at this mentioned hauppage card yet but I am going to guess it does a lot of the compression on the card meaning I don't need a hefty cpu?

1/25/2006 10:44:24 PM

^^tivos have a hell of a warranty, but you do in fact own them yourself.

^no, you shouldn't need a hefty cpu if you're not doing HD stuff, as long as your system is dedicated to it. 2 ghz+ P4 as long as you've got a good ammount of ram, a good tuner card, and a good video card (and this is probably way more than you need if your system is JUST acting as a media pc in alot of cases). The thing is, if you want it to be a dvr AND use it to do other stuff while it's recording, you need alot more.

remember though, shitier cards will mean more work for the cpu in most cases. the all-in-wonders are decent non-hd tuner cards and usually pretty good video cards as well. the hippaguage cards are also really good, just don't get some 29.99 "startech" special or usb box and expect it to work on a pII 300 mhz POS.

[Edited on January 25, 2006 at 11:31 PM. Reason : ]

1/25/2006 11:31:10 PM

Quote :

"^no... I just dont like the hassle of remembering to pay sevice fees especially while in college with not necessarily a permanent addy. And I don't want my mom to pay for it even if it is a low cost b/c I know I will forget, which is why I like to pay cash up from for everything. I was just looking for a one time deal in terms of DVR as opposed to something having a monthly stipulation. I knew I would have difficulty operating something homemade which is why I'm asking questions, and as far as Best Buy goes... I know if they fuck it up, I can take it back there."

Tivo has their deal where you can pay for a lifetime subscribtion for the box all up front. I think it's 300. So if they've still got that deal going for the 40 gig box for 50 bucks, you're looking at 350 for the entire system with subscription.

The tivo subscriptions are good on that specific box, not for that user. So if sell it or move or whatever, then there's no problem still having the box hooked up.

1/25/2006 11:57:20 PM

^so technically i can find someone who subscribed lifetime and is selling their box, plug it in and go?

1/26/2006 12:01:06 AM

yea...as long as they've bought the lifetime subscription for the box rather than paying it monthly.

1/26/2006 12:01:44 AM

http://www.htpcnews.com/

Check out this site. It has lots of reviews and stuff on hardware and software.

1/26/2006 12:06:26 AM