TV Recording Devices

[19Sandy]

What are the newest types of recording devices for TV?

My old VCR broke and I loved recording my shows to avoid watching commercials (though some are funny) and to time shift.

Can you have a DVR without subscribing to anything?

Technology is not my strong suit.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am going to assume that you don't have cable tv, because if you do, other then the cable companies recorder, tivo or a computer setup (technical) are the only ones I know of there. For antenna tv, of course there are the technical things (computers), but last I knew there was also a dvd recorder that records to a hard drive then burns the recording to a dvd. (think it was still the $400 price range)

[herbgeek]

You might check if the show you want to watch is available to stream from your computer. Nothing extra to buy or learn how to use.

[frugal-one]

What are the newest types of recording devices for TV?

My old VCR broke and I loved recording my shows to avoid watching commercials (though some are funny) and to time shift.

Can you have a DVR without subscribing to anything?

Technology is not my strong suit.

Do a search .... this has been discussed recently.

[19Sandy]

Do a search .... this has been discussed recently.

Cable is part of rent so no DVR is available. Computer is too old for streaming too.

Are DVD players that record still that expensive - I went to every store looking for one and none of the stores in rural ville sell these.

[ToomuchStuff]

Cable is part of rent so no DVR is available. Computer is too old for streaming too.

Are DVD players that record still that expensive - I went to every store looking for one and none of the stores in rural ville sell these.

So you have cable, then even if you don't pay for it, you should be able to rent a dvr from that company. If not things like Tivo can use a cable card to replace that encryption box that you have for your tv. (not many cable companies are unencrypted now)

[Miss Cellane]

Back in the 90s I had a DVR that recorded to a hard disk. The issue with those is that I could then record onto a disk--and probably violate all sorts of copyright laws. These seem to have disappeared from the market, and I suspect copyright issues were a part of that.

The last time I looked for a recording device, the only thing that was readily available was Tivo. You have to pay a monthly charge to use it, plus the cost of the unit itself. There is also a one-time "lifetime" payment option. And you can't record from the Tivo to anything else.

You should check with the cable company and see if they will provide a DVR for you. You'd have to pay for it, but it should be possible. If your landlord pays the cable bill, speak with them about it, and offer to pay the additional cost per month. Lots of cable companies are offering DVRs as the standard option these days, so getting an equipment upgrade shouldn't be a big deal.

Okay, I just checked the Tivo site and for $200 you can buy a Tivo that replaces your cable box (and streams lots of video services like Netflix and Hulu). The month charge is $15. That would bypass the cable company completely.

[freshstart]

I recommend the tivo, call and ask if there are any unadvertised specials, there often are. I find it miles better than the cable company DVR