Now that digital is coming, I'm interested in a moderate-cost method to record TV programs received off the air in digital format, something that will do so with the same timer capabilities that VCRs have. The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 hybrid TV stick, that plugs into the USB port of a computer, or a related model, seems to be the only one, which really surprises me.
But I keep thinking I'm missing something, that there is something it doesn't say.
Does it have all the timer abilities of a VCR? It seems to say so, but it's surprising to me that nothing else I can find has this, except TiVo, and this has it for less than 100 dollars and no monthly fee. It seems like a bargain.
Can I set it in advance to record a program from 8 to 9 next Tuesday? Every Tuesday? Every day M-F only? VCRs in the later years could handle about 8 different time and channel settings at one time. Can the Haupapauge do that, record from one channel at one time and 3 or 7 other channels at other times?
Any chance I could use the computer to record to a DVD instead of to a harddrive?
It sounds like this would also be a pretty cheap way to timer-record digital TV, until they come out with metal box DVD recorders with timers and digital tuners, like VCRs are. (That record on plastic DVD disks. Are they ever going to make such a thing?) Right now, the only thing I can find has only Line In. No tuner, so I have to set the cable box or digital conversion set-top box for the right channel before I leave the house. And it's impossible to record on more than one channel while I'm out without my coming home in between to change channels. That's assuming those DVD recorders, like the ones from SONY, have timers at all, and so far I'm not even sure of that.
(I don't want to pay monthly for a subscription service like TIVO.)
Is there any particular model that someone knows works well?
I'd really appreciate any help or advice you can give me.
If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)