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March 7, 2008
Dear CNET members,
Happy Friday! This week's topic from Jim is about him
wanting to move to the digital age of recording TV
programs--as his VCR is at end of its legacy. As simple as it
may sound, he threw in a few caveats to his request for his
all-in-one solution. First, he doesn't want pay a
subscription fee. Second, he is looking for a unit with a DVD
recorder that will not only allow him to record a TV program,
but also watch another program at the same time (dual tuner).
Lastly, he wants one that will let him record his VHS tapes
to DVDs. Now that's a tall order, Jim! Do we have a solution?
Well, this week's answers provided by our members were all
over the map. They ranged from using TiVo (most recommended)
and other DVR services (however, these have subscription
costs and also don't have DVD recording capabilities), to
using a multimedia PC to do both (maybe a bit over the
top for Jim, but a valid solution for those who want to go
this direction). While all these solutions are valid and
convincing, I found one solution from our members that may
just be it for Jim. However, before I bring that up, I would
like to present to you the list of possible solutions summarized best by our member jeffmcinnis.
Now everyone did an awesome job in their efforts to provide
Jim with a solution, even accounting for his special
requests. I think that after reading through everyone's advice, Jim may open his mind to buying a TiVo or other
DVR service provided by cable or satellite companies. He may
also buy a separate DVD recorder to transfer his VHS tapes.
He maybe even be open to the idea of using a computer to do
all. However, one solution that I found interesting was one provided by our member zysmith, which is a standalone DVD
recorder that not only has a built in tuner, but also a built
in hard drive for recording TV programs. The great thing with
this device is that there is no subscription cost, only the
initial cost for the device.
This topic is open for discussion, now if any of you have any
additional recommendations or advice for Jim or others,
please let us know. I want to thank everyone for their
contribution to Jim's question. I hope you all have a
wonderful and safe weekend.
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Member Question of the Week
Many would say I'm just a dinosaur when it comes to
entertainment equipment. While it may be that I'm somewhat
"technology challenged," the fact is that there's just too
much other stuff going on in my life for me to stay on top of
entertainment electronics developments. I also don't want to
be on the "bleeding edge" like many others do. However, with
VCRs gone, I need a DVR. One desirable feature might be
having the ability to record some old VHS tapes to DVD. I'd
prefer one with dual tuners so we could watch one program and
tape another. My wife doesn't want to have to subscribe to
TiVo's schedule service. What other DVR's are out there that
I should consider? What brands and features should I
consider? Are there any to stay away from? Thanks very much
for the input.
Submitted by:
Jim W.
Submitted by:
The CNET community
 Previous week's Q&AThe votes are in! Below is the answer voted most helpful by our community to last week's question.
Hello. I am curious, what are your thoughts on purchasing a
refurbished or "recertified" computer, a desktop
specifically? I need a fast one but cannot afford a brand new
Hewlet-Packard (my preferred product) now or even in the near future. Any
suggestions or advice on buying these types of computers? And
do you think my being partial to HP (I have all HP products
as well) is probably the right thing, or do similar systems
accept printers, and scanners, etc. if the brands are different?
I hear so many different opinions and "problem stories," but
I would love to hear yours if it is possible. Thank you
kindly.
--Submitted by:
Julianne R.
Read all opinions, experience, and recommendations from
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(read more)
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Check out next week's question:
Greetings, I am running Windows XP Pro SP2 on a custom machine. My wife and I purchased this machine in 2004. We haven't had many problems with it but recently the computer has developed a hum while running. I fear that something is happening to the hard drive or power supply. Is there a way to troubleshoot this ahead of time to avoid a costly repair and potential loss of data? Please advise me on all possible scenarios and solutions, so I can narrow down this cause. Thanks!
--Submitted by:
Mike S.
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