- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 21 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Almost perfect HDTV recorder"
Pros: Receive over-the-air HDTV channels not carried by cable. Get TIVO like recorder without monthly fee.
Cons: Minor problems with on-screen guide. Can't add program title to manual recording.
Summary: This recorder stores up to 30 hours on HDTV programs without need to store tapes or disks. Also, no need to keep a list of your recordings since they appear on your screen with the push of a button. It doesn't take much more effort to set up a recording with the easy-to-use remote control, which also has a nice feel.
Another nice feature of this recorder is that the recorder shows the first words in the title of the program you are viewing,
The manual is very thin and I suggest you read it to fully enjoy all of its capabilities.
This recorder is the best available product for recording HDTV programs from both antenna and cable. Moreover, if you only have cable to improve reception, this recorder may eliminate that need. I originally got cable for that reason, and was amazed by the quality and quantity of signals it gets.
It takes at least overnight for the guide to appear, and it is updated every night, Power must be off for this to occur.
If you receive signals from both cable and antenna, you will want to disable one of them to simply guide listing. Also, the guide had the wrong HDTV channel numbers for cable, and I had to find the correct ones manually, and then edit the settings.
During the inital setup, you are asked to enter your zip code and select cable service, if you have one. A list of cable providers is shown and you are asked to select yours. Mine wasn't on that list so I had to choose one and hope that it had the same program lineup. After a few tries, I found one that worked.
Only other problem I have with the guide, is with the Channel 4 news at 11 pm. I tried to record this program nightly but can't because the guide changes the name of the program from day to day - everything but news at 11.
The recorder can be set to record a program daily or weekly but only if the program name remains the same.
I probably can use the manual record option to avoid the above problem, but in general I would advise against using this option since the program name and detailed information is unknown and you can't enter a title manually. Programming with the guide is not only much easier, it avoids losing the end of programs that are scheduled to start or end beyond the normal time, and eliminates recordings of unwanted shows due to schedule change.
Only important feature missing from this recorder is an HDTV input for my Comcast HDTV box.
- 1 reply to this review
-
This HD Recorder is design to work with a Cablecard, Comcast offers them you should get one if you don't already.
