HD Recording with DVHS Question

[leo2geo]

Does anyone know if the D-VHS recorders allow you to hook the coax cable from the OTA to them as an input for recording HD? If not why not, seems like it would just require a HD reciever built into the VCR.

Thanks,

Richard

[Bryan]

No it does not. The only way to record in HD right now is through fire wire. Basically, until the Dish and Directv boxes come out, you have to have a TV with a built in ATSC receiver and firewire outputs.





Bryan
Mits 65511
Yahmaha RXV-1
Hughes E86
Mits DVHS

[57U]

...or an OTA STB with firewire out.

There are Cable HD DVRs out/coming out depending on the service provider and model.

There are also Cable STBs that have firewire out ports (some available, some not), but they may not yet be "activated" by the service provider. All of this is happening during the next few months.

[halveb]

Also adding a tuner to the VCR would most likely at this point add $300. I do agree though that current VCRs have a tuner and it makes it nice to be able to record something on the VCR while watching something else on your TV (possible because of the tuner built into the VCR).

The new TIVO boxes I have heard have two or more tuners built in to allow simulatneous record and view. I don't have sat service so I am not really familiar and I don't think these boxes are even available yet.

In my ideal world I would have a computer based recording system with a built in tuner. A dedicated hard drive recorder (which I already have) using the tuner built in to my TV. This way I could watch TV with the hard drive recorder, use live pause and all those cool functions while having timed recordings go to my computer. If I ever wanted to archive I could transfer recordings to computer (if not already there). Edit to remove commercials then burn to DVD.

[sillygoose]

Originally posted by halveb
Also adding a tuner to the VCR would most likely at this point add $300. I do agree though that current VCRs have a tuner and it makes it nice to be able to record something on the VCR while watching something else on your TV (possible because of the tuner built into the VCR).

If you are talking about adding a tuner to a HD tape recorder than it shouldn't be that much. There are two components for tuning and displaying OTA HD. They are the 8VSB decoder and the MPEG decoder. HD tape recorders already have MPEG decoders so they can play the tapes and output on component. I think there are some that may only output to firewire in which case they don't have an MPEG decoder but again you wouldn't need to add one either since they only output on firewire. So you only need to add the 8VSB decoder which should be closer to $100-150.