I agree about the fuzzy pictures, but remember that most TV shows from the 80's weren't shot in HD or widescreen. The notable exception was the original Law & Order, which had the foresight to shoot in HDTV before most anybody owned the sets to watch it that way. It has certainly paid off financially though. The reruns seem to be on 24/7 somewhere, and they look as if they were shot yesterday.
OTA Recorder
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I have 'time-shifted' ever since 1978. I wouldn't be w/o it.
From VHS, S-VHS, then HDD's starting with the DVR Sony had before they dropped the Guide, basically making that useless.
I did have a CATV DVR for a very short period of time, but I didn't like not having the ability to bypass/lockout channels.
I wound up biting the bullet and went TiVo inspite of their "Lifetime Service". But I found, buying a used one that already had the service was not a big deal. I have had or worked on (setup for others) probably at least eight of them over the years, ending up with the Series 6 Roamio OTA (Over The Air) model which is what appears to be their last OTA version. Anything after that are CATV only which is a real stupid move.
In spite of many mis-beliefs, recordings made from OTA stations CAN be xfered to a PC with the correct programs (TiVo Desktop & VideoRe-Do), which will convert their file format to a common MP4 which can be edited (to get rid of the commercials, or anything other reason).
AND, their Guide goes out TWO WEEKS w/o leaving the DVR and searching elsewhere or using some other device to find programs. Also, with their Series 6, if the HDD goes bad, all one has to do is swap drives, their O/S is stored within the DVR and it will automatically 'load/format' the HDD by itself, no command lines working in Linux anymore like previous models (Series 3, 4 and 5)
From VHS, S-VHS, then HDD's starting with the DVR Sony had before they dropped the Guide, basically making that useless.
I did have a CATV DVR for a very short period of time, but I didn't like not having the ability to bypass/lockout channels.
I wound up biting the bullet and went TiVo inspite of their "Lifetime Service". But I found, buying a used one that already had the service was not a big deal. I have had or worked on (setup for others) probably at least eight of them over the years, ending up with the Series 6 Roamio OTA (Over The Air) model which is what appears to be their last OTA version. Anything after that are CATV only which is a real stupid move.
In spite of many mis-beliefs, recordings made from OTA stations CAN be xfered to a PC with the correct programs (TiVo Desktop & VideoRe-Do), which will convert their file format to a common MP4 which can be edited (to get rid of the commercials, or anything other reason).
AND, their Guide goes out TWO WEEKS w/o leaving the DVR and searching elsewhere or using some other device to find programs. Also, with their Series 6, if the HDD goes bad, all one has to do is swap drives, their O/S is stored within the DVR and it will automatically 'load/format' the HDD by itself, no command lines working in Linux anymore like previous models (Series 3, 4 and 5)
To update the above, I don't like monopolies, ESPECIALLY when they own almost all the patents to a specific device, in this case DVR's. Which is why there aren't any other true one piece (all in one)TV DVR's available new anymore. Note I stated "all in one". All the others , you need one or more 'other' hardware pieces to make them work. Namely, a separate HDD and depending on which one you are looking at a Computer.
Their series 6 Roamio model 846500 or 846510 (depending on the size of the HDD) can be had for as low as $250 on eBay IF you are lucky. At that price, it won't be there long. I saw one get sold in less than one hour around 5am if you can believe that. A more common price is between $300 and $350 (w/ Lifetime Service of course). 90% or more of the units for sale do NOT have Lifetime Service which runs separately around $500. Or you can buy it monthly which all of those had before the owner put them up for sale. (not sure what the monthly cost is).
Anyway. below are screen shots of the Guide (that goes out 2 weeks) and the important System Information screen showing the Service level (note the yellow arrows). Look for that shot in their ad, if he didn't include it, ask for him to post the Menu shot. I always ask if he is the original owner and if he has the original box and how long has he had it. Confirm the size of the HDD, many have put larger drives in the DVR (2 or 3TB with some).
Oh, the number of channels( the main channel and the sub-channels) available in my market is around 80 (eighty). No, I'm NOT exaggerating, depending on where you are, and mostly where your antenna is (outdoor of course)
Their series 6 Roamio model 846500 or 846510 (depending on the size of the HDD) can be had for as low as $250 on eBay IF you are lucky. At that price, it won't be there long. I saw one get sold in less than one hour around 5am if you can believe that. A more common price is between $300 and $350 (w/ Lifetime Service of course). 90% or more of the units for sale do NOT have Lifetime Service which runs separately around $500. Or you can buy it monthly which all of those had before the owner put them up for sale. (not sure what the monthly cost is).
Anyway. below are screen shots of the Guide (that goes out 2 weeks) and the important System Information screen showing the Service level (note the yellow arrows). Look for that shot in their ad, if he didn't include it, ask for him to post the Menu shot. I always ask if he is the original owner and if he has the original box and how long has he had it. Confirm the size of the HDD, many have put larger drives in the DVR (2 or 3TB with some).
Oh, the number of channels( the main channel and the sub-channels) available in my market is around 80 (eighty). No, I'm NOT exaggerating, depending on where you are, and mostly where your antenna is (outdoor of course)
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I also have had a series of TiVos, Series 2 TiVo HD, TiVo Premiere, TiVo Bolt and TiVo Edge, All OTA.
Yes TiVo has an OTA Edge and an OTA Bolt (sold by Channel master) but the Roamio OTA has the best tuners and it has four of them.
Yes TiVo has an OTA Edge and an OTA Bolt (sold by Channel master) but the Roamio OTA has the best tuners and it has four of them.
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Yes, I did forgot to mention that series does have 4 tuners AND w/ a optional 'Mini' you can have a DVR in another room using one of those tuners as a stand-alone device as long as you have a Cat 5/6 cable connection to/from the Mini.
I have two of them.
I have two of them.
I have a few Tivo OTA Roamio models and one active with lifetime service. Not sure how long that will be but it still works fine and it was really inexpensive used several years ago. I like the EPG going out for the 2 weeks and makes it easy to not forgot something in the future.
I also have one of those inexpensive DTV converter boxes similar to the Mediasonic Homeworx models that works but will miss recordings if turned off before the timer events. It also stores files in .MTS format which add up quick but is overall acceptable for simple quick time shifting especially in manual mode. I can play the recordings back on my TV or Edision Mio satellite STB media player and skip the ads easily.
My overall favorite is the Edision and USB Hauppauge ATSC tuner dongle that can also do EPG like recordings.
I also have one of those inexpensive DTV converter boxes similar to the Mediasonic Homeworx models that works but will miss recordings if turned off before the timer events. It also stores files in .MTS format which add up quick but is overall acceptable for simple quick time shifting especially in manual mode. I can play the recordings back on my TV or Edision Mio satellite STB media player and skip the ads easily.
My overall favorite is the Edision and USB Hauppauge ATSC tuner dongle that can also do EPG like recordings.
My only experience is with Tablo. My main issue was with the reliability of the hardware. First off, I'll say that the Tablo support people are fabulous. They respond to a client's problem & try to resolve it. Unfortunately, in my case, it did not help.
I bought my first Tablo dual tuner around 7 years ago, so it's been a while. I got the unit & found it pretty easy to set up when it arrived. But, after a short time, it stopped functioning. I contacted customer support & they had me put it on a remote setting so they could analyze the problem. I was then informed that the unit was defective & they sent me a replacement.
Unfortunately, some issue (I can't recall the details) eventually surfaced with the replacement unit and, again, they checked it remotely and -- once again -- I was advised that the unit had developed some sort of problem that could not be fixed.
I was interested in receiving another replacement, but was advised that the unit had already passed the warranty period. I was a bit disappointed since my initial investment in the unit was, if I recall, about $225. And now I was stuck with what amounted to a paperweight.
They offered to sell me a refurbished model, at a smaller price, but I was a bit unnerved both technologically & financially at a third attempt. I was not in good shape, money-wise, and frankly had run out of confidence with their machines.
So I just canceled my Tablo account & that was it. I suppose Tablo is a fine product/company, but my luck was simply that of a snowball passing through hell.
Today I simply use an OTA antenna & have a VCR and DVR (an old Panasonic DMR E80H recorder with a built-in hard drive). I use one of those to record any OTA content I'm interested in.
It's a bit more awkward to record in this manner (cannot schedule/change channels automatically, must be done manually), but I usually manage & have never looked into the other two services.
Good luck,
Chuck