On Jan 15, 5:11*pm, Robert Neville wrote:
"Tomsic" wrote:
The question is how should we set up the system so my friend can record TV
shows when he wants. *He likes to record shows late at night and when he's
not around and then play them back when he has time. *The VCR worked great;
but it doesn't make sense to use tape any more. *What black box should he
get to connect to the TV to do the recording that can be programmed to just
record and play back -- no cable, no subscriptions or extra monthly services
although I might convince him to get DSL internet service (he still uses
dial up).

TV recording/playback is the essential thing though.

Tivo is the most expensive, but probably the simplest option. Tivo really wants
you to pay them a monthly fee, purportedly for the use of the online guide, but
it's really just a revenue stream. You can pay a "lifetime" fee up front in lieu
of the monthly fee, but that's for the life of the recorder, not the user, and
the breakeven point is out around 3 years.

There are DVRs annouced, although I'm not sure they are available. Definitely
not as many as there used to be when analog was used. One example:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20103986-1/new-channel-master-dvr...

I use a Dell Zino HD 410 media computer. It's about the size of a tissue box,
has a OTA TV card and hardrive for recording, and a DVD burner for saving shows.
Unfortunately Dell no longer makes this, although there's nothing to prevent you
from building something similar.
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