Hauppauge USB -- WinTV-HVR-950 hybrid TV stick
 

Now that digital is coming, I'm interested in a moderate-cost method
to record TV programs received off the air in digital format,
something that will do so with the same timer capabilities that VCRs
have. The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 hybrid TV stick, that plugs into
the USB port of a computer, or a related model, seems to be the only
one, which really surprises me.

But I keep thinking I'm missing something, that there is something it
doesn't say.

Does it have all the timer abilities of a VCR?
It seems to say so, but it's surprising to me that nothing else I can
find has this, except TiVo, and this has it for less than 100 dollars
and no monthly fee. It seems like a bargain.

Can I set it in advance to record a program from 8 to 9 next Tuesday?
Every Tuesday? Every day M-F only?
VCRs in the later years could handle about 8 different time and
channel settings at one time.
Can the Haupapauge do that, record from one channel at one time and 3
or 7 other channels at other times?

Any chance I could use the computer to record to a DVD instead of to a
harddrive?

It sounds like this would also be a pretty cheap way to timer-record
digital TV, until they come out with metal box DVD recorders with
timers and digital tuners, like VCRs are. (That record on plastic
DVD disks. Are they ever going to make such a thing?) Right now,
the only thing I can find has only Line In. No tuner, so I have to
set the cable box or digital conversion set-top box for the right
channel before I leave the house. And it's impossible to record on
more than one channel while I'm out without my coming home in between
to change channels. That's assuming those DVD recorders, like the ones
from SONY, have timers at all, and so far I'm not even sure of that.

(I don't want to pay monthly for a subscription service like TIVO.)

Is there any particular model that someone knows works well?

I'd really appreciate any help or advice you can give me.


If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)