Recording digital OTA . . .

[Dagwood]

Hi all: I see one familiar name on this forum, JoeinAZ! How are ya? I guess Rochester has finally finished monkeying with their transmitters and antennas. It's all been good for a few months now.

I'm mildly interested in recording OTA, but having read up on it I am somewhat confused by it all. I wouldn't use it enough to justify a subscription service (not even really sure what that is) so that's out. But apparently some do not require it. Nor is it worth it to me to spend a zillion dollars to do this.

I would only use it on one TV. I also have Roku, and not sure if that can also be recorded, maybe depending on what unit you get . . . ?

If anyone can shed some light on this, that would be great.

[JoeAZ]

Greetings Dagwood!
As with most everyone else, sheltering in place is the new normal.
We supposedly do not have any corona virus yet here but I wouldn't
bet against it. This past Christmas, I treated myself to the Channel
Master digital recorder. It was on sale. I could not get it to work.
Channel Master directs you to another company who writes the soft
ware for the device. In the end, I gave up and returned the unit.
My cousin has a very early version. It is easy to use and works
flawlessly. I also considered other units and found them all to have
their own individual issues. Many have poor performing tuners that
have difficulty receiving weak channels. Others still require a pricey
subscription I was not willing to pay. In the end, I will do without.
Stay Safe!
Joe and Luigi (my dog)

[Dagwood]

Hey Joe, good to "see" you! How are things out there in desert land? It was +11° here this morning, after Thursday's high of 70°. But overall we had a very easy winter. I'm itching to get my Corvette out of hibernation.

Heh, reading your post is not encouraging regarding OTA recording! Wow, it's worse than I thought, and no wonder I was confused by trying to read up on it.

So these units have their own tuners? Does that get the signal first, then record or not, then send it to the TV? Or if you're only watching TV, does the signal just pass through the recorder and it's not really using the recorder's tuner?

If it's too complicated to explain, then don't bother. I've not been able to record since 2009 when everything went digital and haven't really missed it that much.

Once in a while it would be nice, but only if it was simple like back then: Buy a VCR for $75, hook up a few simple connections (spend the rest of the day setting the clock ) and you're done. But, apparently, those days are long gone -- at least for us OTA people.

[dbseeker]

I am using an Air2tv by Sling with an attached hard drive. Works well .
Requires setting up a Sling account but no subscription required.
$99 on Amazon. Nice review of it on youtube video by CordCuttersNews.

[Dagwood]

Originally Posted by dbseeker

I am using an Air2tv by Sling with an attached hard drive. Works well .
Requires setting up a Sling account but no subscription required.
$99 on Amazon. Nice review of it on youtube video by CordCuttersNews.

Searched on Amz for "Air2TV", nothing comes up.

Googled it, all that came up was some kind of search software.

Nothing on Youtube either.

How long ago did you buy it?

[JoeAZ]

I was able to find Air2TV and the reviews are not promising.

https://www.techhive.com/article/351...-2-review.html

Dagwood, I do not remember if the Channel Master was pass
through or not as I only had the useless piece of garbage for
less than a week. The tuner in the unit could not deal with
multiple channels. For example: WXXI on Rf 21, WXXI on
Rf 15 and WXXI on Rf 28. My antenna system "sees" several
copies of most stations broadcast via translator from Phoenix.

[dbseeker]

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/slin...rtv-2-ota-dvr/

[Dagwood]

Thanks guys, I gotta do more digging.

DB, I did read that link.

[GroundUrMast]

I use a SiliconDust tuner and free open source software.

https://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=16693

In the past, I've the same tuner and Microsoft OS and open source software.

https://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=820


If I were in the market for another tuner right now, I'd be looking at the HDTC-2US-M. It includes two independent tuners, each with hardware trancoding capabilities, https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-H...s%2C228&sr=8-1

[rickbb]

I'm using a Hauppauge 2 way tuner in a windows PC. It comes with software that works well.

I will be ordering a newer one that has a 4 way tuner in it soon.

Their software will let you setup a connection through their servers so you can stream your own TV, live and recorded, over the internet. I've watched local news and recorded shows from other countries. Which can be a life saver when your stuck in a hotel room in a non-English speaking country.

[eclipsme]

I am currently using a Haupauge 4 tuner board in my computer and running Plex media server. For $5/month, you get a 2 week program guide and the ability to record programs. I like it, though Plex can be a bit technical to setup.
Good luck!