Digital Recorders
with a Digital Tuner

As an alternative to buying a converter box to continue watching over-the-air broadcasts with your analog TV set after the Analog to Digital Transition, you may want to buy a DVD recorder or digital video recorder (DVR) that contains an ATSC digital tuner.

You would then route the TV signals from your antenna through a DVD or DVR to your TV set that will take the place of a converter box.

Of course if you have cable or satellite, these digital recorders are a great addition to your home entertainment system.

A number of these recorders are available from various manufacturers. As with new TVs, make sure you select a device that contains an ATSC tuner.

If you need to also record analog stations, make sure you buy a model that also has analog (NTSC) capability. All of the recorders listed below also have NTSC tuners so you will be able to record both analog and digital stations.

We have the HD TiVo TCD652160 and can record two shows and watch a third! The HD quality is amazing. Amazon.com always seems to have the best prices. Once again, we paid more for ours at a big box store.

DVD Recorders

The newest DVD devices are machines that can record on DVDs, not just play them. They can record on a variety of discs and they can receive free digital broadcasts over-the-air with a digital (ATSC) tuner.

These DVD recorders can take the place of a converter box and allow you to keep watching your analog TV set after the TV stations go to digital only in February 2009.

They also let you save a digital TV program in a form that you can watch on a DVD player or computer. This is helpful for sharing your recordings with others.

It won't be a high-definition recording, although some recorders simulate high-definition through a process called "up-conversion."

Buying a digital-compatible DVD recorder may take some careful shopping. Many models sold today are old models without digital tuners. Be sure and look for a model labeled ATSC, the abbreviation for the industry group that came up with the Digital TV standard.

DVRs/TiVos

A digital video recorder (DVR) is a device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive.

You can pause live programming and set your favorite TV shows to record whenever they are on. You can also watch TV on one channel while recording another.

A high-definition (HD) DVR will capture the full resolution of a HD program unlike the DVD recorders.

Some DVRs have capacities of 300 hours of recording at lowest quality. High definition recording can be up to 30 hours. Some have built in slots for cable cards to provided cable programming.

There are several DVR manufactures although TiVo is the most popular. You can also get a DVR as a part or your service from your Cable or Satellite provider. Those DVRs generally don’t have the "extra" features found on TiVo.

From ConsumerSearch review:
Experts agree that you can't beat TiVo's simplicity and ease of use, which is why TiVo retains a loyal fan base despite growing competition from cable and satellite providers. Plus, TiVo offers a lot of cool features that aren't available from other DVRs, among them a Wish List function that automatically records programs based on your preferences. In addition to the hardware, you also have to subscribe to the TiVo service ($8 to $17 per month, depending on plan).

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