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yoh-dah's avatar
yoh-dah
Guide
Dec 11, 2004

HDTV recording options

The RAID 5-protected large-capacity ReadyNAS makes a perfect storage solution for HDTV recording. Available consumer-level HDTV DVRs currently don't have a standard network storage interface, so if you want HDTV recording that can expand beyond the internal hard disk capacity, you'll need to build a HDTV PVR on your own.

There are a couple of affordable HDTV recording solutions for your PC out there if you are up to the challenge. The PCI cards range in price from $200 to $350 and include the PVR software needed to do the timeshift recordings. If you plan to utilize a ReadyNAS solution, you need to make sure the software allows you to record onto a network drive.

The Cards

The first one is the MyHD MDP-120 HDTV PCI Decoder Card from Macro Image Technology. This card comes with an AV connector that allows you to use VGA, S-Video, or composite outputs. You can purchase an optional converter cable to connect to your HDTV component input or purchase an optional daughter-card that allows DVI-D output. You can find reviews and experiences with this card at the following links, courtesy of the respective websites:

The MyHD solution will cost you $240. The daughter-card will cost you an additional $70. One advantage to the MyHD card is that a minimum PC requirement is only a PII 400MHz with 64MB of RAM. You must have something like that collecting dust in your closet somewhere...

The second solution is the ATI HD Wonder (http://www.ati.com/products/hdtvwonder/). To be honest with you, we tried this card out a month ago and was unsuccessful at saving to a network drive. Apparently ATI has come out with a new software update that will allow this. We haven't had the chance to verify this so your mileage will vary...

The HD Wonder card will run you about $200.

Do-it-yourself HDTV PVR do have its limitations, the main one being that you're limited to off-the-air recordings. If you will be recording mainly from your local stations and network affiliates, that won't be an issue. But don't expect to be able to record HBO, Showtime, and ESPN. The 2nd limitation is the timeshift recording. If you're used to Tivo, the software included with the cards don't quite live up to the same usability. Again, if you can live by with that limitation, you'll be able to record HDTV for free with no monthly Tivo and Comcast (and whoever else) fees!

Looks like this is definitely just a beginning. We'll post our experiences here from time to time as we see more promising solutions.

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