calling electronics experts !!

[disneyred]

I am putting this question out there to see if such a thing exists...

I wanted to buy a family a nice thanksgiving gift and they by no means are rich .. they have 3 kids and a cousin living with them ..so i asked them what they would like or need..

NOW comes the question .. is there such a thing as a recordable DVD player that comes with a hard drive to store all the taped shows ?? Meaning they want to tape shows and stuff from the TV when they are too busy to watch and then just watch it later ? (Like the old fashion VCR, with those dreaded VCR tapes)
I have no idea if you can buy such a machine.. if so is it a few hundred dollars?? this way they can tape all they want and watch it later , and not have to buy any DVDs to store their stuff on.. it just gets stored onto the hard drive.

thanks for listening ..... and yes i am a noobie when it comes to this ..

 

[DrCavin]

Tivo sounds like what your looking for. Could also look into if their cable provider has a DVR option.

 

[disneyred]

Tivo sounds like what your looking for. Could also look into if their cable provider has a DVR option.

If I understand it .. I think TIVO needs a monthly fee.....?

I just wanted to get a machine for them to hook up with their TV and then start recording.. like the VCR ..no extra fees....
they don't want to start having any extra fees incurred.

thanks !

 

[ndelaware]

I have one made by Panasonic. It's got a 60GB hard drive to store TV shows and can record the shows to DVD if I want to keep them. It hooks up to the cable just like a VCR and works just like a VCR. No fees.

 

[bdoyledimou]

Bestbuy also has other options, (Hauppage DVR250 comes to mind) but the Panasonic referred to in the earlier post would certainly work.

 

[disneyred]

I have one made by Panasonic. It's got a 60GB hard drive to store TV shows and can record the shows to DVD if I want to keep them. It hooks up to the cable just like a VCR and works just like a VCR. No fees.

do you have the model number of the one you are using ?
sounds like a good idea ..
hoping its not going to cost millions ..(a joke )

thanks for all the help here.

 

[bicker]

The specific model ndelaware is referring to is the Panasonic 810-H (sometimes 810-HS, the extra 'S' for the 'silver' bezel). Keep in mind that it only handles standard definition - no HD. Also, while it has an IR emitter to drive a cable/satellite box, it doesn't necessarily work for everyone. (Generally, EM interference messes with it, for some reason. When we were living in Salem, we had to have the TiVo inside a cabinet, all shut in. Here in Burlington, it works fine just out in the open.)

Either Toshiba or Humax (I don't remember which) also made a similar unit. They were all made back in 2005-2006, and were discontinued because customers weren't willing to pay the premium for the dual purpose.

Personally, I feel that gifting someone a used, four year old device is a little iffy.

The 810-H has been rock-solid through the years. It really was a premium device (at a premium price) and has retained some value, while other (lesser) devices have gone from costing a couple of hundred dollars to being literally worthless (there's one in my basement... want it?) in less time. However, these devices are now significantly beyond their projected useful life. While mine still works as well as it did on Day One, I wouldn't be surprised if it goes belly-up tomorrow. Nor would I be upset - it's lived a long and useful life. My point, though, is that even if you could find one, and would be willing to pay for it what folks are selling it for (the price is kept artificially high, now, because it is needed for parts), it may not last long for you. (The most common failure-point is the DVD drive, at this point. The hard drive can be replaced for a couple of hundred dollars, but the DVD drive is unique and practically irreplaceable these days, which is the main reason why the device is desired for parts).

Beyond all that, a single tuner, standard definition DVR is increasingly becoming inadequate in the minds of many users. Most homes now have high definition televisions, and the way competition between broadcasters have gone, in recent years, folks are increasingly finding that all the "good" television programs are on at the same time, so multiple tuners are a big plus.

Going forward there are really going to be two different scenarios. (1) Over-the-air reception only; and (2) Cable or satellite service. There are a few options that will serve the purpose for each of the scenarios, and even options that don't require a monthly fee. However, for products currently in production, you're still talking a pretty high price. Even the least expensive options are going to cost over $200 retail.

If you'd like more details on the options available, please provide me more details on the specific service you're interested in getting a DVR with (over-the-air or cable or satellite? and if one of the latter two, which company? which level of service? etc.)

 

[ndelaware]

do you have the model number of the one you are using ?
sounds like a good idea ..
hoping its not going to cost millions ..(a joke )

thanks for all the help here.

My model is the DMR-E85HS and is 4 or 5 years old. But Panansonic does have 5 current models listed on their website and they are also available at Amazon.



http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-...ecorders.list.75012_11002_7000000000000005702

 

[bicker]

My understanding is that none of the Panasonic DVD recorders in production have a hard drive, which I believe was one thing that OP was looking for.