pvr

How to record live TV on your computer

For years, DVRs (and the accompanying monthly fees) have allowed you to watch cable and satellite TV according to your schedule, not the networks'. The next logical step -- at least in my mind -- has always been to add the ability to move that content onto a computer or mobile device to be viewed elsewhere.

Well, cable providers haven't yet fulfilled this wish, but companies like Slingbox and SimpleTV have tackled this very solution, offering ways to stream live TV on the go.

However, if you want instead to save TV shows and movies as video files and … Read more

Crave giveaway of the week: Hauppauge HD PVR

Thanks to the folks at Hauppauge for offering up this week's giveaway, an HD PVR for your PC.

Hauppauge says its HD PVR is the first high-def video recorder for making real-time H.264 compressed recordings at resolutions up to 1080i on your Windows PC. According to the product description, "The box includes a component video input for use with most high-definition cable TV and satellite TV receivers, as well as optical or stereo audio inputs. (Audio is recorded using AAC of Dolby Digital.)"

Normally, the Hauppauge HD PVR would cost around $249, but you have the … Read more

Photos: Samsung's well-rounded media center

If you aren't one for harsh, unforgiving corners in your living room, you should take a look at the Samsung HT-X715 DVD home media center in a box, which doesn't feature a harsh edge anywhere on its seven-part system. Everything is rounded to within an inch of its life, and we love it.

Not only is everything as well rounded as George Clooney, it's also as pretty as Brad Pitt and as refined as Stephen Fry. The X715 is finished in a subtle reddish tone, designed to match its rose-black TV range. Fortunately it's a discreet … Read more

PlayTV turns PS3 into a PVR in Europe

Sony's PlayStation 3 is a multimedia powerhouse, juggling the playback demands of Blu-ray, DVD, and DivX with ease. But while on-demand content is growing in popularity, there remain a vast number of people who watch regularly scheduled, over-the-air broadcasts. So it's not surprising to see Sony enter the market with PlayTV, a new device that will let you watch and record digital TV on your PlayStation 3. It was announced for the European market last year and will sell for 80 pounds, or about $156.

Using a USB tuner, plus the included software, PlayTV will allow users to … Read more

Is there a subscription-free DVR available?--Ask the Editors

CNET reader Mathias notes:

Just a quick note/observation of mine: I can't find any DVR out there that works without a subscription and has a tuner built in for analog and digital over-the-air television signals. This strikes me as absolutely incredible. I am actually considering buying a VCR, assuming I can find one with a digital tuner. What's going on here?

To paraphrase here, it appears that Mathias gets his TV from an antenna (not cable, satellite, or fiber), and simply wants to be able to record his favorite shows with the convenience offered by a DVR with an electronic programming guide. He's also on track by searching for one with a digital tuner, since over-the-air analog TV is scheduled to shut down in February 2009.

Mathias--and plenty of others--doesn't want to pay a monthly subscription fee, so that rules out the otherwise excellent TiVo HD. So what are the alternatives?… Read more

TiVo offers a temporary price break on its service fees

Just in time for the holidays, TiVo's making some temporary changes to its service fee structure. For new TiVo buyers from now through February 2, 2008, service choices are as follows:

1 year monthly service: now $12.95/month (originally $16.95)

1 year prepay service: $129 (originally $179)

2 year prepay service: $249 (originally $279)

3 year prepay service: $299 (unchanged)

To reiterate: those pricing discounts apply only to new TiVo customers (including those who've purchased in the past 30 days); existing customers won't see any changes to their bill. However, TiVo does have an offer … Read more

LG adds Freeview PVR to LCD

It's hard to criticize Korean companies these days. There was a time when LG and Samsung were famous only for their low-end products, but these days, nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, it seems to be the Korean companies who are innovating and adding new features, and in LG's case, it's only gone and stuffed a Freeview PVR into its new TV, the LG 32LT75.

LG, which has done this before with previous models in the U.S. market, isn't the first company to put a PVR in a TV--Humax first did this a … Read more

TiVo supercharges high-def DVRs with latest software upgrade

TiVo is finally delivering some long-promised features to its two high-def models. In the coming weeks, the company will roll out software updates to the TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD that will add support for expandable storage, Multi-Room Viewing, TiVo To Go, and progressive downloading of Amazon Unbox and TiVoCast videos. Full details on each, after the jump: … Read more