Best Non-Subscription DVR? 153
ngc5194 asks: "I'm thinking about joining the 21st century and purchasing a Digital Video Recorder. However, I DO NOT want to subscribe to any services. I understand that this will limit what my DVR can do, and I'm fine if it just acts like a solid-state VCR. Given the constraint above (no subscription services), which would be the best DVR to purchase and why?"
Re:If you're worried about artificial limitations. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:If you're worried about artificial limitations. (Score:2, Interesting)
Most embedded boxes (Cable set-top DVRs, Tivo, etc) are built using specialized components and consume much less power than a home-built MythTV unit.
I've done a few tests with various units (Comcast DVR, Tivo, Myth box) and found there is about a 150W difference between home-brew and embedded.
So the electricity for that that "free" MythTV box actually costs $16.43 more per month than a embedded device.
Yes, you can do a lot more with a MythTV box, but don't try and kid yourself that it doesn't cost as much as other solutions.
Consider replacable media (Score:4, Interesting)
Any argument about DivX vs. another format is moot unless there's another format being built into home replaceable media recorders. And as for the false permanence of DVDs, if you follow the listing at http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=178622 [cdfreaks.com] you can get media that lasts 10 times longer than the commonly available 2 to 3 year lifetime disks.