lizard

Most people get Digital Video Recorders with pay TV subscriptions but until recently there weren't many options for those of us who get free TV over the air. So, when my VCR died back in June I was pleased to find that there is now a DVR available that doesn't require a subscription like a Tivo DVR does. That machine is the Channel Master CM-7000PAL.

I got mine from Amazon, although I had to wait a couple of months for it to ship. They are also available from reputable outfits such as Crutchfield.

I've had mine in use for about a week now and I'm quite impressed with it. It will do all the usual DVR stuff: record one channel while another is being watched, pause live TV, allow a recorded program to be watched while another one is being recorded, and so forth. The 250 GB hard drive will record up to 35 hours of HDTV or 135 hours of SDTV. The DVR has coax and composite outputs for an analog TV as well as HDMI and component outputs for an HDTV. There is also an optical Toslink output for a Home Theater receiver, if one wants to use that for audio.

If anyone needs a DVR for OTA digital TV, you might want to give this device a try.

JZ1276

$350 ???? why not just get a tivo???

Spiky

Probably because a similar-sized Tivo costs almost the same, then costs $13+tax/month. Personally, I looked at the cost of 1 Tivo with Lifetime and bought a 2nd Mac Mini instead for about the same price. My Minis are the DVRs and I can add space and archive much easier than on a Tivo.

Tivo does keep making up new deals which may be different than the price I mentioned, but they all cost something. They seem to change the latest "plan" about as often as Comcast, these days.

Chew

The latest TiVo deal is very "cell-phone" like: Get a Premiere for no upfront cost and $20/month with a 2 year contract. After that, you can switch to the standard monthly pricing.

lizard

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have to have a Tivo hooked up to the internet, or cable, or phone or something like that, in addition to paying subscription fees. The Channel Master DVR is a standalone machine and doesn't require any of that.

As for the cost, most people seem to think nothing of paying $500-$1000 a year for pay TV—something I've never, ever, done—yet a one-time expense of $350 for an OTA DVR is a big deal? I don't get it.

Eddie W

This is a pretty cool little machine. I got one last year when it was branded as the Dish DTV pal. The no monthly fees was a big selling point, but I do miss some DVR features such as name based recording, season passes, and the ability to distinguish between 1st run & repeats.

Still, for an electronic hi def VCR this is pretty sweet.

Chew

TiVo gets it's guide data from a daily connection via phone or internet, yes.

But, you don't need cable to use one. Although I have DirecTV, I also have my Series 3 (lifetime) TiVo hooked up to an antenna.

JZ1276

That thing looks like a piece of junk. I'd spend the extra dough and get a tivo. I dont think you have to buy one of their plans.

Spiky

Nope. You can also spend $400 to not have a plan.

Eddie W

This actually costs more than a Tivo. And yes, you do have to have a subscription to actually use a Tivo. That's kind of the whole point of this machine. That it's the only subscription-free DVR on the market.

JZ1276

I've had a Tivo for 3-4 years now. Purchased the lifetime subscription. I'm still unclear as to what exactly I subscribed to.
I might be wrong, but I think that you can still use Tivo without subscribing. Youd just have to manually set recordings and not have a guide.

Spiky

You subscribed to the Tivo channel guide, and received rights to use it permanently. And it cost you a large sum to do it. I'm not saying it isn't worth it, but it is $400 per box, and that is real money to consider real carefully. Other people pay $13/month to get the same. As I mentioned, it was more worth it to me to buy a $600 computer that covers the following: OSX, Win, Netflix, Hulu, Airtunes, DVR, etc. Tivo would have cost me about $620, and I wouldn't have as much storage space right now.

Tivo's guide is usually excellent. My Elgato DVRs use the TV Guide data from online. While not a serious issue, it is clearly inferior to the Tivo's guide. I used to have Tivo, so this isn't a guess.

JZ1276

I also have a HTPC (Zotac Zbox). It does not have a cable card slot so using it as a DVR is out of the question right? (unless i just want OTA).

Spiky

I only use OTA. Quit paying for the fluff. Something like 70% of what we choose to watch is OTA, I don't need to pay anybody to get it. Most of the rest is on Hulu or other places for free.

dleedlee

Magnavox (Funai) also has a line of DVRs worth looking into. The 515H (500gb), 513H (320gb), 2160/A (160gb) at Walmart, Target/Amazon and J&R (refurb'd), respectively. From

Chew

That only applies to Series 1 TiVos (and any Series 2 DVD-recorder with TiVo Basic, which aren't sold anymore). Any others will only give you the 30 minute buffer and no ability to set manual recordings.

Eddie W

[QUOTE=dleedlee;10514291]Magnavox (Funai) also has a line of DVRs worth looking into. The 515H (500gb), 513H (320gb), 2160/A (160gb) at Walmart, Target/Amazon and J&R (refurb'd), respectively. From

dleedlee

Granted, but the programs I'm mainly interested in archiving to DVD aren't in HD.

lizard

If anyone is interested in this machine, it is on sale at Amazon:

Channel Master CM-7000PAL Digital Video Recorder $299.84, a new low price.

I haven't looked elsewhere although it is likely that Amazon is matching another store's price.


I've been using mine since November, to time shift OTA TV programs or pause live TV, and it has worked well for me.