Is there a DVR that does not require a subscription to something like Tivo?

Question

I just am sick and tired of VHS tapes to record my shows that come on tv. I would like to record them digitally and not need any tapes or cds.

I can't get dish network or direct tv because I get basic cable for free from the university I am attending.

Answer 1

There are tons of DVR's on the market where it's just basically a stand-alone unit with a hard drive. These are programmed in the exact same way you program a VCR. They don't require any kind of subscription at all.

I suggest that if you are going to buy one, get one with a built-in dvd recorder. The reason I say this is cause if you ever want to save anything permanently (and free up the space on your hard drive), it's a lot easier to transfer the program onto a dvd then to hook it up to your VCR. When transferring from Hard Drive to DVD, it takes about 5 minutes to burn an hour long show. If you were to play it and record it on a VCR, it takes exactly one hour to record an hour long show.

So as you can see, it helps out greatly to have the built-in dvd recorder even if you buy a unit that has a large hard drive. At good quality, an hour of programming takes up about 1GB of hard drive space. I think most DVR's now come with 80GB, and though that may seem like a lot, if you like to keep programs around for awhile, that 80 hours fill up rather fast so you'll find yourself backing up programs you want to keep forever on DVD's.

**EDIT**
Buying a DVR is more expensive than TIVO initially, but after a year, it will already pay itself off cause you don't have to pay the monthly fee. You can find some decent DVR's with an 80GB hard drive and a built-in dvd recorder for about $250.

Answer 2

Most cable companies offer them as a service to customers. While there is a fee per month for use of the equipment, you do not have to actually buy the DVR (which can be pricey) and there usually is no longer term "subscription" or contract.

Answer 3

Dish Network DVR does not require a subscription at this time.

Answer 4

The TiVO box that we purchased actually included a free lifetime subscription to what amounted to TiVO light. I don't think they call it that but it was some watered down TiVO service.

We, of course, purchased the full blown TiVO service but that was just a matter of choice. We didn't give the freebie service a good or long enough try to know what it included.

Answer 5

I've got an iLo DVR. Records on DVDs and a built-in hard drive. There are many others as well. You have to program recording manually, but there are no additional charges to worry about.

Answer 6

Dish and DirecTV have DVRs.