The VCR Of Tomorow - Today!
Written: Apr 03 '07 (Updated Apr 05 '07)
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Pros: Never miss your favorite shows.
Cons: Generates a lot of heat.
The Bottom Line: This device will allow you to take charge of your TV viewing.
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| rbinck's Full Review: Hughes HR10-250 (250 GB) 200-Hours Video Recorder |
Update
Ok, I had 2 advisors complain that I didn’t have enough information about the hardware or the HD capabilities of this receiver. Also they wanted to know what experience I had with the receiver.
I have installed several of these back when they first come on the market. At that time Directv was also furnishing them directly. Directv has replaced this receiver with their new mpeg4 receiver and has threatened to stop TiVo support in the future. The HR10-250 is a mpeg2 based receiver and will only receive signals from the 101, 110 and 119 orbital slot satellites with a 3LNB dish and from an over the air (OTA) antenna. Since Directv has opened up two new satellites at the 99 and 105 orbital slots, the new mpeg4 receivers require the new 5LNB dishes. All of the local HD channels will be put on the 99 and 105 satellites in the mpeg4 format along with any new HD network channels, none of which have been announced yet.
The HR10-250 is still a viable receiver today provided you don’t need to get your local HD channels over the satellites. The HR10-250 will receive local HD channels via an OTA antenna, so for many people this is a good alternative.
The $99 price paid was based on what a friend of mine paid after speaking to Directv’s retention department because he was threatening to switch to cable because of their no cost HD DVR. This was prior to Directv coming out with their new DVR. Here in the Houston, Texas area OTA reception for HD works well, so there was really no need for the newer DVR anyway. I think the regular price on the HR10-250 is about $1,200 retail, but I have seen them for $199 from Directv as well when they used to offer them. Of course those deals came with a 2 year service commitment.
Hardware Description Update
The HR10-250 is a combination satellite receiver and OTA ATSC (HDTV) receiver. It has two satellite tuners and a single ATSC receiver. Programming can be recorded by two satellite tuners at the same time or one satellite tuner and the OTA tuner.
The outputs on the receiver are component video and HDMI for HDTV use. All of the installs I have done used the component video connections. For SD video the unit has a composite video and a s-video output, but in order for them to be enabled the receiver must be placed into the 480i output format, which can be done by use of the format button on the front panel. I mention that because some people slave a SDTV in their bedroom from their HDTV receivers. With the HR10-250 you will not be able to watch both HD and SD at the same time. Audio outputs are stereo analog audio and digital optical audio.
The operation of the HR10-250 is pretty much the same as the Directv SD versions that came before it so if you are used to one of those, you will find this an easy transition.
The capacity is up to 30 hours of HD and up to 200 hours of SD material.
End update...
Introduction
Sometimes you run into a product that has you asking what did I do before? That's what many TiVo owners say. You really don't get the significance of a TiVo until you get one and use it for a while. I have had TiVos for several years now and honestly don't know what I did before it.
Description
Simply stated TiVo is a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that uses a hard disk to store recorded programs. Think of it as a VCR on steroids. Unlike a VCR that can store about 6 hours of video (depending on the tape size and recording speed) most TiVos will store many more hours of video. Additionally it will index those videos according to their title for easy retrieval. The video quality is much better than a VCR almost as good as DVD quality on SD recordings. Of course HD is HD.
My Favorite Features
The feature that tops the list for me is the season pass. Instead of having to supply a channel and time/duration for programs to be recorded, the TiVo allows you to enter the name of the program you wish to record. Alternately you can find your program in the well laid out guide and set it to record. Any program you set to record can also be set for a season pass. A season pass will automatically cause the TiVo to record all subsequent showings of the program with the same name. There are options you can configure each season pass with that will cause the Tivo to record only first run showings of a particular program and how many episodes you wish the TiVo to store. With this powerful feature you never have to worry about missing your favorite program.
The next feature that is one of my favorites is the dual tuners. This feature allows you to record one program while watching another. Also it is possible to record two different programs at the same time. You can even record two programs while watching a previously recorded program. Very versatile.
Then there is the pause live TV feature. Basically the way this works is the TiVo is always recording both tuners. It will automatically save up to the last 30 minutes of the program. This resets when a new channel is selected, but if you press the pause, the program will continue to record. This allows you to pause the program you are watching to answer the phone, for example, and catch up to live TV by fast forwarding through the commercials. One nice feature this allows for is to rewind fully back the 30 minutes (there is a button for this) then commercials can be skipped. Of course you need to be on the channel you want to watch for at least 30 minutes. It is even possible to switch from channel to channel using the pause then switching to the other tuner. When you return to the first tuner's program it will be right where you left off. Of course if you stay on the other tuner more than the 30 minutes, 30 minutes before real time is where you will be when you come back. I only use the tuner switching when I'm watching a program and I want to keep tract of a sporting event on the other tuner. I can pause the program, switch tuners and catch a score and then switch back.
Features I Don't Like
There are not many, but one feature I do not like is the suggestions. Fortunately this feature can be turned off. Basically this feature will monitor what you watch and record to determine programs that you may also like. I found most of the suggestions were old shows that I had already seen, and what is worse they were recorded so the disk was getting filled up with stuff I didn't want. Your results may vary.
In order to be able to schedule the recordings it is necessary for the guide data to be loaded. This can result in long reboot times when a power failure occurs for the TiVo to download data from the satellite. A momentary power failure can interrupt the program you were watching for several minutes. A fix for this I found was to put the TiVo on a uninterrupted power supply (UPS) so the power to the TiVo never goes out. I also have my VCR on the same UPS to keep the clock set.
Tricky Stuff
The fast forward (FF) and rewind (REW) operations takes some getting used to. There are three levels of both the FF and REW and each button press will advance to the next higher speed. That's fine enough, but when you press play the program will skip backward a bit as the TiVo assumes you overshot where you want to be. It takes some practice letting the program advance some after coming back from commercials to get the timing just right. Funny thing is though, if you use the pause to stop a REW or FF, the program pretty well stops right where you pressed the button. With practice, you can hit the restart of programs right on the button.
Conclusion
Once you have a TiVo you will wonder what you would do without it. It truly will allow you to take full control of your TV watching without fear that you are going to miss your favorite shows. One word of caution though, since it is basically a small computer it generates a lot of heat, so be careful if you place it in an enclosed cabinet.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99
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Epinions.com ID:
rbinck
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Member: Richard Binckley
Location: Houston, Texas
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
Retired A/V professional, likes Hawaii and Classic Cars
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