# I want to record TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909 "2010-10-21T18:19:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/21 "2010-10-22T04:24:55Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Just a word of warning, around the time of the switch to all digital, they stopped putting any tuner at all into these things. Man, I am just totally screwed, aren’t I? I should probably just give up watching TV altogether. Jon Stewart, I will miss you. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/22 "2010-10-22T04:58:42Z")
Without even noticing it, I gave up TV! Just got busy doing other things. Look at me now: I’m hanging out here instead of watching The Tube. And I’d argue i’m MUCH more entertained. –Youse guys is lots more entertainin’ than dat Idjit Box. [/my grampa] ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/23 "2010-10-22T05:11:17Z")
Buy a dvd desktop recorder. works just the same as VCR except with shiny disks. They are rewritable too. combo vcr/dvd recorder for $50 [http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-DR-MV1S-DVD-Recorder-VCR-Combo-/300482080929?pt=DVD\_Players\_Recorders&hash=item45f620b0a1](http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-DR-MV1S-DVD-Recorder-VCR-Combo-/300482080929?pt=DVD_Players_Recorders&hash=item45f620b0a1) used Sony dvd recorder [http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-RDR-GX7-DVD-Recorder-/290489077895?pt=DVD\_Players\_Recorders&hash=item43a27f9087](http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-RDR-GX7-DVD-Recorder-/290489077895?pt=DVD_Players_Recorders&hash=item43a27f9087) Sony dvd recorder refurbished $84 [http://cgi.ebay.com/SEALED-SONY-RDR-GX360-DVD-PLAYER-RECORDER-HDMI-1080P-/290490680617?pt=DVD\_Players\_Recorders&hash=item43a2980529](http://cgi.ebay.com/SEALED-SONY-RDR-GX360-DVD-PLAYER-RECORDER-HDMI-1080P-/290490680617?pt=DVD_Players_Recorders&hash=item43a2980529) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/24 "2010-10-22T06:18:34Z")
You can still buy VCR’s. $67.00 at [WalMart](http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-Dvd-Player-Vcr-Combo/9864612). Throw in a pack of [videocassettes](http://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxell-Standard-Grade-VHS-Videocassette-Pack-of-4/10980689) for $9.88 and you’re all set. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/25 "2010-10-22T07:20:09Z")
If you’re ever in Simi Valley, just knock on my door and I will _give you_ one of the innumerable VCRs which are collecting dust in my storage. Quite frankly, I don’t even know how many I have. I have about half a bazillion VHS tapes stashed somewhere, too. You are welcome to all of them. That said, why can’t we talk about bittorrent? Is there anything illegal and/or immoral about torrenting broadcast TV shows? I torrent everything—I don’t have cable or an antenna on the roof. I just finished watching tonight’s episode of BBT a few minutes ago. ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909/26 "2010-10-22T08:06:02Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > All the information in your post is correct, except this bit. No, it is NOT as good as TiVo for the simple reason that, between the two of them, TiVo and ReplayTV patented most of the good ideas and everyone who came later had to work around those patents. Any time you run across a particularly boneheaded design decision in your _Windows Media Center_ or _DirecTV DVR_ or _Dish Network DVR_ or what have you, you are running into a workaround for a TiVo or ReplayTV patent. That’s why DirecTV bought the corpse of ReplayTV (then drove a stake through it’s heart) and why Dish networks had to change their DVR. Ask any DirecTV owner who was forced to accept the shitty _DirecTV DVR_ replacement for their beloved DirecTiVo. > > Spend a week with all of them and you’ll understand. I have several ReplayTVs and several DirecTiVos and have used all the imitators, and none of them match the quality and ease of use of the real things. I realize this is a matter of taste, but I stand by what I said. I have plenty of experience with TiVo – I got a Series 1 in 1999 (and hacked in an Ethernet board I bought from the guy who went on to build the HD Homerun, coincidentally), followed by three Series 2s and an HD unit, all with lifetime subs and several hard drive upgrades along the way. I know me some TiVo. I have also used Media Center since 2005 on XP MCE, Vista Ultimate, and now Windows 7 (as well as Sage, MythTV and BeyondTV over the years). I’ve logged enough hours on all the above to make an informed call on this, and there’s a reason my TiVos are now all gathering dust. I’m curious about the workarounds you mentioned. All of the DVR functionality of TiVo is present in MC, and the only real differences I can think of are found in which streaming sources each one includes (YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, etc., very little of which I find useful since I’m running a PC anyway). That, and TiVo’s “Suggestions” (which never seemed to figure out my tastes). I won’t deny that TiVo smokes ReplayTV and any cable company’s DVR, but for the OP’s purposes Media Center is easily its equivalent. Also, re: patents: Don’t forget that [Microsoft had an early hand in the PVR game too](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_TV#UltimateTV), and I’m willing to bet their lawyers staked out a lot of IP that is now present in MC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-record-tv-shows/557909.md?page=1)