I have a PC with Windows XP multimedia addition. It’s great and I get great cable tv reception after plugging my cable into my tv tuner.
Problem is, it records in Microsofts dvr-ms file format, which is difficult to work with. I’ve converted that format to mpg, but I still can’t work with it(i.e., make a video cd with it).
I’d like to find a reasonably priced program to record tv. I’m looking for one that allows me to record in low resolution, in order to keep the file size down. Avi or Mpeg is fine, but I want to be able to record in low resolution if possible.
I did get a freeware program that converts the dvr-ms file to an mpg, but I can’t use Nero or Tmpgenc to edit the mpg that is produced. Anyone know about this?
Thanks!
There’s a program called ShowShifter that they are giving away on magazine covers here in the UK (it is a full version of commercial software, but they give away version X in the hope that you’ll upgrade to version X+2) , apparently it does everything a Tivo is capable of.
I know you said you’re running windows, but I’ve just got to give props to the package we’re using.
We’ve been running MythTV for about a month to two months. We’ve recorded a bunch of stuff, and we also use the music interface. We’ve moved our entire CD collection onto the hard drive and can make up playlists and stuff.
It’s Linux based, so in case you’re ever intereseted in dabbling, I’d heartily recommend it.
Showshifter is unbelievable, and well worth the registration fee. I love mine.
I will bang the drum once again for Virtual VCR. Free, lightweight, but with some sophisticated features. You can choose whatever resolution and compression scheme you want (it records to AVI).
Doesn’t do scheduled recordings though - you’d need to control it via an external scheduler such as Windows’ Task Scheduler, easy enough to do because the program can be fully controlled from the command line.
My video card (ATI 8500DV) came with bundled software that does that stuff, but I’ve been considering upgrading.
www.extremetech.com published an article about setting up a PC as a personal video recorder. The section on software compares a few different packages including Showshifter and Snapstream.
Mahaloth, I have a coverCD with Showshifter 1.55 (full version) here; if you’d like it, just drop me a postal address by email (to TheMangetout (@) yahoo (dot) com)