HD DVR - An Indispensable Component for HD Movie Lovers

[Taffy]

Originally Posted by Sporadic

Only problem is that alot of HD channels crop their movies. Jaws at 1:78 is so fucking horrible.

I recorded "Jaws" off HDNMV. It was broadcast in HD and with the OAR intact.
A clean picture without station burn ins.
.

[comixguru]

Originally Posted by Taffy

I recorded "Jaws" off HDNMV. It was broadcast in HD and with the OAR intact. A clean picture without station burn ins.

I was gonna say. I saw Jaws in OAR a couple of times in HD off my FiOS.

[kannisto]

Yeah, I like recording movies on my HDTV recorder to HD DVD-R DL and SL discs (moving from hard disk) as a nice addition to my BD and HD DVD movie collections and same could be done with BD recorders here in Japan to BD-R discs too. Lots of movies that aren't available in optical HD formats are available this way. The problem in Japan with the local HDTV movie channels though is the forced Japanese subs on those movies (unless they have Japanese audio), and lack of English subs for non-English movies, and I can't transfer these movies to my PC e.g. for adding subs either. They are usually shown in OAR and with very decent bitrates here though, and the audio is 5.1 AAC which sounds probably better than 5.1 DD audio.

Overall works out well for movies that aren't available otherwise or are not interesting enough to pay the usual BD prices for. Once I've recorded something, I don't usually want to spend more money on buying it afterwards unless it's a real strong favorite. This kind of recordings certainly win over the DVD option as they are about on par with PQ to BD and HD DVD releases.

It would be possible to use additional external hard disks here too but I find it nice to put the recorded movies on optical discs if I intend to keep them.

[Rich86]

Originally Posted by AV_Integrated

That's why it was reopened.

Frankly, I like my HD DVR, but the limited hard drive, and idiots at the cable company who can't provide crap for external hard drive expansion information completely blow chunks.

I certainly wouldn't replace my BB Online account with the premium channels for their extreme lag in coming to air. Plus, the lack of OAR for most movies really does bug me a fair amount.

Yet, when a show or movie does come on, it is nice to be able to record it.

We get excellent use out of our HD-DVR, although I do not use it to permanently archive movies. I also avoid broadcasts that do not retain the original aspect ratio of programming (TNT is notoriously bad about aspect ratios). I find the HD quality of broadcast movies from the Universal and MGM channels to be quite good - and very enjoyable.
I added a 500gb external hard drive via e-Sata to my cable company Scientific Atlantic 8300HD in spite of being told by my cable provider that the external ports were not enabled on it. I got my information about all this off the AVS forum where a number of folks had developed a matrix of which boxes could support what connections under various cable service providers - even down to which hard drives and external enclosures worked the best. A visit to the Newegg site with credit card in hand got me everything I need for attractive sale prices (about $55 for the 500gb eSata WD drive and another $30 or so for the Vantec case these days). It came together very easily (install the drive in the case and off you go . .). It works just fine, and it is especially useful when there is programming we want to see that chews up a lot of space during a heavy travel period for us. Just program the unit, and watch it whenever. With this increased space, we have never even come close to pushing the storage limits of our unit (actually I don't recall ever getting past 50% full).

[vikingfan]

Originally Posted by Taffy

I just glanced at the SyFy HD channel broadcast of "V" on my 108" HT screen and it looks fantastic in high definition.

Its amazing how low your standards are if this presentation qualifies as fantastic.

[luclin999]

The only thing that I use the DVR for is to time shift regular programming.

Since I only watch movies on my 100" or 108" screens I would never enjoy watching digital broadcast films blown up to that size. Too much degradation from the original due to over compression and too many problems with ad bugs in the corner and aspect ratio changes. This is why I dropped all of the "premium" channels a few months ago.

Not to mention having to be anchored to a single video service literally forever in order to preserve access to the titles you archive/rent from them.

The only way that I would ever consider this as an option would be if..

~ the provider increased the bandwidth of the signal and pushed the feed through at a much higher bit rate on all the HD channels.

~ I were to use something like the Hauppage 1212 HD PVR to feed the programming to my HTPC and bypass the need to use the sat service's DVR.

Otherwise the quality issues and proprietary recording make it a non-starter for me.

[ack_bak]

I love my HD DVR. I got my first DVR (ReplayTV) back in 2000, and my first HD DVR back in 2005. A DVR has become a way of life for me. We record all our favorite TV shows and many sporting event on it. Movies? Not so much. I have recorded a few movies here and there over the past couple of years, but for the most part, still watch all my movies on optical discs.

For me, movies off cable/sat have really been hit or miss over the years. Non-OAR, time edited, content edited, station logos, pop-up advertisements, normal advertisements, the occasional signal loss, etc. That is not to say that all movies on cable/sat fall into this category, but many do, and for me, I would rather watch the upconverted DVD in most instances.

I made a decision to drop the vast majority of premium movie channels awhile back and utilize my Blu-Ray players and Netflix more. Honestly, it is usually better quality and I save money. I also like to buy and collect movies (I have over 200 on Blu-Ray and still have several hundred DVD's as well) and between buying and renting Blu-Ray, TV shows and sporting events off my HD DVR, I find there is more content than time to watch.

I have always enjoyed having a diverse library of movies at my disposal because, frankly, I often do not know what I am in the mood to watch, and with multiple TV's and Blu-Ray players I have a lot of flexibility with regards to where I want to watch it. For movies that I love I also love having access to extra features. As a "movie lover" I want the best experience I can possibly get on my budget and Blu-Ray offers that for me. Typically the best PQ and AQ and access to extras, and with Netflix, it is very affordable. I have invested a good chunk of money in my projector, screen, and sound system and Blu-Ray really shines compared to my Dish HD DVR.

That is not to say that I still don't watch the occasional movie that pops up on Dish in HD and start watching. But, for me, I prefer to own movies that I love and optical discs are still the best medium to own them IMHO.

[Taffy]

Originally Posted by kannisto

...Overall works out well for movies that aren't available otherwise or are not interesting enough to pay the usual BD prices for. Once I've recorded something, I don't usually want to spend more money on buying it afterwards unless it's a real strong favorite. This kind of recordings certainly win over the DVD option as they are about on par with PQ to BD and HD DVD releases.

Well said. Here in the States I saw a Sunday ad from Bestbuy indicating that if you buy FORREST GUMP for $25 and purchase either BRAVEHEART or GLADIATOR (both listed at $30 each) you could save $10 off the total purchase price for both titles and pay just $45.

Now...(I can feel jaws clenching already) that's great for AV enthusiasts. It's your money....spend it anyway you like. But, for a HD movie enthusiast like myself that has all three of these titles archived in HD for the cost of just a couple of bucks, I've got better ways to spend my money and so do mainstream consumers.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Taffy

Well said. Here in the States I saw a Sunday ad from Bestbuy indicating that if you buy FORREST GUMP for $25 and purchase either BRAVEHEART or GLADIATOR (both listed at $30 each) you could save $10 off the total purchase price for both titles and pay just $45.

Now...(I can feel jaws clenching already) that's great for AV enthusiasts. It's your money....spend it anyway you like.

**BOMB** Gladiator & Braveheart for $36 @ BESTBUY !

Also:

Additional $10 rebates on sheet in Braveheart and Gladiator

The $10 rebate card in Braveheart and Gladiator also shows the same deal for DVD owners of the upcoming Forrest Gump and It's a Wonderful Life. Also, if you haven't already purchased The Godfather collection and Transformers on Blu, and own the DVD's, they are eligible for the rebate as well.

It's puzzling that those that most complain of BD's high prices are the most oblivious to deals on BD.

Or maybe it's not...

But, for a HD movie enthusiast like myself that has all three of these titles archived in HD for the cost of just a couple of bucks, I've got better ways to spend my money and so do mainstream consumers.

How many of them in 1.78:1?

[Kosty]

Originally Posted by Rich86

We get excellent use out of our HD-DVR, although I do not use it to permanently archive movies. I also avoid broadcasts that do not retain the original aspect ratio of programming (TNT is notoriously bad about aspect ratios). I find the HD quality of broadcast movies from the Universal and MGM channels to be quite good - and very enjoyable.
I added a 500gb external hard drive via e-Sata to my cable company Scientific Atlantic 8300HD in spite of being told by my cable provider that the external ports were not enabled on it. I got my information about all this off the AVS forum where a number of folks had developed a matrix of which boxes could support what connections under various cable service providers - even down to which hard drives and external enclosures worked the best. A visit to the Newegg site with credit card in hand got me everything I need for attractive sale prices and it came together very easily. It works just fine, and it is especially useful when there is programming we want to see that chews up a lot of space during a heavy travel period for us. Just program the unit, and watch it whenever. With this increased space, we have never even come close to pushing the storage limits of our unit (actually I don't recall ever getting past 50% full).

The issue with HD DVRs and especially using additional hard drives to extended storage is the complication factor and pain in the ass factor for normal humans to use it.

The SA 8300 boxes a lot of cable providers use is a case in point. Its just not user friendly and the cable companies have no incentive to make it so as they want to encourage VOD purchases. To find out what works etc requires research on sites like AVS which most consumers won't do, and the technical requirements SATA drive etc are a bit tough besides the fact that the drive storage is permanently blended with the single box's harddrive.

The DISH VIP series HD DVRs make it as simple as it probably can be , but its still a bit of a PITA and most humans won't bother. I love it, but even when I show how relatively easy it is to others, I still get glazed over eyeballs.

[Taffy]

Originally Posted by luclin999

The only thing that I use the DVR for is to time shift regular programming.

Since I only watch movies on my 100" or 108" screens I would never enjoy watching digital broadcast films blown up to that size. Too much degradation from the original due to over compression and too many problems with ad bugs in the corner and aspect ratio changes. This is why I dropped all of the "premium" channels a few months ago.
Not to mention having to be anchored to a single video service literally forever in order to preserve access to the titles you archive/rent from them.

Fair enough. Much of our movie watching is so subjective in nature that other readers would have a difficult time arriving at the same conclussions you do. I know from previous posts that you watch upconverted DVDs on your big screen. I can't anymore. I prefer 1081i HD PQ over any upconverted DVD on my big screen. Now on my 56" set....sure, why not.

The only way that I would ever consider this as an option would be if..

~ the provider increased the bandwidth of the signal and pushed the feed through at a much higher bit rate on all the HD channels.

~ I were to use something like the Hauppage 1212 HD PVR to feed the programming to my HTPC and bypass the need to use the sat service's DVR.

Otherwise the quality issues and proprietary recording make it a non-starter for me.

......and whose to say that what you desire may not come about. Hell...they're are putting those "birds" in orbit quite regularly.

[HD Goofnut]

This was all we needed: A thread that probably already turned Taffy on.

[Kosty]

If you are an enthusiast and really into movies, you may have the motivation to do it, but unless you have DISH and an HD DVR, its still a pain to add additional storage. Without additional storage, the internal storage space of most DVRs limit things to standard definition or for temporary storage of HD movies.

DISH also has the Eastern Arc all MPEG-4 sat constellation which has all its channels broadcast in AVC for some subscribers on the east coast or east of the Mississippi. For those lucky folks (includes me) all of the programs are in higher quality MPEG-4 which not only are higher quality than MPEG-2 versions, but they also take up only 30%-50% of the space of a MPEG-2 version stored on the hard drive, so for those with the Eastern Arc MPEG-4 only equipment both the internal and external hard drive storage capacity is in effect doubled or tripled because the MPEG-4 programs are smaller and take up less space to store, so you get 2 x or 3 x the capacity on the drives.

[Kosty]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

This was all we needed: A thread that probably already turned Taffy on.

Well I agree with him on how much I like it personally. Its the potential of this option and the probability that most consumers will turn to it and it will kill off DVD and Blu-ray that I think its a stretch.

The best option to do this is with DISH, but the number of HD subscribers for DISH, the number of those with HD DVRs, and then the number of those with additional hard drives is a much smaller subset of those.

Its just a bit more complicated to add a hard drive to a HD DVR than it is to buy a shiny disc and without significant additional storage, HD DVRs are best used to temporary storage of news sports TV shows and other things you tend to want to time shift and store once and then erase. Most people that use them to watch movies , store them until they watch the movie and then erase them and don't use the HD DVR to build a permanent collection. They use it as effect as a free already subscribed to rental service, not a permanent collection.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Kosty

Well I agree with him on how much I like it personally. Its the potential of this option and the probability that most consumers will turn to it and it will kill off DVD and Blu-ray that I think its a stretch.

The best option to do this is with DISH, but the number of HD subscribers for DISH, the number of those with HD DVRs, and then the number of those with additional hard drives is a much smaller subset of those.

Its just a bit more complicated to add a hard drive to a HD DVR than it is to buy a shiny disc and without significant additional storage, HD DVRs are best used to temporary storage of news sports TV shows and other things you tend to want to time shift and store once and then erase. Most people that use them to watch movies , store them until they watch the movie and then erase them and don't use the HD DVR to build a permanent collection. They use it as effect as a free already subscribed to rental service, not a permanent collection.

To me it makes more sense to simply buy the DVD if that particular title has not made it to HD DVD or BD yet. Then in many cases the movie is broadcasted in the incorrect AR, has commercials, has station logos, is cut to death, has artifacts especially when any action picks up, and you're dependent on Dish's subscription and an external hard drive (50 hard drives if you're Taffy).