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Buying a PVR that Doesn't Require a Subscription?
vchew asks: "I have been looking high and low for a decent PVR ala TiVo which doesn't require subscription, since I don't live in the US, and I don't need my PVR to call home every now and then. I can't find one! I don't want a Do-It-Yourself type like WinTV PVR, but a box which I can take home, plug in and just work! Tell me, is there no way for me to buy a digital equivalent of the 20 year old VCR? Well, if it lets me pause-live-TV, that would be cool, but I am willing to live with a digital VCR which does not call home, allows me to select air/cable input, PAL/NTSC output, and allows me to enter record timing slots like every other VCR instead of phoning some central master server to download some TV schedule (and maybe some personality change to go along with that)! Does this have anything to do with TiVo's recent patent?"
Tivo requires one initial dial-in, with no service activation required, to download who-knows-what (like the software).
After that it's manually programmable with no phone link, or subscription.
---- "If we have to go on with these damned quantum jumps, then I'm sorry that I ever got involved" - Erwin Schrodinger
If you are willing to do without the guide, you can do all that stuff with the TIVO. Pause and rewind live TV, record by time/date/channel/duration.
What is it you don't think you can do with a TIVO?