I have mentioned HD TV before. In fact I do have a HD TV, but it’s ‘only’ 720 lines; technically it’s a 720p LCD, compared to full HD which is 1080p. BluRay disks are 1080p so I wouldn’t be getting the full resolution if I was to buy a BluRay player. The TV also has a built in HD tuner, so I can watch HD TV, but not record it.
In actual fact that’s not 100% true. And twice over:
- My Standard Definition (SD) Topfield recorder can actually record HD TV shows, but it itself can’t play them back. You have to copy them over to a PC then use something like VLC to play them back. The copy process is quite slow. Then there’s another problem, which we’ll return to in a minute.
- I also have a HD USB Tuner which can attach to the main desktop PC or the laptop. I’ve had it for a few years now and it’s fairly reliable. It was used regularly before I got the Topfield.
Now the problem with both of these solutions is the same. Only the desktop PC has the raw processing power to play back the HD TV recordings. The laptop a-l-m-o-s-t makes it, but stutters and the picture breaks up. And I don’t want to watch TV on my PC in the computer room! The laptop is in the lounge attached to the 720p TV. No, the desktop is too old and noisy to just move it to the lounge.
The solution is not to get a TiVO. Early reports are that it’s very nobbled. Maybe the firmware dudes will get out there and release ‘jailbreak’ software for the TiVO soon; to free it up so you can attach it to your own network, copy your recordings off, skip adds etc. But it’s not for me, nor anyone else – I’d suggest – who naively want’s to just replace their VCR. Will they get a shock when they try to work out how to keep a recording, like they currently do with their VCR!
Anyway I’ve got a two-pronged wish list:
- Get a dedicated PC in the lounge. A Media Centre. Purpose built; fast and nice and quiet. Would have dual-HD tuners and the capacity to play back BluRay disks, but without – initially – a BluRay player on board. Just a DVD. Whirlpool maintains parts list of a suggested system.
- Later on, when the price of add-on BluRay players for PCs has fallen, simply drop one in and go.
Hopefully by then I may have a proper 1080p TV too. Dream on…