Last weekend I bought a Samsung DCB-P850R PVR to make digital cable recordings. I already had PVR solution where I connect my XBOX with my Microsoft Media Center PC, but was not completely satisfied with this because I could only record analog TV with it.
So, now I can record digital TV as well, for which I'm really happy, but there are still some features that are missing.
Here's a comparison between the Samsung PVR and MCE.
Pros of Samsung PVR
Being able to record digital TV ; better quality and much more channels
The machine is very quiet
Not having to have 2 devices running to watch TV (PC + XBOX)
Being able to play MP3's from the HD of the PVR
Being able to connect a USB device to the PVR
Cons of Samsung PVR
- Recordings are time based and not content based. On MCE I could give the order to record all episodes of CSI for example and it would scan all available channels for the show. The Samsung just records on a certain time slot that can be repeated every week, every day or every workday. So now, if the air time of my favorite show changes I have to take action myself..
- The Samsung cannot record and play a show at the same time. On my MCE I sometimes did 'chase watching', where I started to record a show at for example 20.00 and then tuned in at 20.20. I could then skip all the commercial breaks and at the end of the show I was watching realtime.
- When I watch a show and press the 'stop' button halfway the duration of the show, the Samsung doesn't remember where I was and I have to skip to the right point the next time I want to watch the rest. You can set bookmarks, but this is a manual action that you sometimes forget.
Well, for the time being I will probably keep using both solutions to get the best experience, but I keep hoping that someday a device will emerge that can handle all my whishes.
The Samsung DCB-P850R