Anyone own a LG LST-3410A

[dlhoppe]

Anyone have any experience with this box?  Any comments would be appreciated.


Thanks.

[cjucoder]

I got me one a dem der boxes  Why are you looking at this model?  I chose it because I get OTA only and wanted an HD DVR and this was the only such beast I could find.  Other people chose it because of the firewire out for archiving, but I've never taken advantage of that.  

Had it about 8 months and am very happy.   Works like a charm.

Sure could use a bigger drive though, I think I'll be putting a 300GB in soon.  The only real ugly thing IMHO is that you can't watch a previously recorded program while currently recording  :mad:  That is a drop-dead deal-breaker to a lot of people.

There is a monster thread about this box on AVS.  All the problems that are reported there I've never experienced, but lots of good tips.

Sony has a couple vapor ATSC DVRs that I'm keeping my eye on to see if they are ever released.

[dlhoppe]

I'm interested for the same reason as you.  Now that Voom is going away, I'll be watching OTA only for a while. Instead of buying another "standard" STB for the living room, I thought I'd try something with a built-in recorder. Thanks for the tip on the AVS thread. I'll look through it.

You mentioned that you can't record while watching another recording. Can you record while watching another "live" channel?  It's not really a big deal for me though. The only reason I want the recorder is to catch something I might miss when I'm not home.  Although the timeshift feature is something I'll probably use to get rid of commercials.

Thanks!

[mrmike]

You can't do any combination of watch and record at the same time, unfortunately.  Other than the occasional guide data glitch I've had no issues with mine (except that it won't tune Fox 6 anymore, but I think my antenna got tweaked in a wind storm this winter and I haven't gotten up there to check it yet this spring), and I record 8 or 10 shows a week.

[StarvingForHDTV]

Maybe pick up a cheap set top box to watch while your DVR is recording.

[dlhoppe]

Yeah, I have a couple of sammy's (151 & 351), but I'm using them in other rooms.  It's an excellent idea so I may start keeping my eye out for another stb for this purpose. Thanks for the great suggestion.

Now I just need to decide whether to get the LG DVR or wait for the new Sony that should be out soon. It looks like the Sony has similar limitations as to only having a single tuner. I can't find any info on whether you can watch a previously recorded program while it's currently recording a different one though. It does however have a card slot for decrypting digital cable which the LG does not have. It's gonna be more expensive though. Not to mention all the probable "first production run" glitches and bugs.

I found an internet dealer that'll sell me a new (not refurbished) LG unit for $675 including shipping. The only reference to price I've seen for the Sony is the MSRP of $799, and that's for the one with the smaller hard drive. It's still more capacity than the LG though.

Anyone have any in-depth info on the new Sony's?  Any suggestions on my choices here?


Thanks!

[cjucoder]

Maybe pick up a cheap set top box to watch while your DVR is recording

That's why I keep my other tuner too.  I have both split from the same antenna, so it also comes in handy when some show looks/sounds bad/funky to check if it is happening on the other tuner too.

Anyone have any in-depth info on the new Sony's

Here are the vapor Sonys on Amazon 500GB model and the 200GB model  .  Maybe release is not too far away after all since the page for the 500GB model includes a link to the PDF owner's manual.

The SonyStyle site says shipping May 21.  Could be true.

The "Techincal Data" page for both (on Amazon) say they can "record live TV while watching another previously recorded show".  We need a smiley with drool.

I'll be waiting to hear or read some reviews before considering buying one of these.  For now I'm happy enough with LG.

[dlhoppe]

Thanks for the links.  I saw the pages on the Sony site, but missed the description about watching something while recording something different at the same time. Cool!  The Amazon page indicates that it comes with quite an array of cables, including an HDMI to DVI adapter.  I was wondering about that because my Hitachi only has DVI, not HDMI.  Do you think this adapter will enable me to connect it digitally to my Hitachi?  My PQ is definately better with the DVI connection than component. I've tested this with both the sammy 351 and the Voom box.  Hmmm... I might just have to wait until the Sony is released before deciding. The extra cost may be well worth it if the Sony does what they're saying.

[cjucoder]

the description about watching something while recording something different at the same time. Cool!

You know the tivo people are laughing their collective patooties off at us right now.  My dream machine would be a standalone(I mean no cable or satellite provider required) tivo with at least two ATSC tuners.  Maybe some day.

I've been sceptical about the release of the Sonys only because that release date keeps changing.  My recollection is that originally it was last November or December, then was March sometime, now they say May.

My set also only has a DVI, and I've never had anything with HDMI yet, so I can't comment on the adapter.  I would guess the adapter would work fine. Can anyone comment about the video quality of those adapters?  I would still want to connect audio to the receiver not the TV.

[StarvingForHDTV]

Anyone know off hand if any of our local digital stations are providing the TV Guide On Screen Interactive Programming information with their signal?  Also what is the estimated price on the Sony?

Thanks in advance.

[dlhoppe]

Somehow I don't think the folks at Tivo are in a laughing mood. From what I hear, they're hurting lately. Their products and services sound great, but I'm just not going to pay a monthly fee for it.

I'm not too concerned about Sony's "moving target" date. I was a Voomer waiting for their DVR, so anything after that complete fiasco is a big improvement (so long as the Sony boxes actually get released  :rolleyes: ).

I'm with you on the audio hookup. I have no need whatsoever to pipe the audio to the TV.  My Yamaha/Klipsch system pretty much makes the TV audio useless. In fact, I don't think I've ever had it turned on since I've owned the TV. Maybe someone will contribute some info on the HDMI to DVI adapters. I would think there should not be any difference in PQ since the signal stays digital. All the adapter should be doing is removing the audio, right? At least that's the way I understand it.

[cjucoder]

Anyone know off hand if any of our local digital stations are providing the TV Guide On Screen Interactive Programming information with their signal?  Also what is the estimated price on the Sony?

I asked the same question about the guide in this thread.  Jimboy was kind enough to reply that is WCGV. (edit) Oh, and I believe it is carried on the analog station not digital.  Could be wrong about that though. (end edit)  As for MSRP Sony has them listed at $799.99 and $999.99.

I'm not too concerned about Sony's "moving target" date

Maybe the moving target date is a good thing.  Perhaps it shows Sony is working to get the bugs out before releasing.  Hopefully it is that rather than politics or marketing.

[mrmike]

Somehow I don't think the folks at Tivo are in a laughing mood. From what I hear, they're hurting lately. Their products and services sound great, but I'm just not going to pay a monthly fee for it.

I have 4 TiVo lifetime subs under my name (2 of the boxes live with me, the others with friends or family) and I've gotten 5 or 6 friends on the koolaid as well.  If they make a cable-card or standalone ATSC box I'll buy it, the service and software reliability mean that much to me (5 years and rock-solid on my boxes, the LG still freaks on me about every other week and I have to reprogram some show or another 'cause it's been missing from the guide too long or some such).  I'd buy the DTV version if I could only shoot the birds from my house.  The LG box was the closest thing I could find that I didn't have to muck about with (I have a PC tuner card and a firewire STB as well, but the LG box gets used the most 'cause it's easier)