Mediasonic Homeworx OTA Digital TV Converter Box DVR Review & Tutorial DTV Tuner with PVR Recording

[@kensmith5694]

One of these is what I use. There are a few points: 1) The videos are stored as ordinary files on the USB stick. You can take the stick to your computer and rename the file and/or play them on your PC. 2) They support FAT32 format which is limited to the max file size that IIRC works out to less than 2 hours per recording. They also support NTFS format which is not limited. 3) The NTFS format version that they support can be read and written by a PC but if you format a stick on PC with NTFS, they may not like it. 4) The box will play movies from the external drive so you can load up some old movies and watch then 5) The box will play music files from the USB so you can you it to make background music. 6) They will also slide-show your pictures

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

Thank you for the additional information. I have used the box as a media player to watch stored content and it works well for that purpose.👍

[@jayvalentin5513]

Similar to my Magnavox dvr, and yes, it is probably more reliable than my Tivo boxes. The only problem is that recordings are limited to 480i by the FCC,with up conversion availability. It's still a good option to own. Got two of them!

[@rjmeyer6603]

I like mine - Have had it a little over a year - One thing I do not care for is the weak remote - the remote barely operates the box from 10 feet away and better be pointed dead on and multiple button presses are common - would like to find a stronger swap out but no luck so far . Love that has a very good tuner and does not need wifi just an antenna. Glad mine is not the newer version with internal power source jic murphys law strikes. Anyway, I keep it connected to my stuff just for the handy sig strength meter. It's also a good portable tool that I've used helping friends point their antennas.

[@cooperelam]

Thank you for the review I didn't know what a dvr was until I heard about it and now I'll probably buy one 😂

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@cooperelam Thanks, there is a purchase link in the description.👍

[@joe10117]

Feb 2024 60 miles away from NYC I own it verry happy with it 78 channels verry sensitive tunee... .

[@clydemcghee5631]

Where are you in terms of direction from the towers. I'm 60 miles due east.

[@kensmith5694]

BTW: I get 127 channels total. Many are the same program because I am between two markets.

[@publicmail2]

I found some of these run too hot inside with poor ventilation, chips at 165F, I added heatsinks and it running 120F, and I don't mind external power supply because if it fails its easy to replace. This one looks good and has some size to it.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

Yes- an external power supply is a good advantage as it is easy to replace. Some people forget to remove the thin plastic coating that is applied at the factory to prevent scratches. The plastic blocks the vents. But also there doesn’t seem to be adequate venting on most of these boxes either.

[@publicmail2]

After heatsink I run mine without cover to give it a chance. But yes the punch outs on metal and plastic, let alone lying something on top will kill it. Good little all around devices for the money, I use on projectors, Thx.@@NorthcoasterHobby

[@donbest5024]

All these set top boxes are very good,and very affordable,can do way more stuff than any vcr I ever owned.If this came out in the 80s it would of cost hundreds of dollars. Technically is cheap,we are all spoiled.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@donbest5024 Yes for the price- a lot of nice features.

[@chrissmith2963]

How does this unit compare to others you have used? Wasn't sure how much you like this one.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

It’s really not much different from the other boxes I’ve tested. I do like it though.

[@dmprdctns]

Thanks... Liked Subscribed ... Questions for you... So it does not give the actual name of the show in the DVR'd recordings... but you can manually change the name of the entire show recording "series", yes? Also... how many programs can it record simultaneously... 2, I'd heard, yes? ...and you can watch one or the other, but not a 3rd while it is recording... Have I got that right?

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

Had to double check on this. It looks like you can only change the name of a program once it is recorded, and each recording must be renamed separately, so not as a series unfortunately. You can only record one program at a time, and cannot change the channel while a program is recording. The box only has one tuner and two tuners would be needed to record one thing and watch another. Thanks for watching my channel!

[@homer5606]

Can I hook this up to my superbox streaming and the converter box to my tv a diagram would be great thanks

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

The best way is to make separate connections for these devices, I would not try to combine them together. If you’re looking for a device that will allow you to stream over the TV channels then consider a Tablo. Tablo TV 4th Generation Over the Air TV Tuner with DVR Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn6rlqpslrdpeLc

[@kennyjohnson4138]

There's a 2024 Hw model available now but it does not support ATSC 3.0..? Whatever that means? I thought all of them could operate with ATSC 3.0 ? What is difference between ATSC and no ATSC?

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

Most DTV boxes like this are ATSC 1.0 only. That’s still where the majority of channels broadcast on. ATSC 3.0 boxes are more expensive and still have many issues to work out at this point. ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 are different broadcast standards entirely.

[@melissacollins7906]

We just set our clocks back an hour over the weekend but mine will not do it.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

At 8:00 I show the Time menu. You can turn Daylight Savings on in there, and also set the Time Zone.

[@robertshade8631]

Can you still connect a hdmi converter to this setup to get hdmi picture or use Roku?

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

The Roku would connect directly to the TV by HDMI. It would have its own HDMI connection to the TV totally independent of this converter box. Just to be clear -when you say HDMI converter what exactly do you mean?

[@robertshade8631]

@@NorthcoasterHobby like the hdmi to rca converters

[@robertshade8631]

@@NorthcoasterHobby but some converters do not have hdmi connections is what I was referring too about being able to utilize Roku,Firestick hdmi devices in such setup.Or getting the hdmi picture !

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@robertshade8631You won’t get an HD picture on an older CRT analog television.

[@PhearaXT]

Does this converter box support USB 3.0?

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@PhearaXT No, just USB 2.0.

[@273kg3]

is this to work with an indoor antenna

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@273kg3 It will work with an indoor or outdoor TV antenna.

[@zandig666]

Thx for the 🔗 to here 🍻 📺📶📶

[@red-vh1ky]

There are many reasons why these boxes are super cheap. You get what you pay for. It explains why you don't get an HDMI cable. The customer service is either horrible or non-existent. I have tried 3 of these and always been unhappy. I was forced to learn how to work around the limitations and it has been very frustrating. It's only worth using because there are no better alternatives. I would have gladly paid three times more for a good product. HDMI intermittently outputs distorted video lines and or solid color overlays. This happened on all 3 units. It goes away after a restart and does not appear on recordings. Maybe it's an overheating problem but it can happen very soon after the box is turned on. Yes, I did remove the plastic scratch cover. Battery door on the remote does not fit properly. It needs to be held together with tape, otherwise batteries don't make contact. The menus are awkward and software is very primitive. It's easy to get AM or PM wrong when programming a recording because the software requires you to manually override the default every time. One of my network channels in Seattle broadcasts a main signal on 13 from 15 miles away and a translator on 22 which is stronger in my neighborhood. The box picks up both but always defaults to the weak signal on the lower frequency. I had to manually reprogram all five channels to the translator. It took a long time to figure out why I was getting signal dropouts. There should be a user alert for this problem. I do not recommend using a USB stick for recording. I had to use a hard drive because none of the many USB sticks I tried were able to record without interruptions. Also, be sure to use a new high quality new HDMI cable. The HDMI spec has changed several times and some cables may not work well with new equipment.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

These boxes are popular because of price. That's the first thing comnsumers look at, generally speaking. And for the price there are a lot of features included. That being said, set top boxes such as these have a range of issues from being buggy, having unstable PVR recording, cheap power supplies, overheating, remotes that respond slowly, etc. I personally have had a couple of external power supplies fail. One was replaced by the company (Mediasonic HW130 model) and the other failed well after the warranty expired. I've never had an issue with the HDMI as you described. The default to a lower frequency channel is very strange. I have also never had a problem with recording, except for with one USB stick that was bad. User experiences with these boxes are all over the map. Generally my experience has been positive, but with a few exceptions. I also own a Zapperbox tuner and it is head-and-shoulders above any of these OTA set-top boxes, but at about eight times the price, more than most consumers are willing to spend.