Connecting to Recording Devices
Is it possible to record an HDTV program? It depends on what you mean by "record." If you mean temporary recording, like with a digital video recorder (DVR), the answer is "yes." All you need is a DVR that’s made to handle high-def content, with a fat hard drive and a few other tweaks. But if your idea of "recording" is burning DVDs of your favorite shows, then the answer is "not really." Or at least, "not yet."
First, the standard DVD format is just too puny to handle HD recording. So even if you figure out the hookups needed to burn a disk, it won’t be big enough to handle even a short program. The improved, dual-layer format for DVDs still doesn’t cut it, size-wise. New machines are just starting to enter the market that use high-capacity “blue laser” discs – HD-DVD and Blu-ray. While such device have the theoretical capacity to record feature-length HD content, at this point it’s just that – theoretical. In the meantime, here are the solutions available today, such as they are.
Digital Video Recorders. Your garden-variety TiVo box or other DVR can’t handle high-def content, but they make HD-compatible models that will. Since this is currently the most practical way to record HD programs, it’s a great tool to have, and it comes in many flavors. You can buy a DVR as a standalone component, as part of a set-top tuner box, or even integrated into the TV itself. Some machines require a monthly fee to a service provider, such as TiVo, to manage your programming guides and so forth. Others may incorporate alternative tools such as TV Guide Onscreen, which does not require a third-party subscription fee. In either case you’ll be able to record, fast forward, rewind, and generally watch TV on your own schedule. The only real downside is that with HD shows, your hard drive fills up amazingly fast. Even a 250-GB model is only good for about 25 hours of high-def programming, and there is no way to archive any of it to a more permanent storage medium. DVRs with built-in disc burners do not exist yet in the HD world.
Videocassette Recorders. VCRs in the buffed-up D-VHS format are available from several manufacturers including JVC and Marantz. They all rely on the FireWire connection (IEEE1394) to transmit HD signals into or out of the device. So if you want to connect any other piece of gear to your D-VHS machine, it has to support FireWire and its related encryption protocol, DTCP. Which is why you probably won’t be recording any cable or satellite programming on a D-VHS tape – set-top boxes with FireWire ports are rare indeed. But if your HDTV accepts a FireWire input, you can view and record HD shows from your local broadcast stations, as well as watch all those HD home movies you’re going to make. Some theatrical titles have even been released in D-VHS, or more specifically in a related format called D-Theater, but don’t hold your breath for this trend to catch on.
Camcorders. A number of manufacturers now make high-def digital camcorders, so you can tape Baby’s first steps, or your next vacation, in glorious wide-screen HD. They typically rely on mini-DV tapes for internal storage, and a FireWire connection for transmitting image data to your system.
Media Center PCs. Until the next generation of PC tuner cards arrives, incorporating CableCARD technology, home entertainment computers will only be able to handle unencrypted HD content such as over-the-air broadcasts. Current-generation Media Center PCs rely on FireWire to move a signal around, and the associated DTCP copy-protection scheme to keep you honest. Expect this area of technology to evolve rapidly, and for more people to rely on PCs to acquire and manage their digital content. But for now, the technology is still very young.