PCs
Software and hardware is available which can turn personal computers
running Microsoft Windows, Linux and Macintosh into PVRs, and is
a popular option for home-theater PC (HTPC) enthusiasts.
Linux
There are many open source and GPL-licensed DVR applications available
for Linux:
MythTV
Freevo
DVR
VDR
KnoppMyth - provides an out of the box MythTV based PVR solution
Commercial Linux version available from SageTV for most popular
Linux distributions. Brightbox, a consumer electronics device, uses
SageTV.
DVD
Many DVD-based DVRs are equipped with two DVD drives or an additional
internal hard drive. This arrangement can be used to copy content
from a source DVD, which is disallowed in the U.S. under the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act if the disc is encrypted. Most such DVRs
will hence not allow recording of video streams from encrypted movie
discs.
Digital camcorders
Some DVD-based DVRs incorporate a Firewire connector which can be
used to capture digital video from a MiniDV or Digital 8 camcorder,
possibly recording a simple DVD as the camcorder is played back.
Some editing of the resulting DVD is usually possible, such as adding
chapter points. |