Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I think this is the best thing since sliced bread! I received it as a gift a couple of weeks ago, have been putting it through its paces. Although it has quirks and a bug or two, you can easily work around them, I just love it. There are a couple of really neat, unusual features that suit my purposes to a T (below). [BTW, see end of review for how to tune in channel numbers with dashes or dots in them. ALSO, an UPDATE on issues mentioned in this review, OTHER cool features that I've found after months of use, and my attempt to use a FLIPPER universal remote- FABULOUS, has made a HUGE difference in our lives.] I'll detail my experience with it, using an old TV, a rooftop antenna, and especially, its use with special populations (elders, those with cognitive/perceptual disabilities, children, etc). I formerly had a very early Sabrent USB stick connected to my laptop that finally went kaput, the HW-150 is its replacement. It also enables me to make use of a very nice TV I have that lacks an ATSC tuner. Set-up was really easy. There's a bit of a curve involved in learning to use it, but it's actually surprisingly intuitive and after two weeks I (and my thumb) have it down pat. What seems initially tricky is that the buttons on the remote have different functions depending on what mode you're in, but since the options are shown on the screen whenever they differ from the buttons' regular functions, it is pretty easy and becomes second nature surprisingly fast. It's evident that considerable thought has gone into which buttons have been programmed for which additional functions. I bought a new 320 GB hard drive to use with it (link below), it came already formatted in the NTFS format (I was prepared to format it on my computer first if need be, but it wasn't necessary). I'd already hooked up the HW-150 to my TV, and plugged the hard drive into the USB slot on the front, and the unit automatically created folders on the hard drive and copied the requisite files to them. I'd read in another review that there was a firmware update available, so I next turned the HW-150 off and then unplugged the hard drive and plugged it into my computer, and copied the update that I'd previously downloaded, to the hard drive [you can get the firmware update at Mediasonic's website, click on Forums, then go down to the HW-150 Forum, and go from there]. The update comes as a zipped file. You can either expand/unzip it on your computer and then copy the unzipped (.bin) file to the hard drive, or copy the zipped file to the hard drive, and expand the .bin file there. Don't put the file in a folder, it needs to be in the main directory. I then plugged the hard drive back into the HW-150, selected Menu on the remote, and followed the prompts to install the update- you go to System (the pic of gears at the top of the screen), go down to/select software update, then USB Upgrade, and it will take it from there. Another reviewer mentioned that the update allows you to change your time zone and specify whether you have daylight savings time. For some reason it didn't allow me to do that (I tried it again when writing this review, same result- when I get time I'll check for another upgrade). It allowed me to change my time zone, but not specify DST, so in order to have the program guide (EPG) show the right time, I advanced it to the next time zone, so the times shown were correct. When we change DST again I'll have to re-adjust it, but I'm sure I'll have figured out by then how to correct the problem. I have a large, old rooftop TV antenna that my Dad put up about 40 years ago (yes, it brings in digital signals perfectly- digital signals are broadcast via VHF and UHF bands just like the old analogue signals were, it's the decoding mechanism that's changed)- it brings in stations from miles around. I live in the LA area and it also brings in stations from Orange County, so when I first set up the box, it auto-found 142 stations (15 PBS stations alone, so cool). It didn't decode radio stations, however, which my old Sabrent usb stick brought in with the rooftop antenna, but I don't need to listen to radio over my TV (have a cell phone and stereo system for that). My mother lives with me and has poor eyesight, so can't see to use a remote, though she can make out some images on the TV and likes to listen to certain programs. I found when playing back recordings that if you do nothing, the unit automatically plays the next recorded program. This is Godsend for my mother, I can record a whole list of shows she likes and have them play automatically, one after the other. Though she hasn't the eyesight (and/or patience) to mess with the remote, I painted the PAUSE key with bright orange nail polish, she can push it to pause or un-pause if need be, that's all she needs. Previously, the only DVR or tuner I'd seen with a similar feature was DISH network's auto-tune feature. You could program the DISH tuner in advance to autotune to particular programs. This is handy, but if you're on a budget, the HW-150 tunes AND records free over-the-air broadcasts, doesn't cost a penny, and basically subsumes the same function [auto-tunes to programs you have set to record, you can watch while they're recording], plus you can save the recordings that were a big hit and watch them anytime, in any order. Neither DISH nor DirecTV, last time I checked, had any mechanism for auto-playing recordings- someone must be there with the remote to select the next recording to view. [Added later: HarryKerryJr pointed out to me that Dish Hopper and TiVo both have Playlist features, for continuous playback of recordings.] There's also a special key for advancing forward and backward scene by scene, and you can use that key to go forward and back between recordings, as well, it will advance to the next or the previous recording on the hard drive. So handy. I work with special needs populations, in both residential and classroom settings, and this feature allows caregivers/teachers/aides whomever to advance from program to program, for example, to illustrate points while teaching. For instance, you can watch just part of a recording, and then skip to next one- show just the parts you wish in each recording. There's also fast forward and back buttons, so you can go forward or back at 32X speed within a recording, to quickly find the scene you wish. I can think of many uses for these features, as well as the auto-play feature previously mentioned. Regarding the auto-play feature (the fact that recordings automatically play one after the other), if you have small children, cognitively/ perceptually challenged adults or seniors or seriously ill patients who can't master a remote or the TV in general, this will allow you to have something good (and/or reviewed for appropriate content) going in the background all day or all evening long. Perfect for daycare, nursing homes, hospices, assisted living, invalids, etc. I use it on occasion to have inspiring programs playing in the background while I'm working. The unit automatically lists recordings on the hard drive in alphabetical/numeric order, so if you want them to play non-stop in a particular order, just rename them with 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C at the beginning of each file/recording name. The renaming process is easy and works flawlessly. (Again, with my old unit, half the time when you renamed a recording it vanished from the hard drive, never to be found again. No such problem with the HW-150.) My JVC TV has two sets of RCA jacks(red, yellow, white), I have the HW-150 connected to one set of jacks and my [fabulous] ROKU unit connected to the other set of jacks, so I'm in TV viewing heaven, can watch Amazon Prime shows and movies thru the Roku box, and over the air shows or recordings thru the HW-150 unit. I believe there's a way to hook up the Roku box thru the HW-150 (and perhaps record?) but I haven't experimented with that yet. The advantage would be that I could record Amazon Prime shows for my mother, and then have them play non-stop in whatever order I specify. As it is now I have to start each show over the Roku unit for her to watch myself, one at a time, since she can't do it herself. Now for the bugs/quirks: every once in a while the unit seems to freeze up and won't do anything. It seems to me it does this when you've hit the program guide and it's on a channel that has a lot of information listed (such as a PBS channel). I've found that if you hit the key to advance to the next channel's guide, or hit EXIT pretty quickly it doesn't seem to lock up. Another issue is that every once in a while (though not while recording or watching a recording), it seems to lose track of the fact that the hard-drive is connected and won't access it when you hit the USB key. When any of these problems occur, I've found that if you just turn the HW-150 off and on again, it resets itself instantly and works fine, and doing this doesn't do any harm or scramble anything. As far as recording goes, I haven't gotten it to record anything daily or weekly (this may be due to the DST thing, I'll update this review if I figure it out). But everything I've set to record on a one-time basis has recorded perfectly, even days later. My old Sabrent usb unit's software wouldn't record shows that butted up to each other (i.e., if one ended at 4:00 pm, and the next one started at that time, the 2nd show wouldn't record), but this unit handles that just fine. I love this, but it's a matter of your needs and what you're accustomed to. Compared to other set-top tuners I've used, this unit has them all beat. It's a huge improvement over my old Sabrent USB tuner, the picture MUCH better, spectacular, even on an old low-res TV. The EPG program guide is detailed, much better than others I've seen. And the fact that you can record virtually anything over the air, for FREE, is just phenomenal. The picture is high def, sharp and clear. Obviously, as with any tuner, you need the largest, most elaborate antenna you can accommodate, to pull in more channels. If you need to record two things at once or watch something other than what you're recording, and your budget permits, you could easily hook up a 2nd HW-150 and connect both of them to your TV with an A-B switch from Radio Shack, if you haven't the jacks on your television to accommodate two units (you'd also need a splitter to split the incoming rf signal into two leads to feed both). I plan to buy another unit for my motorhome. Highly recommended! P.S. Lacking an owner's manual, it took me a while to figure it out, but regarding channel selection, channels 2 thru 19 need a zero in front of them (to enter offset numbers), channels 20 and higher don't. If you enter three numbers (for channels 2 thru 9) on the keypad, the unit automatically inserts a dash between the 2nd and 3rd numbers- for instance, if you want 4.2 or 4-2, enter 042, it will produce 04-2. If the channel begins with 1, such as 13.2 or 17-3, enter 0132 or 0173, it will insert the dash between the 3rd and 4th characters. If you want 20.2 or 58-4, you don't need the 0. I can't remember this, so I put up a note to remind me! UPDATE- the failure to record programs in advance did indeed relate to the daylight savings time thing. When we changed again, I found it recorded shows in advance with no problems. Apparently the unit commences recording at the designated time, but only if the program indicated is actually on. For example, if a program has been preempted by a football game, it won't record (nor will it if both the program and the time don't match the local station's data). Another thing I've found is that the unit bases its time on the time given by individual stations. It will commence recording according to a timer you've set, but if the station's time is incorrect it will default to that time and won't record. There's one batch of stations in the LA area that ALWAYS has the wrong time [sigh, annoying because one of my favorite shows, Davinci's Inquest, is on one of these stations]- if you want to record these you need to leave the box on the desired channel AND use that station's time (obviously, way too much trouble but my point is that it's the station's fault, not the unit's). Another programming/recording feature I find useful is the fact that if you attempt to program a recording and it conflicts with another you've already set, you're given the option to cancel the existing one, very handy. Two other very useful features I hadn't yet noticed- when you continue viewing a program you've already watched part of, a box pops up asking you if you want to continue or start over, so it remembers where you left off! Relatedly, at first I was a little annoyed that you always had to press a button to make the image full screen when playing back recordings. But it's in this "editing" or organizing mode that you have extra options, for example, the foregoing. Also in this mode, you can fast forward with a time elapsed/time remaining counter on the screen- so for example if you want to fast forward to the last five minutes of a program you can (you also see the video fast forwarding in a window). You don't have that option in full-screen mode. Another option you have in this organizing mode is renaming recordings. Since you're looking at the list of recordings you already have while doing it, you can rename a new recording accordingly, e.g., BORGEN3,6 (Borgen season 3 episode 6) or whatever. This allows you to be consistent so you can watch episodes of a particular program in order. If you DON'T do this, the unit orders programs by channel and then by date. So if you've recorded Foyle's War, Last Tango in Halifax and American Masters on PBS this week, for example, they'll play in that order. Occasionally, for some reason, the unit will lose a channel. I'm assuming the channel was off-air for a time, not sure. But if this happens it's a simple matter to manually add the channel back without having to do another complete channel scan. Select MENU, then Channel Search, go down to Manual Search, then specify the channel you desire and it will add it. These people have thought of everything. After months of use I'm even MORE impressed with the HW-150! I read the great reviews of the FLIPPER universal remote, and got it for my mom, hoping it would work with the HW-150, but it didn't. I even tried the learning procedure, whereby you put the remote head to head with the original, and it did not recognize its signals (geez, how many types of signals could there be?). What I ended up doing though, was re-hooking up our original set-top box to the RF antenna connection, and I set up the Flipper to work with that. I programmed in her favorite channels, excluding all the ones in foreign languages, etc., that she is so discombobulated by. The Flipper is the easiest remote in the world to operate (though setting it up takes some time and patience), and she's using it, HOORAY! (I left a detailed review of it on 11/24.) The HW-150 remains connected to auxiliary jacks, and when she's weary or complains there's nothing on, I switch the TV over and start recordings going, or, I switch the TV over to our ROKU box and watch something on Amazon, like a Fred Astaire movie or a new release. An advantage to this set-up, is that it enables us to watch something else with the set-top box while I'm recording on the HW-150 (I have a 2-way splitter on the coax cable coming from the rooftop antenna, feeding both units). Another advantage is that it frees up some of my time and effort, because my mom loves certain shows, e.g., Jeopardy, the Antiques Roadshow, Highway Patrol, Judge Judy, etc. and even though she has dementia, she knows what time they're on and can now tune to them herself, thereby freeing me up from having to turn the channel for her or record them. Most importantly, of course, is the fact that the Flipper enhances her sense of autonomy and control, she's like a new person since she got it, priceless! Flipper Big Button Universal Remote for 2-Devices Toshiba 320GB Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 Portable Hard Drive in Black (HDTB103XK3AA)