Features:

  • Receive Over-The-Air Digital Broadcast to your Analog and Digital TV, Projector, and Computer Monitor. Antenna Out Analog Pass Through, Favorite Channel List, Parental Control Function
  • HDMI 1080P Output / Composite Out / Coaxial Output, Closed Caption, Auto Tuning
  • Real-Time Recording & Programmed Time Recording, Timing Start Up & Shut Down.
  • Recording require user to connect a USB 2.0 or 3.0 2.5" / 3.5" External Hard Drive via USB (Up to 2TB, MBR format) (USB Flash Drive Not recommended)
  • **PLEASE NOTE**:This converter box is designed to receive Over-The-Air signal, and it is not a replacement of cable box. External Antenna is required to connect to this converter box in order to receive signal. This product does NOT Work with TIVO and cable company such as Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable, etc. In general, this product does NOT work with encrypted cable signal
Feature packed device, killer for the price.

I got this to set up on a computer monitor that didn't have audio but had an HDMI input. Fortunately this device can output simultaneously to HDMI and the coaxial audio outputs, so you can watch on hdmi and send a seperate audio feed. For its price, I was very impressed with it. It has all the basic functions, the recording works very well with a simple usb HDD attachment. The timer, scheduled recording, the tv guide all work well. No difficulties setting anything up. If I was being greedy, I'd like a nicer remote with a more readable interface, the buttons are somewhat small and have small buttons and letters instead of icons. It takes a little more time to read and use it than with a fancier remote. But, that doesn't take away from its 5 star rating for me because of its price. I liked it so much I got a couple more to use with another tv at work and another one at a families home.

A great price for a video recorder that works just fine. Use "EXIT" button to stop recording

Plugged in a PNY 128GB thumb drive and I have to say I'm impressed with it for such a low price. Setup was quick. It has both HDMI and old fashioned RCA plug analog output to the TV. Its tuner sensitivity seems to be as good as my older Hitachi TV and in some ways is a bit better. It records a 720x480 image in MPEG-2 + AC3 in an MTS transport stream that my PC has multiple programs that have no problem reading as well as itself playing back the file. Its autotuner has a "Cable" setting, but I don't have cable anymore so I can't test its ability or tuning range. The "User's Manual" that comes with it is notably sparse on that kind of information (or any other technical info for that matter.) But for the price I don't think it can be beat as opposed to my old defunct Magnavox recorder other than no built in DVD recorder, but the PC can do that if I want. One small point on my unit (V 2.1) -- if you start a recording manually, don't push the "STOP" button to halt the recording. Use the "EXIT" button otherwise the Homeworx hangs up and you have power down and re-boot. A small glitch in the scheme of things.

Nice tuner for your Off-the-air antenna

This Mediasonic HOMEWORX HW130STB tunes just like it should from our Off-the-air antenna. We have an earlier model on a TV upstairs, it does what it should, and we've been just as pleased with this one. Buy this, a nice antenna to mount in your attic, and a Roku; subscribe to Netflix and Sling, and kiss the cable company goodnight. We pay less for Sling and Netflix combined than we did in taxes on the cable package. Media consumption is changing, and this little box is part of it. This gives crystal-clear 1080 images on our 126" projection screen for anyone contemplating feeding this through your AVR to a projector. We have not attempted, nor do we plan to try the recording or streaming it's advertised to do, so I can't comment on how that capability works.

Worked out of the box

I bought it to be able to get over the air signal on an old Sony 32" that only has an NTSC tuner (the pre-digital type). This TV, SonY'S first LCD HDTV (cost a little under 3 grand in 2003!) that has worked perfectly from the day I bought it 15 years ago. Alas, it is now consigned to my exercise area, a part of the house that doesn't have a cable outlet. I wasn't interested in recording down there so I haven't tested (nor am I interested in) its capabilities in that area. Hooked up to a simple HD antenna, it immediately scanned and found 33 TV stations. The position of your antenna is the most significant factor in this regard. I liked this unit because it has a separate power adapter rather than one built into the unit itself. That is a major factor, IMHO, in reducing the possiiblities of early circuit failure from overheating (we shall see). Remote works fine 90% of the time. It was working and setting up its channels within five minutes of unboxing and cabling. Everything you are likely to need inside the box except two AAA batteries for the remote that you will need to supply.

Nice replacement

I had 2 d/a converters and one died a few weeks ago...I performed my usual diligent research before buying and chose the HOMEWORX...Setup was fast and easy, and familiar due to similar functionality to my previous units, but to my satisfaction, this unit processes much more quickly than the others...For instance, channel switching is very fast, wherein there is an annoying lag between channels with the other units...As for build, this unit caused me to be suspicious of quality as it has a plastic housing and is much lighter (my others were metal), and significantly smaller, but that did not affect performance...My other units were about 7-8 years old...I have 4 old tube tvs which I use in my garage, basement, a downstairs bathroom and my gym...As long as they continue to perform, they're welcome here, in addition to my fancy digital sets...The HOMEWORX costs about $11-13 less than my other units did and that makes it a rational choice whether you have an older tv in a non-prime viewing area or if you use it for a main set...The picture and sound are excellent...If my other d/a converter dies, I'll replace it with a HOMEWORX.

No Complaints Here, Works Great For Me.

Ok, in spite of the mixed reviews, I purchased this to use with a projector that I also purchased on Amazon. I had low expectations, but to be honest, this thing works great for me. It took all of 10 minutes from the time I opened the box, until I was watching tv. It picked up 28 channels, which is actually better than my new tv did! The on-screen guide is great, and so far, all of the functions work just fine. Yes, the remote is a bit screwy, but you'll learn the buttons you will use after a little bit. The picture is very clear, there is NO lag at all, and the setup is very easy, with a very good menu system. Really, for $22, I am more than happy, IT WORKS! And no, I didn't get a discount for writing this, I'm writing this because for me, it was a great deal. Mediasonic HOMEWORX HW130STB HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player Function

Make sure you have a storage device with fast write speeds for recording (UPDATED)

UPDATE: turns out that I needed a USB stick with faster write times. I got a new USB 3.0 stick [SanDisk Extreme 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ80-032G-GAM46)] with very good read/write speeds, and the recordings are now flawless. It's perfect now. I did give it 3 stars. It's 5 stars now. *********************************************************************************************** INITIAL REVIEW ... I bought this because Dish has been blocking out CBS (among other channels) and I wanted to record shows on CBS. I already had an over the air antenna that was hooked up to my TV. With this box I was able to use my own HDMI cable to run this box to my surround sound receiver. So, over the air surround sound. That was pretty cool. However, what is not cool is the recording quality. Live tv through the antenna connected to this box is flawless. Looks great, sounds great. However, when recording to a USB stick, while the shows do record correctly, the quality is an issue. The audio and video get out of sync probably 75 percent of the time. They are off by about a full second or two. Enough to be pretty distracting. Also, the playback is jumpy at times and will skip a few seconds here and there. Also, you CAN NOT watch a show while it's recording. This will stop it from recording. I use a harmony controller/app instead of their controller, so that gets passed the issues other people have brought up. Though, the controller really isn't THAT bad, it's the button names that are bad. For example, instead of a recording going full screen when you press play, you have to press some strange button to make it full screen - the "hold" button. It's just odd. But, it's a minor nuisance. The people that are saying they aren't getting any channels. It appears they don't have an antenna. You have to buy an antenna to go with this box. You will also need 2 triple a batteries if you are going to use the controller that came with it. If you have a tv that has the capability to hook up an antenna directly to it, then this box would only be useful if you want surround sound or to record. And the recording isn't going to be like watching live. I'm probably going to return this based on the recording quality.

Outstanding solution to over the air broadcast TV recording. Fantastic for the money.

So far, I love it. It is a lot smaller then I thought and the build quality is a little on the cheap side as far as the plastic case and buttons....BUT it does exactly what I need it to do and it is simple to hook up and use. I have an antenna in my house because I don't care to pay $100 for cable, so the ONLY thing I could not do was record the Browns games. I couldn't hook up an old VCR because of the digital signal so I thought I would try and find a cheap digital recorded. I know that there are expensive ones out there, but honestly, I don't have much interest in anything on TV except the Browns. So I thought I'd give this a try. Honestly...this thing was simple to hook up, ran the antenna into the co-axe in, ran a HDMI out to my 55" LG, did the channel scan and plugged in a thumb drive to record onto. It all worked flawless! The picture is better than Cable and I didn't spend much money on this. It picks up the broadcast schedule so you choose the channel. it shows the upcoming shows, you highlight and click. The only issue I had was that I only had a 16GB thumb drive and it ran out of memory about 2 hours into the game which was ok since the Browns Played Horrible :) So I would HIGHLY recommend this thing if you want a cheap solution to record over the air stuff with out paying for a subscription. As stated, it is very delicately made with cheap plastic, but does do what it says with flying colors. I even took the thumb drive out and played plugged it directly into my TV and it played back perfect, so you can set it up in another room and watch it back on another TV with a USB input.

Works As Described!

Mediasonic HOMEWORX HW130STB HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player Function works well and was easy to hook up via the HDMI and adding a new digital antenna to the box. Did a quick scan and picked up 53 channels. I also like the fact that the product has a USB to plug in your own media and content via a flash drive and watch videos or listen to pre recorded stuff. I haven't used the television recording function yet, but anxious to try sometime in the future.

"this product doesn't receive the credit it deserves."

I usually don't leave reviews but I feel like this product doesn't receive the credit it deserves. I was looking for a simple DVR for my basic cable and it did exactly as i needed it too. I can see why someone who isn't tech savvy get confused but it does get the job done. I used an HDMI cable and an antenna and it recorded my shows in 1080p. I attached a 1 terabyte drive to it and it has more than enough space. Highly recommend.

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