Features:

  • ★Function: Convert Digital TV Broadcast to your Analog TV and use as Personal Recorder with a USB drive. Also compatible for HD TVs or monitors and projectors via HDMI. Not a replacement for your Cable box
  • ★Output: Receive HD (720p) and Full HD (1080p) Channels with an antenna (sold separately except in bundle). Reception and number of channels will vary on location and the type of antenna used
  • ★Features: Auto Tuning, Program guide, Recording PVR, Closed Caption, Favorite Channel List and Parental Control Function
  • ★In the Box: ViewTV AT-263 , New Upgraded Remote, 1 Composite cable, 1 HDMI Cable (Signal Meter NOT included)
  • ★USB Multimedia Player: Plays Divx, AVI, MKV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, VOB, MOV, FLV, and VC-1
It’s a DVR!!!

I was looking for a device which allows me to record over the air TV programs. TIVO was not an option so I came across this little box and because it was inexpensive, i gave it a try. Setup was easy and it picks up MORE STATIONS THAN MY TV with my small indoor antenna. The recording feature really works! I popped a thumb drive into the USB port and hit the record button on the remote. Works! Then, I used the timer to test if it will do what it’s supposed to - works!!!! Now I won’t miss my favorite shows while out in town with the gang! Update: As other reviews stated, the unit receives the remote commands only if you point the remote directly at the unit. I have solved this problem by cutting a hole for the infrared sensor. Now, the unit receives every commsnd even if I point the remote away from the unit! See picture:

Works Well and Pulls In Many Stations

I purchased this converter box because I wanted a simpler, more modern way to record TV than the Magnavox DVR that I used before. And, I was also looking for an auxiliary tuner that would pull in additional stations and not freeze like my TV's built-in tuner sometimes does. The performance of this box exceeds my expectations. I have it hooked to a flat antenna located near a window. There is a powered booster in between the box and the antenna, which I purchased separately. This setup works exceptionally well in my concrete reinforced condo building. However, I think that most people will not need a booster or fancy antenna. Because I did not want to use-up an HDMI port on my TV, I instead used the component color connections (three RCA style cables). This arrangement works well and provides up to 1080i HD reception. Of course, resolution depends on the original source being broadcast and also may be affected by the quality of RCA cables being used. The box plays stereo TV sound through my stereo receiver and sound quality is good. I just use the standard RCA analogue connections. However, a digital sound output is also present on the box back panel. The included remote control has more functions and buttons than I had expected. To keep things simple, I programed my Logitech remote to operate the box's most important functions. A recent firmware update (via USB) proceeded without any problems. It's hard to imagine a better TV tuner/DVR for the money. People with old TV's (without digital tuners) or with weak built-in tuners should consider buying this box.

Great for cable cutters who want live broadcast access

I was looking for a way to get live TV while cutting cable. The issue I was having is that my TV is mounted over the fireplace and my media equipment is 15 feet away in the closet with an HDMI cord running through the wall. I was looking for an option that would allow me to hook up an over the air antenna in the closet and connect it via HDMI to my Yamaha receiver which would then broadcast the pcutre to the TV and sound to the surround sound system. This works amazingly! I was able to mount the paper thin antenna to the ceiling in the closet and connect the converter to the receiver via HDMI. I then programmed my IR remote from the remote provided and now I have crystal clear live broadcast TV!

I love this DVR and so does my wife

I cut the cord a year ago. Always wanted something i can record a tv program and watch later. This AT-263 did it for me. Set up was easy. Did not even read the instructions. I just plug my indoor digital antenna that i bought from Costco into the AT-263 and the way we go. It scanned all the channels available in my area. The remote control takes some getting used to. But, no big deal. In 10-15 minutes of playing around, you can figure it out easy. The box reacts to a command change from the remote slowly. It often lags 15-30 seconds before the task is responded. This may be hard for impatient person to get used to. But, for the price of just a round of golf, this DVR box is hard to beat. I hooked a 1tb external drive via USB. It should give me hours and hours of recording. Recording and playback is no problem. The video quality is super sharp. The fast forward and reverse is a bit slow responding. This also takes some getting used to. I split the antenna two ways. One to the AT-263 box, then from the box to tv via HDMI. The other goes direct to the coaxial port 'antenna' in of the tv set. It worked out better than i expected. I can record a program with the box, while watching my tv on other channels at will. The only question now is how long is this box going to last before it dies. I am careful to provide good heat ventilation by raising the four corners of the box with glue on rubber blocks. I made the box look like a 4 logged stool. I will not be rough on the box by being impatient such as rushing the fast forward, play and reverse So as to cause the machine circuitry to burn out. And, bottom line, if this thing last more than 3 month, it is worth the money in my mind. I would happily just go buy another one if needed.

Works perfectly as a digital video recorder for broadcast TV.

I've been using this for one week. I could not be more pleased. For $35, plus a cheap USB drive, I have a perfectly functional digital video recorder. As a bonus, the tuner on this device pulls in more channels than my TV does. I bought this one, as opposed to all other look-alikes on Amazon, because it can be set up to feed the antenna signal through the device. That way, you don't need an antenna splitter and an extra run of coax cable to be able to watch TV on one channel while recording on another. Took me maybe 10 minutes to set it up and start recording. The device was set more-or-less completely set up to work with my TV, right out of the box. Connected the antenna coax to the input. Connected the HDMI output to the TV. Plugged in a USB drive. And ran coax from the output of the tuner to the input of the TV, then used the setup menu to pass the antenna signal through to the TV. I found the following shortcomings, all of which I judge to be minor. As noted by others, you have to point the remote at the box to get it to work. Some of the key presses are not intuitive. Sometimes if I hit the wrong key, I can't seem to recover, and the quickest solution is to turn it off and back on again. And, unique to my setup, there is some crosstalk between the remote for this device and the remote for our sound bar. And you have to fast-forward through commercials manually. (But on the plus side, the FF function goes up to 32x normal speed, which is very fast.) All of which I resolved by a) pointing the remote at the box and b) learning to hit the right keys, at the right time. Here's the back story. I wanted to record a show that is broadcast daily. I figured, how hard can that be? I looked at Tivo and found out that a) you have to pay a fairly substantial subscription fee, and b) it's a Big Brother device that reports your TV watching back to Tivo central. Forget that. Next I looked at a few purpose-built DVRs that are still available, but they all seemed to cost in the $400 range. That seemed like a lot of money for a fairly basic task. And then there was a whole bunch of devices just like this -- digital tuners with just enough functionality to be able to record a show. Anywhere from $20 to $40, but you have to add your own disk drive. With very mixed reviews. I figured it was worth a gamble. And it looks like it has paid of for me. Mine works great, for the task I bought it for. If you want to record something at a given time, the menu for setting that up is about as straightforward as it gets. Give it the channel, the start time, the stop time, and it'll record that every day. As long as there is power to the device, it'll turn itself on to record. It dumps a file to the USB drive that shows the channel, date, and time. To play it back, click on the file name. At that point, it works just like any other recording device.

Great for older TVs and projectors.

Works great. Got this because my old plasma TV doesn't have a build-in tuner. I liked it enough to buy a second one for my projector. Has HDMI and composite outputs.

So far, so good.

So far, so good. I purchased this system to go with the Vizio "display" I bought that I unfortunately thought was a TV with a built-in tuner. This system works great for that purpose. The system is easy to setup and use, reception is clear and signal is good and stays good. I have NOT used the recording feature yet so cannot comment on that and I am not using the antenna provided (already had one setup for my home) so cannot comment on that either. For the money it functions great and was well worth the purchase.

so far so good

Got one of these to replace my Homeworx tuner. It was certainly easy to set up. I just replaced all the cables going into my Homeworx into the corresponding jack in this unit. Also of course plug in the power cord and also put two AAA batteries in the remote. I had some gizmo between my antenna and Homeworx tuner that took the antenna input and put out an antenna output and a USB connection. *(I forget whether the gizmo came with the antenna or the Homeworx tuner) The ViewTV had no USB jack so I just attached the output plug from the antenna directly to the antenna input. Worked fine. The front panel just showed the time, so I tried pushing the button on the left and then it booted up and found the channels. So I got the thing all set up without even referring to the manual. The user interface seems virtually identical to the Homeworx. The pop up box that shows up on your screen that shows what program is on looks virtually identical. However, it shows what the source signal is, like 720p, 1080i, etc, which I don't recall seeing on the same popup for the Homeworx. Another thing, it toggles between channels pretty much instantly while the Homeworx was somewhat sluggish. Faster processor perhaps? What really matters is whether it is reliable. Time will tell. The Homeworx froze up on me and I could not figure out how to unfreeze it. Anyway, the nice thing about these cheapo electronic components is that it's no big deal to just try another brand/model if you run into problems. Hopefully after 2 or 3 you will find one that works well for you. the Homeworx ran maybe a month or two before the freeze up. i got the view tv unit to replace it- it has run a month or so with no problem so far. Since there seem to be quite a few complaints with all these sorts of products it could be mainly just a crapshoot whether you get a good one or one that konks out quickly, whether it be a Homeworx or a ViewTV. But at least so far this unit is doing its job for me. Addendum: after about 8 months it is still working.

Works great for my needs.

I purchased this item to use as a Personal Video Recorder with my cable system. I had purchased two other boxes from other manufacturers but could not get them to set up my cable channels. I Do Not need a cable box with my cable system. If you Must have a cable box this tuner will not work with your cable. This was the first box I tried that scanned and successfully set up all of my Clear QAM stations. I couldn't ask for much more, especially for the price. If I ever decide to ditch my cable company and just use an antenna this box will work great for recording and time shifting. The ability to pause a show is another great feature. It's similar to Tivo without the monthly subscription. Gotta love it.

The tuner is great. Picks up way more channels than the tuners ...

Five stars--even if it was twice the price. The tuner is great. Picks up way more channels than the tuners in my two Tv's. Instructions are simple and easy to follow --maybe they changed them since the last reviews complaining about them? Someone also complained about numbers being assigned to channels? Don't understand that complaint. Tons of outputs. Remote works well. The box also controls volume. I really have zero complaints but haven't tried USB recording yet. Hope this thing lasts. Too good to be true

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