This particular limited-time offer expired, but the Mediasonics go on sale on a recurring basis…

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If you want to dabble in OTA DVRing, the Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB is currently on sale for $20, in new condition, at Amazon by Amazon actual, with a limit of ten units per customer during this sale. The usual free shipping terms apply (Prime or $49+/$25+ orders). It averages 3.6 out of 5 based on 1350+ customer reviews, and has 660+ questions answered.

This is a close relative to the HW150PVR OTA DVR, which I have been using for a couple of months now. I have plenty of notes on it that will turn into a review soon, but in the meantime, you can get a feel for it with a useful text and pictures only unboxing (no video, no audio).

To cut a long story short if you are trying to make a quick decision, if you were comfortable (or at least could survive) programming VCRs (yes, V-C-R), then you will be fine with this. If you are used to TiVos and cable company DVRs and iOS and Android app level of user experience (or expect this user interface level from other devices), you may be frustrated and disappointed with it. This is best suited for spot duty, maybe a few shows per week, it’s not really an industrial strength DVR 🙂