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Ive searched and searched every possible avenue of cutting the cord from cable satellite providers but they got me used to she simplicity of DVRing my shows. Since u have to spend a fortune with any provider to get the only cable channels i watch (mlb network, Velocity, etc) i decided to pull the trigger. The Channel Master does what it advertises. No frills recording from the OTA antenna. Perfect. I considered all of the other options out there and this seemed the best value as i have no other expences other than the initial investment. The guide works and looks great. The signal transfer is as good or better than all of my previous providers. The bonus is the audio processing is great. I do use a Roku for Hulu and Netflix and integration of these services would be great but i am not complining. The Channel master works Flawlessly and is a nearly invisible device among my components. Dont hesitate or waste any more time. I would buy it now.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
There are a lot of things I like and dislike, but overall, this DVR is really the only reasonable, 2-tuner choice for OTA watching and recording. It's a shame there isn't better competition. First and foremost, this is a DVR, so it should excel at performing DVR functions. Unfortunately, there is one function where it fails completely. One of the essentials for a DVR is to allow selection of extra lead-in and lag recording times beyond a broadcast show's scheduled begin and end times. This prevents missing any broadcast time slips which might include important events at the very beginning and end of a recorded show, and it also compensates for any DVR clock inaccuracies. And to be sure, we all know these slips are not rare. If you configure for extra record minutes before (lead) and/or after (lag) show time and record a single show, the DVR faithfully honors your request and adds those minutes to your recording. However, if you set up two separate recordings at back-to-back time slots - regardless of using the same or different channels - the DVR will IGNORE YOUR SELECTED LEAD/LAG record time requests! The end result is it behaves as if you had configured for zero lead/lag times! I don't understand why ChannelMaster chose to do this. There are two separate tuners that can operate independently (as advertised) so there's absolutely no reason for them to ignore user selected recording lead/lag times. I called ChannelMaster to find out if this was a bug and the reply I got was "that's the way it works".... not acceptable, ChannelMaster.... Epic Fail! As for the other things I dislike about the CM-7500 design/behavior, like weird/inefficient remote button layout, odd channel guide user interface behavior, etc., I could generously classify them as just my pet peeves. And for the things I do like, mostly I'm just happy the system doesn't freeze up and crash like my CM-7000 PAL. That, by itself, is enough to keep from returning it for a refund.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
This is a good product and the refurbished unit is just like new with a warranty. However, I have found that the tuner is not as good as my LG HGTV and the result is that the recording quality isn't as good as it could be. Maybe they will fix this with a software release or a newer model with better tuner hardware. One would think that these would have the same quality tuners as mainstream TV's, but that does not appear to be the case. And, I have adjusted my antenna dozens of times trying to improve picture quality plus I'm using Channel Master's 7777 high powered amplifier on my antenna, so I have taken all of the necessary measures to improve my signal quality. On my HGTV, I have a good picture 99% of the time; my recordings are often scrambled due to poor reception.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
Device recognized external USB powered hard drive and set it up for recording. An external drive does turn off internal 16GB for recording. The software provides basic functions. I'm accustom to using Windows Media Center for recording so many of those features are not available. Does not share recordings on local network (DLNA). This device is perfect for anyone who just wants to record network TV with few series recording options.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
This is a great DVR. I have four of them around the house on TVs. Haven't had any real problems with any of them so when I see one at a good price on eBay I buy another. With a 1TB USB drive, the DVR can record hundreds of hours of shows. Channel Master's free program guide doesn't work as well as it used to, but a free third party application called PiGS uses Schedules Direct data to provide an enhanced program guide for the DVR+ which breathes new life into this older DVR.
Verified purchase: No