Reddit Reddit reviews Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version)

We found 51 Reddit comments about Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Electronics
Analog-to-Digital (DTV) Converters
Televisions & Video Products
Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version)
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,USB Multimedia Player Function.Auto Tuning, HDMI 1080P Output / Composite Out / Coaxial Output, Closed Caption,Real-Time recording & Programmed Time Recording, Auto, 16:9 Pillar Box, 16:9 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Letter Box, 4:3 Pan G Scan, 4:3 Full, 16:9 Wide Screen. Timing Start Up & Shut Down.Recording require user to connect a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 2.5" / 3.5" External Hard Drive via USB (Up to 2TB). (USB Flash Drive not recommended). Audio / Video format support- Photo- JPEG, BMP, PNG, Music- mp3, aac, mp4. Video- avi, mpg, dat, vob, mkv, mjpeg (may not work with some video & audio codec format)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
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51 Reddit comments about Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version):

u/__account · 24 pointsr/videos

You can get Judge Judy with just an antenna, right? If so, there's some fairly cheap DVR options if you want to cut to cord. The one I linked needs an external hard drive to work, but still cheaper than cable in the long one. Check out /r/cordcutters for more info/help.

u/Carbon87 · 7 pointsr/cordcutters

The Mediasonic Homework HW180STB is a tuner with HDMI output so you can watch HD OTA on any HDMI-equipped device.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/

If you're looking for just a tuner and no DVR on a single TV, it doesn't get cheaper than this; it's ~$30. I did read your post, and I know you said there isn't much room, but it's not much larger than a Roku. All depends on the cost vs. space argument. If nothing else, people searching that find this post in the future will have it as an option.

u/RunningGiant · 6 pointsr/cordcutters

Just a few more things that may improve your experience for minimal cost (if these features matter to you):

  1. You mentioned that you have Roku TVs (not separate roku devices). You can add a USB storage stick to most of these Roku TVs and can get pausing/fast forwarding of live antenna tv (needs to be relatively quick write speeds on the usb storage stick, especially for HD). There is no scheduling of recordings using this, to my knowledge, so this won't replace a DVR.
    https://www.cnet.com/news/roku-tvs-can-now-pause-live-over-the-air-tv/

  2. If you want a cheap DVR for antenna channels on a single TV, I've found the Homeworx 180stb works well most of the time (has some hiccups, but for the price it is great):
    https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8.
    It lets you make manual recordings of antenna channels (once, daily, weekly). It does require plugging in your own usb storage. It will show up to 2 days of guide data (whatever the station is broadcasting over the air), but I just use manual recording times (mostly for recording Jeopardy), so this isn't and issue. Another positive, is that the recordings can be taken right off the USB drive if you want to save them somewhere else (they aren't encrypted or anything).

    Hope this help some!
u/flashburn2012 · 6 pointsr/hometheater

I believe this should work:
https://smile.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467242980&sr=8-1&keywords=hdtv+tuner+hdmi

Even though it say's it doesn't work with cable, I believe they just mean encrypted cable.

u/erickyeagle · 5 pointsr/cordcutters

Like this?

Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rmR0xbZMQBM76

u/stillbrasko · 3 pointsr/cordcutters

there's a new version of the STB that records

ive had it a few weeks. no complaints.

u/pjoshyb · 3 pointsr/hometheater

You need a tuner like this. Antenna goes in to this and the tunner is plugged into the reciever via HDMI and the reciever out goes to the projector. I've had this unit for awhile and it works fine. No bells and whistles but for ATO signals it works fine.

u/ODBrunizz · 3 pointsr/eagles

Where do you live? If you live locally, you can just buy an antenna and get ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX for free in HD. I live up in Lansdale/North Wales/Harleysville area and get all but ABC.

You can do a month to month subscription with Sling TV to watch espn live streaming for like $20 and get other channels. I would pay $20 to watch at home and lower my bar tab. Also you get history channel and AMC and other channels as well.

Also you can get an android box and plug it into your tv, download Kodi and watch live TV via the add ons available.

I usually watch the Phillies on Kodi or listen on the radio. Another redditor pointed out there is a subreddit for live game streams. I will report back with the link.

edit: /r/nflstreams thanks /u/Groty

edit edit: Also if you use the antenna, you can buy a digital recording box such as this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And DVR the game

u/croy_00 · 3 pointsr/vancouver

I bought a tiny digital tuner/PVR for my antenna off Amazon. You just plug a USB drive into it and away you go.

Here it is.

u/ZippyTheChicken · 3 pointsr/cordcutters

this can dvr your antenna

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/

Not perfect but good.. hook a drive to it on USB .. then you can download an App for windows that will rename all the shows on the drive to proper names and save them to your computer if you want

u/nixtamal · 3 pointsr/vegas

If you need a good digital tuner option try http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8 -- I bought this and am very happy with it. You'll need an antenna to hook up to it -- usually a good idea to get one you can put on a window like http://www.amazon.com/Antenna-1byone-Super-Digital-Indoor/dp/B00IF70QCW -- and you're good to go. One nice thing about the tuner I got is you can hook an external USB hard drive or USB flash drive up to it and get DVR capabilities.

u/Thisiswhereicomment · 3 pointsr/Juneau

I cut the cord and have a digital antenna/Netflix. I live downtown, use a FlatWave antenna, a [digital converter box] (http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HW180STB-HomeWorx-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450807988&sr=8-1&keywords=mediasonic), and am able to get all four of the networks you've listed plus 4 other stations (mainly PBS). Its great and I won't ever go back. /r/cordcutters and TVFOOL are great resource as well. I know of some friends on the back loop who have had reception issues with antennas but downtown has been no problem. Hope this helps

u/pr0grammer · 3 pointsr/RPI

You can get an external tuner with HDMI output for $30. https://smile.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497459399&sr=8-3

Getting a tuner card looks like it's closer to $60-100, so the external one may be a better option.

u/jaogiz · 3 pointsr/TwinCities

I have this digital TV box here:
Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player

And a simple antenna like this.

I get around 30 channels, maybe even more (most I do not watch). The digital TV box can record like a DVR to a USB hard drive and I use that frequently. The digital signals all carry a 'guide' for each channel that goes about 2-3 days out so you can pick stuff to record in the future.

AntennaWeb.org can tell you which channels should be available in your area.

u/elcameeno · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

Check this out

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IYETYX8/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought it, used it, works great! Exactly what you are looking for an only $30!!!!

u/cpickle63 · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

I got the same TV and added this device for OTA. Very happy with it.

Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8?ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01&redirect=true&psc=1&pldnSite=1

u/the_lost_carrot · 2 pointsr/CFB

In addition if you need a DVR for some broadcasted content you can use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

There are better and much more expensive options, but this is what I will be using for the Alabama v Ole Miss game since I have my engagement party that night...

u/upofadown · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

If you want to go cheap there is:

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HW180STB-HomeWorx-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/

or

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HW-150PVR-HomeWorx-Converter-Recording/dp/B00I2ZBD1U/

The catch is that you only get the listings that the broadcasters provide in the signal. So only a day or so ahead. The upside is that the box does not need a connection to the internet.

u/NecroFriedChicken · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

I would recommend using this OTA DVR between your Cable box and tv (or xbox one) and a USB stick or USB hard drive, Any type of USB storage is needed for the DVR function. (it can hold up to 2TB max per drive)

Once your cable is gone, you can attach an antenna to it and continue to use the DVR with your xbox one for Over the Air channels with the xbox one guide.

Or you can get something like This TV Tuner stick for your PC and connect your Cable box to it and record shows on to your PC.

u/PhotoJim99 · 2 pointsr/hometheater

https://smile.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1506361541&sr=8-4&keywords=atsc+tuner

This is the one I have and it works well. It even has an elementary PVR capability, if you hook up a large enough flash drive or an external hard disk to it via its USB port.

u/campio_s_a · 2 pointsr/VizioTV

Amazon says buy this. I don't think the tuner itself matters much so long as it has a hookup that's capable of delivering the needed resolution. Just make sure to get an antenna if you don't have one.

Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_REFRzb0NCM1BQ

PS: there's a smaller one that just sits in the HDMI port but it's $20 more.

u/cacrouch · 2 pointsr/appletv

I just bought this for my projector, and it's working great with an antenna.

Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_GrTQwbCBTD7B0

u/bitchkat · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

Does your monitor have HDMI audio built on or do you need external speakers? If its the latter I would recommend the following

  • Mediasonic HW-180STB

  • HDMI audio extractor

    You would connect your antenna to the HW-180STB whose HDMI output goes to the HDMI input on the HDMI adapter. The HDMI output of the adapter goes to your monitor and you plug in external speakers to that as well.
u/mcslackens · 2 pointsr/television

Ah okay. The Vizio doesn't have a tuner, and that's a mandatory requirement to receive and decode OTA/Free TV signals. You'll need both an antenna AND a tuner. I've linked to some above to give you a rough idea of how much it'll cost you. There's no all-in-one devices that I'm aware of.

I can't speak to the quality of the tuner, but that is the same antenna I have connected to my P607, and it works really well for me.

EDIT: I want my banana sticker for coming up with a solution!

u/germanplumber · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

I'm assuming it's the vizio model with no tuner. Buy a digital tuner from Amazon and plug it in through HDMI. You will still need an antenna to receive OTA broadcasts.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8
$29.99 on Amazon.

u/CuvisTheConqueror · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

The Mediasonic Homeworx and the iView 3500STBII are pretty popular models around here.

u/ZeosPantera · 2 pointsr/hometheatre

That is weird. It sounds like you are simply getting unlocked whatever and your TV is decoding everything. SO... what you need is an external tuner like this but this particular one is designed for "over the air" HD transmissions. It is cheap enough for you to grab and try out. If it works you will get HDMI out.

u/homeboi808 · 2 pointsr/hometheater

Not that I'm aware of. Just get a used (recent) Blu-ray player with Netflix capabilities for like $40-$50 on Craigslist/eBay and buy an external tv tuner for like $30 (this one even allows DVR if you connect a USB drive).

u/scsnse · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

This guy here will take the coax antenna input and output HDMI to the TV. Bonus is that if you plug a USB HD into, it will work as a primitive DVR.

This brand/model is highly rated around here.

u/Cosomo · 2 pointsr/CrappyDesign

My RCA tv has a horrid built in tuner that blacks out the screen every time the wind blows, so I picked up an external tuner from Amazon for < $35. There are cheaper units, but this one has the ability to pause/record programs if you hook up an external USB drive. This particular unit pulls in channels my TV doesn't pick up, holds on to them better and seems like it has a more vivid picture + extensive guide.

That said, this particular box is full of quirks and software bugs/glitches that drive me mad most days, but there aren't many alternatives out there or any good side by side reviews.

u/Baron_Von_D · 2 pointsr/philadelphia

These are tvs with over the air HD tuners or you have a seperate tuner box? (ATSC/QUAM)
As /u/pavlpants mentioned, you do also have to scan for channels, if you haven't done that yet.

u/Kichigai · 2 pointsr/VHS

Why can't you? Comet might be available OTA in your area, so then all you need is an ATSC tuner, and then you've got a lot of options. If it's OTA in your area it should be on cable too, so if you're a cable or satellite subscriber you could get a DVR through them, or (cable only) you could get a CableCARD-compatible solution. Note that DVRs from your MSO or rental of a CableCARD will likely come with a monthly fee, so it might be worth it to set up an antenna for this DVR if you want to do things on the cheap.

You could get a tuner for your computer, and use some free DVR software to record it that way. There are devices like the Hauppauge WinTV USB sticks, PCIe cards, and outboard boxes, or an HDHomeRun network tuner. Most of them come with basic software that lets you schedule a recording, but there's more sophisticated software like NextPVR and my personal favorite MythTV. There are models of WinTV and HDHomeRun that support CableCARDs.

You could also get a set-top DVR, like a Tablo, Simple.TV, TiVo Roamio and Bolt, or a cheap HomeWorx 150 or 180. Some of those have monthly fees, some don't, some have their own storage, some require you to bring your own disk. TiVo and the Simple.TV both have other models that are compatible with CableCARD.

Now, if you want to do this old school you can get yourself an ATSC tuner set-top (sometimes called a digital adapter) box (HomeWorx makes one, you can usually find one or two wherever TVs are sold) or a "digital adapter" from your cable company, and plug that sucker into a VCR and let 'er rip. VCRPlus codes are no longer a thing, so it's manual programming of start/end times, and the really sucky part is you need to make sure the box is on and set to the right channel before your recording comes up.

Now if you've already got cable your cable box probably has an analog output, either RF or composite. You could always jack that sucker into a VCR and do things that way. Some cable boxes (I can speak at least for the Motorola DCT boxes used by Comcast, but not the X1 boxes) actually support this kind of old school hack by having a "recording" feature where you can tell the box to auto-tune the right channels for you at a given time, but you still have to manually program the box to do this for each showing and program the VCR. Some later model, higher end VCRs support IR blasters just for this purpose.

u/stonecats · 2 pointsr/sysadmin

thanks for pointing that out. personally i've been focused on getting a drive for dvr storage on another device, http://www.amazon.com//dp/B00IYETYX8 and know that most flash stick won't write fast enough to work. i can always get a 2tb usb3 seagate slim for $75 (which i confirmed writes fast) but that's overkill when i only need about 80gb.

u/Bluechip9 · 2 pointsr/Chromecast

No, they aren't. $33 on Amazon.com with PVR functionality.

u/Andrroid · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

Mediasonic Homeworx HW180STB 3 / 4 Channel HDTV Digital Converter Box with Recording and Media Player (New Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lNvLxbYSZ1V28

You will need an external USB drive to record though.

u/RParkerMU · 1 pointr/Roku

This is a cheap option, and you maybe able to mount this to the tv.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYETYX8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/EaterOfPenguins · 1 pointr/technology

If you're desperate for coax into this TV, this is the cheaper solution and doesn't require a console of any kind.

So really all that's left is it's a 4k Blu ray player.

u/KnightsWhoSayNEEEEEE · 1 pointr/The_Donald

This is the best one. I have it, throw on a external hard drive and you have a dvr. Oh did I mention it's 30 bucks :).

u/tow66 · 1 pointr/Monitors

Ah. All I can think is buying something like this from Amazon. Amazon makes it easy to return items in case this doesn't work.

u/MeowMixSong · 1 pointr/cordcutters

> bestbuy employee

There's your problem. Also, they are NOT televisions per FCC, they are sold as monitors. And you can get any size you like of a TV. here's a 105 inch for $32,000 USD.

If you just want a tuner, go with iView 3500STBII, or a MediaSonic Homeworkx 180STB. both units are under $35 USD, and you can even use them as a DVR to record whatever you wish.

Plug in a 1TB USB 3.0 HDD, and ($49.95 at Walmart), and you'll have more TV than you could ever possibly want stored locally. You can also us the Iview as an offline media center, it will play almost any format you throw at it, (video, audio only, pictures). I've been using my 3500 for 2 years now, and I'm perfectly happy with it. It also descrambles ClearQAM signals too. :)

u/higher_moments · 1 pointr/Portland

If you're looking for a game on Fox/NBC/CBS, just get an antenna (and a tv tuner if you're not using a tv) and enjoy the free no-lag HD picture.

u/PCbuilder999 · 1 pointr/hometheater

Thanks for your reply, I didn't see it before I updated my original post. I am not using any cable box, but these aren't free channels (the university I'm at uses mediacom), so I'm not sure if a box designed for OTA signals will work. If it does, I'm looking at this one: https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8?ie=UTF8&colid=2ZVJRN9E021TV&coliid=I3A9LNKNAJBG53&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl

u/66pete · 1 pointr/cordcutters

As kroening2 said, you'll need to buy an external ATSC tuner to connect you antenna to or buy a new TV with a coax antenna input. An HDMI port is just a digital interface, it has no tuner functionality at all.

Check this external tuner out on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502906283&sr=1-4&keywords=atsc+tuner

Good luck

u/xampl9 · 1 pointr/Austin

https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8

Looks like price has really gone down. Only $30 now.

I had forgotten that it can function as a DVR (I don't use that part). I think you plug a USB memory stick in and it writes to it.

u/kikootwo · 1 pointr/cordcutters

I'm not a huge fan of it streaming OTA to myTV.

I was hoping for something more like this.

Any idea if that one is capable of live tv streaming or if there are similar ones that are?

u/spig · 1 pointr/Televisions

You would need something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYETYX8

u/Gah_Duma · 1 pointr/hometheater

damn that's a little excessive. How about something like:
https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW180STB-Converter-Recording/dp/B00IYETYX8/