Mediasonic HW180STB HomeWorx HDTV Digital Converter Box with Media Player Function, Dolby Digital and HDMI Out

73% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

It’s cheap ; No subscription fees ; Video can be pulled from the hard drive as .MTS files

The interface is a clunky, confusing mess ; No conflict-resolution features for recordings ; Time-shifting isn’t automatic and prevents switching channels

The one feature of Mediasonic’s Homeworx HW180STB that qualifies as advanced is the ability to pull out the hard drive, connect it to a computer, and grab the video files that are saved in .MTS format. Both Windows Media Player and Windows 10’s Movies...