| We can all expect HDTV recordings
to take up more room on the hard-drive, but just how much
difference is there between recording in standard definition
and high definition.
HDTV high definition recordings take up a lot more hard
drive space than recordings in standard definition.
Standard Definition - A picture signal on
a standard-definition television screen uses 480 lines. An
hour - long program in standard-definition television takes
1-2 gigabytes on the hard drive.
High Definition - A picture using high-definition
(HDTV) signals can use 720 or 1,080 lines. The extra lines
create a much more detailed image, but use about 9 gigabytes
for an hour long show.
Using a cable or satellite service provided digital video
recorder gives you an approximation of how many hours you
can store of standard-definition TV or HDTV. This information
is also normally provided on the companies website FAQ section.
A quick guide is you can record up to 90 hours of standard-definition
programming or 20 hours of high-definition programming.
Using hardware and software to record HDTV on your computer’s
hard drive [SnapStream’s Beyond TV or Pinnacle’s
PCTV HD Stick Pro] you can also find this information in the
support section of the respective websites. SnapStream’s
Web site estimates about 10 gigabytes of space is needed
for an hour of HDTV recording using their product.
Expanding Your Movie Storage Space
If you are an avid movie buff and need more space, the options
are simple:
- Add an external hard drive to your computer to store your
movies
- Add and external hard drive to your set-top digital recorder
[check if your model permits this in your support manual]
As a guide, the 160-gigabyte Tivo HD DVR claims to offer
20 hours of high-definition recording capacity, or 180 hours
of programs in standard definition.
See TiVo
specifications
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