Help needed with an aftermarket HD DVR?

Basically, you're looking for a DVD recorder with HDMI input, and you're not going to find one. See the link.

You *might* get by with a DVD-VHS recorder that has component input jacks. The HD via component from a TV channel is just as good as HDMI. Google DVD RECORDER and check the options. Make sure whatever you focus on is a DVD *recorder* and that it has component input. Many of them record in VHS and only play back a DVD.

You could use a VCR in the old days because the cable company simply included the analog antenna signals in the cable so anything that used an antenna would also work with the CATV coax.

But to 'encourage' you to rent the cable box - the cable companies are no longer sending the TV signals through the cable. Now they encrypt them so you must have a cable box and an active account to see these.

Basically - use an antenna and the OTA DVR's or rent the DVR from your cable company.

These don't exist anymore.

Cable companies now rent cable-boxes with a DVR built-in so there's no market for this type of device anymore.

There are OTA recorders as you've seen but they don't support HDMI in. In fact, nothing supports HDMI in because the movie studios are afraid you'd make copies of blu-ray movies.

Easily done with a computer but if you don't have the tech skills/bank you are pretty much SOL