Looking for something different than WMC to record shows

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good front end or a good app at least to record live TV? I really don't like the way WMC does it with such large files. I'm currently using MCEBuddy to get my file sizes down and put into a format I want, but I'd rather cut out the middleman and record straight to .mp4 or .mkv. BTW, it would be nice to have a program guide where I can see what's coming on and also schedule series. I do like that about WMC at least.

Specs.

Win 7 Ultimate
Q6600
4 gig
HDHomerun Prime.

WMC is the only program that will let you view and copy cable programming that is "copy-once" (most premium programing). If it is copy-freely you are ok with some others, I believe XBMC, and J River will do basic cable card programs.

I didn't know about MCEbuddy, seems cool. But don't think you can compress live tv streams in MPEG2 format into mp4 or h.264 on the fly. Your cpu just cannot catch up with it. Although it would be nice to have a program that does it at least transparently in the background.

Compressing on the fly just isn't feasible with current hardware especially for hi def content.

MCEbuddy has an automated option thats probably the best option.

Also WMC is the only way to watch and record protected content.

It will probably be better once more channels are encoded in MPEG4 instead of MPEG2 but my provider (Cox) only has like 4 or 5 channels that are in MPEG4.


If the file size is a concern maybe getting another or a larger hard drive could be an option.

I remember encoding a 40 minute content from Comcast MPEG2 stream into H.264 would take me 4-6 hours on my Core 2 Duo. And I had to use 5 different programs to cut the commercials out while keeping the AC3/DTS streams intact and in sync.

I had a nice Silverstone case, too gbanb8582. They look so awesome.

Finally I gave up using my HTPC for cable content and switched to the cable company's DVR. It's SO MUCH easier to record and watch stuff. It does no transcoding, so just stores everything in a big hard drive. Drives are so cheap nowadays, so I agree that's the best option for the OP too.

I should have been more clear on the file sizes. I don't need a larger hard drive, I have a 2TB drive that I record to that's hardly got anything on it. It's just that a recording in WMC is about 20x the file size it needs to be. I'd just rather have a small .mp4 file. That way I could throw a recorded show on my tablet or laptop to watch on a trip without going through the conversion first.

For what you are asking for, an all-in-one that is both a television front,and re-encode, I don't think such a thing exist; the closest you will get is using WMC to record/watch and MCEBuddy to automate the encoding.

I ended up just transcoding on the fly if I am able to get cellular reception, but thankfully they were just TV shows so it wasn't a big deal for me.