'standalone' implies without a computer, meaning no tv card, there are alternative devices that are advertised as 'standalone' and act just like a vcr would. to use your computer as a dvr, use the free service TitanTv + tv card.
Yes...thats why I said other than using a tv card I really dont want to turn my computer into a DVR I use it for gaming so it rarely has the resources available. Titan tv is good, I prefer media portal though. thanks.