Tell me about digital video recorders

Bit of a numpty when it comes to technology but Sky+ seems to be able to record different TV channels simulataneuosly and pause live TV etc.

I assume you can get something that does this without needing to subscribe to Sky+. We just want to records the normal freeview digital channels and pausing live TV would be useful.

Can you tell me what it is I am looking for and which ones are good. Once I have this information I can start Googling properly.

Thanks

WorldClassLuddite

I’d do it using a computer, with recording/editing software, and the option of burning to DVD.

I think you’d need some sort of TV card/USB gizmo to get the stream in. Or, does your Freeview box have any sort of digital output? Or analogue?

Or just make lifesimple, and use a Freeview Video Recorder…

What I can’t figure out is why I can’t get a digital twin tuner PVR, with DVDR and HDD, you can get single tuner ones, so I just can’t figure it out.

I can find a number to actually SPEAK to someone at BT about their offering. I have lots of opportunities to review the options and FAQs and complaints but nothing to speak to someone before I buy!

I suppose I will have to wait for one of their cold callers to contact me 🙁

Can you get them with more than a twin tuner? Now we have 60 billion channels there is a fair chance that there will be more than 2 programs that will clash.

Anyone here use the BT offering? does it have a twin tuner? Any issues with it? I can’t ask BT so I thought I’d ask STW

The BT Vision product is about 80% of a great product. It’ll do the two recordings/pause live TV etc and you can very easily access BBC iPlayer (it’s probably the easiest way to get iPlayer on your TV). The downsides are that you have to (or at least you did) have the BT router and you have to have it located next to the TV which can be pretty inconvenient. I’m not sure what the new BT router is like but I didn’t rate the old one. Then there is Phorm. I’ll leave you to make your own mind up about that.

I don’t think that there is a triple tuner device available but the Humax range is very good and will do with Freeview what Sky+ does for Satellite. If you think that you will want to record two programs and watch a third then if your TV has an integrated tuner then you can use that, alternatively if your TV doesn’t have a digital you could buy a set top box (or I could post you one for free). Bear in mind that you don’t have the facility to record three things right now so is it something that you will miss?

Basically I’d say buy a Humax. Less than £200 with all the connections to your TV that you could possibly want (Scart, HDMI, RGB I think, RCA out, Digital audio out)

Humax is good but we had a digifusion which broke, tried a couple of others, didn’t like them as much, so googled and found a reconditioned Digifusion for £35.

Some of them will not rewind live TV unless you’re already recording it. The digifusion’s disc is going all the time. Slight background noise, but a lifesaver if you get in 10 mins late (as long as the box is tuned to that channel.

DO NOT GET BT!!!!!

Seriously. I’ve had over a year of grief with them, and they are still trying to charge me £168.48, for a service I DON’T EVEN HAVE WITH THEM!!!

They are utterly, utterly useless at sorting out any problems.

And you will experience problems…

Will check out Humex and Digifusion then.

The BT thing looked good for free but they aren’t exaclty clear on how free it is if you only have the basic broadband.

TV has digital built in so I could get the box to record 2 channels while watching the third on TV right?

Not sure that I would need to as I haven’t seen 3 programs worth watching this week but you never know.

Cheers

What I can’t figure out is why I can’t get a digital twin tuner PVR, with DVDR and HDD, you can get single tuner ones, so I just can’t figure it out.

You can, my parents have one, its a Sony, was about £150, but i know little else about it.

I got one of these 18 months ago:

and have been quite happy with it – it was the only dual tuner one I could find at the time, though there are plenty more about now no doubt. No need to sign up to any service, but can only record one channel at a time (though you can watch another channel or previous recording while it records). Also you can pause live TV but not go back as it doesn’t start timeshifting until you press pause.

The other problem is the recordings are done by the times given in the onscreen guide, so when the programme starts late it doesn’t pick up the change – this makes recording anything on the BBC2 quite difficult (why is BBC2 regularly running 2 mins late, does anyone know?)

“TV has digital built in so I could get the box to record 2 channels while watching the third on TV right?”

Yes, although you might want a signal splitter/booster to route separate ariel signals one to the PVR & one to the TV.

Okay, now looking at Humax PVR9150T for £127.22 from comet.

Rudeboy – yes Bt are rubbish. They’ve overcharged me £150K on a corporate account!

I’ve been using this sort of thing:
http://www.avland.co.uk/pioneer/dvr550/dvr550.htm
for years, records programmes from it’s in-built tuner (or from Sky box) onto harddisk. Can then copy stuff to DVD you want to keep. Or even, get this, play DVDs on it. Couldn’t live without it.

I should have filmed what I did to my BT home Hub. It involved a hammer, a LOT of swearing, and one very angry little RudeBoy…

I could then have sent it tot heir Customer Complaints dept.; ‘This is what I think of your shitty **** useless company…’