Freeview HD PVR, without a tuner?

GibsonSt19

Hi all, mum's just had a new TV with a Freview HD tuner build in, and wants to be able to record (in HD where available).

I've read up on a lot of PVRs, but all of them seem to have a Freeview tuner built in, and therefore she'd be subject to the built in EPG.

She like the EPG in her new Samsung TV, and I wondered if there was any PVR without a tuner, that could record from the tuner built into the TV?

Any ideas?:o

NeverAgain_2

I can't think of a user-friendly way of recording from the TV tuner.

Simplest - but not cheapest - solution would be to spend a little more on the PVR by buying one with its own Freeview HD tuners.

There's a refurb one here for £144:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HDR5010KB-Freeview-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004INH5V2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1321285953&sr=8-4

neilwoods

Could try a Samsung HD PVR, may have the same EPG guide

esuhl

GibsonSt19 wrote: »

She like the EPG in her new Samsung TV, and I wondered if there was any PVR without a tuner, that could record from the tuner built into the TV?

I can't see why such a product couldn't exist (in theory, at least)... But if the HD recorder doesn't have a built-in tuner, it won't have access to the EPG, so to set it to record a program you'd have to tell it the start time and stop time (like the old days of programming a VCR).

Also, you'd have to leave the TV on in order for the HD recorder to be able to record, and you'd only ever be able to record the channel that you were watching on the TV.

With those extra limitations and inconveniences, would it make more sense to buy a Samsung PVR? If you do a bit of research you might be able to find one with an almost identical EPG to your Samsumg TV.

esuhl

neilwoods wrote: »

Could try a Samsung HD PVR, may have the same EPG guide

I've gotta learn to type more quickly - you beat me to it!

malamute

Sony TV's have a SmartLink facility to link other Sony devices to the TV so you can set up recording directly from the TV EPG.
Read the Samsung manual/check support pages on the Samsung web site for your TV there may be a way of linking devices failing that then i would recommend Humax for a stand alone HD PVR not the cheapest but probably the best.

Spank

Assuming that her Samsung works the same as my Sony, if she's not watching anything she can record programs to a usb device such as a stick or external HDD using the TV tuner

closed

she might like the epg on a pvr better, the samsung one looks similar to humax

http://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&q=pvr+epg

macman

I can't see the point, as the main raison d'etre of a PVR is to watch one channel while recording another. So this device would still need to have at least one tuner, not none.

esuhl

macman wrote: »

I can't see the point, as the main raison d'etre of a PVR is to watch one channel while recording another. So this device would still need to have at least one tuner, not none.

Surely the "raison d'être" of a PVR is just to record video for personal use - hence Personal Video Recorder. I don't think anything is implied about the functionality of watching one channel whilst recording another.

macman

But the vast majority of PVR's have twin tuners, so one would presume that users want that added functionality.