250GB DVD Recorder at lidl coming soon

Searcher2

dervish wrote: »

^ hardly "faffing around"....

Anyway Freeview HDD DVD recorders don't have the Big Film channels or sports channels but I suppose they are fine if you want to record from the Discovery channel...

Depends on your adeptness with AV equipment. My sister can't manage to set the freeview in her TV to come onto the right channel at the right time and set the VCR to record that program at the same time. I reckon she could, however, manage to get Freeview EPG up and press 'Enter' over the program she wants to watch.

I have a Freeview DVD recorder and have never found films on the Discovery channel... I wasn't even aware the Discovery Channel was a Freeview channel . The are more films than I can keep up with on BBC1/2/3, ITV1/2/4 Film 4 etc.

BFG_2

For 99% of people the Freeview and HDD (twin tuners) is definitley the way to go (ie not this machine here).

This is because it is so simple to use.

I had a single tuner HUMAX and whilst it was fab, the difference with the twin tuner is massive. Watch a prog you have recorded whilst taping two others simultaneously ...what a bonus. I virtually never watch 'live' TV anymore...especially on C4 or 5 (coz their 1 hr progs contain only really 30 mins of 'watchable' ie without adverts or 'recaps/previews' of what has/will happen/ed 3 minutes ago!!)

In summary, IMO spend the bit extra and buy a Twin Tuner Freeview HDD box.

welshblob

BFG wrote: »

In summary, IMO spend the bit extra and buy a Twin Tuner Freeview HDD box.

What if I want to record from sky or cable without paying for their pvr's?

Rob

waster_2

welshblob wrote: »

What if I want to record from sky or cable without paying for their pvr's?

Rob

You'll be able to use it for that by connecting your Sky digi box to it. But, you'll have to watch either the same channel on your TV whilst recording (no point in recording then!!) or like any other recorder (video) you can record a sky channel and watch an analogue through your TV's tuner. Or, if you have a digital TV you could record from the digi box and watch a Freeview channel.

Really just a glorified video recorder with the ability to timeshift due to hard disc. I'd say well past its sell by date with analogue being switched off (although 5 more years in London), no Twin tuners and not digital. But you pays your money and takes your choice

dc

Analogue TV starts getting switched off from the end of this year, then going down the West coast from Border Region. The swich-off has been delayed a couple of times, but G Brown wants to sell of the frequencies. So if you buy this it will soon only record via scart with no programme/timing (EPG) control.

Best for "Futureproof" is the HUMAX or Panasonic, the latter especially if you need a built in DVD recorder. DVD ram lets you timeshift, too, but only 4+gigs worth.

HTHs dc

Aiadi

Just for people information, recorders (or TVs for that matter) with freeview digital tuners are not future-proof by any means. One of the reasons the analogue signal is being switched off if that broadcast in HD will be starting for which we will all need a HD receiver and this will make the current freeview receivers completely obsolete.
That is, I am afraid how technology (and also big corporate greed) work and if you are looking for future-proofing then you'll buy nothing whatsoever.

waster_2

Aiadi wrote: »

Just for people information, recorders (or TVs for that matter) with freeview digital tuners are not future-proof by any means. One of the reasons the analogue signal is being switched off if that broadcast in HD will be starting for which we will all need a HD receiver and this will make the current freeview receivers completely obsolete.
That is, I am afraid how technology (and also big corporate greed) work and if you are looking for future-proofing then you'll buy nothing whatsoever.

What you are saying is a bit speculative at the moment. However, what is known is that analogue will be swithched off progressively over the next 5 years so that greedy Gordon can auction the frequencies off!!

As you say, nothing is future proof 100%, but some things are more certain than others.

Aiadi

waster wrote: »

What you are saying is a bit speculative at the moment. However, what is known is that analogue will be swithched off progressively over the next 5 years so that greedy Gordon can auction the frequencies off!!

As you say, nothing is future proof 100%, but some things are more certain than others.

waster, nothing speculative about few of the main channels already running the trials:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/tv/tv_hd.shtml

And these and other channels are waiting for greedy Gordon so they could use the bandwidth freed from analogue for exactly this purpose. Otherwise why do you think that he'll be able to make good dosh out of this?:cool:

Going_Digital

Indeed, it makes much more sense to have digital built-in. I prefer the idea that I receive a digital signal that is then put straight to disk in a digital format rather than have a freeview/sky box receive a digital signal convert it to analogue to be sent out the scart only to be re-converted to digital by a DVD-Recorder.

What is certain is that analogue is being switched off so the analogue tuner part of the DVD recorder in question will be obsolete. For some people that may be happening already as the first switch off has just happened. And for everyone the analogue signal will go dark within 5 years making the tuner useless.

What is unclear is what will happen with HD on terrestrial TV, but whatever happens the current standard definition freeview will be around a lot longer than the current analogue, making it a good idea to have freeview over analogue. So for me I gave it a miss even at £99 as I'm sure if I just have a little patience that a free view equipped model will be out soon for a similar price to this.

waster_2

Aiadi wrote: »

waster, nothing speculative about few of the main channels already running the trials:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/tv/tv_hd.shtml

And these and other channels are waiting for greedy Gordon so they could use the bandwidth freed from analogue for exactly this purpose. Otherwise why do you think that he'll be able to make good dosh out of this?:cool:

I wasn't suggesting that HDTV was speculative. What I was suggesting was that HDTV would wipe out the Freeview digital TV service.

HDTV is currently running in parallel with digital as a trail by the BBC. Sky are also providing HDTV via their HDTV Box. Sky, I understand, are committed to HDTV and their service is not a trial. Whereas the BBC's HDTV service is a trial. The BBC wanted to use the Freeview Platform for providing and HDTV service but it looks like that's been scuppered so they are having to use the Astra Satellites via the Sky Platform to provide the service.

However, I do not believe that HDTV will make Freeview obsolete only make it look a little jaded so soon after its launch.

Well, that's my view anyway.:)