Recording TV without subscription services

Leodogger

We own a Sony LCD HDMI TV with Freeview. We are thinking of dumping our subscription TV service with Virgin and as we cannot anyway use our existing VCR/DVD recorder anyway with the new Virgin Tivo box they installed (not PVR Tivo), we wondered if we would need a new PVR box to record from our Freeview TV or whether we can still use our Panasonic VCR/DVD Recorder.

We are complete technophobes so know nothing of all this new technology and what goes with what. Also can we (if we decide to upgrade to Top Up TV to gain extra channels) use our VCR/DVD with those?

TIA

securityguy

JWhite wrote: »

whether we can still use our Panasonic VCR/DVD Recorder.

It would be a rare VCR that also did Freeview, but I guess they exist.

But even putting that aside, it would be much easier to buy something with a hard disk in it, than mess about with tapes and DVDs.

Leodogger

securityguy wrote: »

It would be a rare VCR that also did Freeview, but I guess they exist.

But even putting that aside, it would be much easier to buy something with a hard disk in it, than mess about with tapes and DVDs.

Actually I did not say our VCR incorporated Freeview, I meant that the TV does.

zennith

You'll only be able to record the channel you are actually watching - with your old recorder hooked up to the freeview tv.

securityguy

JWhite wrote: »

Actually I did not say our VCR incorporated Freeview, I meant that the TV does.

Well in that case, unless you are happy only being able to record the programme you're watching, as you're watching it, you're going to need a new PVR.

Peter999_2

I'm afraid you wont be able to record at all from the TV.

The TV will not output to the VCR/DVD so you won't even be able to record the channel you're watching. You'd have to buy a freeview box to feed into the VCR to record TV.

Leodogger

securityguy wrote: »

Well in that case, unless you are happy only being able to record the programme you're watching, as you're watching it, you're going to need a new PVR.

Thanks for that, I presume with a PVR we can watch one programme whilst recording another? What would you suggest, do they do them without Freeview incorporated in the PVR, as the ones I have seen on Amazon include it already and it seems pointless to have Freeview in both PVR and TV? Also can we record with a PVR with a Top Up package too ?

securityguy

JWhite wrote: »

Thanks for that, I presume with a PVR we can watch one programme whilst recording another? What would you suggest, do they do them without Freeview incorporated in the PVR, as the ones I have seen on Amazon include it already and it seems pointless to have Freeview in both PVR and TV? Also can we record with a PVR with a Top Up package too ?

How would you propose to record one programme while watching another if the PVR doesn't include a Freeview receiver? In fact, they typically have two: you can record two programmes while watching a third on your TV.

googler

What model of Pana VHS/DVD is it?

googler

securityguy wrote: »

It would be a rare VCR that also did Freeview, but I guess they exist.

They certainly do. There's one in the current Pana range.... which has a Freeview tuner.

Leodogger

securityguy wrote: »

How would you propose to record one programme while watching another if the PVR doesn't include a Freeview receiver? In fact, they typically have two: you can record two programmes while watching a third on your TV.

You will have to excuse my techno ignorance, do PVR's typically have a Freeview receiver? I don't even know what these pieces of equipment consist of to be honest. I thought if the TV had Freeview channels incorporated, all the PVR did was record them like other TV channels. I just thought a PVR acted the same as a VCR, just recording programmes from the TV whether Freeview or Freesat or anything ?;)