Tuning my Panasonic DVD Recorder to the TV without Cable

Leodogger

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Are you reading ANY of the responses?
If you want to record using your pre-digital DVD recorder as a PVR then you'll need to connect it via a digital decoder.

Anyway, as you've contacted Panasonic direct, no more need for further comment here...

I did explain that I am not technical so when people talk of PVR's or digital decoders, to me it is a foreign language. So presumably you and cajef are saying that a Freeview receiver is a digital decoder which it was suggested I needed. I took the Freeview receiver to mean the same thing as I already have in my TV. I apologise again for both being a woman and not understanding the technical jargon

matelodave

I'm afraid your video recorder is virtually obsolete and won't really do what you want now that digital switchover is complete.

It's probably possible to connect it to the TV via a scart or HDMI and it can probably record what the TV is playing but that isn't all that useful if you are watching it. (Panasonic equipment has VieraLink which enables their equipment to communicate with each other over the HDMI interface).

The alternative is to get a cheap Freeview box and feed it into the video recorder, either via the scart input or HDMI (whichever one isn't connected to the TV) although you will have to manually programme it - which will be a pain

You might be better off getting yourself a digital PVR (Personal Video Recorder) like a Humax or something cheaper from Argos or Currys. You can connect it up to your TV aerial and to your TV and can then record Freeview TV as well as watch the TV. It will also have a proper Freeview menu and will make recording much easier.

[Deleted User]

matelodave wrote: »

I'm afraid your video recorder is virtually obsolete and won't really do what you want now that digital switchover is complete.

I agree. The DVD recorder is ready for the recycle bin.

matelodave wrote: »

It's probably possible to connect it to the TV via a scart or HDMI and it can probably record what the TV is playing but that isn't all that useful if you are watching it. (Panasonic equipment has VieraLink which enables their equipment to communicate with each other over the HDMI interface).

The alternative is to get a cheap Freeview box and feed it into the video recorder, either via the scart input or HDMI (whichever one isn't connected to the TV) although you will have to manually programme it - which will be a pain

All of this has already been said up the thread. The OP has now contacted Panasonic direct

matelodave wrote: »

You might be better off getting yourself a digital PVR (Personal Video Recorder) like a Humax or something cheaper from Argos or Currys. You can connect it up to your TV aerial and to your TV and can then record Freeview TV as well as watch the TV. It will also have a proper Freeview menu and will make recording much easier.

I'm certain this is what Panasonic will suggest (of course with their own PVR ).

googler

JWhite wrote: »

I did explain that I am not technical so when people talk of PVR's or digital decoders, to me it is a foreign language. So presumably you and cajef are saying that a Freeview receiver is a digital decoder which it was suggested I needed. I took the Freeview receiver to mean the same thing as I already have in my TV. I apologise again for both being a woman and not understanding the technical jargon

You must have heard of the 'digital switchover', surely? Where the govt and broadcasters switched off analogue transmissions in favour of digital?

Your recorder is an analogue device, which will not receive digital transmissions at all.

Your TV can receive digital, but in order for you to record via the TV, you would have to have the TV switched on, and you'd only be able to record the channel you're tuned to - the one you would, presumably, be watching. This reduces the convenience of recording.

You can still buy standalone Freeview receivers, and you could hook one of these up to your recorder, but at the end of the day, Panasonic have a range of recorders, DVD or hard-drive based, which can replace your current one. You can put the current one up for sale on eBay, people a still buying them.

Leodogger

googler wrote: »

You must have heard of the 'digital switchover', surely? Where the govt and broadcasters switched off analogue transmissions in favour of digital?

Your recorder is an analogue device, which will not receive digital transmissions at all.

Your TV can receive digital, but in order for you to record via the TV, you would have to have the TV switched on, and you'd only be able to record the channel you're tuned to - the one you would, presumably, be watching. This reduces the convenience of recording.

You can still buy standalone Freeview receivers, and you could hook one of these up to your recorder, but at the end of the day, Panasonic have a range of recorders, DVD or hard-drive based, which can replace your current one. You can put the current one up for sale on eBay, people a still buying them.

"Your recorder is an analogue device". Ah, finally, an answer to my question, thank you. This was what I was trying to find out but nowhere in my manual does it tell you that the unit is analogue only and not able to be converted to digital which is what I wanted to find out.

Googler - Yes I did know about the switchover but as I said previously, I did not know if my unit was only able to be used as an analogue receiver and presumed naively there was some sort of add on device to make it digital (not being technical). Panasonic have not bothered to reply to me which I am not really surprised about, they have probably been swamped with an avalanche of indignant Video Recorder owners who now have to throw their expensive unit in the bin because they cannot get it converted to digital. Don't forget they were selling these expensive models fairly close to the "switch off" of analogue and didn't bother to explain to the public that these units would become obsolete. They were probably happy just to sell off their old stock of units.

As I said NO-ONE bothered to explain that DVD Recorders which were analogue would become obsolete after the switchover. I never even knew what analogue and digital actually meant in terms of which units (TV/Video Recorders etc.) were usable and which were not and naively believed that if a nation could switch over signals it would be made in such a way that the units could be converted to work with the new signal.

For techie freaks they were probably delighted they could now switch to more modern units with evermore easy to use V+ boxes etc. (at a price) which could record direct to the units belonging to the service provider which is rented but we are one of those people (retired and living on a very low income) who like to be asked before having our services forcibly removed in favour of more so called "improved" services but which turn out to be more costly.

Rant over ! :mad:

Heinz

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

I'm certain this is what Panasonic will suggest (of course with their own PVR ).

One of which I bought a few months ago (twin HD Freeview tuners, 1Tb hard drive and play/record to Blu-Ray or standard DVDs).

Excellent as it is, my (thankfully still working) 5-year old Sony 160Gb HDD/DVD recorder, although lacking a second tuner and HD reception, has better functionality (edit HDD recordings before copying to DVD amongst other things) and was half the price.

[Deleted User]

JWhite wrote: »

"Your recorder is an analogue device". Ah, finally, an answer to my question, thank you. This was what I was trying to find out but nowhere in my manual does it tell you that the unit is analogue only and not able to be converted to digital which is what I wanted to find out.

And yet Cajef at post #3 of the thread quoted directly from the manual with the same answer;
"The Panasonic DMR-ES30V is not equipped with an internal digital tuner. It has to be hooked up to a cable, satellite or digital converter box in order to record broadcast programming."
Why did you fail to see that post?

googler

JWhite wrote: »

"Your recorder is an analogue device". Ah, finally, an answer to my question, thank you. This was what I was trying to find out but nowhere in my manual does it tell you that the unit is analogue only and not able to be converted to digital which is what I wanted to find out.

Maybe there's different editions of the manual, but as the poster has just said, someone quoted the same, essentially, as what I said, in post #3, as a quote from the online version of the manual.

You claim that nobody made you aware that the recorder would need replacing, but your TV "obviously" is a digital one. So someone made you aware that your analogue TV would need to be replaced, but since they didn't specifically mention your recorder ....?

[Deleted User]

JWhite wrote: »

Panasonic have not bothered to reply to me which I am not really surprised about, they have probably been swamped with an avalanche of indignant Video Recorder owners who now have to throw their expensive unit in the bin because they cannot get it converted to digital. Don't forget they were selling these expensive models fairly close to the "switch off" of analogue and didn't bother to explain to the public that these units would become obsolete. They were probably happy just to sell off their old stock of units.

DVD recorders were not that popular in the first place due to the advent of PVRs with a hard drive rather than discs. I therefore sincerely doubt Panasonic (or other manufacturers) have received an "avalanche" of complaints!

The government spent a lot of money informing people what digital switch over would entail and I doubt you were still able to buy your analogue set close to the switch off unless it was in the "bargain bin" of some unscrupulous retailer.

Do be aware that your box can still be used in the manner explained (I think very clearly) by the multiple posts in this thread. Your box is only obsolete in the sense that it can no longer be used to record without connecting an additional digital converter.

Tiexen

Can I ask when you had Virgin Media did you record from that?