Use DVD Recorder with cable TV?

bigpat

Hi,

I hesitate to post this on a techie board...(go easy on me, folks!)

We only recently got cable TV installed (Virgin Media) and now I'm thinking of buying a DVD recorder as the old VCR is on it's last legs. The Missus says I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century at last!!

Anyway, since we got this, our TV is ALWAYS tuned to a channel called EXT1, because that's where the cable comes in. We no longer have the old aerial, as I routed that down the back of the house and into my daughter's bedroom to replace her indoor aerial.

So far so good, but what will happen if I get a DVD recorder (or even hard disk recorder which is another possibility) ? Say I'm watching BBC1, but I want to record Channel 4. Will this work? Remember: everything effectively comes through one channel i.e. the cable.

I must be missing something I suppose. Currently the cable-box connects directly to the TV, as the VCR doesn't even have a scart scocket, so we can't tape anything but we can still play old videos. If I get a DVD-Recorder, will I be able to direct the cable TV through it and then onto my TV? And crucially, will I be able to watch one channel and record another?

I must sound like an old Luddite, but I don't want to waste money if it''s not going to work.

Any tips gratefully received, including which make/model you think I should buy and where you think I should get it from.

Pat.

rotti1967

My parents are with Virgin Media and ive just gave them my Liteon 250GB HD Recorder and you just install it as you would a video.

It has 2 scart sockets on one goes into the Cable box the other goes into the tv.

If you record from cable you will be able to watch normal tv and visa=versa.You say your aerial is in your daughters room,so you will need to either buy an indoor aerial or share the aerial with her by using a splitter.

Some people who know more can explain better though m8.

OK_Sauce

This is the problem with digital cable tv, you effectively can only watch one programme at a time unless you upgrade to V+ (more money, of course!) Anyway as stated above, unless you reinstall your aerial you won't be able to 'watch one, tape another'. You need to split the signal.

FOR BEST RESULTS

Scart from cable box to tv
Scart from cable box to DVD recorder
RF signal from aerial to DVD recorder
RF signal from DVD recorder to tv


If you can get DTT then it's worth getting a DVD/Hard Drive recorder with built in Freeview. This way you can at least watch cable whilst recording Freeview. If you want to record cable (by selecting the relevent 'AV' input') then you can watch analogue tv.

Hope this makes sense!

BexTech

OK_Sauce wrote: »

This is the problem with digital cable tv, you effectively can only watch one programme at a time unless you upgrade to V+ (more money, of course!) Anyway as stated above, unless you reinstall your aerial you won't be able to 'watch one, tape another'. You need to split the signal.

FOR BEST RESULTS

Scart from cable box to tv
Scart from cable box to DVD recorder
RF signal from aerial to DVD recorder
RF signal from DVD recorder to tv


If you can get DTT then it's worth getting a DVD/Hard Drive recorder with built in Freeview. This way you can at least watch cable whilst recording Freeview. If you want to record cable (by selecting the relevent 'AV' input') then you can watch analogue tv.

Hope this makes sense!

It's not really digital TV that's the problem, just the fact of the number of tuners you have.

For example in your TV you have a tuner for analogue TV, in your VCR you have a tuner for analogue TV, so you have two tuners, hence you can record one analogue channels whist you watch another.

Now if you had a TV with one DTT (aka Freeview aka DVB-T) tuner and a DVD recorder with one DTT tuner, just like previously you'll be able to record one channel and watch another, this time watch one digital channel and record another.

So you can't really blame digital for not having the right tuners in your devices.


Now if the DVD recorder you buy only has a tuner for analogue TV then you do restrict yourself a little, might as well buy one with a DTT tuner.

If you do plan to use Freeview too, then you will need an outside aerial (loft aerial if in very very strong area).

If you don't plan to use Freeview and just want to record an analogue channel whilst viewing Virgin Media or record Virgin Media whilst watching analogue then there's two ways of doing it.

1) You will need an outside aerial (or loft aerial) this will connect to the DVD recorder, then looped to the TV.

2) You can split the incoming Virgin Media cable with a decent splitter, one end with the f-connector goes to the Virgin Media box where it currently does now, the other to a standard UK aerial plug will go to the DVD recorder and looped to the TV. Virgin Media in certain areas rebroadcast the analogue channels, these will be on different UHF channels than over the air, so will be a case of retuning the TV for these (and DVD recorder), they don't rebroadcast the Freeview multiplexes, so no getting Freeview via this method, also Virgin Media plan to switch off analogue and the rebroadcast channels at some time in the future.

Either way, you'll need to connect up your DVD recorder to you Virgin Media box and TV in addition to above connections.

Depending on how your make / model of DVD recorder handles RGB or not, then either of the following is the way to connect up.

1) For DVD recorders that don't pass through RGB, so no need to follow option 2.

TV out scart from Virgin Media box to TV
VCR out scart from Virgin Media box to DVD Recorder (or VCR).

The DVD (or VCR) doesn't need to be directly connected to the TV.

When play is pressed on DVD recorder (or VCR) it will loop through the Virgin Media box (same with a twin-scart Freeview box and satellite box) and display on the TV.

To recorder a Virgin Media channel, select on the VM box the channel you want to record, then on the recorder select the AV channel for the scart connection, maybe AV1 or AV2 or L1 or L2. Then record.

2) If your DVD recorder passes through RGB this method allows for a better picture to be recorded.

TV out on Virgin Media box to one of the scart inputs on the DVD recorder.
TV out on the DVD recorder to the TV.

Recording similar to method 1, just a case of working out which input is the one used for the digital box.

d123

Before I got Sky+ I got around the problem by having a separate Freeview box on AUX 2 (or EXT2 if your TV calls the scarts that). This does presume your TV has 2 scart sockets.

Connect the Freeview box to a portable aerial (amplified if in a weak area, costs around £20 from Argos), so when recording from the Virgin box you could then watch a channel through the Freeview.

Dave

bigpat

BexTech wrote: »

Now if you had a TV with one DTT (aka Freeview aka DVB-T) tuner and a DVD recorder with one DTT tuner, just like previously you'll be able to record one channel and watch another, this time watch one digital channel and record another.......

....Now if the DVD recorder you buy only has a tuner for analogue TV then you do restrict yourself a little, might as well buy one with a DTT tuner....

Wow. An incredible amount of information there. And I even understood some of it, which is even more amazing! Thanks.

I don't think reinstalling the old aerial is going to be an option, so watching or recording analogue TV is out of the question. And as far as I can see getting a freeview box would also be pointless, because that needs the aerial too.

And there was I thinking that digital television was REPLACING analogue. Hah!

Now if I understood correctly this means I need two Digital tuners. And the ways I could do this are:
1) Get the Virgin V+ box which will let me watch what I want, when I want, but at a cost. I'll also need a DVD PLAYER to watch DVDs on (at least they're cheap)
2) Get a DVD-recorder with two digital tuners. Does such a thing exist?

If I've got any of this wrong, could you or someone clarify. I really do appreciate the help. Thank you so much.

Pat

OK_Sauce

There are three different types of digital tuner

1. DTT (Freeview)
2. Satellite
3. Cable

Unfortunately they are all incompatible with each other, i.e. they will only do what they were designed for - to pick up a specific type of signal. Consequently the only method of getting a second cable tv tuner is to either (a) get a second cable box or (b) get a V+ box. Both will be at an additional cost. DVD recorders with digital tuners will ONLY pick up DTT via the built-in tuner(s).

BillScarab

If you can stretch to the extra £10 a month get V+. We got it when it was launched as the TVDrive and it is fantastic. The V+ has three tuners in it so you can record two programs whilst watching a third. They also broadcast a small amount of HD content via V+ so if you have a HD telly you can watch that as well. Being able to pause live telly is also great.

V+ isn't particularly cheap but personally I think it's worth the money.

Actually I've just checked and the pricing has changed for V+ now £150 installation and £5 a month or free if you've got XL TV.

bigpat

Yes we do have a HD TV. Lovely flat panel thingy! Got it in Jan sales this year after our old big box telly finally packed in (after 18 years mind you!) So getting a chance to finally USE the darn thing to actually watch some HDTV would be good. It looks amazing when you see it in the shop.

£150 though? Ouch! Although I suppose a decent DVD-Recorder would cost almost as much and have all the disadvantages mentioned in earlier posts.

We have the "L" TV package from Virgin, along with phone and broadband. I suppose I need to figure out whether upgrading to XL would cost more or less than a fiver a month extra.

BexTech

Virgin Media only carry the one HD channel - BBC HD and very few HD programmes on Video On Demand, they've admitted they are bandwidth constrained, and unlikely to offer any more HD channels, but plan to offer a few more movies on their PPV VOD service.

The V+ box is certainly not worth paying £150 for the limited HD content and the 20+ bugs in the system.

Welliesorter

One thing to be aware of. Most hard disk recorders on the market can only record from their own internal digital (Freeview) tuner. I don't think I've seen one that can record from its own SCART socket but they may exist.

It's probably obvious from the other posts, but the only legit way to get an extra tuner that will work from your cable connection is to rent one from Virgin. Any DVD recorders that have built-in digital tuners will be for terrestrial (Freeview) only.