Is this compatible with Telewest?

SnowWhiterThanWhite

My mum has the basic freeview channels through her Telewest box, and I would like to get her a DVD recorder. Could anyone advise whether this one,


http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/zone/priceCutsZone/partNumber/5335725/C$PRICECUT/1/Trail/zone=priceCutsZone.Price+Cuts>C$cip=1500006565.Sound+and+vision>C$cip=1500006604.DVD+and+video.htm

would be compatible with her existing box? We cannot get freeview through normal arial in our area at moment.

She wants to be able to pause live TV and record one channel whilst watching another.

Thank you

penrhyn

These boxes are designed to receive channels off air, i.e. via an aerial.
As she is on cable I would imagine she needs something like the Virgin V box.

mattogier

Unfortunately I believe they are not compatible - you would need to talk to Telewest about the solution.

BillScarab

That has afreeview tuner built in so with that she could record freeview while watching Virgin. If she wants to record from her Virgin STB I would have thought a standard (cheaper) DVD recorder would work. I certainly used to use a VCR with my old Virgin box. Alternatively she could get a V+. The best place for adivce on these sort of issues is https://www.avforums.com

penrhyn

OP is not in a freeview area, so everything is coming down the cable.

The problem is that people understandably confuse Freeview: Digital Terrestrial through and aerial, Freesat from Sky through a dish, and the free to view digital channels via cable.
To add to the confusion the BBC is going to offer its own Freesat service in the next few years.

BillScarab

whoops, never noticed the freeview not available comment. In that case it's even simply, just get a standard DVD recorder. It will be cheaper as well. Some basic info here about setting it up, look at the section entitled set top box.

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Thanks for all your replies.
She really wanted to be able to pause live TV, and more importantly, record one programme whilst watching another.

I did contact Virgin Telewest to ask if I could purchase a HD Drive, but without paying a monthly subscription, but you can't. This is a shame as my mum is quite happy with the 40 odd channels she receives via telewest, and this is free with her home phone contract.

Freeview is all very well, but it doesn't appear that our area will get this until the official switchover.

At the moment, she watches cable TV via the telewest box, but still has a terrestrial arial, would this mean that if I hooked up a DVD recorder, that she could record a cable channel, but still watch terrestrial via her arial?
Also, if I purchased a DVD/HD recorder, with built-in freeview, would she still be able to record directly from the TV and bypass the freeview?

Thank you

BillScarab

SnowWhiterThanWhite wrote: »

At the moment, she watches cable TV via the telewest box, but still has a terrestrial arial, would this mean that if I hooked up a DVD recorder, that she could record a cable channel, but still watch terrestrial via her arial?

Thank you

Yes she would be able to do that, not sure about your other questions though. If you're thinking of the V+ service could you buy the installation for her for Christmas and then she would have to pay £5 a month? We've had V+ since it was launched as TVdrive and it is marvellous. Being able to watch one channel and record two others has proven useful on several occassions and being able to paue live TV is excellent.