DVD Recorder Questions (U.K.)

[popmanw]

To all,

I want to buy a DVD Recorder to replace my brilliant but old Philips MultiRegion DVD Player. I'm on the lookout for a DVD Recorder that can playback MultiRegion DVDs (I have many region 1 DVDs from the US). Everythime I find some there are always specs that prevent my buying them.

It needs to:

• Play multiregion DVDs (R1, R2 definatly)
• Record onto DVD & HDD
• Have FreeView/EPG (Digital) built-in for easy recording
• Have Coaxial or Optical audio output jack

But I have some questions. My LCD TV has FreeView built in so do I need FreeView/EPG built in? I thought you did so recording can be done with TV off etc? So those without FreeView/EPG built in must use manual recording with TV on or that analogue VideoPlus system?

So really it's whether or not you need digital (FreeView) built into the recorder or not. And I suppose with a TV that has digital built-in, it will be harder to record from it yeah?

Cheers guys hope you can help me,
Adam (popmanw)

[ramjet]

if you buy a sony 890 or similar it will record from its own tuners leaving the tv free to do what it wants , or to be switched off and not in use for unattended recordings , and recording from tv is a bad idea and only used as a last resort

so pioneer , sony and panasonic are the best 3 to look at , and you can buy the sony from some shops already multi-regioned or do it yourself with a one for all remote like I do

yes its harder to record from a tv tuner , so buy a recorder with its own tuner and you get better recordings , you dont need the tv switched on and the tv can be used for alternative channel watching

think of it like we did with the old analogue , your tv had an analogue tuner and so did the vcr , these are just the modern equivalent

[popmanw]

Argh I see. So those recorders without DVB Digital FreeView built in will only contain analogue recording tuners yeah? If so, when analogue gets switched off soon, it would be no good.

So it looks like a recorder with digital tuner is required. I take it those that have them are designed so FreeView can be watched through it too? I wont need it to watch as TV has it, it would just be for easy recording.

My TV with FreeView has a recording menu etc? I take it thats for those that have no digital tuner in them?

Philips are easy to convert to multiregion (R0) aren't they? My last on was 4 digits with disc tray open.

Thanks again, Adam

[ramjet]

no way would I recommend a philips anything , but its your choice

the sony has both analogue and freeview tuners , as its a pioneer and so do they I believe

panasonic are freeview only afaik

so yes you get a recorder with freeview and leave it to do its own thing , leaving the tv free or turned off as required , and that is easy recording yes , and easy viewing too

the sony are easy to convert with the ofa and full details are on this site , including using an irda from a laptop , but I use the remotes myself , got a ofa for £10 delivered from e bay

[popmanw]

Originally Posted by ramjet

the sony are easy to convert with the ofa and full details are on this site , including using an irda from a laptop , but I use the remotes myself , got a ofa for £10 delivered from e bay

Ok cool thanks alot. SO can any OFA (magic) remote be used or a specific range? And again, does this hack work with 'most' Sony recorders?

Thanks Ramjet my decision is nearly final

I've been looking at that Sony RDR 890 one, seems good. Cant find a cheaper Sony one though that maybe has less HDD space.

[ramjet]

I cannot tell you about all remotes as I bought the recommended one and used it , and if I had lots of them I could possibly test them but as I only have the one then I can only test the one. you will have to do the research yourself and see if you can program all of them with the same details

the sony are in the x70 range like mine and the newer x90 range , so a sony 770 or 790 is the cheapest and smallest hdd

the hack is supposed to work on the x70 and x90 , dont know about any others , again you should do the research same as I did , but it definitely works on any x70

you cannot reasonably expect a home user like me to own and test every model and every remote on the market , lol

[steveba]

I've just used the hack on the Sony 995 using an older OFA remote (at least 8 years old) and it worked fine.

[popmanw]

Just an update,

I have ordered the following from AmazonUK:

• Sony RDR-HXD890 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder with freeview
• One for all URC7556 5 in 1 Remote Control
• MicroVillage - PREMIUM HDMI to HDMI Cable Gold 1 Metre

I got the Recorder for £172.85 (Amazon) with free delivery. The special remote for the hack cost £21 but then again, my parents are geting the same recorder which can be hacked too and the remote might come in handy as I've got a TV, DVD, VCR and SoundSystem. The HDMI gold cable cost me £3.70.

So thanks everyone, this thread helped me clear a view things up. Just the multiregion hack now LOL. BTW these One-For-All remotes, are there codes to make it work with everything?

Cheers, Adam

[ramjet]

check the one for all site to get the codes you need and load them into the remote if required