[greentea11]

Hi,
My DVD recorder only records from the analogue signal, my tv has freeview integrated but the recorder doesn't pick up the freeview channels.
After the switchover , is there a chance my recorder will pick up all freeview channels ?

[Fred Smith]

No chance, unless you add a separate Freeview box and use one of the Scart sockets on the DVD recorder as an input.

Some TV's will output the Freeview programme (in glorious composite video) from a particular Scart socket but then you are limited to viewing and recording the same channel.

[greentea11]

Thank you.
I still have an old freeview box packed away, I'll have to use it if I want to record anything or purchase a new recorder

[Derek S-H]

If you can afford it, I would strongly recommend that you get a DVD recorder with a digital tuner already built in - it's one less box to connect and power up everytime you want to record something.

Also, like you, I used to own an anologue-only DVD recorder and it really wasn't much better than using a VCR with its soft picture and manual timer recordings.

Going digital means you'd be able to use the internal EPG, I think I have only missed about two programmes in the past five years using the system as it's pretty much all automated. Even if a programme is running late, the system waits until it receives a signal from the broadcaster so you don't get that annoying issue of a recording being chopped off early.

Hope this helps.

Derek

p.s. Being digital means access to the HDMI connection too, no more fuzzy Scarts!

[Rodders53]

Originally Posted by Derek S-H

p.s. Being digital means access to the HDMI connection too, no more fuzzy Scarts!

Oh no it doesn't.

My digital Humax 9200T PVR only has scarts... which are analogue outputs, I accept, but more than adequate for standard definition pictures (using RGB - not composite, of course).

Using composite (the default for many older devices) rather than RGB may account for your "fuzziness" issues?

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by Derek S-H

p.s. Being digital means access to the HDMI connection too, no more fuzzy Scarts!

The upscaling capability to HDMI of many SD Freeview boxes particulary the cheaper ones leaves a lot to be desired. You normally get superior pictures using RGB scart and letting the higher quality scaler in the TV do the job.

It's a convenient single cable connection but adds little or nothing to the picture quality.

[Derek S-H]

I think I need to qualify the last sentence in my post!

I was referring to analogue versus digital DVD recorders, not digiboxes or any other external device.

In my opinion, and experience, connecting up my digital DVD recorder using HDMI has created a significantly superior image than using Scart on my old analogue recorder, though I acknowledge that the analogue signal itself was a huge factor in this too.

Hope that makes things clearer.

Derek

[Rodders53]

Originally Posted by Derek S-H

I was referring to analogue versus digital DVD recorders, not digiboxes or any other external device.

In your view the pictures are better, with the brands of equipment used, via hdmi. You've been lucky. That is no guarantee it will be so for others... this forum is littered with posts stating contrary experiences with decent brands (let alone the budget variety).

No DVD-Recorders (afaik) record the off-air bitstream like digital PVRs do so they convert digital to analogue and re-encode at a user-defined 'quality' bitrate... not ideal... in fact a bad idea.

My advice (and I expect others here to back me on this) is for the OP to buy a twin tuner PVR (probably HD if affordable) for the full benefits these modern devices will give; and to retain the existing 'analogue tuner' recorder for 'archiving' from that PVR to DVD if and when required). Buying a single-Freeview tuner SD DVD-recorder nowadays would be, in my view, a pretty costly mistake.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by Derek S-H

I think I need to qualify the last sentence in my post!

I was referring to analogue versus digital DVD recorders, not digiboxes or any other external device.

In my opinion, and experience, connecting up my digital DVD recorder using HDMI has created a significantly superior image than using Scart on my old analogue recorder, though I acknowledge that the analogue signal itself was a huge factor in this too.

Hope that makes things clearer.

Derek

The same comments apply to any native SD only box outputting at a HD resolution to a hdmi socket. You start with 576i content and scale it up to 1080i/p for output over hdmi.

If you output 576i over RGB to a HD TV the TV does exactly the same.

Whether the TV or the box does a better job will determine which gives the best picture, always best to try both.

In general if you have a quality DVDR and a quality TV they may be both pretty well identical.

Quality DVDR and cheap TV the DVDR will likely be better - you get the idea

If you introduce a AV amplifier capable of upscaling to HDMI you now have 3 options to consider Which is best box, amp or TV, - Fight

[Gavtech]

Originally Posted by Rodders53

No DVD-Recorders (afaik) record the off-air bitstream like digital PVRs do

Just F.Y.I. Rodders, all of the newer generation twin HD tuner recorders do record the raw stream, unlike the traditional DVDR model.

[greentea11]

Originally Posted by Derek S-H

If you can afford it, I would strongly recommend that you get a DVD recorder with a digital tuner already built in - it's one less box to connect and power up everytime you want to record something.

Also, like you, I used to own an anologue-only DVD recorder and it really wasn't much better than using a VCR with its soft picture and manual timer recordings.

Going digital means you'd be able to use the internal EPG, I think I have only missed about two programmes in the past five years using the system as it's pretty much all automated. Even if a programme is running late, the system waits until it receives a signal from the broadcaster so you don't get that annoying issue of a recording being chopped off early.

Hope this helps.

Derek

p.s. Being digital means access to the HDMI connection too, no more fuzzy Scarts!

Yes, I think I will get a Panasonic dvd recorder or a blu ray recorder. Which one to go for, I'm still undecided.
I don't want to have the extra box if I can avoid it. I'd rather have all in one

[Derek S-H]

Oh, I was hoping I wasn't going to get involved in some sort of "technical superiority" debate here. I mean, it's just telly, not life and death!

I'm sure that whatever the OP chooses, based on their budget, will make them very happy compared to what they have now, which is a system that doesn't work at all.

And I'd just love to see a Harry Hill-type three way FIGHT between a digibox, amp and telly!

Derek

[lbear]

Forget all the rubbish about getting a DVDR with a digital tuner. Get a twin tuner PVR and if you want to archive material to a DVD, use the RGB SCART out to the equivalent on your existing recorder.

I have used an analogue DVD recorder with a Freeview box attached using RGB and the results are almost as good as a dedicated PVR. I gave up on it when I realised that the cost of DVDr discs, even on spindles, was stupid if you just wanted to time shift. In addition, I found I was hardly watching anything because of the difficulty of trawling through discs that I often forgot to immediately mark up with the recordings.

[Gavtech]

Originally Posted by lbear

Forget all the rubbish about getting a DVDR with a digital tuner.

This is unnecessarily dismissive.

Clearly it suits your needs, but it may not suit all.

Indeed if one has no wish or need to permanently archive there is no need for a DVDR, but it needs bearing in mind that HD cannot cross platforms so feeding out to an external DVDR is not an option if one wishes to archive HD material.

Also, for those who may be searching for one box solutions they may be ideal in providing Disk playing / permanent archiving / and twin HD PVR facilities.

The privilege needs paying for of course. It is the downside which makes it not suitable for all.

Given that the OP seems to be considering all options, surely it would be better to inform him of all of them so he make an informed choice rather than dismissing a choice he may make as 'rubbish'.

[lbear]

Originally Posted by Gavtech

Indeed if one has no wish or need to permanently archive there is no need for a DVDR, but it needs bearing in mind that HD cannot cross platforms so feeding out to an external DVDR is not an option if one wishes to archive HD material.
...
Given that the OP seems to be considering all options, surely it would be better to inform him of all of them so he make an informed choice rather than dismissing a choice he may make as 'rubbish'.

In which case we should point out that he will need a combined PVR and Blu-ray recorder. A PVR with inbuilt DVD recorder may well receive HD channels and record them to the hard drive, but the DVD recordings will be in SD. I believe the only Freeview HD PVR and Blu-ray recorder is a Panasonic at nearly £500. Surely the OP would be better getting an HD recorder that can archive to an external hard drive, even if it was then necessary to play back through the same box (without getting into non-standard software)?