PVR & VCR Frequently Asked Questions

Stuart Wright

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This is the official AV Forums Personal Video Recorder (Hard disk recorder) and VCR FAQ.
If you have contributions to be made, please post a reply and a moderator will collate the information into the main FAQ. In addition if you find any old threads which you think are essential reading, please reply with their details (preferably a link) so we can include them in the list. Thanks. :smashin:
 
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At the time of writing, NONE of the currently available range of Freeview PVRs (i.e. those without DVD writers) has any ability to record anything except Freeview broadcasts. They will NOT record from VCRs, Cameras, Sky boxes, or DVD players etc. Those that have inputs on them have these solely for loopthrough purposes.

The wish to encode digitally and record on a Hard Disk from external analogue sources is best met, currently, only by combination HDD-DVD recorders. These devices typically come with on-board Freeview tuners as well.

Panasonic manufacture a small range of combination machines which offer true PVR-like features, with twin-tuners and so on, PLUS the ability to play and/or write DVD/BluRay.
 
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xxxx said:
Perhaps it should be pointed out that there is a big difference between Freeview PVRs and DVD/HDD recorders with Freeview. The latter can record from external sources also, and may have an EPG like a Freeview PVR.
I guess maybe there should be a distinction made between HTPCs, Media Centre PCs, TiVos, High Definition DVRs and the standard definition Freeview DVRs mentioned.

They are all very different animals with vastly different capabilities and feature sets and price ranges.

HTPCs,Windows Media Centres, Macs with additional software , DVD recorders and TiVos can record from external sources.

There is a big leap between DVD recorders with an EPG and most Freeview DVRs. There is yet another huge leap between these and those with additional metadata capability such as TiVo and MCE.

Ironically TiVo and DVD recorders now offer better picture quality than Freeview DVrs or Standard Def Sky+ as they can be fed by a High Definition source such as Sky HD, TV Drive, or the High Def Humax or Pace boxes.
 
Whether or not its factually accurate, I think terminology is generally like this:

If the machine has a DVD recorder in it, then regardless of what else it has, it is categorised as a DVD recorder. It may well have a Hard Drive as well. Or not. But either way, it's a DVD recorder.

If a machine has a Hard Drive but no DVD recorder, then it's a PVR.

And if it has no means of recording (except perhaps for a relatively small buffer) then it's a Set Top Box.
 

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