Freeview USB Recorder with Scart Input

[Parce911]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a Freeview USB recorder (not hard drive) out there, which could also record through scart input and also had a programme timer. I have been searching the web and I am unable to find anything. At the moment I am using Grundig GUDB20USB3 Digital Freeview Set Top Box / 3 x USB Record Function - Freeview Electronics at Play.com (UK) but it has two scart outputs, instead of a scart output (to TV) and a scart input.

tl:dr Looking for a Freeview USB recorder, without a hard drive, and with a programme timer, which can record a scart input.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[MarkE19]

General rule is that PVR's do not have any inputs for recording other than their built in tuners. If you want to record from an extenal device then your best option is probably a DVD recorder (with HDD if required).

Mark.

 

[Parce911]

General rule is that PVR's do not have any inputs for recording other than their built in tuners. If you want to record from an extenal device then your best option is probably a DVD recorder (with HDD if required).

Mark.

Ok, thanks Mark.

Do you happen to know if I can get a small transmitter, which plugs into the scart ouput (of anything) which then transmits the output as a digital signal, which could be picked up by a close range freeview box?

 

[MarkE19]

You can get AV Senders that will plug into a scart output of a Freeview box, DVD player etc. You then just plug the receiver into a scart input of any TV you want to receive the signal. You can't use the Freeview tuner to pick up any locally transmitted signal as it would be illegal to transmit on the Freeview frequencies.
The 5.8GHz units are better than the cheaper 2.4GHz units as they are less likely to pick up interference. However they all transmit a bog standard composite video signal, so the picture quality is going to be fairly poor.

Mark.

 

[Parce911]

Ok. This is slightly annoying, because I am trying to move from VHS to USB for recording sky and other movies. I am sorted with the ones on freeview, but cannot work out a way of being able to record the sky ones (not on sky+). Do you happen to know anyway of recording the sky ones onto USB, by using a USB recorder?

(Final question, I promise)

 

[MarkE19]

You can't record directly to a USB device - USB is a computer controlled interface, so you need a PC etc to do the controlling. Plus AFAIK there are no USB ports on a Sky STB to connect a USB HDD etc to.
Recording Sky is limited to only a few options - Sky+ PVR (no others work with Sky), a PC with a sat decoder and the ability to use the Sky card, a VHS VCR or a DVD recorder (or an old TiVo for another 30 days or so ). With the exception of Sky+ or the PC options all of them will require a Sky box to decode and output the signal to the recorder.

Mark.

 

[Parce911]

You can't record directly to a USB device - USB is a computer controlled interface, so you need a PC etc to do the controlling. Plus AFAIK there are no USB ports on a Sky STB to connect a USB HDD etc to.
Recording Sky is limited to only a few options - Sky+ PVR (no others work with Sky), a PC with a sat decoder and the ability to use the Sky card, a VHS VCR or a DVD recorder (or an old TiVo for another 30 days or so ). With the exception of Sky+ or the PC options all of them will require a Sky box to decode and output the signal to the recorder.

Mark.

Ok, thank you very much.

 

[nvingo]

You can get adapters to attach a memory card (not USB) to a HDD interface. So you could put a CF (compact flash) or possibly with newer models an SDHC card into the adapter and the host device would record to it as if to HDD.

 

[jevpots]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a Freeview USB recorder (not hard drive) out there, which could also record through scart input and also had a programme timer. I have been searching the web and I am unable to find anything. At the moment I am using Grundig GUDB20USB3 Digital Freeview Set Top Box / 3 x USB Record Function - Freeview Electronics at Play.com (UK) but it has two scart outputs, instead of a scart output (to TV) and a scart input.

tl:dr Looking for a Freeview USB recorder, without a hard drive, and with a programme timer, which can record a scart input.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I would also like to be able to record from a scart input.Wondered if you'd found any answer to this? or is there anyway to convert a signal on the scart into a digital signal that the Grundig can record? Sounds hopeless from reading the other replies but just though I'd check it out.

 

[Parce911]

In the end I went with the Emprex ME1 V2 (Emprex ME1-V2 High Definition Multimedia Enclosure: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories), it doesn't have a tuner, but can record AV input and has an AV output. You may find it cheaper as it varies due to the HDD, but it does record to USB. The file it records doesn't play on the Grundig, but it works the other way around. Finally when one of ours came, it wouldn't work properly, so I formatted the HDD which was fitted (deleting all partitions so it was one big space), by using 'Disk Management' on Windows 7, and installing the latest firmware (found on this page Emprex:News/Media Center/HDD Enclosure/BT Download/LCD TV/LCD Monitor/Webcam/Keyboard). Our second one didn't have a HDD fitted and was fine.

Hope this helps.



P.S. My brother purchased Xenta Freeview PVR and usb Media player | Ebuyer.com instead of the Grundig, and it does seem to be better as it has a manual timer - just a hint.


P.S.2 Make sure the power cable of the Emprex is pushed in totally, I didn't and it cut out occasionally.

 

[jevpots]

In the end I went with the Emprex ME1 V2 (Emprex ME1-V2 High Definition Multimedia Enclosure: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories), it doesn't have a tuner, but can record AV input and has an AV output. You may find it cheaper as it varies due to the HDD, but it does record to USB. The file it records doesn't play on the Grundig, but it works the other way around. Finally when one of ours came, it wouldn't work properly, so I formatted the HDD which was fitted (deleting all partitions so it was one big space), by using 'Disk Management' on Windows 7, and installing the latest firmware (found on this page Emprex:News/Media Center/HDD Enclosure/BT Download/LCD TV/LCD Monitor/Webcam/Keyboard). Our second one didn't have a HDD fitted and was fine.

Hope this helps.

P.S. My brother purchased Xenta Freeview PVR and usb Media player | Ebuyer.com instead of the Grundig, and it does seem to be better as it has a manual timer - just a hint.


P.S.2 Make sure the power cable of the Emprex is pushed in totally, I didn't and it cut out occasionally.

Yes helps very much. Many thanks for prompt response

 

[Parce911]

Happy to help, although that really is the extent of my technical knowledge

 

[jevpots]

In the end I went with the Emprex ME1 V2 (Emprex ME1-V2 High Definition Multimedia Enclosure: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories), it doesn't have a tuner, but can record AV input and has an AV output. You may find it cheaper as it varies due to the HDD, but it does record to USB. The file it records doesn't play on the Grundig, but it works the other way around. Finally when one of ours came, it wouldn't work properly, so I formatted the HDD which was fitted (deleting all partitions so it was one big space), by using 'Disk Management' on Windows 7, and installing the latest firmware (found on this page Emprex:News/Media Center/HDD Enclosure/BT Download/LCD TV/LCD Monitor/Webcam/Keyboard). Our second one didn't have a HDD fitted and was fine.

Hope this helps.



P.S. My brother purchased Xenta Freeview PVR and usb Media player | Ebuyer.com instead of the Grundig, and it does seem to be better as it has a manual timer - just a hint.


P.S.2 Make sure the power cable of the Emprex is pushed in totally, I didn't and it cut out occasionally.

HI again - The Xenta from Ebuyer sounds excellent (particularly at £17) but it sounds from one comment on their forum that it may not record from the scart input - any idea whether it does or not?

 

[Parce911]

The Xenta doesn't record AV input, I spent days searching and there seem to be no boxes with a tuner and recording AV input, that is why you need the Emprex.

The Xenta is just a better PVR than the Grundig, as it has a you can set a manual timer meaning that you don't miss the start or end. However I think it only has 1 tuner, so you cannot record and watch another channel - but I will have to check that.

Sorry if I caused any confusion.

 

[jevpots]

The Xenta doesn't record AV input, I spent days searching and there seem to be no boxes with a tuner and recording AV input, that is why you need the Emprex.

The Xenta is just a better PVR than the Grundig, as it has a you can set a manual timer meaning that you don't miss the start or end. However I think it only has 1 tuner, so you cannot record and watch another channel - but I will have to check that.

Sorry if I caused any confusion.

Many thanks again - you're saving me loads of time researching this. Its AV (from my virgin box) to USB I'm after so the Emprex seems to have it. Surprising though that no manufacturer seems to provide this within a full-blown PVR. Cheers

 

[Parce911]

Yeah, that seemed odd to me. For me it was for recording sky, so yeah, the Emprex seems to be the way to go. I have the Grundig for recording the occasional movie on Freeview, but now I wish I had gone with the Xenta!

 

[Captainkremmen]

Many thanks again - you're saving me loads of time researching this. Its AV (from my virgin box) to USB I'm after so the Emprex seems to have it. Surprising though that no manufacturer seems to provide this within a full-blown PVR. Cheers

If you want a full blown PVR that can also record from the AV inputs then you're looking at the Panasonic DVD/HDD or BluRay/HDD PVRs. Unfortunately they are NOT cheap.

 

[jevpots]

If you want a full blown PVR that can also record from the AV inputs then you're looking at the Panasonic DVD/HDD or BluRay/HDD PVRs. Unfortunately they are NOT cheap.

Thanks CK. Do you know if the Panasonics also record to USB devices?

 

[Captainkremmen]

Thanks CK. Do you know if the Panasonics also record to USB devices?

You cannot record DIRECTLY to a USB device, but you can archive SD recordings (Freeview HD recordings are encrypted) to an external HDD for transfer to a PC I believe.

You can get the HD recordings on your PC by a bit of a convoluted route if you were to buy the BluRay/HDD version. The Panasonic allows you to archive HD recordings to BluRay, you can then use one of the many BluRay rippers that extract the contents.

But your looking at around £450 for the 320Gb version.

 

[jevpots]

You cannot record DIRECTLY to a USB device, but you can archive SD recordings (Freeview HD recordings are encrypted) to an external HDD for transfer to a PC I believe.

You can get the HD recordings on your PC by a bit of a convoluted route if you were to buy the BluRay/HDD version. The Panasonic allows you to archive HD recordings to BluRay, you can then use one of the many BluRay rippers that extract the contents.

But your looking at around £450 for the 320Gb version.

Thanks again KC. This is the sort of thing I'm doing at the moment with a much much cheaper Wharfdale (Argos) DVD/HDD machine (not bluray or HD though). Just trying to cut out the 'middleman' (me!) - technologically it shouldn't be a problem for the manufacturers but I can't find it anywhere. EVen more frustrating my virgin box even has a USB socket which is there for 'future developments' and doesn't do anthing yet! Cheers

 

[Parce911]

You cannot record DIRECTLY to a USB device, but you can archive SD recordings (Freeview HD recordings are encrypted) to an external HDD for transfer to a PC I believe.

You can get the HD recordings on your PC by a bit of a convoluted route if you were to buy the BluRay/HDD version. The Panasonic allows you to archive HD recordings to BluRay, you can then use one of the many BluRay rippers that extract the contents.

But your looking at around £450 for the 320Gb version.

When I was first looking I found the panasonic, but the problem was I wanted one in one room and the other in another, so I could record on one and watch on the other (already £900 compared to about £40 for the Emprexs). This is why I wanted USB, so I could just unplug and plug in, and also use others. But thanks for the idea.