HDD DVD recorder or Freeview PVR?

[ianh64]

Looking for AV equipment for a second home - occasional use.

Simple questions!

Why would I want to buy a HDD DVD recorder with Freeview instead of a PVR and seperate DVD/VCR?

No particular need to record to anything particularly to DVD so a Freeview PVR would suit our needs. If we did want to archive anything for watching at home, VHS tape would be adequate.

We have the budget for both options, but relaibility and ease of use rules. Our current PVR is great but our DVD-RW sucks. No need for hours of recording time. Will still need VCR for occasional use. Lack of twin tuners kind of swings it for me in the direction of the PVR but though that I would post here to get positives for HDD/DVD-RW.

How easy is it to record Freeview programmes with the likes of HDD/DVD-RW/Freeview combinations such at the Pioneer DVR-540HX-S or Panasonic DMREX75/85 instead of a dedicated PVR such as Humax PVR 9200T?

Thanks

 

[dancohen]

Looking for AV equipment for a second home - occasional use.

Simple questions!

Why would I want to buy a HDD DVD recorder with Freeview instead of a PVR and seperate DVD/VCR?

No particular need to record to anything particularly to DVD so a Freeview PVR would suit our needs. If we did want to archive anything for watching at home, VHS tape would be adequate.

I think you've answered your own question.

If you feel no need to record anything to DVD then the separate PVR, DVD player, and VCR is the way to go.

The advantages of a DVD recorder include

(i) saving space by recording to DVDs rather than video cassettes

(ii) being able to make more than one copy of an item.

 

[ianh64]

Any disadvantages? I am wondering if the HDD functionality in a HDD/DVD-RW/Freeview is less integrated than say a specialist Freeview PVR.

I guess I should get a demo in JL or somewhere. Not sure if they have anything particularly on display for demo.

 

[jameslindsey]

I had the same requirements as you. Ideally I wanted something that I could record directly off an EPG so I went for the topfield PVR. Recording programs is easy it is a case of simply selecting from the 8 day guide which one you want to record and pressing the record button. Making it a regular event is also only a couple of button presses away.

If you have no need to archive to disc then forget a DVD recorder. You can of course plug the PVR into a VHS, DVD recorderor even a computer if you wish to transfer archives at a later date.

 

[dancohen]

Any disadvantages? I am wondering if the HDD functionality in a HDD/DVD-RW/Freeview is less integrated than say a specialist Freeview PVR.

Humax, Topfield (and other) PVRs have two digital tuners, so one can record two programs at once. And on the Humax (don't know about others) you can even - with significant restirctions - watch a third program while two are being recorded.

There aren't any DVD Freeview recorders with two digital tuners at present.

There is probably a slight loss in quality between using a DVD recorder to record from a PVR as distinct from directly recording to DVD from a Freeview DVD recorder. This is because the output from the PVR is, AIUI, analog whereas direct recording is purely digital. But I'm not sure if the difference is significant.

 

[bradavon78]

It ultimately comes down to choosing over:

1. Twin Tuner = PVR
2. DVDr = HDr/DVDr

I went for the latter as I wanted to be able to archive off. Remember this will allow for High Speeding dubbing I don't think a PVR with separate DVDr can do this.

 

[anna the dub]

I went for both, as I wanted to have options. Topfield PVR and Pioneer DVD Recorder.

 

[johnjackthom]

I've been away exploring other forums for some time and have just come across the new Panasonic HDD/DVD recorders with digital tuners.

What no-one seems to have mentioned here, is whether the HDD recordings are of the bitstreams direct from the tuner/demux or are they decoded to component video/audio and re-encoded; ie do they work in the same way as Freeview PVRs when recording to HDD? (or even direct to DVD for that matter)

 

[foneman]

I have managed to look at a few circuit digrams of HDD/DVDRs, and the simple answer is it is *all* managed internally, ie, it is not component, encoded or whatever.. It is *raw data*... and then this is usually handled totally whithin a large IC, the only external bits being input and output amplifiers, RF tuner sections, and the IDE header for the DVD and HD... It is only when this data is needed to be displayed, or put in a standard DVD format, that it is converted from the raw data...

I think the only exception may be the 'cheap' decks, that use a version of linux to do the stuff, (using the basic 'media player' type codecs) and are therefore easily upgradeable/hackable..

 

[johnjackthom]

I have managed to look at a few circuit digrams of HDD/DVDRs, and the simple answer is it is *all* managed internally, ie, it is not component, encoded or whatever.. It is *raw data*... and then this is usually handled totally whithin a large IC, the only external bits being input and output amplifiers, RF tuner sections, and the IDE header for the DVD and HD... It is only when this data is needed to be displayed, or put in a standard DVD format, that it is converted from the raw data...

Thanks for the reply foneman, I was hoping that would be the case. Now I need to save up for one.

 

[foneman]

well I was hoping to see a chance of HDDVD/Bluray ones by Xmas, but they have got into another argument....

At this rate, the chinese VMD will get there first... I wouldnt buy too quickly, as there are usually better models always coming...

 

[SquintingBadger]

What no-one seems to have mentioned here, is whether the HDD recordings are of the bitstreams direct from the tuner/demux or are they decoded to component video/audio and re-encoded; ie do they work in the same way as Freeview PVRs when recording to HDD? (or even direct to DVD for that matter)

I would guess, and I don't know for sure, that if it gives you the option of recording quality (SP/LP/EP...) then it will be recompressing the data, not storing it directly. This would probably be simpler from a design point of view as well. Whether or not you'd notice the drop in quality this entails at the higher quality settings is another matter...

 

[Hal_loe]

What no-one seems to have mentioned here, is whether the HDD recordings are of the bitstreams direct from the tuner/demux or are they decoded to component video/audio and re-encoded; ie do they work in the same way as Freeview PVRs when recording to HDD? (or even direct to DVD for that matter)[/QUOTE} I would guess, and I don't know for sure, that if it gives you the option of recording quality (SP/LP/EP...) then it will be recompressing the data, not storing it directly. This would probably be simpler from a design point of view as well. Whether or not you'd notice the drop in quality this entails at the higher quality settings is another matter...

SquintingBadger is correct, certainly with the Panasonic DMR-EH60D it re-encodes the freeview signal through it's mpeg encoder.

This can be proved by the fact that many of the Freeview channels only have a resolution of 544x576 (eg E4) yet after recording the videos are all 704x576.

Also if you turn the subtitles on and record them they are perminately recorded on the video and cannot be switched off.

I expect the new models are exactly the same and has been done as it's easier.

Hope that helps.