How do I record SKY broadcast on my Sony DVD HD recorder?

R

Roger Walker

Guest
Hi all, newbie here. I recently moved my Freeview DVD/HDR to another room away from my SKY box (old Sony satelite receiver - not Sky+). The box is fed via RF cable from the Sky box RF OUT2 and routed under the floorboards to the other room. This has always been the source of TV signal for this room, even prior to going digital. I have always been able to get all TV channels and Sky by searching with the sky box on. When I got a new digital TV for this room I was still able to get SKY by searching the Analogue signal - I now know this is broadcast on channel 68. The picture is not brilliant but quite watchable. I now want to be able to record from this channel but cannot pick it up from my Freeview DVD/HD recorder! This unit also has an analogue tuner and I can 'download TV listings' to the unit - but when selected the TV screen is blank (black).
Previously when this recorder was in the main room with the Sky box they were individually linked to the TV by separate scart leads and to record from Sky (AV1) I selected "Line 1" from the timer recording menu. It would then record at the times I set whatever station the Sky box was tuned to.
As I can actually view Sky broadcasts on the TV in the other room, the signal must be available via the RF coax cable. For some reason I cannot find this signal in my DVD/HD recorder. I can select TV, A(preset = chan 68), in the timer recording menu - but it records a blank signal.

Any ideas anyone?
 
I think you need to help us out with some more information.

a. What model DVD/HD Recorder do you have? [ I looked up information for the Sony RDR-HX870 to see if that could help.]

b. Have you ever recorded an analogue signal from an external aerial? [Your analogue tuner may never have worked.]

c. What do you mean by "download TV listings"? [ Not a phrase I have come across. Do you mean the Freeview EPG?]

d. The RDR-HX870 has separate aerial inputs for the analogue signal and for the digital signal. Is your Coax connected to the correct aerial input? [If you have multiple aerail sockets they must be linked: From Sky coax to Analogue IN, Analogue OUT to Digital IN, Digital OUT to TV aerial IN.

e. With the above connections you should be able to see the Sky RF output using the TV's analogue Tuner. You may need the DVD powered up for this.

Just a few questions to help problem-solving.

Thanks

Martin
 
Thanks Martin, I expected a few questions. I don't think my set-up is too common but it's actually a fundamental question. To answer yours:
a. It's a RDR-HXD870
b. I can't remember - maybe not. As it has built in Freeview and Digital Guide I would have only recorded from this - plus of course SKY programmes via "Line 1" input.
c. From the System menu/initial setup I can select Analogue Tuning - Auto Tuning. Manual Tuning. Download TV Listing (or Channels)
d. Just one Aerial in and out on the back. Plus Scart and HDMI and composites.
e. My RF aerial linking: Outside aerial to SKY box RF in. SKY box RF out1 to YouView box. SKY box R$F out2 to socket in other room. RF socket to Sony RDR-HXD aerial in. Sony RDR-HXD erial out to TV. In addition I have scart from Sony RDR-HXD to TV.

Just to repeat for clarity. I can tune the TV analogue tuner into the SKY signal and watch SKY OK in the other room. To view TV through the RDR-HXD I set TV to AV1 or HDMI (better). I now need to select the SKY channel from the RDR-HXD but it only has a digital guide and doesn't show analogue channels. So I go to 'Timer Recording' (rather than from EPG) and select 'A-TV-08' but the recording is of 'No Signal' wavy lines etc. I know the SKY signal is available via the RF cable as I can watch it on the TV - but I can't get my recorder to recognise it!

Hope this helps and you can throw some light on it.

EDIT:
I may have the model number wrong - I'm at work but will check when I get home. I checked the brochure of the RDR-HXD870 and it shows separate analogue and digital aerial sockets so I need to double check.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the information. The "Download Listings" option may not be available now since the Digital Switchover.

I would recommend powering up the Sky box and then carry out an Auto analogue tuning of your Sony box. It should only find the Sky output.

Martin
 
Progress! I checked the model and it is a Sony RDR-HXD870 and it DOES have analogue + digital coax sockets! I re-routed as follows:
From wall socket (fed from Sky box RF OUT2) to Analogue - IN. Then loop from An OUT to Digital IN. Then Digi OUT to TV. (as per your post above). Also Scart lead + HDMI connected up.
Back to Set Up -> Analogue Tuning -> Auto Channel Select -> Download from TV. Eureka - It worked!
The picture quality isn't very good - quite 'grainy' - but a lot better than no picture! I had it routed through HDMI first but this condensed the picture size and elongated it. Changing to AV1 (scart) fixed that.

Looking at the on line manual for RDR-HXD p16 shows a diagram for watching both analogue and digital - it shows aerial going to Digi IN, then Digi OUT to Analogue IN, then OUT to TV. Would this give a better picture? It all seems to function quite well the way I have it hooked up - just poor quality pic from SKY channel. Also apparently you can only 'Download from TV' if you are using "SmartLink" (not sure if I had this but seemed to work - it doesn't take as long to d/l channels).

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Good news.

Now I understand what you mean by "Download from TV".

How does the picture quality through the RDR compare with through the TV tuner, via the RDR? Better, Same or Worse.

In the main, for the analogue transmissions, adding in splitters in an aerial circuit degrades the signal quality and the best signal is therefore at the first splitter - as you have connected it. A low-quality coax will add to losses, as will bad connections - so check all.

If your TV's analogue Tuner does much better than the RDR one then perhaps you need to let the RDR's tuner do its own search rather than relying on the TV's settings.

You may get a better picture if you changed the RF channel that your Sky box outputs.

The Smartlink appears to allow you to record, through a fully-connected Scart lead, what is being displayed on the TV. You could see what quality you get that way. To work automatically would require all units to be powered up at the required time.

As a last resort you could try an analogue signal booster after the RF2 output. Note that a special sky (bypass) amplifier will be required if your sky box will have a magic eye fitted later.

If your satellite receiver is getting old then perhaps the RF output circuit is failing, that's if your TV's picture is not really good.

Just a few ideas for you to consider.

Martin
 
Many thanks for your help Martin!
The picture isn't brilliant from the tuner TV (I can select Analogue from the Guide - they sit above the digital programmes - it's a Panasonic 'Smart' TV about 18 mnths old - HD Freeview. Fantastic picture). It's worse through the RDR although the scart lead is a cheap one. I think the coax cables are OK.
I think I did try the RDR tuner do a search but it was the same. I will try again tonight when I get home.
I have no idea how to change the RF channel from the Sky box. I thought it was set to 'Channel 68'? A pal at work has a TV in his bedroom fed from RF OUT2 which he tuned in and discovered it was Ch 68 too.
Surely to record a 'signal' it has to be as displayed by the RDR? I would think if I tuned the TV onto the Sky prog and just hit 'record' on the RDR it would record whatever the RDR was tuned into? I can easily try!
I can't be bothered with the 'magic eye' for changing Sky channels in the back room. It's only a few feet away. Likewise I doubt if I would bother with a booster. Especially as my mid-term plan is to dump Sky - Murdock has had enough out of me for the past 15 years (maybe longer...). I only use it for sport and I believe F1 is switching to BT next year (this is why I got a BT Vision box to replace the RDR in the lounge).
Yes, the Sky receiver is quite old. I got it second hand from a pal at work when my original Grundig box became eratic. The TV pic isn't that bad considering the torturous routing and joints in the coax from RF OUT2 to the TV in the back room. But it's the same routing for the direct digital picture which is 10/10 quality.

I will try better scart and coax leads if I have any.

One last thing while you are there Martin. When I moved my RDR from the lounge to the back room I had a lead left over. It's a fancy purple coloured coax with gold aerial connectors. I think it's for 'digital coax' but I can't remember where it was pluged into on my lounge set-up. I have a Sony TV base with built-in surrond sound speakers and a Bravia KDL40W2000 TV bought at the same time as the RDR - end 2007. Can I use this lead anywhere?

Many thanks again.
 
Sounds like the signal from the Sky box is not very good. And one would expect the Scart output from the RDR to be slightly worse than the TV's own tuner. But, as it is not significantly so, the RDR's tuner seems to be working ok.

As components age their performance falls off. RF Channel 68 is at the top end of the TV RF Channel spectrum and is not used by Digital TV transmitters. However, that does not mean it is not being used and local interference will degrade the signal. If your sky box's RF transmitter is getting old it may not produce its best quality.

Check out: Sky TV - How to Watch Sky in Other Rooms | Radio and Telly UK

for advice on changing the transmitted frequency that may apply to your box.

As for recording from the TV, this is a function of the Smartlink. Scart connections can be two-way (which can cause its own problems) and the TV can send its picture out to a connected DVD recorder. You would have to set your RDR to record from the Scart socket. However, reading the HXD870 manual, it appears that this recording function is to record a programme "paused" from the TV - page 37 Direct TV Record. And, reading between the lines, it relies on the RDR having the same tuner settings as that of the TV - the Download from TV settings option.

Having lots of coax connections between the sky box and the RDR is not a good idea. No connection is perfect and every single one introduces noise and reduces signal strength. They should be eliminated as far as possible.

The effects of noise/interference etc. on analogue-encoded signals and digitally-encoded signals are different. Analogue signals degrade "gracefully", hence the snow-storm effect where you will see the picture through an increasing haze; whereas digitally-encoded signals give a "cliff-edge" effect, where you either get a picture, or a pixellated picture or no picture. Digital TV signal processors can recover digital signals in low signal strengths.

I'm sorry I can't help you with your coloured coax cable. However, what I would say (and probably ignite a fevered discussion) is that often you can get away with normal screened coax and that having fancy colours and gold connectors is often an expensive overkill. Only in very exceptional circumstances will such cables help and that must be after ensuring all other detrimental aspects of connections are avoided. There is no such thing in the UK TV User world, as far as I know, as "digital coax", the same goes for the so-called "Digital" Aerials.

Martin
 
Hi Martin, I really appreciate your help and guidance here.
When I got home last night I checked the pic quality on TV and through the RDR. They were actually about the same - i.e. not that good really. I was going to try re-tuning the RDR but thought I would check all of the cables first. The scart wasn't the cheap (skinny cable) one I thought it was - but I canged it anyhow - for one that looked exactly the same! I also changed a couple of the coax leads but was limited as I needed IN and OUT terminals and most of my leads are for 'Aerial IN' config.
What a difference! The Sky picture is almost perfect (to my eyes - not quite digital but still good) - same via RDR or direct to TV. And I can record and playback at the same quality. I have achieved my goal!
I don't know if it was the leads or if they were just not connected properly - but now it's great.
I have also discovered that I can view Sky through RDR by hitting 'Input' until it shows Line 1 - provided the TV is tuned to Sky (ch.68). So if the TV is set to Sky I set the RDR to record from 'Line 1' OR Channel 8 (my preset for ch.68) - same result. Maybe this is the 'Smartlink'? (not that smart really.....) Don't need TV paused.

Yes I know I have lots of (unwanted) connections in my RF to the back room, but I cannot delete any. When tuning in the TV I get a rating of 10 (out of 10) for all the major Freeview stations and 9 for the HD ones. Picture is very good in SD anyway.

I think the puple coax was connected between the RDR and my surround sound TV stand - Sony RHT-G800. I'm guessing it's for Digital Sound? It's shown on p22 in the RDR manual.

I'm with you on the gold plated, oxygen-free copper, bacteria-free, vegetarian cables - but the shop insisted at the time (and the mega-expensive HDMI cable) and it was all new to me.

Thank you once again Martin. :)
 
I'm glad everything turned out well. Olympic medal to you for seeing the problem through.

I hope you have many days of good viewing/recording with your set up.

Martin
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom