why no external inputs

BLOWNIT

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Why is it that most pvr's don't have the means to accept an input from an external source for the purpose of recording (scart sockets etc).
I can't get freeview yet, so I would like to use a pvr to record sky etc.
However it seems that these pvr's lack external inputs. I don't want to have to pay sky for a plus box. At present I am using a dvd recorder for general recording. but would prefer the functionality of a pvr hard drive.
I am at a loss that my old vcr would connect into anything and record from anywhere, yet most pvr's don't have this facility other than recording freeview from it's inbuilt tuners.
Am I missing something here or what !!!!!!!!!
Any thoughts,

Blownit.
 
Adding an external (analogue) input would increase the cost significantly, and the market would be quite small.

A Freeview PVR just copies the digital stream to a HDD, and decodes it to analogue upon playback. Recording from an analogue source would mean encoding the signal to digital, adding a lot of extra electronics. This would push the price up.
 
A Freeview PVR is exactly as it says. A PVR for Freeview. There are non Freeview specific hard disc recorders but these all seem to have a DVD recorder built in so there will be some duplication. These are the modern day equivalent of a VCR.

Humax apparently have a Freeview PVR with external inputs planned - but probably at a cost. Alternatively a second hand Tivo.
 
Even if a Freeview PVR could record from an extenal source it would not give you the PVR functions available with its own internal tuners. You would only have one tuner for the platform in question e.g. Sky; so PVR type things like record two simultaneous programmes or watch one and record another from Sky would not be possible.
If you cannot get Freeview then a Freeview PVR with an external input would actually give you less features than the HDD/DVDR option suggested above.
Personally if you can I would however consider one these recorders that does have a Freeview tuner as well as an analogue one. Hopefully it will still be working when analogue switches off in your area.

Richard
 
I thought the non Freeview DVD and hard disc PVR's could all take external inputs from say a sky box just like a VCR?.
 
errata said:
I thought the non Freeview DVD and hard disc PVR's could all take external inputs from say a sky box just like a VCR?.

That is quite correct; but the OP had clearly been looking at twin Freeview tuner PVRs which do not (at present) record from external sources.

Richard
 
Why not get a dvd/hdd recorder ,i use mine for recording off sky plus i can pause live tv if i want too just like you can with a pvr,its also helpful if you want to put things on dvd.
 
Richard46 said:
Even if a Freeview PVR could record from an extenal source it would not give you the PVR functions available with its own internal tuners. You would only have one tuner for the platform in question e.g. Sky; so PVR type things like record two simultaneous programmes or watch one and record another from Sky would not be possible.

The TiVo series 3 can do this.
It has 6 tuners: can record from 2 satellite, 2 cable, and 2 free to air Freeview style High definition channels.
All can have true PVR functions for each platform, though I think only 2 at a time.


Sadly we probably won't get one for UK use :(

I would gladly pay 3000 quid for a UK one :(

TiVo and the US version of Windows Media Centre support 2 platforms simultaneously.
Sadly the UK version of WMC only supports one, leaving TiVo as the only PVR with two platform simultaneous support in the UK.

I'm hoping for something like a quad tuner DVR with 2 Freeview tuners and 2 more for recording say Sky and NTL at least for the UK, but don't hold your breath.
 

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