Saving V+ recordings

[Deleted User] · 01/08/10 - 00:08

At the moment our TV source is analog broadcasts and so all our recordings are done on a VCR and we have a large library of tapes including well watched boxed sets.

I have just bought a 32 inch Panasonic TV and the pictures from the VCR are pretty poor. (analog TV could be a lot better too)

Being in a Virgin cable area, I am seriously thinking of getting a V+ box but I will want to retain the VCR in the system so I can continue to watch my tapes (regardless of the quality)

What I would like some advice on please is - If I want to keep some recordings made on the V+ box permanently, is there a way of copying the programs to the VCR or would I have to buy a DVD recorder and how would this work?.

Please keep it simple as I am in my seventies and I am not sure I will even appreciate HD with my tired old eyes.......:(

Hugh Jarse · 01/08/10 - 09:15

Yes - V+ has 2 scart outputs as well as High Def ones, so you can just connect the VCR/DVDR scart out to your VCR and record onto it from that. Obviously the picture quality would improve greatly if you got a dvd recorder, which work in a very similar way to VCRs, and you'd save yourself all that pain of rewinding tapes etc. But yes, you'll still be able to watch your videos or record onto your VCR if you want to stick with that format.

[Deleted User] · 01/08/10 - 15:49

Thank you for the information.

If I decide to copy my programs to a dvd recorder, rather than a vcr, what in your opinion would be best- should I use a one-off dvd disc or would you recommend using a rewritable dvd disc so that I can put more than one saved program on the same disc if there is room.?

Hugh Jarse · 01/08/10 - 16:58

Well you can put more than one programme on any disc, not just re-writable ones. I've only used Panasonic dvd recorders, but I think other makes are similar, where, if you record the programme onto the hard drive (of the dvd recorder) initially, you can then edit out adverts and any bits you don't want, before transferring the prog or progs onto the disc. Or if you're not bothered about that, you can just record direct to disc from the V+. DVD recorders have various quality settings i.e. the less you put on a disc, the higher quality it will be - similar to the difference in SP & LP recordings on a VCR.

Obviously with V+, you can store up to 70 hours of stuff on there (though HD recordings take up much more space obviously), so you can wait til you have 2 or 3 progs you want to keep on disc on there, before transferring them to DVD.

terryranosaurus · 01/08/10 - 21:23

Don't buy a recorder that only records to dvd if you want to keep recordings.

Get one with a built in hard drive then you can retain the V+ quality and edit all the rubbish out before you archive to dvd.

If all you want to do is copy to dvd , watch the disc elsewhere then start again a dvd only recorder is fine.

You can then use an RW disc rather than R and once you've watched it you can erase it and use it again.

There are several formats and different brands handle the different formats in different ways so it depends on what you want to do exactly.

Will you record to dvd then watch it on another player ?
Will you record one programme on a disc then want to add another programme to the same disc without erasing the first programme?
Will you only want to watch your dvd's on the recorder itself?

[Deleted User] · 03/08/10 - 10:35

I think I would probably want to keep the recordings permanently and watch them on the same machine or a blu-ray player should I get one.

Hey there!

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