Transfer to DVD
I currently save some programs from Sky+ box to a DVD recorder when I need to free up space. They have to be playing on the TV as they are recorded in real time (sometimes I use the copy feature to stack a few and do this at night).
The DVD recorder has had a few glitches recently and may need replacing.
I have been told that DVD recorders are now obsolete and that I should get NAS drive.
However I have been googling and get the impression that it is not possible to transfer programs from Sky+ to external drives / laptops.
Is it possible to do this, and if so what drives/cables/DVD writing software etc do I need to buy ?
The DVD recorder has had a few glitches recently and may need replacing.
I have been told that DVD recorders are now obsolete and that I should get NAS drive.
However I have been googling and get the impression that it is not possible to transfer programs from Sky+ to external drives / laptops.
Is it possible to do this, and if so what drives/cables/DVD writing software etc do I need to buy ?
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a NAS drive would not be a suitable device to transfer your recordings.
Do you mean I still need a DVD recorder separate device (as I have now sitting linked up to my Sky+ box) , or the DVD recorder drive in my laptop ?
you need an actual DVD recorder - just like you have now.
DVD recorders are pretty hard to find in the shops now, so I thought I should get with the times as there must be an alternative everyone else has moved too. Maybe I will buy a new one before mine gives up the ghost and they are no longer stocked anywhere .
The guys in Richer Sounds all looked totally shocked when I walked in and asked for one. They had a single ex display model, but said nowadays people use NAS drives to transfer the files to laptop to write via the drives.
Curry's had one model on display too.
So they are not obsolete, but looks like they may be soon , which is why I assumed there was a better alternative which had taken over.
You can still buy VCR's so I guess it will be a long time before DVD recorders will be gone completely. There are a few at Argos and on Amazon.
The reason there isn't much choice is because demand is low, as most people have moved on to just using Sky+, Freesat+ and Freeview+.
Luckily the drive is one that was used in quite a few Japanese recorders so they are still fairly easy to get hold of.
NAS is Network Attached Storage, it's just a standard computer disk that sits on your home network so that you can share it with multiple systems. You still need some way to get the video out of the Sky box and into a format that can be stored on disk, whether it's NAS or DVD. It's true that DVDs which hold only 4.7GB of data are becoming somewhat old-fashioned, you can get 10x more storage on a USB stick, and 1000x that on a NAS, but none of that helps with the basic problem of getting the info out of the Sky box, I'm afraid.
The real problem is that the programme makers don't want people recording broadcast HD TV onto storage from where it can be copied to a computer, and hence to YouTube or shared on the internet. Most devices that can record video are required to encrypt HD programmes so that they can only be played back on the device which recorded it. That's why the Sky box won't allow you to copy directly to an external device like a NAS, your only option is to play the video and re-encode it, which is what the DVD recorder does.
DVDs are not HD, of course, so they don't have the lock-in problem, but for some people only HD is good enough, so the demand for DVD recorders is falling off.
There are devices which connect to your laptop and can record the video from a Sky box, but they aren't the easiest things to use if you're not technical, and the quality on the cheap ones is not good. If you look on places like Amazon I think you'll still find DVD recorders, if I remember correctly Panasonic still make them.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-DMR-ES10-DVD-Recorder-/121313593564?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_DVDPlayers_Recorders&hash=item1c3eda88dc
I got mine as graded stock years ago to use for exactly the same purpose that you want it for. It doesn't have an HDD, or Freeview or anything like that, you just connect it to the Sky box and record to DVD.
Mine is still going strong and it must be getting on for eight years or so now.
Same here. I use an LG, and it's still going strong after many years. I have transferred MANY things from my Sky box, and from old VHS tapes before that.
Hi,
I have looked at this thread and just want to confirm what you are trying to do, which I think is what I want to do.
Copy a recorded program on my Sky Box to a DVD
But I am unclear of what actually needs to be done, sorry for being simple, assume the following steps, so please correct me if I am wrong
1) Get DVD Recorded of some sort
2) Connect my Sky Box to the DVD recorder with an HDMI cable
3) Insert DVD and start recording
4) Play the program on Sky Box
When done the DVD should have a copy of the program.
Sorry for being simple but it will save lots of Posts if I get the steps right now.
Many thanks
Mike
Point 2 - can't use a HDMI cable. No DVD recorders support HDMI in. You would use a scart cable between the Sky box and the DVD recorder.
Point 3 - you would normally record to the hard drive of the DVD recorder first, rather than directly to blank DVD. This would then allow you to edit the recording on the hard drive, removing commercial breaks etc, before committing to disc. It would also allow you to easily make multiple copies - only takes a few minutes to archive recordings from hard drive to DVD disc.
Can still use that in combination with a Sky+ box and a scart cable to transfer the recordings from the Sky hard drive to the Panasonic, and from there to DVD (or Blu-Ray). No need to use the Freeview tuner.
Thanks Guys,
That has been very helpful, I will go and get a DVD Recorder and dump off some stuff I have to make more room.
Great help.
Mike
Pretty much yes. As already said you will have to use a scart lead to connect the Sky box to the DVD recorder. Configure the time you require for the disc. The shorter time the better the quality. I set mine to 4 hours per disc and the quality is excellent.
I don't have a hard drive on my recorder, so I record directly on to a disc, making sure I cut out the adverts (if any) along the way.
After finalizing it will play on any DVD player.
Good luck.