Have Samsung Digital TV and want to record from it to VHS (horrors!) or other device but I find I can only record the channel I have on TV and if I turn off the TV the recording goes blank. Obviously its the internal Freeview tuner switching off - any help appreciated. (Don't want to spend too much!)

That's because you are recording the tuners output from a scart socket in very poor composite quality. Add a cheap freeview box to your system and use that to record from. If the dvdr supports RGB you will get much better quality and can record a different channel to watch you are watching and indepent of the TV.

To be honest you would be better off hiding the VCR under the bed and saving up the pennies for a PVR.

You could hook up a Freeview set top box to the VCR and record from that. But it is such a faff as you have to set the STB to the channel you want to record then set the VCR to record at the appropriate time. It can also be a real pain if you want to record a second programme on a different channel. Getting the STB to change channels by itself is not always easy.

With a PVR you just open up the programme guide select the programmes you want to record and let it get on with it. And many can record two programmes at the same time. And if my self confessed technophobic 80 something mum can get her head round that anyone can

I had to pry the vcr from my wife's hands when I installed a TiVo many years ago. She hated the interruption to her schedule because you just watched stuff when you wanted.

Er, anyway, get a freeview or freesat box. Sell your VCR on ebay for a fortune (probably).

Fortune , I have a loft full of working vcr's. I keep a couple merely to help copying precious memories to DVD.

Thanks, for your help Guys. Guess I've got to move into 2011!!

Hurry up as it'll soon be 2012 before we know it.