Hey, is it possible to record recorded programmes from a V+ HD box to a Panasonic HDD Bluray Recorder. Basically save the material to the inbuilt HDD, then edit and burn it to bluray disc?

Almost certainly NO in HD. The V+ box will only output HD over hdmi to a device that identifies itself as a display (HDCP hdmi handshaking).

The only HD inputs on the Panny blurays afaik is for use with a HD camcorder.

HDMI connections have mandatory HDCP copy protection, specifically to stop you from doing what you want (blame Hollywood for that).

You can archive via the scart connections but you will only get SD quality not HD I am afraid. The only way to permanently record broadcast HD to disc, in HD is with one of the Panasonic Freesat HD or Freeview HD recorders that have BluRay recorders built in, and they are not cheap. And of course, you can only archive from the HD channels available of Freesat or Freeview not from Sky HD.

Any generic fta sat HD pvr will record free to air HD without any encryption or copy protection. The h264 transport stream files can be burnt to DVD blanks using AVCHD (around 1 hr of BBC-HD or BBC1-HD will fit on a single layer DVD blank, double this for a dual layer blank) on pretty well any pc. As you say you can't do anything with a Sky box other than archive in SD in real time.

Longer files require a blu-ray burner (around £100.00).

In both cases a standard blu-ray player (or PS3) is required to replay the discs.

Ahright, this isn't too much of a problem then as most of the recorded stuff is in SD. Can the saved SD material on the V+ box still be transferred to the HDD Bluray Recorder via HDMI?

No only by an analogue connection (best is RGB), recorders don't have hdmi inputs only outputs. Quite why you would use an expensive blu-ray recorder is a different question, a normal dvd recorder will do the job.

That would be the easy option but a bluray can hold much more than a DVD hence why i'd like most of the episodes of a series on the one disc. Can a HD recording be saved to another HDD and remain in HD unless it was burned to a bluray then deleted from the drive?

I am not familiar with the format used on a V+ box but I imagine HD content will be encrypted so useless on anything else.

Using a Foxsat-hdr you can archive unlimited HD content to a usb drive by simply adding drives as needed but due to encryption you can only replay it on the box that recorded it (unless you use the box as a fta device).

Not sure either if you can use a bluray blank as a big DVD. If storage space is an issue copying content to a 1TB drive and using a media player for replay

Hmm. My gut reaction is that I'm surprised some Chinese company hasn't already hacked the HDMI protection and produced some sort of adaptor that lets you bypass such restrictions (I'd assume by lying to one or both devices about what they're connected to, then passing through the signals.)

Or have they?

HDMI is a one way connection not a two way one. Displays have inputs recorders have outputs. There are devices that connect to a hdmi hdcp output and convert to a HD analogue component output. This can be recorded using suitable kit or viewed on a display with a HD component input.

Google HFfury2.

That's HDfury2. Or HDfury3. The other piece of kit you will need is a Hauppauge HD-PVR or Colossus. And a pc. An dprobably a (good quality) hdmi splitter. It's expensive and awkward to use but does let you record in 1080i from a hdmi source. And with 5.1 sound.