We've just got an 870, and I'm trying to get a clear answer on whether Guide+ works for the digital side of its split personality.

The manual, and a helpsheet added in the packaging, imply that Guide+ only works for the analogue tuner/channels/broadcast, with the more basic EPG (Digital) being required to control timing on the digital channels ... and I am loath to wait the 24 hours of downloading juist now to find out it doesn't include control of the digital tuner too and my installed digital timings have been wiped.

If Guide+ does work on the digital side too, then do I need to still provide an aerial signal to the analogue tuner, and have the analogue tuner tuned in, in order to get the Guide+ system downloads?

Can anyone please shed any light on this - I've tried looking all over for some categorical answers!

I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that Guide+ will work with digital (one of the sttings you can alter channel by channel is the source ie digital, analogue or external box) but you do need an aerial signal to the analogue tuner for the information to be downloaded. Just one point to watch out for - on my recorder (a 970) the ITV channel was by default disabled even though it was that channel that carried the Guide+ data so you will just need to go into set up to enable it.

As Guide+ is an analogue system you obviously require the analogue aerial connected, and the analogue stations tuned in.

Why not just use the digital EPG?, it seems to make far more sense - in either case, both are downloaded over night.

I've never seen either working, as they don't work when you install them, but hopefully appear the next day. If the customer has digital channels then you set the digital EPG, if not you only have the option of the analogue one.

In setting up procedure, chose Guideplus+ rather than Digital EPG and of course make sure that you HAVE daisy- chained the aerial RF inputs so that both analogue and digital tuners are active and have scanned for all the channels and of course the analogue channels need to be there especially ITV1 in order to download the EPG data.
Next go into the Guideplus 'editor' and make sure that all your channels are directed to the D.TV (digital tuner) and NOT analogue Tuner, for each of the stations listed - if that is what you want.

You can then select whatever channel you want to record, knowing then that this will be a digital Freeview one. Of course, initially, after selecting the Guideplus EPG you will have to wait for it to download the initial listings and then perhaps 24 hours or so to download the next 7 days listings. Each day, if you are not actually using the recorder, it will switch 'on' in Standby and download the listings to keep everything up to date.

If in doubt, visit www.avforums.com where you will find a wealth of info. regarding the Sony RDR870!

Thanks for the information: I tried out Guide+ and it all seemed to work after an overnight wait. However, I found the EPG (Digital) to be better, if only because it allows you more control on your timer settings (e.g. allows updating, series recording, epg tracking, etc.) Also, EPG (Digital) seems to populate almost immediately, rather than waiting hours for it to fill up like Guide+?

As far as I can see, Guide+ is prettier, but less controllable, so I think I will stick with EPG (Digital) ... shame they cannot combine the features of both into one really decent EPG system!