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What is the best solution?
ramarena
26-11-2007
Looking to buy my parents a christmas present and am very confused.

They receive cable (virgin) and I am wanting to replace their VCR. Firstly, can you record cable onto any dvd recorder? Secondly, what would be the best solution for recording programmes? What is needed to get the best of both worlds - i.e. the ability to record a cable programme and also pause live tv? They don't want to go down the route of forking out for a V+ box.

Any non-techy answers would be appreciated.

Thanks
Nigel Goodwin
26-11-2007
Originally Posted by ramarena:
“Looking to buy my parents a christmas present and am very confused.

They receive cable (virgin) and I am wanting to replace their VCR. Firstly, can you record cable onto any dvd recorder? Secondly, what would be the best solution for recording programmes? What is needed to get the best of both worlds - i.e. the ability to record a cable programme and also pause live tv? They don't want to go down the route of forking out for a V+ box.”

Get a V+ box - it's the only sensible solution for cable!.
chrisjr
26-11-2007
Any DVD recorder can record from Cable TV. Provided the Cable box has a SCART socket on it. Just plug the Cable box into the recorder and set the recorder to use SCART as it's record source.

The major problem however has nothing to do with recording anything. it has to do with WHAT you record. You can only record whatever cable channel is being viewed on the TV . You cannot watch one channel while recording a different one at the same time.

If you have an aerial on the roof and live in a freeview area then buying a Freeview equipped recorder would at least allow you to record a different channel using it's Freeview tuner. But don't buy a Freeview PVR. These cannot record from the SCART inputs so would never be able to record a cable channel.

Pausing live TV might be the more difficult problem to crack. Some recorders let you start playing back a recording while the recording is still going on. Which would sort of do the job.

You just start the recorder going then go and do whatever you have to do. Come back a few minutes later and start it playing back what has already been recorded.

Of course you cannot do this if you are recording something else at the same time. But then again you cannot record one cable channel while watching a second anyway.

To be honest the most flexible and probably simplest option is a V+ box. Can it really be so much more expensive than a separate DVD recorder? It would certainly let you record a different channel to the one you are watching and more easily let you pause live TV.
Jarrak
26-11-2007
Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin:
“Get a V+ box - it's the only sensible solution for cable!.”


Total agree.
VM offer a one off price (£150) I believe in place of an ongoing subscription for XL customers with smaller packages costing an extra fiver. It's not a brilliant deal but the DVR is so much better that regardless of using SKY, Freeview or VM I would say go for it.

The DVR really does put all other recorders (for time shifting) in the shade be they the old VHS or DVDr formats and with an integrated EPG programme selections is a doddle.
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