Hello,

I used to have a Panasonic DVD recorder, and it has recently started to fail. I'm looking to get another, but so far nothing quite seems to offer what I would like.

I use Sky (not Sky+). I would like a system (like Sky+) where I could watch a movie on one channel while recording on another. None of the DVD-burners I've seen seem to offer this facility.

On the other hand, some of the Panasonic burners have a built in Freeview tuner. Would this allow me to watch sky, for example, while recording off of a Freeview channel at the same time? Would I need two aerials for this?

I will have to get a DVD recorder at any rate, because I like to back up my recordings to DVD. Sky+ only has a small hard drive, and does not offer much in the way of backup facilities.

My question is, could I record on Freeview, and watch another Sky channel at the same time, with a Panasonic DVD burner?

Would you recommend Sky+ with a cheap DVD burner, or just a good quality DVD-recorder/HDD system?

Thanks

Daniel

Not via the internal tuner of the dvd recorder,but you can record a Freeview channel on the dvd recorder,whilst watching a Sky channel,directly from the digibox.
A DVD/HDD recorder is superior to just a dvd recorder,as you can edit,back up your dvds to the hard drive,store mp3's,store photos etc.
It also allows you to watch a previously recorded programme,on the hard drive,whilst recording another.
Many have chase play,pause live tv etc.

Hello Daniel.
Welcome to the forum.

Just as a matter of interest... which model and and in what way is it failing? - Sometimes there are relatively simple remedies that can keep them going.

Indeed they don't. The only requisite for the ability to record one /watch another is to have two tuner sources. They can be anywhere in your system. [..albeit some arrangements are more convenient than others.]
Sky can be considered as one tuner source. Your TV and its aerial - if it has one - can be considered another.
A DVD Recorder would be another... for which you would definitely require a UHF aerial.

All the Panasonic DVDR's available now have, and ONLY have, digital tuners.
You would be able to record a Freeview channel whilst recording sky.
Only one aerial is required, no matter how many reception/recording devices you have.

I strongly recommend two things:
Do NOT buy cheap - You will just end up buying twice and suffer a lot of frustration on the way.

DO get a unit that includes a hard drive. The benefit in convenience and usability over a DVD only recorder is enormous.

TV Duniya points out some of the advantages above.

Thanks for your post, it was really helpful! Answered a lot of questions, and made me firm up my mind - I'll be upgrading, I think.

The Panasonic DVD-recorder that I currently have is a very old model. It is a DMR-E55, which I believe is a first-generation DVD recorder. As such it is old and needs to be replaced, and its misbehaviour has spurred me on to think about getting rid of it.

The problem I have is when I try to record with it. While it seems to play back pre-recorded disks okay, the moment I load it with a disk that has been recorded but not finalised, it cuts out. The display goes blank, and it seems to reboot itself. Switching it back on and reloading the disk causes the same problem. In effect, it makes it impossible to record out on. Finalising is impossible, because it won't enter the menu system.

Even if I replace it, I would still like to fix it if possible as I could do with a second recorder. But I can't seem to think of a reason for the failure. It is possible that the fan inside has failed and is not cooling the processor correctly, but then why would it play back finalised DVDs without any trouble?

I would be grateful if you could help with the repair of this. It would come in useful for the other room. All the same, I think I will be buying a new recorder.

The model I am looking to buy would be the DMR-EX78. Any advice you could give with using this with sky would be really appreciated.

Thanks for your help so far!

Daniel

Could be a laser alignment problem?

It's possible it's laser alignment, but I'm not sure that would explain the fact that the whole system seems to reboot. Everything shuts down, then restarts. It's quite unusual - no error messages, no information, no funny noises. Just blank, restart.

I've ordered a replacement for it now, upgrading to an HDD/DVD recorder. I saved about £50 from the asking price by going to Amazon. Surprisingly, Amazon was the cheapest - cheaper even that dabs.com. Might arrive today sometime, or more likely tomorrow.

I've moved the old recorder into the other room which does not have a DVD player, and sod's law, it seems to be working perfectly. The old disks that would not play are going fine now I've moved it. I'm only a little bit gutted, though. It needed replacing, and as I had no player in the other room, it solves a problem. Also, I suspect the problem has not gone away. It was always on/off in the past, so it may come back to haunt me later.

I was hoping to maybe reset the software on the recorder, but I don't think its the kind that updates itself. Frankly, I'm at a loss. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Daniel

Hello again Daniel

Apologies for taking so long to get back.

The problem with your E55 machine is almost certainly failure of the Voltage regulator... It afflicts virtually everyone of that group of machines eventually.

There is a huge thread about this issue... under the title of the E85 but as far as I know the E55 shares the same power system and suffers the same problem.

There is a self help remedy, and to save you having to go through the whole thread look for leslierushforth's post no 114 on page 8

The thread is HERE


Regarding the EX78. It is an excellent machine. Well liked and well respected. I recommend it unreservedly.

Daniel, two things - firstly i had the same problem with the VR and used the thread indicated to purchase a replacement which i got my local friendly TV repair man to fix for a bottle of red (or two!).

Secondly, (especially if you get your E55 fixed and can use it for archiving as i do) GET SKY+!!!!

As a subscriber, it is really cheap to upgrade and get a new + box and they are the biz - DVDR's are great for what they do (archive) but they are not PVRs.

Sky+ and a DVDR (even a simple one like your E55) work well together.

Rgds,
Scorp