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TV with built in freeview - how do you record progs?

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Dot Net Developer

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Dec 5, 2007, 1:55:39 PM12/5/07
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Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?
Or is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
flexibility?

Dr Zoidberg

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Dec 5, 2007, 2:34:26 PM12/5/07
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"Dot Net Developer" <dotnetd...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:b1ddc79c-7149-4ce2...@d4g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

> Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?

You can do.

> Or is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
> flexibility?

But it's more usual to have a PVR with it's own tuners so you can record one
channel and watch another , and when you do you'll probably use the PVR for
normal viewing as well so you can use the live pause feature.

I have a digital TV and a PVR and I only ever use the TV's own tuner when
there's two recordings going on and I want to watch a third channel.
--
Alex

New laptop - Sig missing

Colin Stamp

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Dec 5, 2007, 6:47:56 PM12/5/07
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On Wed, 5 Dec 2007 10:55:39 -0800 (PST), Dot Net Developer
<dotnetd...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

>Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?

Any TV recorder without a tuner would be a real lame duck. It would
have to monopolise the TVs tuner whenever it was recording and timer
recordings would be a nightmare of trying to make sure the TV was
turned on and tuned to the right channel at the appropriate time. Even
the very earliest of domestic analogue VCRs had their own tuner.

If you just want to match the functionality of an analogue TV and VCR
then you'll need a recorder with a digital tuner. There's plenty
about, but you can do a lot better than that.

>Or is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
>flexibility?

That's definitely the way to go. With a decent twin-tuner PVR, The
whole live/recording/playback setup becomes completely seamless.

The tuner in the TV becomes almost completely redundant. As Dr
Zoidberg says, you'd only ever use it if you happened to be recording
channels from two different MUXs at once, and you wanted to watch a
third channel from a third MUX. I can't remember the last time that
happened to me.

Cheers,

Colin.

Alan

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Dec 5, 2007, 8:25:23 PM12/5/07
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In message <isael3h5qn584t1r7...@4ax.com>, Colin Stamp
<col.d...@stamp.plus.com> wrote


>The tuner in the TV becomes almost completely redundant. As Dr
>Zoidberg says, you'd only ever use it if you happened to be recording
>channels from two different MUXs at once, and you wanted to watch a
>third channel from a third MUX. I can't remember the last time that
>happened to me.

With some of the better twin tuner PVRs you can record two channels and
watch a third but maybe with some limitations.

If the two recordings are on different MUXs you can only watch a third
channel that is on the same MUXs as those being recorded.

--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

Roderick Stewart

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Dec 6, 2007, 4:44:25 AM12/6/07
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In article <isael3h5qn584t1r7...@4ax.com>, Colin Stamp
wrote:
> >Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?
>
> Any TV recorder without a tuner would be a real lame duck. It would
> have to monopolise the TVs tuner whenever it was recording and timer
> recordings would be a nightmare of trying to make sure the TV was
> turned on and tuned to the right channel at the appropriate time.

You wouldn't get an RGB signal doing it that way, which would lose a lot
of the available picture quality if it were a digital tuner in the TV
and you were recording it on a disk recorder. Luckily it's not the only
way.

My oldest disk recorder only has a built-in analogue tuner, but also has
an RGB SCART input, so I just leave a cheap Freeview box permanently
plugged to that input. An integrated tuner would be easier to set up for
recordings of course, but this arrangement is quite usable and picture
quality is excellent.

Rod.

Colin Stamp

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Dec 6, 2007, 4:12:28 PM12/6/07
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Yep, I'd agree that a extra box would be a far better solution if you
already have a recorder that doesn't have the right internal tuner,
but I thought the OP was considering buying a recorder without a
usable tuner in the hope that the TV tuner might do as a replacement.

Cheers,

Colin.

Lord Turkey Cough

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Dec 8, 2007, 6:33:51 PM12/8/07
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"Dot Net Developer" <dotnetd...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:b1ddc79c-7149-4ce2...@d4g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

> Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?
> Or is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
> flexibility?

No not one which could record anyway.

Why not just buy a hard drive? Most come without tuners.

"is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
flexibility"

No it is a contradiction.

Cup of tea, no sugar, with two sugars please.

Roderick Stewart

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Dec 9, 2007, 6:59:31 AM12/9/07
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In article <zRF6j.8858$zw....@newsfe3-win.ntli.net>, Lord Turkey Cough
wrote:

> > Is it possible to buy a hard drive based recorder without the tuner?
> > Or is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
> > flexibility?
>
> No not one which could record anyway.
>
> Why not just buy a hard drive? Most come without tuners.
>
> "is it normal to get one with perhaps a twin tuner for extra
> flexibility"
>
> No it is a contradiction.
>
> Cup of tea, no sugar, with two sugars please.

I don't understand which bit you think is a contradiction. The poster is
clearly asking if there is such a thing as a hard drive based video
recorder which does not include a tuner. I'm not aware of such a thing
on the domestic audiovisual market, but the concept is perfectly viable
so it seems a reasonable thing to ask. Most professional recording
machines are simply recording machines with audio and video inputs, and
it is only in the domestic market where it has become customary to
include a tuner as well.

Rod.

Harry

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Dec 10, 2007, 2:12:58 AM12/10/07
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