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"Digital TV Recorders"

(Wow look guys, it's a gadget thread! Whatever happened to our gadget forum anyway?)

We finally went digital and got rid of the VCR. Actually we did use to have a DVD Recorder but that broke a few years ago.

I always wanted Sky+ but we left Sky not long after they launched it. So we got ourselves a Digital TV Recorder from Argos today. Funny thing is they had an 80GB model for £79.99 and an 160GB model for £89.99. We went with the latter but it turns out that was £79.99 too. I feel bad for the people who went with the 80GB instead. (website has the correct price, just not the catalog).

Set it up straight away and gave the pause button a try. Works perfectly. I'm doing another test later and recording The Simpsons. This is great, now I can record all the shows and late night movies and watch the things I want to watch when I want to watch them. So I can be like the rest of you guys and not have to watch live TV ever again.

So the features are, pausing live TV, recording two channels at once, or watching one and recording another. Although I read something about a twin tuner? Whatever that is, which would let me record two channels and watch a third.

My mum will like the EPG thing and I'm sure I'll use the series link feature. (that's to record all the episodes of a series right?)

So yeah, good times ahead.

the next step is then to get the family to agree. I'm not so sure thats going to be easy, but i could try. I ask them tonight.

It's normally £99 online (£60 standard set-up fee) but phoning Sky up and telling them you want to switch can get it for about £60-£99 and no installation fee if you ask right. That's about the same as a recorder. Plus no subscription charge any more unless you don't have Sky already.

Sky HD is the expensive one, £199 for a standalone box and no subscription or £150 for existing subscribers with a £10 monthly subscription.

the problem with sky+ is the horrid price tag. I want it, but its far too expensive.

You can buy a seperate digital HD recorder and also some of the Freeview ones will let you record from external sources, but it's not really worth it as you won't have a planner to choose things ahead of their start times and it won't let you record 2 things at once from Sky.

The best bet is to either use a freeview one like Machie has, which will work through your normal ariel and in to your TV or, if you have Sky, get a Sky+ box, which is a one off fee and no subscription (if you already have Sky TV) or £10 a month if you just have Sky Freeview.

In fact, phone Sky up and tell them you're thinking of Freesat with a new recorder but you really want to stay with Sky and they'll give you a very good deal on a Sky+ box, usually giving you free installation (they need to add another cable to your dish to receive 2 channels at once).

I really do recommend Sky+ if you have a subscription to Sky already.

Freesat, which can use the Sky Satellite dish or it's own one, will have a digital recorder by the end of this year or early next year. This, to me, is the best option if you're not worried about the extra Sky channels. No monthly charge, just installation and the box AND it can show HD programmes (though at the moment it's annoyingly fiddly and involves pressing the red button rather than the Sky idea of having dedicated channels for HD).

I'm not sure about that :/ hopefully pb might know.

I was using it a lot last night, recorded two channels at once while watching the Simpsons that I recorded earlier. Then after that started to watch QI while it was still being taped. Usually I watch The Wright Stuff in the morning but I always wake up 10 minute into it, so today I taped it and watched it as it was recording which was great because I got to see the beginning of it and skip all the adverts.

So yeah I seriously recommend getting a TV recorder, especially if you want to get your moneys worth from the TV licence.

Yeah, i'm in dire need of a digital recorder. Theres a lot of stuff i want to record and watch. This includes anime (theres a massive list coming out this december and most of it is early morning), movies, shows that i don't have time to watch because i'm watching something else etc etc.

Does it only work with freeview or can i plug it into my tv (which has sky) and it'll record 2 things at once as if i had sky+?

I've started to record a few shows :) Family Guy on BBC3 and QI and Alan Partridge on Dave. You guys would like Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan is a funny guy.

Sky should really lower their prices and get people to buy their HD Sky+ boxes. Then when people have the boxes they'll find it easier to get them to sign up for their packages.

They're good. I've got Sky+ out of necessity.

1) My reception isn't good enough for decent terrestrial Digital.
2) The Sci-fi on Sky is better.

I'm actually waiting for either Freesat to get a digital recorder (it doesn't have one at the moment) or for Sky HD to go down before I change again.

I just saw a good deal with a Sky HD box in Tesco for £199 and no need for subscription. Sounds good.

Yes I can see that being a problem for me. :D Recording too much and not having the time to watch it.

I forgot to mention it also has PIP (picture in picture) which can be quite useful especially if you're watching the football. I can imagine GP switching between two sporting events. :) Does Sky+ have PIP?

We've had one for a year or so (don't watch enough telly to warrant Sky). They're great. Ours doesn't have the series link, unfortunately, but it does have atwin tuner. So we can record one channel while watching another. Or record two at once. Or even record two at once and watch something we've already recorded.

Its great for when Mrs YH wants to watching Strictly Come Dancing. She records it, waits til it's half an hour in and then plays catch up by whizzing through all of Bruce's jibber jabber.

Thing is, we found that we've recorded more than we've got time to watch. It gets very that looks good, let's record that. Oooh, and that. That film is supposed to be good too...