vcr clapped out - what next?

[windy1]

Can somebody offer a few ideas on what product I should consider to replace my old vcr recorder/player ?

I see:

Simple DVD players from £'s
DVD -R/-RW record and playback ££'s
DVD +R/RW record and playback - ££'s
DVD RAM ??
Personal Video Recorders with electronic programme guides for a obligatory monthly fee - not yet common but heralded as the coming thing? - £££'s

What do I want to do?

(1) time shift recording from the telly with far better quality and quicker programme access than the clunky video cassette.
(2) play video DVD's bought anywhere in the world
(3) play other people's DVD's
(4) use the box as an interface to hook up my laptop via its SVGA port to show my digipix on the old scart telly

If the PVR is going to allow me to skip the ads, b***er off for a cuppa then come back and continue viewing where I left off, then I will wait.

What I am leery of is incompatible formats DVD- and plus, regional code problems etc.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

windy1,

What is a VCR again??? I vaguely remember something about them, but I just cannot put my finger on what they are. I bought a Direct TiVo about a year ago, and it is the greatest thing going.

I have not used that thing I think you called it VCR in over a year now. All the old VCR is good for now is as a clock so you can see the time.

TiVo is at its best with a Digital Satellite Signal, since it does not need to compress and convert an analog signal, with DSS, the TiVo gets the original digital signal and records it with 0 loss of picture and sound, so you get full quality Digital Picture with AC-3 Dolby Digital Surround (if the original signal was in Surround).

Take Care,

Richard

[BRL]

Hi there. That big shop that everyone goes to, the price asda be right mind, are selling multi-region dvd players for less than £40.

Tie this in with sky+ and you are on to a winner. Sky+ lets you record easily without knowing how to programme(you just go to the tv guide, select what you want recording-one touch and it is done) and it goes onto a hard drive built in. It can store over 20 hours of stuff on there for you. That seems the best way.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

windy1,

Almost forgot. In the U.S. the Direct TiVos cost $79.99 which is nothing. The subscription is $5.00 a month. (And you get a second receiver in the unit so you can record two shows at the same time.) :ok:

Take Care,

Richard

[5milesbaby]

Agree with BRL on getting Sky+, its just such a fantastic tool for recording what you want easily, and many things can then be transferred to DVD (if you get a recorder) or VCR if you get a new one for pennies. If you watch lots of DVD's then I recommend getting a DVD multi-centre. For ££'s (aor if you go the whole hog £££'s) you get DVD, CD, MP3 and many more playbacks, full surround sound in 3 formats as well as Video/TV/AUX inputs to the surround speakers, and what a sound it is. Some boxes also have an inbuilt radio, therefore no need for a stereo in your living room, and sound that is out of this world. I bought a Nosy one and will never take it back unless it breaks.

[Evo]

When my VCR died recently, I got myself a Multi-region DVD player (about £50 from somewhere or other) and a Freeview box with built-in 80Gb hard disk (£100 from Dabs).

No monthly subscriptions, but still more TV than I have time to watch. With the HD, the Freeview box does that cool thing where recording is instant so you can pause live TV. And, unlike TiVo, it doesn't try to guess if you're a Nazi :)


After Mike Binder recorded a movie about a man whose wife becomes bisexual, his TiVo started recording large amounts of gay programming. Binder tried to set the TiVo straight, and recorded the Playboy Channel and MTV's spring break bikini coverage. It worked, but his wife was disturbed... Basil Iwanyk ... ran into a similar problem. He tried to persuade his TiVo that he was not gay by recording a large number of manly World War II documentaries and films. Now, apparently, the TiVo thinks he is a Nazi.


Although the coolest thing about TiVo is that it runs Linux and you can hack it.... :) :8

[spannersatcx]

If you want a DVD that will playing anything thrown at it, then have a look in currys, they are selling the apex ad1100 for £30, you can do a firmware upgrade (I'll send you the files if you want). If you want something a bit more sofisticated then have a search on the net and you can buy multi region dvd players, (already upgraded firmware) you need to be aware that some dvd players have a preferred dvd type either + or -. If you have a look at http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ and do a search of dvd players they have lots of feedback on them from consumers.

All I want for xmas is Sky+!

[SoftTop]

Just going through the pain of SKY+ just now.

Read all the good info on one of the forums about how to replace the HDD with a 250GB one - seems simple and seems to work according to reports. Increases the capacity from approx 20hrs to close on 140hrs. I'm going to wait until I am abit more comfortable with the concept before I start physically hacking it!

The down side is that (and they didn't tell me in the shop folks!) you need to have at least TWO of the premium channels on your subscription to get the "free" sky+ service. I had one already and it only cost me an extra five quid a month to upgrade. They also didn't tell me in the shop (b*****ds) that I would have to pay sixty quid to get the LNB ugraded to a double feed into the back of the box.

On the "up" side, Sky have an offer available on their website that save you fifty quid on the shop price, but it only runs until the 15 Nov.

Let's just say that I'm spitting blood, but, hey, it's for the kids!

Ok, ok, I'll calm down .... but next time I'll read more than the first frame of the web page and maybe get down to the bit where the financial pain lies.

ST

[BEagle]

My old DVD player died recently, (new laser needed after less than 2 years....), so I replaced it with the excellent Panasonic DMR-E55 DVD recorder (now around £180 from Dixons, I believe)....

(1) time shift recording from the telly with far better quality and quicker programme access than the clunky video cassette.

Definitely. Mine uses the RGB output from a Sony Sky digital receiver into AV2 which is also looped out via AV1 through to the RGB SCART on the TV.


(2) play video DVD's bought anywhere in the world

My dealer did the multi-region hack for free, it certainly plays Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs quite happily.

(3) play other people's DVD's

Probably - if they're 'finalized' DVD-R ones which your friends have recorded. DVD-R seems to becoming the emerging standard but there are a whole range of discs that it won't play. More expensive players probably would though.

(4) use the box as an interface to hook up my laptop via its SVGA port to show my digipix on the old scart telly

Pass - Can one use SVGA to a basic single video phono (usually yellow) plug? If so, then you could probably use the front panel AV3 input. I can certainly plug my digital still camera into the yellow AV3 input and transfer images from the camera to either a DVD-R or to a DVD-RAM. If your PC has a S-Video socket, you should be able to connect direct to the front panel AV3 S-Video in port though.

The DVD-RAM discs are rewritable but are only compatible with other DVD-RAM players; however your own non-rewritable DVD-R discs should play on other people's players once you've 'finalized' them on the 'disc management' menu.

You could also record from an NTSC TV if you wanted to, but you can't record from PAL and NTSC on the same disc.

I'm very pleased with it - it's the most basic model which Panasonic do, but is fine for what I want it for!

[wub]

I've just bought one of these:

http://www.archos.com/products/overview/av400_series.html

I use it in conjunction with Sky + and DVD player and it is really amazing.

It is a digital photo storage and viewing device, an MP3 Player, a portable video recorder (recording from Sky, DVD and video and it can control your Sky + to record when you are away.

Quite brilliant!

[willby]

Hi Beagle
Good to hear your positive review of the Panasonic DMR-E55 as I am contemplaiting purchasing one.
However, after hearing the price in Dixons which you suggest i.e. £180 I think I should hold off for a while as Dixons in Dublin are charging 400 euro which is approx £300!
Willby

[737TG]

Yes, forget SKY+

I have a Panasonic DVD with harddrive recorder and it responds to regular Sky "record" Commands. See it at http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/sound-and-vision/vision/dvd-players/202863/details

It is brilliant! I threw away my old VCR recorder...

Cheers,

[5milesbaby]

Softtop, where's that info on upgrading the memory of the Sky+ box? Quite interested in that :ok:

[BEagle]

Willby - it could be that the Irish version is more expensive because it is specific to the RoI. The DMR-E55EB is the UK model and has a tuner covering UHF Ch 21-68 plus an RF output converter also covering UHF Ch 21-68. However, the RoI model is the DMR-E55EBL which has a different tuner covering VHF Ch4-13 and A-J, plus UHF Ch 21-68 but no RF output converter. So you cannot play DVDs back through an RF connection with the Irish model, I guess....unless you connect an external RF modulator to the AV3 output on the back of the DVD recorder.

Regarding using Sky Personal Planner, the only problem with that is that you cannot record in RGB using it, you would only be able to record composite output. If you want to record RGB from Sky, you have to leave the satellite receiver switched ON (not just in standby) and on the right channel until the time of the programme you want the DVD recorder to record... The only way round this is to use some external timer to switch the Sky receiver from standby just before the programme you want to record. I use the (now sadly discontinued) Panasonic NJ-FJ710B VCR for that purpose because it has the brilliantly simple 'Intelligent Satellite Control' system which allows it to emulate a Sky remote control; a few moments before a timer-set programme is due it wakes up, brings the satellite receiver out of standby and onto the pre-programmed channel by firing an IR command, then starts the VCR. The Sky receiver just 'thinks' that the normal remote control has been used! So I use that to switch the Sky receiver on, then use the RGB output for recording on the DVD recorder. I just have to remember to put a tape in the VCR otherwise it'll stop everything when it comes to the end of the tape.

The RF loopthrough on the UK model is useful for piping DVD pictures through to a kitchen TV using an RF daisy chain - and before anyone asks, no, it doesn't inhibit Macrovision, so you can't make pirate copies of pre-recorded DVDs for your mates by taping the RF on a normal VCR - or second DVD recorder!

[willby]

Hi Beagle
Thanks for the update on the DMR E55. Yes that probably explains most of the price difference.
Regards
Willby

[SoftTop]

5MilesBaby

the link is

http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/forumdisplay.php?f=35&daysprune=-1&order=desc&sort=views

there are a couple of threads that apply, but there is one obviously dealing with the 250GB HDD.

Happy reading. I gave up after about an hour and still hadn't quite made it out of the August bit of the thread. :8

ST

[Front_Seat_Dreamer]

Have to agree with what has been said before about the Panasonic DMR-E55 I got one from Richer Sounds (always undercuts high street and the guys who work there know their stuff)

Amusingly I got this after a colleague from work who had bought one and then told us that she had this new fangled machine that could record TV and watch things whilst it was only half way through, then preceded to tell us that she could record things that were on when she was out but had forgotten to set machine. At this point we inundated her with requests for programs that had been on the night before, in fact we still do...

[5milesbaby]

Cheers Softtop, got some time on my hands....... :ok: