Sky+ vs DVD Recorder
 

Not quite computing or internet, but I hope that I might get some feedback to the following..

I had been considering purchasing a Panasonic DMR-85 hard disk DVD recorder to hook up to my television. Mainly to record and view later off the hard disk, but with the capability if putting some stuff onto DVD, both from recorded TV programmes, and, perhaps from camcorder.

Yesterday, I was given a Christmas present of a Sky+ box- (I already subscribe to the full Sky programmes). I could return the Sky+ box to Argos, from where it was purchased, and put the money to buy the Panasonic, or go ahead and install and use the Sky+ box. Or buy the Panasonic, and keep the Sky+ box?

Would anybody like to enlighten me with their own experiences?

Thanks in advance.

We've had a Sky+ box for best part of a year now, we are not huge TV watchers, but it has totally changed the way we watch the box.

Every few days we have a flick through the Sky on screen guide, tag the programmes we want to watch, press the one record button and that's it. You have always got some viewing when you want it... and if you are watching something live and the phone goes, you live pause the programme and start it up again when you are ready. Also, the series link, wonderful, set it on a programme and it will record all future episodes.

It's bl**dy excellent and I got all the gizmo's so am not easily impressed..!

A job for the new year is to see if I can hook up a DVD recorder to the Sky+ box so I can write disks of stuff I want to long term store, as the current Sky+ box only holds about 20 hours... which is fine for short term storage buy you don't want to eat up too much of that with long term storage... :ok:

Have a look at this forum, you may find the answers you are looking for digitalspy forums :ok:

I have a Panasonic DMR-E85H dvd recorder and it is superb. It also responds to the personal planner in the Sky regular box so I don't have to set the timer.

It dubs recorded programs onto blank dvd's - Sky+ doesn't do this as far as I know...

Cheers!

I have had a SKY + box for about 2 years now and doubt that I could easily go back to life without it.
As has been mentioned it totally changes the way that you watch TV the only problem is that the SKY planner is only a week in advance.

The box I have is version 1 so only had a 40Gb hard drive in it, which gave approx 20 hrs of recorded TV, I installed an 80Gb drive in it and have had no problems with it at all and doubled the recordable capacity for the sum of approx £40.
Given that your box is relatively new this might not be something that you want to do while its still under warranty but I know that you can upgrade the later versions to 120Gb drives an perhaps higher so it maybe worth looking at.