Digital TV/Freeview recording to DVD

[Francis Asis]

Hi
My mum and dad have a digital TV through which they recieve freeview. They also have a DVD recorder. They would like to be able to record digital TV channels. However, they are unable to programme the channel numbers in to the recorder.
Is there something they are supposed to do other than the usual?
Thanks in advance

[MartyW]

Analogue channels on a television each have their own channel, for e.g. BBC One is 1, ITV is 3, etc. However, digital channels all come through as one 'interactive' channel in which you watch all the freeview channels. The digital channels are effectively coming through as one AV channel.
So you can't record one digital program whilst watching another.
Though you can record the freeview program, and whilst recording, switch to terrestrial to watch something else. Note that analogue will be switched off nationwide in the near future.

There are devices that can record a digital channel whilst watching another, Sky+ boxes for instance, are the digital reciever *and* recorder.

[Panic Button]

If the DVD recorder does not have a digital tuner, I think they will have to get a set top digibox, to record anything other than the 5 terrestrial channels.

However I guess it is worth reading the TV handbook, as perhaps there is a way to take a feed from that to the recorder.

[john91]

On mine the scart 'out' on the digital TV is connected to the scart 'in' on the DVD recorder, you can then record the digital channels, but as both previous answers point out, you can only record the digital channel your watching, so you will need to watch analogue or get a set top box.

[Francis Asis]

Thank you all for your replies, however I don't think I made it clear what I want.
They don't want to record a program while watching another - they just want to record a programme. How do you tell the recorder to record a digital channel?
Thanks

[john91]

You need to feed your recorder with a digital program signal, and you'll only get this from the digital TV scart 'out' socket, with the TV set to the channel you want, or as Panic Button says, a set top box, in either case you'll have to select the correct signal source on your recorder.

[Francis Asis]

OK. Sorry if I'm being slow here.

so I need to have a scart lead coming OUT of the TV and IN to the recorder. I set the TV to the channel i want. And that should do it? Don't I have to set a channel number in the recorder?

[john91]

No, the channel numbers are for analogue, on your recorder there should be a number of different inputs, ie different sockets on the back, coaxial aerial for analogue, 1 or 2 scart sockets, phono sockets for component video and perhaps a S video one, on your handset there will be a button to select which one you want to use, on mine its called 'source' so just scroll through until you find the one you want, probably be AV1 or AV2, try it out with a RW disc.

[Francis Asis]

Thanks, that makes sense. i will pop over there and try it and let you know.
So when they record BBC1 they are actually recording analog TV? Is that right?

[Francis Asis]

Hi John91. I'm back from my mums and still having no luck.
there is a scart lead coming OUT of the TV and IN to the recorder as you said. But when I press the SOURCE button it goes to EXT2, black screen and says NO SIGNAL. Is there a setting somewhere I should switch on?

[john91]

Which source are you selecting? there's one on both the TV and the recorder, its the recorder one you want.

[Francis Asis]

Oohhhhh, I was using the one on the telly.
I'll try again tomorrow.
Thank you