digital changeover

[fredjames]

I have just been changed over to digital tv signal,and also have sky,which Ihave always had.Ihave a dvd/video recorder.Before changeover I could record one and watch the other and visa versa.I have retuned the tv and have the digital channels but can't record like I used to.Their has been no other changes,(scart and aerial leads are the same).Can anyone help or is the recorder now no good for this set up.

[pirwany]

Have you phoned Digital UK on 08456 505050? I don't think you will be record a programme on the present VCR. We went digital in Devon in September and there have been problems. For example I live in a relay transmitter area and can't receive ITV3, ITV4 and many channels which people with main transmitter can get.

[fredjames]

Thanks pirwany, I haven't contact the digital people yet as we are still in transit until Nov 18th ( Anglesey N Wales) but i thought as I have 2 aerial sources it would have worked as before

[Buenchico]

For the following paragraph I'll ignore, for the moment, the fact that you've got Sky:

It seems that your DVD/Video Recorder only has an analogue tuner inside it, which used to feed its output to a DVD. That tuner is now redundant. The only way you can use your DVD recorder for recording Freeview is to feed a signal from your digital TV (or Freeview box, as appropriate), via a Scart lead, into the recorder. (i.e. you'll be replacing the recorder's useless analogue tuner with the digital one inside your TV or Freeview box). However that means that you'll only be able to record what you're watching.

Now I'll add Sky back into things:

If you've got a digital TV (rather than an analogue TV with a Freeview box), you still won't be able to record one signal while watching the other. However if you've got a Freeview box (with either an analogue or digital TV), you could feed the Sky signal to the TV (as if your recorder and Freeview box didn't exist). But you could then use the Freeview box to feed a signal, via a Scart cable, to your recorder. You'd then be able to watch Sky while recording Freeview.

Any attempt to use your recorder (as in either method above) requires that you must set the recorder to record from 'AV', rather than from any numbered channel. (Some recorders might label 'AV' as 'Ext', 'Aux', 'Line', 'Line In' or similar).

Chris

[fredjames]

thanks Chris I have already got scart leads connected and tried using AVs but no good. As I said earlier nothing was changed only terrestrial to digital and the TV was digitial ready
john

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the reply.

Most digital TVs will let you feed the output from their tuner to another device but probably not all of them. (i.e. the Scart socket on your TV set seems to only work one way round. It lets you feed a signal into the TV but doesn't let you feed one out). Unless there's another way of taking a signal from the TV's tuner (such as phono sockets labelled 'Signal Out or similar), you won't be able to record from Freeview unless you buy a Freeview box (to provide you with an additional tuner) or (far easier but more expensive) invest in a new recording device which has its own Freeview tuner built into it.

Chris

[fredjames]

Thanks Chris I think I wil wait until the changeover is complete then ring Digital UK . I think this is another rip off making people buy new equipment.I pity the people who can't afford to do this.
john

[theshedman]

Hi, The way I have done it is to connect either the Freeview box to the Video In then the Out to the TV and record through that while watching TV through the Sky box or Visa versa. You do have to set the Freeview box or Sky box on to the channel you want to record through and set the Video to the channel you watch either Sky or Freeview through whichever one you connect to the Video. You can't do it the old way of setting your Video to record from say BBC1 or ITV, it all has to be done through the box you want to record from. And they call this progress lol.

[fredjames]

Thanks all for your help.I rang Pioneer,the recorder maker,they told me the unit is only analog and would need a freeview box todo what I wanted.I then rang Digital Changeover and they didn't want to know.As I had paid my £40 and the engineer had connected the box to another TV of my chioce I was only allowed one visit and it was not fault within the follow up period.Looks like sorting it myself.