Sky+ alternative

[Matt Timson]

I'm currently shelling out 40 quid per monthh to worry about whether or not rewinding the last five minutes of BBC2 will totally cock up my recording of the adult channel at the same time.  I've reset my Sky box quite a few times now (like a good customer) and, whereas it always works correctly afterwards for varying amounts of time, I feel like I can't do anything that might upset the slumbering beast in case it decides not to record Battlestar Galactica for me.

My question is this:

Seeing as how I only ever really use it to record and play stuff back, but don't like wading through multiple tapes to find a) a blank one to record something that's going to be starting in the next twenty seconds, or b) the correct one that has the Doctor Who I recorded three weeks previously on it, what digital/DVD/whatever kit can I buy that will allow me to record in much the same way that Sky+ does, but with the added bonus of it not deleting ten hours of TV, that I've yet to watch, whenever it feels like it?

Long, rambling question made short:

What can I replace Sky+ with that isn't VHS based?

[Wake]

I want to buy a DVD recorder with internal hard drive which I think should do what you want.

I'd like to know which are the best ones to go for, but this Liteon 5026 seems pretty good at around ?200.

Cheers,

Wake

Link: http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/dvd-recorders/lite-on-lvw5026.asp" target="_blank">Lite-On LVW5026

[Noisybast]

Not Telewest's Teleport package.
The actual record/playback bit's OK, but the picture quality is cack. Very blocky & pixelated. I get it for free, but there's no way on Grud's green earth I'd pay for the bloody thing.

I'd go for some sort of record-to-the-computer based option myself. But then I don't know too much about Macs. I assume there'll be a way of doing it, though. I'll have a nose on some forums...

[Dan Kelly]

There's the elgato eye-tv for Mac which gets pretty good reviews.  Not used one myself tho'

Link: http://www.elgato.com/" target="_blank">Elgato

[Banners]

Teleport seems very good to me, especially for free, both in terms of picture and features. The only negative is the hit-n-miss nature of what they make available. A couple of times I deliberately missed something 'live', expecting it to be on Teleport for later viewing, but it hasn't been.

M@

[Matt Timson]

Cheers- I don't really want anything Mac based though as Mrs Jeb will automatically assume that I'm being fivolous.  So far, I quite like the look of the DVD recorder and internal HD- which is pretty much what my sky+ does (sorry- supposed to to do).

Basically, apart from having to shell out 200 quid, I can watch all the channels I'm watching now for about ?25 a month less and still be able to do all the things I'm supposed to be able to do with Sky+.  Got to be worth it, surely?

[paulvonscott]

While were here does anyone know a good way to transfer VHS tape to dvd?  I have loads of old TV shows recorded (e.g. original Max Headroom and Orcadia) and the odd hard to get movie, but want to get rid of the last third of my VHS tapes (and thats still a lot).

There was some gizmo in the radio times, but that cost ?200.

[I, Cosh]

Paul,

there was a pretty useful introduction to this in the Guardian a few weeks ago. Here's a link to the online version:

Link: http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,1667340,00.html" target="_blank">Converting VHS to DVD

[philt]

That Guardian article? Talk about making a mountain out of a pimple...

Attach your VHS recorder to a DVD recorder of your choice (the Panasonic DMRES20D-MR) using a SCART cable, press play on the VCR, record on the DVD recorder and hey presto.

The only time this may not work is if you are transferring pre-recorded tapes (from about post 1985) as they are encoded with macrovision anti-copy protection. of course there are any number of "copy enhancers" (ahem) available that will get round this.  

The thing about the Panasonic recorders that is handy is the timeslip function which means you  can delay watch the programme you are recording - the key advantage of DVD RAM.

If you wanna jettison Sky altogether then there are some Freeview equivalents which have pretty much the same functionality as the Sky Plus - for example the Humax PVR9200T which is about ?210 (and it has 160gb storage)

As for an alternative that works with Sky? Some hope they have you by the balls. To record one Sky channel while watching another youd need two Sky boxes, twin subscriptions etc and you can't get a bastarding digital signal out for Dolby digital amps as these boxes don't support it (even though they were designed to)

I've read in the ERT that one of the Cable companies will be introducing a Sky Plus basher shortly with three tuners (so you can record two things at once while watching another). Of course this pales into what Sony have planned. They are going to introduce a device that will allow you to select 8 TV channels to record at once. Not that impressive until you realise that this device will then record EVERYTHING on these 8 Channels for an entire week

Er "flip"

[pauljholden]

Don't think it'll work out as well as you're hoping. The SKY+ allows you to record one channel while watching another and it integrates with the sky electronic programming guide (EPG) so it'll automatically turn it to the correct Sky channel to record your show, with the DVD/HD thingie you'll need to program your EPG to auto-tune to the show and you'll need to program your DVD/HD thingie to record the show as well, and while you're doing that you'll not be able to do anything else.

I have a Miglia (Mac electronic tv thingie) and a tvtv.co.uk account and its great.

- pj

[Art]

Has Windows Mediacenter arrived in the UK at all?

[Wake]

I have NTL cable and I can only program it to auto-tune for stuff on the same day. The main reason I want one is so I can watch stuff that starts before the children are settled, or I can pause during interruptions. At the moment I have to put in a VHS tape and wait until the program is over before I can start watching it, which is usually too late at night so it has to wait for another day, or more likely another month before I get around to watching it.

Cheers,

Wake

[Noisybast]

"Teleport seems very good to me, especially for free, both in terms of picture and features. The only negative is the hit-n-miss nature of what they make available."

The new boxes have a hard drive, so you can record whatever you want. The picture quality's still shit, though...

[Matt Timson]

Gaaaahhh!  There's never any good news is there?!?  Looks like I'm stuck with sodding Sky+ for the foreseeable then...

Thanks for the input, all.

>:(

[Banners]

Has Windows Mediacenter arrived in the UK at all?

What is this Witchcraft you speak of? We're all still using slate and chalk over here and in bed by half-a-candle, for that is when the trolls come.

M@