DVD Question

Hi,

I've tried googling this, and I think I get an answer but it's not clear.

I have a TV with an inbuilt Digital tuner. I want to get a DVD recorder (I have no stand alone VHS recorder) which has a single tuner. I have one ariel connection. Can I watch one channel and record another? I think the answer is yes - you plug the ariel in to the TV and the recorder in to the TV too (by HDMI for me, or I can do normal scart). The tuner on the recorder will be able to use the signal from the ariel at the same time as the TV tuner does, so you will be able to record on one channel and watch another.

Is that right? Or do I need to have two ariel sockets - one going in to the TV and one in to the Recorder?

Thanks for any help.

If have don't really know whether you can record one channel and watch another (though I think you can) but I would always use SCART or such to connect player/recorder and TV. Using arial connection somehow defies the purpose of DVD/blue ray and HDTV.

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REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS

the simplest way would be to always record from the DVD recorder's own tuner, and watch something else through the TV's tuner.

the aerial will come from the wall and go into the recorder's aerial IN socket, to provide its tuner with the signal. then you would use another piece of aerial wire and connect it to the recorder's aerial OUT socket, and put the other end into the TV's aerial IN socket, providing its tuner with aerial signal.

then you go through the EPG of the recorder and set it to record whatever you want to record. then switch the TV to its own tuner and watch a different channel.

you only need 1 aerial socket coming out of the wall, but you make a serial connection using 2 bits of aerial wire, to connect the recorder and TV together.

the HDMI lead will connect the recorder to the TV, but you still need the aerial wire between the recorder and TV, if the recorder is connected directly to the wall aerial connector.

so it would be like this:

wall aerial > aerial wire 1 > recorder aerial IN
recorder aerial OUT > aerial wire 2 > TV aerial in
recorder > HDMI lead > TV

as far as i know, the HDMI lead will not transfer the aerial signal for freeview, so you need the 2 pieces of aerial wire to take that signal from the wall to the recorder, then from the recorder to the TV, thus supplying both tuners in your system.

you could put a y-splitter on the wall aerial socket and supply the TV and recorder separately, but to my knowledge, this will literally "split" the signal and provide both devices with poor strength/quality signal. the first method i suggested doesn't split the signal, it takes it serially through both devices, so in theory shouldn't lose any strength or quality. 100% goes into the recorder, then maybe 90% comes out and goes to the TV. using a y-splitter, you'd provide both tuners with only 50% at best. both tuners will have some sort of signal boost technology, but you'd be better off providing them with the best possible signal from the source.

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RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2010 10:09PM by Muks_C.

Thanks Muks, that's helpful.

I'd also make sure that any DVD Recorder you buy has Freeview with it. Bit pointless getting one without Freeview these days.

true. i have a Panasonic DVD recorder with 250GB harddisc and freeview tuner, bought about 3 years ago and it's great. it just does away with the need to buy a separate freeview box, saving you that space in your tv cabinet or shelf with the other units you might have.

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RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael