VHS (or DVD/VHS combi's) with MPEG4 tuners

Mike 1972

Are there any on the market yet ?

watty

No.
There won't be.

VHS is dead.

The DVD recorder market peaked with Analogue tuner models and was never good. DVD/VHS combo market is tiny.

The big market share is PVRs. HDD. Higher end models will have DVD/BD players and top end models (Currently €1000 approx likely to head toward €250) have HDD and BD /DVD recording.

HD is definately here. By 2013 it's likely RTE, TG4 and TV3 will be in HD.

The DVD/VHS combo is niche short term product, mostly rubbish and now obsolete.

I have my S-VHS, bought over 6 years ago and hardly used. It's like new. I have still 18 unused blank S-VHS tapes.

I recently repaired by Beond 1300 DVD Recorder. (Bought as a DVD player in Dunnes, rebranded as Plustron and less than 1/2 price originally on German market as it's Analogue tuner only). I've never used its tuner. I have used SCART in a couple of years ago maybe now off Sky box. But we don't subscribe Sky now, if we did we would have a Sky HD.

Any MPEG4 tuner VHS ever on market will be niche market akin to record Decks or Cassette players with poor built in USB audio capture. (Hi-Fi + Line in on PC is better). I doubt we will see them.

For now things like Humax Foxsat HD PVR (or Freeview HD version) or SkyHD are best value. Early adopters can go for Panasonic Freesat HD (or Freeview HD) PVR "combi" with built in DVD/BluRay player/Recorder.

In regards Saorview or Saorsat my recommendation regarding Recording and combi etc is to wait at least May 2011, or Public Launch of Irish DTT + Saorview + Saorsat + 2nd PSB mux. Which ever of these is last event.

Mike 1972

watty wrote: »

VHS is dead.

You should tell my local Tesco/Asda they still sell VHS tapes

watty wrote: »

The big market share is PVRs. HDD. ....The DVD/VHS combo is niche short term product, mostly rubbish and now obsolete.

PVR's not much good for archiving (unless they have external USB or SATA connections) or for watching ones stack of old VHS tapes ? Anyway the thing isint for me. Its for a family member who has doesnt have much interest/knowledge in cutting edge technology wants a nice simple timeshifting/archiving solution which wont cost too much (non contributary pensioner) or become obsolete in 2012. They just want to be able to record old films off late night TV like theyve always (well since 1994 anyway) been able to.

watty wrote: »

I have my S-VHS, bought over 6 years ago and hardly used. It's like new. I have still 18 unused blank S-VHS tapes. .

How much do you want for the lot :pac:

zilog_jones

watty wrote: »

Any MPEG4 tuner VHS ever on market will be niche market akin to record Decks or Cassette players with poor built in USB audio capture.

The problem with these is more that the turntable or cassette playing hardware is cheap junk rather than the ADC and USB stuff in them (which can at least be competent). This is also the problem with modern VCRs - the tape transport is cheap and nasty and they just cannot provide the performance or reliability of decent VHS decks from around 2000.

If you need to play VHS tapes get a decent old high-end S-VHS deck, preferably JVC or Panasonic (Sony, Mitsubishi and Philips also made some good ones in their time but are less common).

EDIT: Just saw your reply, no point in wasting a good S-VHS VCR for regular use, any old 2-head thing in good working order will do. What happened to their old VCR? Maybe the heads just need cleaning (I mean properly - cleaning cassettes are useless) or some other easy fix?

watty

Mike 1972 wrote: »

PVR's not much good for archiving (unless they have external USB or SATA connections) or for watching ones stack of old VHS tapes ? Anyway the thing isint for me. Its for a family member who has doesnt have much interest/knowledge in cutting edge technology wants a nice simple timeshifting/archiving solution which wont cost too much (non contributary pensioner) or become obsolete in 2012. They just want to be able to record old films off late night TV like theyve always (well since 1994 anyway) been able to.

Yes. most people though don't Archive. They time shift.

At the minute to Archive you need a €1000 PVR with disc writer for Archive (easier than VHS to use) or wait for price to drop.

Or add PC/Laptop with DVD writer via ethernet to PVR, or PVR with USB drive and archive via laptop DVD writer.

You won't get S-VHS tapes in Tesco. Difference is astounding on a good S-VHS recorder

Some branches of Dunnes still have the Plustron DVD recorder/Player (€89) and you can connect via SCART to suitable Saorview compatible Setbox. Easy to use and even on the 2hr less than HQ setting beats S-VHS quality.

Of course you can buy most old movies as cheap as €2 to €5 on DVD. Or box set of 4 or 5 for under €10

Mike 1972

watty wrote: »

At the minute to Archive you need a €1000 PVR with disc writer for Archive (easier than VHS to use) or wait for price to drop.

Mine cost me £200. I knew things were generally more expensive in the Republic but :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

watty

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Mine cost me £200. I knew things were generally more expensive in the Republic but :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

That has HD digital Tuner, PVR - HDD and Bluray/DVD player/writer?

Or what

lawhec

There's only been one combined VCR/DTT Freeview receiver that I know sold/promoted in the UK a number of years back by Daewoo, contained Setpal software. Didn't contain an analogue tuner. Never really supported that well, Setpal went out of business and IIRC the tuner failed the split NIT change.

Have myself a LiteOn DVD/HD recorder bought in 2006, analogue tuner only but a nice bit of kit. Mainly used for watching DVDs and archiving recordings.

Never seen one sold in Ireland or Britain, but I'm told in France there are DVB-T set top boxes available that have twin tuners which output to separate SCARTs i.e. the second SCART to be connected to VHS or DVD recorder to allow recording to device while watching another at the same time. A little surprised no one has thought of bringing it in to the UK market.

VHS is still hanging on in there, but really these days mainly for timeshifting (my aunt in New South Wales still does this, if only because programmes on commercial FTA television in Australia get interrupted by about 5 mins of ads every ten minutes, if you're from Ireland and not used to it from watching RTÉ, ITV, Channel 4, TV3 etc. it'll drive you up the wall and make a movie near impossible to watch). The main problem myself and others found with DVD recorders is that recordable DVD media is very sensitive to being handled - a VHS tape can easily take more abuse whereas if a recordable DVD isn't in the recorder it should be in its case at all times, which many people don't bother doing. HD recorders, wherever stand alone or PVRs like Sky+ or Freeview+ provides the same quality as the broadcast and is easy to set up. Main problems are related to software implementation ("forgetting" series link schedules for example) rather than anything hardware. So for now, PVR's it is.

Mike 1972

Niether me or the person I am querying on behalf of wants HD or Bluray

They just want to be able to watch their old VHS tapes (and maybe transfer them onto DVD) timeshift and archive old films without their equipment losing functionality post 2012 with the minimum of expense (NC-OAP's) boxes, cabling, remotes clutter or complexity like they have been able to up until recently.

They arent interested in PC/Laptop solutions since they have never even owned/used a computer (yes people like that do exist :eek: ) and see no reason to start now just in order to experience something theyve been getting perfectly adequetly for years.

Quite frankly a standalone VHS machine with longplay would do as they already have an analouge DVD/HDD recorder but since the only thing on the market now are combo units an MPEG4 capable version would seem to be the best solution.

I know a degree of scepticsm towards the latest cutting edge, gee whizz, 27-remotes-on-your-living-room-table, obsolete-in-six-months, disposable technology is reqarded as herasy in many quarters but sometimes less really is more.

watty

I can't see an HD tuner MPEG4 VHS getting released.

They need at minimum an Saorview DTT setbox and SCART cable to VHS. Saorview has HD as minimum spec. It's downsampled to SD TV on SCART. RTE will be increasingly HD.

Because Saorview or Saorsat PVR with Disc Archive records the live signal "as -is" no resampling you do need a PVR with BD recorder.

Easier to work than VHS. Pick program to record from guide on TV.
later pick recording you want to "save" on disc and press OK with blank disk.

It will all playback on a non-HD TV via SCART.

Yes there are people using standards converters and Freeview boxes to watch Freeview on 405 TVs. There are people listening to DAB and Satellite Radio on AM radios via a setbox and cabled modulator. Insisting on using VHS with Saorview, isn't impossible. Dedicate an EXTRA set box (must be Saorview, i.e. HD MPEG4 + AAC audio) to the SCART of the VHS. But Analogue isn't getting turned off for another two years.

Simply picking the programs up to a week ahead, or live and recording them with no disc or tape, then picking ones to save to disc is simpler and will be cheap enough in 12 months, a good while before analogue closes.

lawhec

Just did a google to see if any DVB-T receivers with VHS existed. VHS/DTT machines on their own don't seem to exist much, but you can get Recordable DVD/VHS/DTT all-in ones and even Recordable DVD/VHS/HD/DTT receivers. Toshiba and Panasonic appear to be the two main manufacturers, Funai of Japan also have an offering too.

Panasonic DMR-EZ48 - Recordable DVD, VHS playback, DVB-T Tuner.

Panasonic DMR-EZ49V - Recordable DVD, VHS record & Freeview receiver.

Panasonic DMR-EX99V - Recordable DVD, VHS record, 250GB HDD & Freeview+

Toshiba RD XV50KF - DVD Recorder, VHS, 160GB HDD & DVB-T Tuner

Toshiba RD XV60KB - DVD Recorder, VHS Recorder, 320GB HDD & Freeview+

Funai WD6D-D4413DB - DVD Recorder, VHS playback, DVB-T tuner

It appears that all these six products don't have MPEG4 video decoding or AAC sound capability for its DVB-T receiver, so won't work for Saorview.

The last Panny and Tosh models look like nice beasts to have if you can splash out on them, but I can wait for a model compatible with Freeview HD.

Bob Z

What about getting a freeview box? you could use that to attach to the video recorder via the aerial or scart lead

Mike 1972

Bob Z wrote: »

What about getting a freeview box? you could use that to attach to the video recorder via the aerial or scart lead

Its a possibility but it means another box/remote/cabling to clutter/complicate everything

plus it necessitates a third scart socket on the recorders/tv since they already have freesat

Bob Z

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Its a possibility but it means another box/remote/cabling to clutter/complicate everything

plus it necessitates a third scart socket on the recorders/tv since they already have freesat

It will ne more clutter but what else can you do? unless you get your friend to learn to use a dvd recorder?