Question about a Panasonic-DMR and recording stuff

Lord TSC

So, at the moment I have a DVD recorder in my bedroom. The way my house is set up, whatever is on the Sky box downstairs is shown on my TV upstairs (years ago, an uncle set this up for us, and I have no clue how really. I've tried to figure it out but I don't have a clue how he did it. All I know is that when someone turns a channel on the Sky box downstairs, that's the channel I can watch on my TV upstairs via the aerial). Pre the whole Soarview stuff a few months back, I got all the normal channels up there as well, but since I don't have the freeview box upstairs, I rely on the Sky box to watch stuff (and it also helps that with the Sky box, I get all the channels I am subscribed to upstairs as well).

My recorder is currently hooked up via the aeriel and a scart cable, but it's broken now and am looking for an alternative. I'm looking at the Panasonic DMR-HW100 as seen >>here<<.

Reading >>reviews<<, it says the box has no scart hook up, which has me worried. I could be making a fool of myself here, but I wanted to ask before I shelled out for the new recorder...

Will hooking the box up via the aerial and using the HDMI output affect my ability to watch the channel signal coming from downstairs? I don't see why it would but I don't know that much about these things, and I don't want to waste money to find out I can't record the things I want to because I've mucked up my signal. Also, the whole bit about how it can tune in channels itself so I can get the freeview channels....would that affect my ability to retain the analog signal from downstairs? Again I say, I like having the Sky premium channels available to watch upstairs.

Or am I being a n00b here and it won't affect anything whatsoever? Primarily, I use my current recorder to record shows on Sky overnight and watch them the following morning, and if I lost that ability, it would be a disaster purchase, so wanted to confirm that it was ok to buy it first...

tmull

Teamshadowclan, Most likely your Sly signals in your bedroomare out of the RF output from your Sly box to the aerial input of your tv. If you are recording Sly programmes on your present recorder it is likely to be connected to the Sly box by scart lead.You are now faced with the problem I faced about twelve months ago when my trusty Sony recorder packed up.Most modern recorders now come with limited AV outputs and no AV inputs.This has come about because the big media Co.s in the USA put pressure on the major outfits making recorders to limit the recording capabilities of their machines.In a word,they do not want you to be able to make a copy of their media that you can share with your buddys or family. Samsung,Sony,and Thosiba now have no AV inputs on most of their machines but Panasonic dont seem to have given in to their pressure yet. Unfortunately they have dropped inputs from the bottom of their range of boxes but still have them on the more expensive range .I dont believe that this will last much longer as their 2013 should be released in about May and there is a chance that as a cost cutting measure av inputs may be missing. My advice to you is ring that shop you put in your link above and ask to speak to Jean.She is an expert on Panny products. Explain to her what you want the box to do and see what she recommends TMULL

Peter Rhea

That Panasonic recorder can only record from its own digital terrestrial tuners. The amount of channels available will depend on whether you have UK terrestrial reception (Freeview), as well as Saorview.

There would be no problems with keeping the RF signal from the Sky box available to the bedroom tv, but you need a recorder with an analogue tuner to record from the Sky RF output.

Ronnie Raygun

Peter Rhea wrote: »

... you need a recorder with an analogue tuner to record from the Sky RF output.

Or at least have a scart input that could make the channel selected on the tv's analogue tuner available for recording, but such a machine would more than likely have its own analogue tuner anyway.

Lord TSC

Peter Rhea wrote: »

That Panasonic recorder can only record from its own digital terrestrial tuners. The amount of channels available will depend on whether you have UK terrestrial reception (Freeview), as well as Saorview.

**** **** ****

If that's true, then it's not what I want at all...

Peter Rhea

If you don't want Sky+, you will only be able to record subscription channels if you have a recorder that can use an analogue scart or RF signal.

Receivers with recording/timeshifting ability are available with either satellite or terrestrial tuners, or a combination of both. All of these use digital storage media, either internal HDD or external device connected via USB.

Lord TSC

So for instance, would this one be able to record what i want, given there's a scart option?

>>LG RHT599H<<

Peter Rhea

Yes, that LG machine will record from scart (AV2) input & also has an analogue tuner, so will record the Sky box RF signal.

I'd doubt it can decode the Saorview signal: most likely it will only be capable of handling Freeview standard definition, so the inbuilt digital tuner won't be much use.