Simple Frreview PVR

"Peter Chant" wrote in message
...
J G Miller wrote:

Is it not even easier to go to an EPG and to "tick" the programs you want
to record?

Perhaps - perhaps not.

It would be easier to stick with analog but I don't think the government
takes this view.

What's the Government got to do with the demise of video tape recording?

It is perfectly possible for the industry to offer a tape recorder for
digital TV, it is a commercial decision that makes this unavailable, not
government action

tim

On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:02:22 +0100, Peter Chant wrote:

It would be easier to stick with analog but I don't think the
government takes this view.

And neither do I.

Recording digital television sources is far easier and less prone to
degredation of the material during the recording or afterwards than
with analog.

"Peter Chant" wrote in message
...
Max Demian wrote:

Do you mean with a DVD recorder? That's not going to be very "simple" to
use, and none of them have twin tuners. The *simplest* way to replace a
VCR is with a DVD recorder with Freeview but without HDD.

The attraction of having the hard drive is it avoids replacing the
"where's
the tape" arguments with the "wheres the disk" argument.

But I think a 'pure' PVR (such as the Humax PVR-9150T) with twin tuners
would be a lot more useful and easy to use, as it can cope with the
multiple schedule clashes you get with the many Freeview channels.

And a cheap, separate DVD player if required.

Thank you. Good information. I was trying to avoid too many boxes.
They've got a new tv to avoid having to have an additional box. As they
have no DVD player and watch the odd DVD they do have on the PC (not
conveinient) I was trying to solve that one.

I'm wondering, although dearer (must shop around) whether the PVR-9300T
might be a better bet as it seems silly to use scart except for legacy kit
on an HDMI tv - even for standard definition. Thoughts?

The HDMI upscaling on the 9300 is considered to be not very good. The TV
will do the upscaling OK on the SCART connection.

The main advantage of the 9300 is the extra HDD space and all the extra
connections - neither useful to your parents I would have thought.

--
Max Demian

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Peter Chant
saying something like:

I'm wondering, although dearer (must shop around) whether the PVR-9300T
might be a better bet as it seems silly to use scart except for legacy kit
on an HDMI tv - even for standard definition. Thoughts?

It depends.
I'm surprised at how much better SD Sky is over scart-rgb that it ever
was on my old telly. This is on a Samsung 720p set which upscales in a
lovely fashion.

On 16/04/2010 19:59, J G Miller wrote:

Recording digital television sources is far easier and less prone to
degredation of the material during the recording or afterwards than
with analog.

Yeah you may say that, but with some, recording digital television
sources is far more prone to user error with regard to accidental
deletion and finger trouble.

Some of these VCR users get on very easily with setting recordings on
their machines. I've seen it ...

Step 1. Insert 4 hour tape
Step 2. Change VCR Channel
Step 3. Wait until 8pm
Step 4. Press Record/Play
Step 5. Go down club.

And I don't blame them. When the recording has finished, the tape can be
ejected and kept in a safe place for replay later. The programmes are
not lost in a maze of video game adventure graphics that require the
skills of bomber command to navigate through.

Some of the GUI interfaces of PVRs and television sets really need some
work with some so muddled between different modes of installation &
configuration, favourites, personal settings and control.

--
Adrian C

On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:40:46 +0100, Adrian C wrote:

Some of the GUI interfaces of PVRs and television sets really need some
work with some so muddled between different modes of installation &
configuration, favourites, personal settings and control.

No argument there -- some interfaces are quite good and user friendly,
others are just horrific, and the designers have obviously never had
any [or effective] training in GUI design.

Basically, a modern TV / PVR offers many choices of action (compared
to an old analog TV of push button 1,2,3,4 or press the record button)
and it is how these choices are presented to the user in an inuitive
sequence or not, via the decision steps of the menus, is crucial as to
whether or not using the device is user friendly or an excercise
in futility.

In message , Peter Chant
wrote
Norman Wells wrote:

I'm inclined to say if they can use a VCR they'll be able to handle any
digital recorder. If they can't, though, the best solution is to have
another child. In 6 years time, he'll be able to do all that for them,
and will probably give them 10 good years of continuous use.

Two points:

1. They can use a VCR as far as changing channels, hitting record and
play. Don't think they've ever programmed the timer.

2. Since I popped out nearly 39 years ago I think they'd make the medical
press if they had another one!


"Which?" under the guise of Ricability have some recommendations on PVRs
based on ease of use (geared towards older users)
http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk/about-us.htm

If you are more comfortable with less than intuitive interfaces then
this sites recommendations may not suit your own needs for the features
you may require.
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Alan wrote:


"Which?" under the guise of Ricability have some recommendations on PVRs
based on ease of use (geared towards older users)
http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk/about-us.htm


Thanks - some stuff to look at. Pity that the EPGs on some are hard to
read, being overlaid on the tv picture.

If you are more comfortable with less than intuitive interfaces then
this sites recommendations may not suit your own needs for the features
you may require.

Its for my parents. They can design roofs and build staircases but are not
too hot on IT and modern consumer electronics.

Pete

--
http://www.petezilla.co.uk

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

I'm wondering, although dearer (must shop around) whether the PVR-9300T
might be a better bet as it seems silly to use scart except for legacy kit
on an HDMI tv - even for standard definition. Thoughts?

It depends.
I'm surprised at how much better SD Sky is over scart-rgb that it ever
was on my old telly. This is on a Samsung 720p set which upscales in a
lovely fashion.

Interesting - I was thinking along the lines of the monitor I have in front
of me right now. On previous PC at least the difference between DVI and VGA
was night and day. Though I have seen reasonable VGA in other places.

Pete

--
http://www.petezilla.co.uk

tim.... wrote:

It would be easier to stick with analog but I don't think the government
takes this view.

What's the Government got to do with the demise of video tape recording?


I was thinking government in the wider context including Ofcom / Radio
Telecommunications Agency etc.

It is perfectly possible for the industry to offer a tape recorder for
digital TV, it is a commercial decision that makes this unavailable, not
government action


Yes - but you can't buy one and the existing VCR does not have a digital
tuner. Yes you can record (unless macrovision stops you) from a set top box
and perhaps the digital tuner in the TV (not tried so not sure) - but that
is more complex that the analog situation.

All my post really meant was that the status quo - analog - was the easiest
from my parents POV - but that is not an option. Analog has been switched
off.

Pete


--
http://www.petezilla.co.uk