Sky Plus & DVD Recorders

[Builditbob]

Hi all,

I am a first time Poster, so please be gentle, but the forum is very interesting and has been very helpful, so thanks and keep it up.

Not sure if this has ever been asked, or even done before, but here goes...

I have just recently had a Sky+ box fitted, and very happy I am too, even the missus can use it!! With that in mind, I am wanting to get a DVD Recorder as well, (this is because I stay away a lot during the week, and would like to watch something recorded rather than the normal TV available in B&B's, i take a PS2 with me to play DVDs).

The question is, can the DVD recorder be hooked up to the Sky+? (I suspect yes, scarts etc), but if so, can it then record onto a blank DVD, without having to go through the whole process of re-playing the recorded item, which i would normally watch at the time. Or set it up so that it can record onto DVD what the Sky+ is recording on the 2nd channel, what i like and what the missus likes are two very different things.

So, is it possible??

If anyone can help, i would be very grateful.

Many thanks

Bob :clap:

[Jimdefruit]

Welcome Builditbob,

It is possible, I use a Toshiba RD-XS32SB hard drive/DVD recorder. You could record one prog to the Sky+ recorder and record another prog to the HDD/DVD recorder.

The transfer of HDD recording to DVD can be done at high speed from either the Toshi HDD or the Sky+ HDD

Some films will of course still be scrambled to prevent copying but then that applies anyway, unless you know a man who does.

[Builditbob]

Hi Jimdefruit

Thanks for the reply, and so quick!!!

So how do you transfer from the Sky+ HDD to the DVD player, i am looking at getting the Sony RDRGX210 DVD recorder, is there a high speed transfer cable available, such as a USB 2 or similar like as used by PC's??

And then how does the DVD playter know what the Sky+ HDD is actually playing or transferring?

I have thought about it, but just don't know enough about it!!

Thanks again for the fast response.

Bob

[Jimdefruit]

I have the Sky box connected to the TV through the HDD/DVD recorder. The recorder has a selectable satmon bypass setting so that you can select the sky or recorder output to tv.

I connect everything by scart cable. I will look out the settings etc and let you have more info.

[BGonaSTICK]

Welcome Builditbob

Not sure about the unencrypted stuff, but for encrypted material recorded on the Sky+ HDD you would have to replay it on the Sky box with a valid subscription card inserted, and record the video output (the same as if you were recording live TV) as it remains encrypted on the disk.

Sky also uses a proprietary file system on the disk, which is very difficult to read by 'normal' methods (i.e. you can't just pull the disk and put it in your PC).

In other words you can't transfer by data cable, only video.

STICK

[Builditbob]

Thanks for the info, I was wondering, as I was about to buy the DVD Recorder, and would have bought any special cables at the same time (saves postage). As you have both mentioned that you only use Scart leads, (i have loads) then i shall go ahead and then endure the unplugging, moving, getting electrocuted etc etc of actually making it all work smoothly.

Once again thank you.


Bob

[Builditbob]

PS

Jimdefruit, if you could let me know the info mentioned, that would be really great.

Bob

[Jimdefruit]

Hi Builditbob, I mis-led you about the high speed dub from the sky box. *As BG says, the format is such that the signal has to be sent as video.
Where I was wrong is that I always use the Toshi to record programmes that I want to save to DVD and the transfer from HDD to DVD is at high speed.

You can of course play the sky recording as video to the dvd recorder but that would be at normal speed.

[BGonaSTICK]

I personally don't really find it a chore recording stuff at playback speed. Set it off, and go down the pub, to bed, to the bookies, the snooker hall, Chinese take-away... did I mention the pub?

Nobody sits in the launderette watching the washing go round anymore :roflmao:

Blimey, 'launderette' even got through the American spell-checker then!!!