VCR's and digital switch over

[Halcyon]

We are about to have the digital switch over in my region and I am wondering about my parents VCR.

They havent jumped on to the PVR hard drives and all that as yet and still use their VCR to record TV.

Now do I understand correctly that once we go digital and they get a new TV, the TV will have a digital tuner and the antenna that usually goes into the VCR will do nothing as the VCR has an anologue tuner?

Does this mean the VCR is more or less useless for recording but ok for playback still?

Thanks,

Halcyon.

[ZrByte]

Nope they could just buy a freeview box and plug it into the VCR, which will then feed the signal to the TV in turn. That way they can record and watch. The only real difference is the VCR will be set to AV or Source permanently rather than a specific channel to record and the freeview box will handle channel changes.

[jb66]

It's more hassle than it's worth to get s VCR working after the switchover

[Taf]

Our Panasonic DVDram recorders all threw a wobbly after changeover.... they keep searching for both analogue AND digital channels and that screws them right up. Since a few digital channels wre swapped about recently, I did a retune and forgot how I managed to get the analogue channels to be ignored last time.

[Halcyon]

Thanks ZrByte for your sollution. That seems like a good idea.

They were looking at a set top box originally but seeing that one remote control is enough to understand, a second would confuse my Dad even more. Hence buyng a new freeview TV.
I think I will have to slowly remove the VCR and hopefully they won't notice.

[nomadking]

The freeview box remote would effectively replace the TV remote. The main thing used on the TV remote would be the changing of channels which would go on to be done using the freeview box remote. The freeview remote may even allow you to control certain functions on the TV, eg volume.

The added recording complication comes when you have to set freeview programme and then separately set the VCR to record that freeview programme. Additionally you couldn't watch channel X, whilst trying to record a programme from channel Y.

[Anonymouse]

Do they have anything on videotape they want to keep? If so, try a dual DVD/VCR unit - best of both worlds, as they can copy from VCR to DVD.

[Jameseh]

You could try and get a TV that has a built in recorder to eliminate extra boxes and remotes. The only downside being those that have them are either very cheap or very expensive.

[Matt D]

How about getting a Freeview+ box (Freeview plus built-in PVR) and retiring the VCR?

[Halcyon]

Some good ideas here. I'm definately going to have a look into all that.

Many thanks to you all.

[martyh]

Originally Posted by Matt D

How about getting a Freeview+ box (Freeview plus built-in PVR) and retiring the VCR?

That would be my solution ,they could keep the VCR for any films they have recorded but it would simplify things immensely for them

On a side note ,i wonder how many of the younger members are wondering what the hell a VCR is

[NO ONE]

Originally Posted by martyh

That would be my solution ,they could keep the VCR for any films they have recorded but it would simplify things immensely for them

On a side note ,i wonder how many of the younger members are wondering what the hell a VCR is

as above Pluls they cold go John L or Currys get a D V D hdd withe Freevew + so keep some Film and programes they want to keep and view a d vd or recoding whilst recoding somthing elles