Recording TV to USB
 

As video recorders are on the way out, I need to upgrade.

I have noticed several Freesat/Freeview boxes now have USB ports on them (are these hosts?). A few TVs are also appearing on the market with the same.

I was told in a shop that the USB on the TV was to control it from a PC! I have no idea why that would be of use.

Is it possible to record from a Freesat box (The new Humax is the one I have in mind) and play it on a TV as a (even slightly worse quality) video using a USB stick?

Is there a standard video and file system they are all using or do I have to recode on a PC (which I don't want to do)?

I don't need to record in HD. It's only so I can record the odd programs and watch them upstairs and then delete. Just like I use to do with my VHS.

Thanks.

Re: Recording TV to USB
 

The USB on a TV is normally for playing media, Mainly pictures & Music though some also support Video. Its only when the USB socket is labelled service (Or something similar) that its for controlling the TV.
Most of the Recorders have the USB port for the same reason as the TV's (Purely for playback) though some do have the socket for transferring media after you have recorded to the hard drive using a file manager. And some others are starting to show up on the market with the USB port as the only recordable media.

As for file formats, its a bit hit and miss really, some use propriety formats and others use more mainstream formats like DivX.
And in the event you do get one that records in a mainstream format you may find your TV wont play it.
If your TV supports video but won't play back media recorded on your DVBR the only option is re-encoding on a PC I'm afraid.