Will a DVB-T/C PVR be able to record analogue TV?

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › Will a DVB-T/C PVR be able to record analogue TV?

kenkeniff

628 posts

Ultimate Geek

#108917 8-Sep-2012 15:29

I just moved into an Auckland City apartment which has a standard TV aerial connection wall plate attached to an old-school CRT TV which picks ups a couple of FTA and Sky channels provided by the building.

I want to get a standalone Tuner/PVR so that I can record TV and also play it through my projector.

I'm currently looking at a Samsung DVB-T PVR / BlueRay player because they also support Plex and Netflix which I use: http://www.samsung.com/nz/consumer/tv-audio-video/blu-ray-player/productcompare?prda=BD-D8900A%2FXY&prdb=BD-E8900A%2FXY&prdc=BD-E8500A%2FXY&prdd=BD-D6900A%2FXY

My question is; will these sorts of devices be compatible with the analogue connection that I'm getting from the building or is these another option for me?

Thanks

Spyware

3764 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#683115 8-Sep-2012 15:42

If the analog signal is the output of decoders rather than directly from an antenna then there would be no DVB-T signal present so any DVB-T device would not work. You need to determine the type of signal present at wall before anyone can advise.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

KevinL

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#683116 8-Sep-2012 15:49

Spyware: If the analog signal is the output of decoders rather than directly from an antenna then there would be no DVB-T signal present so any DVB-T device would not work. You need to determine the type of signal present at wall before anyone can advise.

Presumably it'll be an in-building TV distribution using RF via coax, so the DVB-T device wouldn't work. An analogue PVR would work.

kenkeniff

628 posts

Ultimate Geek

#683117 8-Sep-2012 15:59

Spyware: If the analog signal is the output of decoders rather than directly from an antenna then there would be no DVB-T signal present so any DVB-T device would not work. You need to determine the type of signal present at wall before anyone can advise.

It seems to be an analogue `output of decoders` like you say as the TV isn't capable of digital and the Sky channels have been added to the mix.

I just thought it may have been one of those things where backwards compatibility was a give-in.

If that's the case does anyone know of any good analogue-compatible PVRs?

Thanks

richms

28199 posts

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#683127 8-Sep-2012 16:32

Backwards compatibility to record analog signals requires an MPEG encoder, additional software to control it and a second analog tuner, which all adds cost to something that for 99% of people will be useless to them.

You might want to look for someone with a really old analog tivo for sale, I know when I was last looking for a new tivo one I found a couple of old ones for sale on trademe.

Richard rich.ms

PimpMyMagic

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#684283 11-Sep-2012 11:33

I think you'd be better off going to Freeview. Get a flat panel interior UHF aerial to stick on the wall or a window. If you're in the inner city you should easily get a decent signal off Sky Tower to feed a PVR. Hopefully you have a HDMI input on your projector to connect your PVR for HD Pix.

I would seriously recommend avoiding a Samsung though. I bought a D8500, Blu-ray/PVR for its good connectivity and format handling features but consider the PVR as useless. While it has dual tuners, it can only record one channel at a time so the second tuner is only good for live viewing of another channel.

Despite RTFM, I could find no mention of padding the EPG record in/out times so, as most Broadcasters tend to run behind schedule, you'll lose the endings of many programmes. Also, I couldn't even find out how to erase viewed recordings from the HDD.

There a lots of Panasonic PVRs around on sale at the moment. I suspect they have quite good connectivity features though I'm not that familiar with them. There are others on this forum who will bw able to help with any questions you might have about them.

As for analogue PVRs, I'd suggest there's not much point in spending any significant amount for a service that is about to expire soon.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#684324 11-Sep-2012 12:27

kenkeniff:

My question is; will these sorts of devices be compatible with the analogue connection that I'm getting from the building or is these another option for me?

Thanks

All you really need is a cheap Analogue DVD recorder. Probably only available second hand now as all the new ones will be digital tuner only.
Try Trademe.
Should be thousands available very cheap after Dec 2013.

kenkeniff

628 posts

Ultimate Geek

#685947 14-Sep-2012 11:57

Thanks for your suggestions; I ended up adding an dual analogue/digital TV Tuner card to a tower PC I had lying around and running Windows 7 with Windows Media Center on it.

This allows me to tune in the analogue channels from the building and also upgrade to terrestrial Freeview at a later date, + watch Netflix/Youtube etc on the projector via VGA.

I do have one problem though; [EDIT - Reposted to HTPC forum - http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=84&topicid=109176]