Satellite freeview programs on Blu-ray?

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PhilANZ

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#322979 12-Oct-2025 12:49

We're having to replace our UHF twin tuner with what I assume is VHF / satellite twin tuner. I understand (reluctantly) the concerns about copyright, and I usually use it for delayed viewing. Our new TV itself does both, but when I went back to ask, the record function doesn't work in NZ. I would have taken it back, but it has too many other limitations, so even if it did work, it would be of little use to us. So I'm still trying to find a way to record Freeview (VHF) and later to be able to save a copy to Blu-ray if required.
We've transferred most of our current HD content to removable disks at least once when the HD was full, and the new recorders generally have double the capacity of our old one, but even if we didn't want to have them on Blu-ray, I know (having learned the hard way) that disks fail, hence the need for backups.
I used to be moderately geeky (just found since turning 70, I'm almost certainly on the autism spectrum), but health issues have slowed my mind a bit. I suspect the solution is to transfer to the laptop and record from there, but I have no idea how to connect the Freeview recorder's HDD to the network.

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gordy7
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#3424323 12-Oct-2025 13:13

I think you will find your dual tuner is UHF and satellite.

Your tuner will likely have an HDMI port and so will your laptop.

Can you hook the 2 up with an HDMI cable and record?

Gordy

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#3424324 12-Oct-2025 13:15

No such thing as Freeview VHF, all Freeview NZ terrestrial channels are broadcast on the UHF band. Freeview satellite, on Ku band, has some limitations in that some channels are still in standard definition, even TVNZ1 outside Auckland region.

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#3424326 12-Oct-2025 13:18

Gordy7:

Your tuner will likely have an HDMI port and so will your laptop.

Can you hook the 2 up with an HDMI cable and record?

Laptop HDMI is an output, this makes no sense.

Gordy7

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#3424327 12-Oct-2025 13:20

Spyware:

Gordy7:

Your tuner will likely have an HDMI port and so will your laptop.

Can you hook the 2 up with an HDMI cable and record?

Laptop HDMI is an output, this makes no sense.

Wooly assumption on my part... I assumed HDMI was bi-directional... Thanks for the update.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

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#3424328 12-Oct-2025 13:20

Question, for the delayed viewing, are those same programs avalible on the tvnz or 3now apps for free?

I take it your tv isn’t smart?

you can check if those programs you want to delay watch can be viewed on demand by using their respective websites as you can also view from there….

if TV isn’t smart then you could look at a google chromecast or Apple TV.
we use a google chromecast on an older smart TV (as with its age, it’s no longer as smart n fast as it once was but display still cranks).

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#3424329 12-Oct-2025 13:21

If you want to access recordings on laptop you could build a linux box running TVHeadend server and use an HDHomerun network tuner.

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#3424332 12-Oct-2025 13:25

Maybe the OPs tuner has a USB port to use with an external HDD/SSD/Bluray recorder.

Edit: Maybe the OP can provide details on the new dual tuner.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

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#3424340 12-Oct-2025 14:18

After reading OPs other thread it appears that they have lost all UHF reception due to a tall tree and are switching to satellite service.

PhilANZ

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#3424456 12-Oct-2025 16:49

Came back after my siesta and found several replies. Did the dishes and gathered my thoughts, and then came back to respond.
First thing I need to say is my finances are a mess. My first business failed - embarrassing for three CAs. Just as we'd reduced our company debts to $50k, I had a major stroke. 2.5 years later, my mind returned, although I still had memory issues. That was made worse, and about 5-6 years ago, I finally had to give away my last accounting clients. I was diagnosed with Cheyne-Stokes sleep apnoea. The night they tested, my sleep was disturbed almost every minute I was "asleep". To cap it all off, I've been diagnosed with water on the brain and just operated on. In all of this, our finances are basically done - just NZ super. So budget is important.
I apologise for my uncertainty over the terminology - I've been on UHF since Freeview started, and only now having to change. Different people have used different terms, which my reduced memory hasn't handled well.
For delayed viewing, we have used the internet apps at times, but this isn't feasible financially long term.
I've thought of running Linux, but since my stroke, I've even had to give up on my beloved OS/2.
I haven't bought a new tuner yet - I have been waiting to find one.
Thanks.

Rentakill

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#3438102 28-Nov-2025 07:48

Gidday PhilANZ

I'm using a Receiver running Linux Enigma2 - Which i have configured for Freeview and other Services.

You can pick up many various different Makes and Model of Box that Run the Enigma2 Operating System. They are also available on Aliexpress.

One of the Functions that the Box offers is Recording to USB or Mounted Hard drive. The Recording file is in Raw .TS or Transport Stream format (So is Uncompressed)

It Will even record Encrypted Services as a Clear or FTA File.

Basically, you can view that file using pretty much any Media Player or you can Convert it to H264/265 or whatever suits your flavour.

In my Case i have my Boxes Recording to Network Drive which then makes the files available to any other SmartTv's or PCs on that Nework.

It works well.

Possibly an option for you ?

Cheers:

"I come from a land downunder"

davidcole

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#3438108 28-Nov-2025 08:41

if you're windows based, look at nextpvr. Unsure the state of DVB-S (satellite) tuners now, it's been a long time since I used one. Easier in an old desktop as they're PCI. May be some USB options and shouldn't be too stupid on price.

Trying to persist with a TV doing it may be feasible - even if the recording functionality worked, and stayed supported (I have very little faith in tv manufactures supporting software on their tvs past 18 months), getting it off may prove difficult unless it can be done to a usb connected hard drive.

I had an old samsung that worked this way, but can't remember what the disk format was and how readable it was to transfer to blueray.

But that may be a rabbit hole not worth pursuing - as with a decent 3TB - 8TB external driver you have 1000s of hours of recording to watch.

Just some options.

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Eva888

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#3438110 28-Nov-2025 08:53

Sorry to hear about your health issues which hopefully time will improve. Saw this which may help with some of your questions.

https://www.dishtv.co.nz/RecExplained/?srsltid=AfmBOopxhxsWxlCOxbLDcoSiojVVmqKeLpgb1YH67fdNvIshZPlZDuJW

As someone suggested above maybe an android TV box or dongle will be the answer for what you need. Easy to set up. You can buy them quite cheaply when on sale and they will give you heaps of streaming options via the internet, including all the NZ live TV channels via the Freeview Streaming App. All you need is reasonable internet. You will also have access to free Apps like Plex, Tubi, Kanopy, Beamafilm, TVNZ+ etc to watch free movies and series, more than you will ever manage. It’s a simple solution with a very small outlay.

There are a few on sale at present at The Warehouse. There’s also a $79 one with less GB and which is also ample.

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/s/twl/product/R2735448.html

Rikkitic

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#3438177 28-Nov-2025 12:49

I have several generic boxes that work fine with Kodi for viewing Freeview. Recording on Android isn't always straightforward but there are third party solutions that might work. You are welcome to one of these if you want it.

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PhilANZ

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#3438201 28-Nov-2025 14:39

So much has happened since my last post. Most importantly, my brain and body have improved a little. I'm still finding I can do more as we go - not sure where the limits are. Still lingering stroke effects, plus Cheyne-Stokes apnoea (roughly every minute while I'm sleeping, but the water on the brain issues seem to be still fading. So much better. Plus, I finally had the skin cancer removed from my scalp - it only took a year or so.
We currently have another new TV. The old one was OK, but once the satellite aerial arrived, it died within a couple of hours. Interesting lesson, given old, new first, and new current are all Panasonic. The difference in quality between them is hard to believe. Even the price is not anywhere near the old one (but still roughly double the cheap and nasty one). Our old one had long ago lost all the built-in functions (copyright ended), but the TV still worked (when the UHF aerial was not affected by weather - Sky Open was always weak).
The first new TV seemed to be OK - until the aerial connection broke. It was amazingly lighter, and I initially saw that as good - until it broke. The current one is much heavier - feels much more solid. The one downside is what I again saw as an improvement. Instead of the Play Store, it came with Amazon's equivalent. For some reason, it doesn't have apps for SkyOpen, Maori and Shine. Can't even find a way to get them installed from the Play Store.
I do not like the Dish TV box, but at the moment it suffices. The one thing was can't do is transfer content to a Blu-ray disk. If we did know in advance that we wanted to keep it, we'd record it on our original UHF twin tuner / Blu-ray recorder IF the conditions for the VHF signal were OK.
So not ideal, but OK. Recording content on Blu-ray is hard to imagine, given the content on TV these days. For now, we can keep it on HD, although I don't have any great faith in its quality.
The other thing that has changed is our internet. They raised the price, but when our bill arrived, it had actually gone down. I said we'd stay on it for a trial period. It is certainly slower, but generally it's not too noticeable. And at $5 less than we were paying (the new price is $10 more than we were paying), plus I'm no longer working, so it seems to be working out OK. The previous quota has been removed - it's now reasonable use - a lot more than we use.
Thanks for all the help.

davidcole

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#3438236 28-Nov-2025 16:24

Good to hear your health is improving.

Apart from a few specific devices - I think Panasonic did have one - no tv will record to bluray (happy to be proven wrong, but I don't think I've ever see one - not that I've researched it)

They will record to a hard drive. The best you can hope for here, is that its to a generic file (eg .ts) on a hard drive that is readable on a computer. Then if you must store on bluray, you'd need a computer with bluray writing capability.

I'd pick you'd be much better served by buying one really large external hard drive or a number of them. If the TV recording capability suits, then use that and change out the storage media.

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