trag wrote: > On Nov 5, 6:10 pm, woll...@bimajority.org (Garrett Wollman) wrote: > > In article <drache-AAE63F.17264905112...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> > erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote: > > >That's what I get, so I can still use my 2 VCRs to record different > > >things and watch a 3rd one on the TV, which, I'm told, can't be done > > >once I'm forced to go digital.
> > That's what they'd like you to believe, but it ain't so.
> Recording digital programming on your old analog VCRs presents at > least a few challenges. The biggest of which (IMO) is that the VCR > lacks a digital tuner. One can obtain a digital tuner box to put > between the VCR and the antenna, but then the VCR has no control over > the station tuned. Similarly for cable-TV digital decoder boxes.
> Additionally, once cable TV tricks you into digital reception, they > usually make themselves the only source of the decoder boxes by > encrypting their signal and they force you to lease each decoder > box. Quite the racket when you used to be able to tune as many > signals as you liked off of the raw feed.
So go no-cable digital. However, what I now want to know is, since I can't /buy/ good VHS tapes any more most places, what TV and recording system should I be moving to?
I'm in the United Kingdom and currently own several digital terrestrial widescreen tuners, but they aren't HD-ready. And I don't particularly care yet, but it'll come.
: Robert Carnegie <rja.carne...@excite.com> : However, what I now want to know is, since I can't /buy/ good VHS : tapes any more most places, what TV and recording system should I be : moving to?
I've gone to dvd. Of course, dvd format players are themselves soon- to be obsolete, what with blu-ray, but at least for that generation, new equipment will still play the older format.
The alternative is to go to generic storage... say, a pvr which allows you to get at the files it stores, for archiving to media of your choice. Which implies "not tivo" (among others). The two strategies aren't mutually exclusive, since you can archive dvds to generic storage.
Hm. I may be missing what you mean by "tv and recording system". I was mostly thinking "recording". The two ("tv" (as in display mechanism) vs "recording") are fairly independent, and getting moreso. And also getting more converged with general computing systems. Computers nowdays are starting to be likely capable of displaying and/or accepting as input S-sideo and/or hdmi, out of the box. And of course, add-on converters for all sorts of formats, as well as both analog and digital tuners, are getting more common and less expensive.
So. As I said, I went with a simple dvd recorder, which can easily serve as a waypoint to merging it all into the Crystal Wind.
> trag wrote: >> On Nov 5, 6:10 pm, woll...@bimajority.org (Garrett Wollman) wrote: >> > In article <drache-AAE63F.17264905112...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> > erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote: >> > >That's what I get, so I can still use my 2 VCRs to record different >> > >things and watch a 3rd one on the TV, which, I'm told, can't be done >> > >once I'm forced to go digital.
>> > That's what they'd like you to believe, but it ain't so.
>> Recording digital programming on your old analog VCRs presents at >> least a few challenges. The biggest of which (IMO) is that the VCR >> lacks a digital tuner. One can obtain a digital tuner box to put >> between the VCR and the antenna, but then the VCR has no control over >> the station tuned. Similarly for cable-TV digital decoder boxes.
>> Additionally, once cable TV tricks you into digital reception, they >> usually make themselves the only source of the decoder boxes by >> encrypting their signal and they force you to lease each decoder >> box. Quite the racket when you used to be able to tune as many >> signals as you liked off of the raw feed.
> So go no-cable digital. However, what I now want to know is, since I > can't /buy/ good VHS tapes any more most places, what TV and recording > system should I be moving to?
> I'm in the United Kingdom and currently own several digital > terrestrial widescreen tuners, but they aren't HD-ready. And I don't > particularly care yet, but it'll come.
Freeview HD should be some time next year for commercial boxes (well the first proper transmissions start next month - but that is just from Winter Hill which covers Liverpool & Manchester). There will be a very limited selection of channels on HD although the new digital tuners (you will probably need to buy a new one) will cope with both HD and non-HD.
For normal Freeview I guess that Freeview+ to record to hard disk, maybe coupled with a DVD-writer for a more permanent copy.
-- Andy Leighton => an...@azaal.plus.com "The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials" - Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_
>: Robert Carnegie <rja.carne...@excite.com> > : However, what I now want to know is, since I can't /buy/ good VHS > : tapes any more most places, what TV and recording system should I be > : moving to?
> I've gone to dvd. Of course, dvd format players are themselves soon- > to be obsolete, what with blu-ray, but at least for that generation, > new equipment will still play the older format.
> The alternative is to go to generic storage... say, a pvr which allows > you to get at the files it stores, for archiving to media of your choice. > Which implies "not tivo" (among others). The two strategies aren't > mutually exclusive, since you can archive dvds to generic storage.
> Hm. I may be missing what you mean by "tv and recording system". I was > mostly thinking "recording". The two ("tv" (as in display mechanism) > vs "recording") are fairly independent, and getting moreso. And also > getting more converged with general computing systems. Computers nowdays > are starting to be likely capable of displaying and/or accepting as input > S-sideo and/or hdmi, out of the box. And of course, add-on converters > for all sorts of formats, as well as both analog and digital tuners, > are getting more common and less expensive.
> So. As I said, I went with a simple dvd recorder, which can easily > serve as a waypoint to merging it all into the Crystal Wind.
The next toy I'm getting for the family is a combination TVR, media player and network drive. I look forward to being able to backup to the network drive as well as play media from it on the tv.
|
