I've an old Hitachi VCR that started playing up. I now realise it's internal calendar keeps re-setting itself to 27/03/11. It means I can't set it to reliably record anything.
The instructions say it gets this information from 'prog 1' (BBC1 analogue in this case) TXT/PDC transmitted signal. I've looked at BBC1 analogue text home screen and the date's correct there.
I can correct the date manually, but it reverts to 27/03/11 after a couple of hours!
I suppose this will resolve itself when we lose the analogue signal, but I wonder how accurate the internal clock'll be without an external reference.
Any suggestions, or will I have to bite the bullet and finally get around to buying a PVR?
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I used VCRs on internal clock for donks, no problems if you allow a few minutes each way on the recording. A PVR is a lot easier to use though...apart from when they need re-booting.
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>> I can correct the date manually, but it reverts to 27/03/11 after a couple of hours!
Can you not switch off the auto update of the date?
Recently had to do this with my Panasonic VCR because of the same reasons. It's only since the clocks have gone forward that it's got its knickers in a twist. I suspect the time/date transmission signal from the Beeb is to blame.
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If you're recording from a digital source, you don't need the analogue aerial at all. With it unplugged, the VCR clock will behave as though there's no analogue signal.
Me, I've got a Freeview box connected to the TV, plus a DVD player and a VCR underneath the telly which I connect only when i need them. I've got a couple of old video tapes which I'd like to transfer to the PC or DVD but I don't have the right hardware, so once they're done I will get shot of the VCR altogether.
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I'd agree that analogue auto-setting from BBC1 has stopped working as of this last BST change - now resetting every night to 27/03/2011
Best option is to disable auto update (as mentioned above).
Or torment "BBC complaints" about it:
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/
However, the days of analogue are numbered and we may be suffering with a pre-emptive closure of service.
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Fri 8 Apr 11 at 06:57
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We found that out last Sunday evening John.
Having been out all day we were looking forward to watching the MotoGP race that had been taped.
We settled down with a glass of wine and a plate of cream crackers and cheese to enjoy it, only to find nothing had taped at all.
In our area we successfully switched over to digital a couple of weeks ago but didn't realise the VHS recorder needed changing as well, and BBC2 had switched off the analogue signal straight away, with the other channels following in a week or so.
So it looks like we're off to buy one of those new fangled DVD recorder thingies this weekend, but not surprisingly all our local outlets are out of stock of them.
Pat
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It depends on your usage pattern, but in general if you're mostly time shifting stuff rather than archiving it then I'd recommend a hard drive recorder rather than DVD. No faffing about with disks.
The Humaxes have always been pretty well regarded PVRs, although it did take Humax ages to come up with new software to deal with the post DSO era you are now in. If you don't mind a 'refurb' then the Humax Direct outlet have a 320GB jobbie with 1year on site warranty for just over a ton:-
www.humaxdirect.co.uk/Product.asp?ProdRef=10065&cat=Factory
Maybe worth considering a high defintion box at this point, roughly double the price, although this is pretty cheap for a HD box:-
www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=freeview+hd+pvr&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16057554187621781430&sa=X&ei=T9ieTabaNIqKhQeFt4yIBQ&ved=0CEgQ8wIwAw#
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Thanks spamcan, they are both reasonably priced and answer the problem to there being no local stock.
If we wanted to watch a DVD (pre-recorded) on either of those would we be able to and then get rid of the DVD player as well?
Pat
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Afraid not, neither of those has a built in DVD player. There are units available with DVD as well as HDD, although in my limited experience they are more complicated and slower to use.
This site gives a pretty good summary IMHO:-
www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewboxes.html
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...There are units available with DVD as well as HDD, although in my limited experience they are more complicated and slower to use...
Agreed - the remotes always look hellishly complicated and fiddly.
I found this Samsung machine at Play.com, but I'd advise Pat to think very carefully before buying it.
www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/9564864/Samsung-DVD-SH893M-160GB-Freeview-DVD-Recorder/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518%7Ccat:9564864%7Cprd:9564864
Far easier to stick with a separate DVD player.
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>> There are units available
>> with DVD as well as HDD, although in my limited experience they are more complicated
>> and slower to use.
It's also harder to find one with twin tuners, which is standard on HD-only boxes. Twin tuners are useful IMO.
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>> It's also harder to find one with twin tuners, which is standard on HD-only boxes.
>> Twin tuners are useful IMO.
>>
Yeah, alongside my Freeview Vestels I'm running a Sky+ box off a single tuner and it's a right PITA, must borrow a ladder and fit a quad LNB at some point.
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>> Can't get vexed at £75 for a twin tuner 500GB Freeview pvr:
>>
>> www.ebuyer.com/product/252619?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products
>>
LOL, I was just about to post that one as a low risk budget option.
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>> Maybe worth considering a high defintion box at this point, roughly double the price,
>> although this is pretty cheap for a HD box:-
That model number and price looks like the 320gb version of the Digitalstream HD PVR.
www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1381877
and more threads/posts on it here than a normal person would bother to read:
www.avforums.com/forums/pvrs-vcrs/
I bought a 500gb version from john lewis for £200 at the end of last year (long free warrantee and excellent returns policy.)
It is arguably the most reliable Freeview HD machine on the market at the moment - with regard to making recordings come hell or high water.
But it has some irritations:
deleting takes forever.
the remote control is fiddly with very small buttons.
surround sound is optical only, not via HDMI (though the Humax T2 with the same chip set manages it, but it's £100 more)
some of them have very noisy fans
the on screen graphics are a bit big.. (you can hear the barrel being scraped here, can't you?)
And that's about it, apart from some bugs/faults, depending on which version of the software you have.
The worst of these I've experienced is occasional duplicate recording on a series linked item. It then uses both tuners, until they stop. This is apparently fixed in the last two versions of software.
Oh, nearly forgot - the HD pictures are often very good, depending on content rather than the system.
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>>I'd agree that analogue auto-setting from BBC1 has stopped working as of this last BST change - now resetting every night to 27/03/2011
Best option is to disable auto update (as mentioned above).
Thanks for that AJH, that makes sense of what's happening. Why on earth they reset it to 27/03/11 rather than switching it off, I don't know.
I can't find any way of switching off the auto update, as mentioned in my OP, it's picked up automatically from TXT/PDC on PROG1. I'll try tuning PROG1 to something without teletext.
I was putting off the PVR option until as late as possible. The VCR's got twin scarts, which means I can watch terrestrial while recording freeview and vice versa. I don't believe in spending money unless I have to, look at what I drive!
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...I don't believe in spending money unless I have to...
Nowt wrong with that, BT, very wise.
On t'other hand, I think you'll be chuffed with a Freeview PVR, even if you don't do a lot of recording.
They really are a giant leap forward from a video recorder.
Handy for watching 'live' too.
Lots of people - including me - record a programme and start watching it ten minutes late which means you can fast forward through the adverts.
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The Vestel machines in Spamcan Towers aren't available new now, but some sellers still have 'refurb' ones:-
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bush-BTU160DTR-160GB-Digital-Freeview-Recorder-/150585605173?pt=UK_ConEle_SatCableFreeview_RL&hash=item230f99fc35
160GB, 50 odd quid, twin tuners, does all the fancy stuff like live pause* and chase play**, I find it easier to use than the Sky+ box.
*This means that you can pause a programme you're watching 'live', then come back to it 10 minutes later and carry on where you stopped watching, or FF until you catch up with the broadcast.
**This means you can start watching a programme being recorded before it has finished recording, as iffy describes, so you can FF through the boring bits.
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...The Vestel machines in Spamcan Towers aren't available new now...
Nor is the Digihome one I have at the caravan, although the remote control for the £75 Luxor one from ebuyer (link above) is the same.
I think there was a fair bit of fascia changing/branding going on.
Seem to recall I saw the same machine with a different name on not long after I bought mine.
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>> I think there was a fair bit of fascia changing/branding going on.
I suspect this £100 Hitachi from Argos is a Vestel: tinyurl.com/6kdumfo
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x
Last edited by: Focus on Fri 8 Apr 11 at 13:35
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>> ...The Vestel machines in Spamcan Towers aren't available new now...
>>
>> Nor is the Digihome one I have at the caravan, although the remote control for
>> the £75 Luxor one from ebuyer (link above) is the same.
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>> I think there was a fair bit of fascia changing/branding going on.
>>
Oh yes, as you can see from this link the Vestel T825 was available with more than a dozen different badges on it:-
www.vestelpvr.futaura.co.uk/T825.php
Including Digihome, Hitachi, Alba, Goodmans etc. - but not Vestel!
If think we've actually got two Digihomes and an Alba in Spamcan Towers.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Fri 8 Apr 11 at 14:03
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>>
>> I can't find any way of switching off the auto update, as mentioned in my
>> OP, it's picked up automatically from TXT/PDC on PROG1. I'll try tuning PROG1 to something
>> without teletext.
>>
I forgot to add - the VHS machine we still have fought back a bit, and the way of disabling auto update was a bit inscrutable, and not mentioned in the guide:
step down the channels available for "auto-update", and when it wraps around to the top of the list "off" was above BBC1.
Your mileage may vary.
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>>I've an old Hitachi VCR that started playing up<<
Bin the blimmin thing and go Digi - you won't regret it,
I bought a £50 LG DVD recorder orf ebay (new) a couple of years ago = excellent!
I still keep my ole Hitachi VCR under the telly ... for the clock :-)
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Check your manual. According to a mate in the industry quite a lot of VCRs with the auto clock set feature do have the facility to turn it off. My ancient VCR which pre-dates all this keeps perfectly good time with no daily reset.
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You can't easily better Humax Freeview STBs and PVRs...:-)
A small point. VCRs normally have a battery backup to cover a power cut or other reason (similar to a motherboard CMOS battery); perhaps it's on its last legs.
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A VHS VCR should be in the bin by now.
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I bet it's not as old as you Zeddo. ;>)
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I am still capable of watching freeview, more that you can say for the VCR,
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 8 Apr 11 at 14:29
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VHS VCR calendar - spamcan61
