Issue:
I record stuff on my Virgin V+ box and like to archive some of it. I do that at the moment by:
Playing it out from the V+ box to my DVD recorder
Take the DVD to the PC and encode it to .mkv
Add the .mkv to my NAS
Play it back to the TV via XBMC running on an AppleTV
So far so good, and it works beautifully.
However, the DVD recorder has failed. I could buy another but prices have leapt up since I got this one, and anyway, it seems a tad laborious.
Is there a bit of kit that will effectively cut out the DVD copy/rip process? I'm imagining something into which I put a scart lead, that records the program as it's sent from the V+, and then is network enabled so I can directly copy it to my NAS, perhaps with an encode to mkv along the way on my PC.
The reason I can't just use a capture card on the PC and feed it straight from the V+ box is that the PC is upstairs and the V+ down.
I don't need a freeview HD recorder gadget - they are nearly as expensive as a new DVD recorder anyway.
Can't think what might do that, or even if it exists. Any ideas?
Last edited by: Crankcase on Tue 17 Jan 12 at 11:55
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Not looked into it but Tivo boxes can archive to NAS. Does the Virgin Tivo box support this? as I say not looked into this.
I've been doing what you have but for the Sky box recently. Accumulated a lot that we might never watch and its filling up. So record to DVD, rip DVD to MP4 and stick it on the NAS.
The thing that's stopping me do some more is the quality of the DVD recording is not as good as the broadcast (blame my DVD recorder) and will get worse when I archive some old football match coverage (quality will need to be lower). I might have to resort to plugging the Sky box into a PC or the Mac. But then that's going to take hours.
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The Virgin Tivo doesn't (yet) do that - some mumbling about rights is going on to prevent it rather than anything technical.
Further, the Tivo is distinctly inferior to the V+ in copying recordings out, as you have to play it back on the Tivo and either watch it or do it overnight. On the V+ you can chuck a recording, or indeed a queue of recordings, down the scart at any time whilst watching another channel and so forth over HDMI at the same time without affecting it.
So the Tivo won't do what I want.
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I suspect the right s owners will stop anyone ever making a digital copy possible, let alone easy, so I suspect we're stuck with analogue via Svideo/SCART to a DVD recorder or PC for the foreseeable future.
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Does this AV kit exist? - rtj70
