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The SwitchHelp Site was designed for the 2012 Switchover. The Switchover is not complete, so this site is no longer maintained. We keep it live as it still may contacin some useful historial information. See SwitchHelp Index for a list of all pages. |
Recording Digital TV – The Options:
Looking to record digital TV? Chances are you either have a VHS video recorder, a DVD recorder, or a hard-disk recorder (known as a PVR).
PVRs: These are set-top boxes that have a built-in hard disk. They record onto the disk, not onto tape. Most PVRs are digital-ready. Satellite viewers can use the Sky+ box or a Freesat PVR, and Cable viewers can use the Virgin V+ box. Otherwise, there are PVRs with built-in Freeview receivers.
Video recorders: Videotape is slowly being phased out. Most VHS video recorders don’t have Freeview, so will only be able to record after the switchover if they’re connected to a digital set-top box (Freeview, Sky, Virgin, BT Vision, etc) via a SCART lead. Help on using a Video recorder.
DVD recorders: These will have either an analogue or a digital tuner built-in. Ones with a digital receiver can record Freeview when connected to a TV aerial (provided you’re in a Freeview coverage area). Regardless of whether your recorder has analogue or digital built-in, it will still be able to record from a connected digital set-top box (e.g. Freeview, Sky, Cable or BT Vision) via a SCART lead.
Recording from a set-top box
To record digital TV onto a video cassette recorder or DVD recorder, you can connect a Freeview, Sky, BT Vision , Freesat or Virgin Media digibox to your recorder. Here’s how you do it:
Use a SCART lead (pictured) to connect from the output of the digital TV set-top box to the input SCART socket on your recorder.- Set the recorder to record from the SCART socket – normally you set the recorder to the ‘Line in’, ‘Aux’ or ‘AV’ channel. Refer to your recorder’s manual if you’re not sure on how to do this
| Need a Freeview box? Available from Currys and Argos No spare socket on your video recorder? Help is here |
Connecting in this way can limit you to only being able to record whatever you’re watching – not record one digital channel whilst watching another.
One other problem is timed recording. You have to make sure the set-top box is tuned to the right channel, so that when the recorder starts recording, it gets the right show.
One option is to get a separate set-top box to connect to your recorder – so you can record a different channel to the one you’re watching. A better option may be to get yourself a PVR (hard-disk recorder) – see below.
Recording from a Digital TV set:
Some Digital TV sets with a built-in Freeview tuner support sending the TV’s Freeview output via SCART socket to a connected DVD or VHS recorder. You should check your digital TV’s manual to see how to get the Freeview output connected to a recorder.
Assuming your Digital TV supports sending Freeview via SCART, here’s how to record:
- Use a SCART lead (pictured) to connect from the output of the digital TV to the input SCART socket on your recorder.
- Set the recorder to record from the SCART socket – normally you set the recorder to the ‘Line in’, ‘Aux’ or ‘AV’ channel. Refer to your recorder’s manual if you’re not sure on how to do this.
| Need a Freeview box? Available from Currys and Argos No spare socket on your video recorder? Help is here |
There is a limitation with this option – you’ll only be able to record whatever TV channel the TV is set to. To record one channel to VHS/DVD while watching another, you may want to consider getting a Freeview set-top box for connection to your recorder.
In the event that your TV doesn’t support outputting Freeview to a SCART socket, the other option is to get a Freeview box just for use with your recorder.
Get yourself a PVR:
The most flexible option for recording digital TV is to get yourself a PVR.
Hard-disk recorders (PVRs) are great, and with video tape now being phased out – they offer a great way of recording and watching telly.
For more on PVRs, see the FrequencyCast PVR page , or listen to Show 6 of FrequencyCast, the online radio show, for a audio rundown of what to look for.
Freeview DVD Recorder:
Another option is to consider getting a DVD recorder with a built-in Freeview receiver at some point before the analogue service gets switched off, or to look at a hard-disk recorder that allows you to record one channel while watching another.
For help on choosing a DVD Recorder suitable for the Digital Switch, see the FrequencyCast DVD Recorder page.
More information
- Need an aerial splitter or booster? Booster FAQ
- Using a video recorder after the digital switchover? Video Recorder FAQ
- Need help with setting up a TV and VCR for Freeview? TV and Video Basic Setup
