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Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc. |
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19th Jan 2021, 8:24 pm | #21 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,485
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
SWMBO still uses a 1999 Grundig 'Arganto' 32" Widescreen CRT TV which has both analogue and DVB (standard definition only) tuners. Amazingly, it has survived every transmission format tweak to date and still works with current Freeview SD transmissons.
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19th Jan 2021, 11:58 pm | #22 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 811
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
There was one standalone VHS machine with built-in DVB-T digital tuner: the Daewoo SV900 , also rebadged as Bush IDVCR01 - it's mentioned here:
https://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewobsolete.html I was given one some years back. It had a Setpal Freeview receiver inside. Unfortunately, as the link says, the unit was designed before the Freeview specifications were finalised. If you are unlucky enough to own one of these machines, the Freeview receiver will no longer work due to changes that have been made to the transmissions. It must have been a kick in the teeth to those who paid the extra money for a digital-ready device, believing it would be future-proof, and then it turned out not to be. There were a number of VHS+DVD recorder combi machines from Samsung, Toshiba and Panasonic that have built-in Freeview which still works. They let you record Freeview to VHS or DVD. Some of these have a hard drive as well. You can also record from an external digibox (e.g. Sky digital satellite). Of course any VHS machine can record from an external digital TV box - it doesn't need to have a digital receiver built-in. The disadvantage is that you may need to set two timers, one on the VCR and one on the digibox, and you can only watch / record one channel at a time (unless your TV also has a built-in digital tuner and the other channel you want to watch is available on it). The latter point is especially important where I live: most Freeview channels are not available, only BBC, ITV 1-4, Channel 4 and 5 plus a few others. I do recall seeing one of those LG CRT TVs with built-in Sky Digibox at the tip some years ago. They were rare: Sky were not happy about it being an unauthorised product and LG were forced to stop selling them. There were no VHS or DVD recorders with built-in Sky Digital either. For satellite users, the nearest thing was a Panasonic DVD recorder (and a couple of blu-ray disc recorders) with Freesat. They too are rare, because they were very expensive and quirky to use, with some copy restrictions imposed. Consequently few were sold. |
20th Jan 2021, 9:07 am | #23 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
Thanks Hamid, that's very interesting. Picture etc. here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daewoo-SV90.../dp/B0001J03NO Nick |
20th Jan 2021, 9:21 am | #24 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Accrington, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 977
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
Not a dig at Hamids excellent post but I recall an Orion vcr with a satellite receiver built in. The customer just could not suss the timer out, it took me a while, fortunately we didn't supply it but she was a nice old dear so we obliged her, typical Orion deck quality but the whole thing was quite novel at the time.
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20th Jan 2021, 11:39 am | #25 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
I knew someone would prove me wrong!
ISTR there was a Toshiba TV designed before the standard was finalised which didn't work when switchover came and there was no update possible. I think there was an Amstrad video with a satellite receiver built in, but that was very early on in the game. Many LG and Samsung and a few Vestel TVs have a satellite tuner which isn't mentioned in the advertising. These are European market models and hence don't tune Freesat in the order expected which can lead to unhappy customers - what they don't know can't hurt them! |
20th Jan 2021, 10:35 pm | #26 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 179
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
Apologies chaps - you clearly are far more knowledgable than I.
I gave my neighbour his unit back and i dug out an old Humax freeview set top box. He has tried to record from the TV to a VHS tape and still cant get it to work. Reading the threads, I believe that this is because the only way it will record is to take the output scart of the Humax box and split into composite (video, audio R, audio L) into the VHS video. I will have a hunt and think i have a scart converter somewhere.....But is this the correct answer? |
20th Jan 2021, 11:20 pm | #27 |
Nonode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,000
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
I think I've mentioned before that I used to work with someone who bought a very early integrated digital TV which went wrong & John Lewis couldn't sort it out.
The model had already been discontinued so she ended up being given a voucher and left with this set, which could only tune in a handful of channels on random channel numbers. I presume it stopped working after the digital switchover, if she still had it by then.
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Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again? |
20th Jan 2021, 11:43 pm | #28 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,814
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
I don't quite get this Ray. Surely you can split the aerial feed between whatever TV he's watching [that's not clear to me] and the Humax box then feed the Humax output into the Combo. The Tuner is the digital source after all-not the TV? Perhaps I've missed something?
As for a Digi VHS Recorder there definitely was one despite denials from various people, as hamid points out the SV900 and a number of threads were on here re the "upgrade" problem at the time. I still have mine. They were mainly sold through the Radio Times outlet but there was a general uproar about the change in configuration causing difficulty for those [few] products with that Tuner Head. There has been a similar problem recently with the Humax 1800 HD recorder. It has two built in Apps for I-Player and You Tube-perfect for me but then, You Tube did an update to suit another generation of devices. Goodbye Humax access to You Tube With the Daewoo 900 I could I could have got my money back from RT [as advised] but my wife was seriously ill at the time so I had other priorities! As I've always had many older sets getting a digital feed from FV Boxes with a dedicated RF output or maybe via a redundant VCR. [They don't need to be able to play tapes at all as mentioned] I thought at first, no problem really just go in the Daewoo via AV2 with a Digi Free View Box. Silly boy! Whatever happened within the duff digi tuner blocks all inputs and there is just a blue screen whatever you do! I've never been able to sort that out or even find any info hamid. Any ideas? You may be the man I'm looking for at last . Dave W |
20th Jan 2021, 11:49 pm | #29 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Luton, Bedfordshire, UK.
Posts: 891
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Re: Shameful question about video recorders
Quote:
With everything connected and powered-up (don't forget the aerial feed to the set top box!), give the 'Input Select' button on the VCR's remote a few pushes until you get to AV2. On the TV, make sure you have it set to receive the VCR's output by selecting the corresponding SCART (usually via the 'Source' or Input' button on the TV's remote). If you still don't get a picture, you might have to re-scan for channels on the set to box, especially if it hasn't been used in a long while. Hope that helps!
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Regards, John |
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