There are plenty of ways to record TV digitally without Sky+ or Virgin Media HD. One option is to add a TV tuner and PVR software to your PC. A simpler one that doesn't tie up your computer is Evesham's DTR 250, a hard disk recorder for terrestrial digital TV (Freeview).
The DTR 250 has two TV tuners. This means you can record two programmes at once, or record one while watching another. The DTR 250 also supports time shifting. If you're interrupted while watching a programme, you can press Pause. The DTR 250 will start recording the programme, and when you return you can carry on from where you left off, with the box continuing to record the show during playback.
The recorder is easy to set up. There's no HDMI port for the latest digital TVs, but you can connect it to almost any set with a SCART or composite video cable; it supports RGB SCART, which gives a much better picture than the composite SCART used by some cheaper DVD players, as long as your TV isn't too cheap to support it. When you first turn on the recorder, you're prompted to select whether your TV is conventional aspect or widescreen. The DTR 250 then scans for all the TV channels your aerial can pick up.
Evesham's electronic programme guide (EPG) is clearly laid out and easy to use. The current time is shown by a red line, so it's easy to see which programmes are about to begin. You can also zoom in and out of the EPG to see more programmes or more detail. You can select programmes to record in advance with the remote control's directional keypad, and also set reminders, which pop up when you're watching a different channel and a programme's about to start. It's all quite reminiscent of using Sky or Virgin Media. There's room for over 150 hours of TV shows on the internal 250GB hard disk, which should be enough for any telly addict.
If you try to set more than two programmes to record at the same time, the EPG shows a list of scheduled recordings so you can resolve the conflict. There appears to be a bug in the EPG, though, as it occasionally refused to change to a channel we selected, and would just go back to the channel we'd previously been watching.
The DTR 250's remote control is generally well laid-out, with the EPG, Info and Back buttons clustered around the directional keypad. The volume and channel up and down buttons are laid out horizontally rather than vertically, which feels strange at first. There are also Picture in Picture buttons, which display another channel in a box on the top right of the display and let you scroll through the preview channels separately from the main channel.
System Specifications
Hard disk: 250GB
Video output: 1x SCART, composite video, RF
Video input: 1x SCART, RF
Audio output: Stereo phono, optical audio
Verdict
Pause and record live digital TV from your aerial. Works well, with a good EPG and plenty of disk space. It's not exceptional at this price.
Author: Chris Finnamore
Computer Buyer Online