Recording – connecting equipment

Connecting a set top box to an analogue TV is pretty straightforward. But maybe you have an old VCR too, or a new DVD recorder. For all these options and more use our Connection Wizard.

For the pros and cons of hard drive digital TV recorders, DVD recorders and VCRs, see recording kit choices.

If I connect an iDTV and digital TV recorder will there be problems with having two on-screen TV guides?
There should not be a problem. When using the iDTV to select and view a live programme, you would use the TV guide in the iDTV. When selecting a programme to record, you would use the TV guide in the digital TV recorder. But there is an option. If the recorder is a twin tuner model, you could dispense with the tuner in the iDTV altogether - don’t even connect the aerial to it. The twin tuners in the digital TV recorder will automatically take care of both the TV and the recording. This has a subtle advantage because with terrestrial digital TV each iDTV or set top box manufacturer can design their own TV guide layout and these can be quite different. By using the recorder for both live viewing and recording, you have to get used to only the one design of TV guide.