I'm looking to replace an aging Toshiba VCR/HDD/DVR combo unit which has decided to stop recgnising the disks which are put into it and which is thus now incapable of dubbing recordings from the HDD to DVD.
One of the products on my shortlist is the Sony RDRDC205B. I own numerous Sony products and would prefer to go with a Sony-branded HDD/DVR if possibe. Although I've read mixed reviews about this model, it sounds as though a recent firmware update has addressed many of the glitches which plagued early buyers. As far as my media set-up goes, I use a Blu-ray-based Home Cinema system for all of my playback needs, so the HDD/DVR I select to replace the old Toshiba needs only to function decently as an HDD recorder and to have the ability to make playable DVD copies of what's on the hard drive.
One question I do have, which hasn't been answered (even by Sony's customer service people) relates to the machine's ability to record a Sky input. I have an upstairs study which is fed a basic, duplicate Sky feed from the Sky decoder box that's downstairs in the lounge. As far as satellite viewing goes, it's a very basic set-up; essentially just a splitter and a cable which is routed up to the study directly above the lounge. Yes, it's a primitive affair, and you have to go downstairs to change the channel, but it's a system which works well enough, which we've never seen a need to change and which the new box of tricks will be hooked up to.
Can anyone tell me whether it's going to be possible to record from the Sky feed using our existing set-up and the Sony device? I do need the ability to record programmes from Sky, and any machine which is going to turn its nose up at an RF input from the Sky Box and only record from an in-built Freeview tuner isn't going to be any good to me when I'm looking to record some sport while I'm at work. Any tips as to how easy/hard it is to set-up and how to go about it would be greatly appreciated. I'm in the market to buy a new unit imminently and I'd rather not make the mistake of buying something which isn't going to tick all the boxes.
Thanks in advance
Mat
