Freeview Recorders

If you’re thinking of buying a Freeview Recorder, there are a few basic aspects to understand so that you can get the device you need as well as good value for money. Freeview Recorders combine the functionality of a Freeview receiver with the ability to record programmes broadcast on the Freeview digital channels.

There are many different types of Freeview Recorders on the market today, but the one thing you can assume will be the case is that they can all receive the digital Freeview channels. This means that you do not need a set top Freeview box in addition to a Freeview Recorder as this function is built in.

Freeview Recorders are generally extremely easy to connect to your television set through a scart cable, and do not require much installation before being able to use.

Recording Options
Freeview Recorders can capture and store the digital broadcast of a programme or perhaps film transmitted on one of the Freeview channels. The devices vary in terms of what they can then do with this recorded piece of video.

Storing
Some Freeview Recorders store onto an internal Hard Drive, from which you can later watch the recorded programmes whenever you wish. The only real consideration with these is that your Hard Drive may become full, requiring you to delete some of the stored programmes before you can record any more. For this reason it pays to get a recorder with as large a Hard Drive as possible in terms of storage space, so be sure to compare this if you’re shopping around. Remember that videos occupy a lot of space, and try to get an idea of roughly how many average TV shows or films you would be able to keep stored at any one time.

Some Freeview Recorders have the ability to store recorded TV onto DVD discs, which allows you to watch the recordings whenever and wherever you like, whether on another DVD player or on your laptop or PC. In some cases, you can initially store the programmes on your recorder Hard Drive and then transfer to DVD later, freeing up space on the recorder itself ready to store more.

Many of today’s Freeview Recorders offer great flexibility in terms of being able to choose between DVD and Hard Drive recording. You can therefore strike a balance to suit yourself. The advantage to Hard Drive storage is that you don’t need to buy and have DVD discs ready, and they don’t clutter up your living space because everything is contained within the same physical box as your Freeview receiver. The advantage to having the option of using DVD discs, is that you can take the recordings and watch them anywhere, and are not tied to watching them on the same television set that you recorded them on. You can of course also opt to lend or give recordings to someone else to watch.

If you are going to be recording to DVD disc, be sure to check the disc formats you need, as there are a few.