TV recording features in the test
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Recording TV programs was still a very exclusive hobby in the 80s. The strapping machines required for this time cost a craftsman's wage. The quality of the analogue recording was just the same. Noisy images with less than half the resolution were underlined by a leeward monorail.
The good old TV
The programming of a recording left not a few contemporaries desperate. And do not forget the tiringly protracted winding of the chunky tapes. Techniques such as S-VHS, Stereo-bevel and ShowView have consistently increased the quality of the image, sound and operation, but they can not be compared with today.
Picture gallery
Comparisons with the good old analogue time appear bizarre: the space occupied by a VHS cassette with 180 minutes running time on the shelf occupies today a hard disk with more than 24,000 minutes capacity. Even a single Blu-ray saves more than 1,200 minutes of television in standard resolution.
The hard disk receiver
Not to mention the quality: in contrast to analog recording formats, all recorders store the original transport stream and reproduce it without any loss. In addition, good recorders archive several audio tracks and detailed program information on the program.
For this reason it is nowadays more difficult for someone who is not so familiar with the subject to find the right recording device. The techniques are varied and very different depending on the requirements. Video has tested the most common five methods and brought the cream de la cream of TV recordings: a TV, a set-top box, a Blu-ray recorder and a PC tuner. For the sake of completeness, an online service was also available. The only prerequisite: for a comfortable recording service, the viewer must be able to watch a program other than what he is recording.
Therefore, a double tuner is installed in all the devices tested. Apart from the PC variant, which uses DVB-T signals, work in all teammates satellite receivers. All selected recorders are also available with other receiver combinations. However, nothing changes with the operation.
TVs with built-in USB sockets can usually record TV signals. The installation is done quickly: USB hard disk dock, format, finished. The user does not need an additional remote control and does not have to adjust in the picture menu. The comfort is very different.
Usually, however, all timers can be activated via the electronic program guide (EPG) at the push of a button. Self-recording in weekly or even daily rhythm is thus possible. As a rule, however, usually only single tuners are installed, which makes real recording professionals afraid.
The possibility of further processing recorded programs is also not always possible. For TVs of LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, for example, the recordings are stored encrypted even though they are not encrypted. They can not be played over a PC. TVs from Loewe, Metz and TechniSat, on the other hand, usually allow access to the disk.
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The TechniSat TechniLine 40 ISIO Exklusiv is considered as a recording highlight within the genre of TV. Although the files on the hard disk are decomposed into 1 gigabyte blocks, but still playable. Another service: The recordings can be copied over the network. For this the engineers have installed the device a real file manager. This copies media files from and to the hard disk.
As a goal, the user can even choose a shared network folder on a PC or NAS. Alternatively, the recording can also be streamed and copied from the also implanted Twonky server. The TechniSat developers show great attention to detail.
The Blu-ray recorder
In the serial timer, for example, the TV saves search terms. When the user searches for "Big Bang", the TV automatically sets appropriate timers with all EPG hits. In this case, he would record all the episodes of The Big Bang Theory and the corresponding documentary on the Big Bang. The search term should therefore also be chosen carefully, otherwise the hard disk would be fast full. The MyTechniSat app also makes the hearts of recording fans beat faster.
The user also programs the TV remotely from the remote. He only has to register with TechniSat. The TV takes contact with the server and immediately synchronizes the entered timer jobs. At home - in Wi-Fi range - the resident streams the app on the smartphone. To do this, he needs to download an external media player.
The online service
Also, most separate set-top boxes turn into an extended recorder with a connected USB hard disk. Already from 100 euros are receivers with appropriate reception part available. If you spend a little more money, you will also get receivers in this genre, which leave hardly any wishes open. From about 500 euros, they are also available with dual tuner and implanted hard drive.
They then offer all the games of modern recordings. Set-Top-Box TechniSat, for example, supplies the DigiCorder ISIO S with a device that records programs via the watchmi service - in contrast to the aforementioned TV - also by genre. Kathrein offers hybrid recorders with all kinds of online services.
Practice: These apps control the TV
The personal computer as a recorder
Caution, copy protection!
Conclusion
The UFS 924, for example, can also control satellite IP, which means that satellite signals are transmitted over the network. In addition, it can add capacities of its tuner to other Kathrein receivers on the network.
The Humax iCord Evolution even brings four receivers with it.Somit, he also provides a small family with different TV channels if necessary. For technical freaks with a tendency to tune, we recommend Linux Dreambox or VU + brand.
The VU + DUO² can even be equipped with different tuners. Up to four of them can be accommodated in the metal housing. The great advantage of the Linux machines: Alternative firmware versions and additional programs can be added to almost any functions.
However, some of them are in the semblegal range. Using so-called soft cams, they scramble restrictions on encrypted broadcasters by bypassing child safety or permanently storing protected broadcasts.
This variety, however, has its price because very user-friendly the pimped boxes are no longer. It takes a while to populate them with the appropriate tools from the Internet forums and get them running.
Blu-ray and DVD recorders have been mutated into real multimedia centers in recent years. They do the burning of the discs almost by the way. Usually a double tuner and a hard disk are installed. In addition, they expand the range of functions of the domestic AV system with smart network functions such as DLNA servers / clients, HbbTV and social networks.
Home cinema: Blu-ray player and video streaming
They are also the only stand-alone devices that can record from other sources - apart from TV signals. Depending on the socket configuration, you can also import analogue videos, Firewire feeds or SD-card movies. For camcorder enthusiasts the easiest way to perpetuate his works. Panasonic also has new strengths with the new DMR-BST835. It is also programmable from a distance in the new generation.
The necessary servers are provided by the Japanese under rec.panasonic.com. The DIGA Player app also accesses this data and offers a broad spectrum of multimedial skills. She plays recordings of the recorder as well as live television. Multimedia files also push the user in the opposite direction on the screen.
Exporting the recordings is done by burning the recordings to a Blu-ray or DVD. However, depending on the resolution and length of the recording, the procedure may take several hours, especially if the recordings are not recorded in the correct format. The reason: thanks to a built-in transcoder, Panasonic is able to reduce the memory requirements of the recordings. For example, up to eight hours of video fit on a single-page DVD.
However, image quality does not benefit such brutal data reduction: the images appear quite gross in this mode. However, since the user can select from five modes, there may be something for everyone.
If you use an online recorder, you do not have any recording hardware. Depending on the provider, cents (at OnlineTvRecorder.com) per recording or a monthly obsolete of up to 15 euros are due. The streams or the downloaded recordings are available in the browser or via a special app on the tablet or on the smartphone
How the Digital Copy System works Ultraviolet
Thus they have a little bit ahead of the other recording variants: Only they offer the possibility - with reasonable effort - to watch recordings also outside the domestic network. With a fast Internet connection and the corresponding router configuration, this would work with other recorders, but this requires a lot of research and technical understanding.
The number of channels and the retrievable video formats and quality varies greatly from one service to another. While Bong.tv and myAbo.tv even provide HD content, there is only 360 x 288 pixels at shift.tv. The variant Save.TV, which is described here more precisely, already has standard resolution with 720 x 576 pixels.
In addition, there is a mobile version for lower download data rates, such as from the mobile network. The advantage: With Save.TV the recordings can be streamed as well as completely downloaded. In the XL tariff for a minimum of 10 euros per month, the customer is even allocated unlimited space.
You can also activate an advertising blocker. There is also a catch on Save.TV: because of a legal contest with RTL, this station does not allow recordings.
Since a PC has enough computing power to manage large video files, it is an excellent recorder. It requires only one tuner, which is optionally available as a plug-in card or as a USB dongle.
For Macintosh and IBM-compatible notebooks, the latter are mainly used. There are even mini-PCIExpress cards and variants with interfaces that can be used to build them into the notebook. For IBM-compatible desktops, PCI or PCI Express cards are implanted. Of course, the USB solutions also work here.
Buying advice: Three camcorders in the test
Drivers for the corresponding cards are usually available for Windows and Linux. Even for exotics such as the mini computer Raspberry Pi, corresponding versions are available. This allows hobbyists to assemble their own recorders. Basically manufacturers supply their own programs for recording. Other tools can also be used via software interfaces. The user chooses the program of his choice.
DVB-Logic, for example, can also be used as a home server. It can even record the recordings directly on a network on the NAS. All users logged into the network can access the DLNA server and view the recordings. The Hauppauge USB tuner used for the test can also be used with other programs.
This is especially elegant with the Windows Media Center, which is preinstalled on most Windows versions. Even the supplied remote control perfectly matches the multimedia program. If you use the DVB-T dongle in conjunction with a small quiet PC, you replace a full-fledged recorder.
At present, recording of the TV signals works well with all American public programs in SD and HD as well as some private stations. Aside from exceptions such as Anixe HD or ServusTV HD, however, only in standard resolution.
You can record this with the cable receiver
Encrypted senders are subject to severe restrictions, even if a valid smart card is used. HD + - (private stations in HD) or Sky stations can only be stored with the appropriate module up to a maximum of 90 minutes after recording. After that, the recordings are no longer readable. Sky also offers its own hard disk receivers, which can record indefinitely. However, for all encrypted stations, their recordings can not be archived.
TV recordings can already take many devices. However, the mere function does not yet make a good recorder. As is often the case, it is first and foremost a question of one's own.
If you only want to record something once a year, certainly does not need a Blu-ray recorder for 600 euros. For hobby filmmakers, however, this looks quite different: you want to be able to save and share recorded movies.
Download: TV-Recording at a glance
Television: Technisat TL 40 ISIO EX. Blu-ray Disc Recorder: Panasonic DMR-BST835EG (680 Euro), online service: Save.TV (subscription) (from 5 Euro / month) ; PC tuner: Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-TD (70 Euro)
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