Our video died last night. With Sky Plus do you need a Sky subscription please? I don't want Sky, I just want a means to record Desperate Housewives once a week!!!!
Buy any dvd hard drive recorder with twin digital tuners. You will be able to record two programmes while watching another, pause live tv and watch a recordedprogramme from the beginning while it is recording the end.
Humax is a good one to look for. Expect to pay anything from £90 upwards.
Buy a cheap VHS or DVD recorder auntiebertie, there are many about.
You could also buy a cheap Freeview set top box. You will then be able to record one digital channel via the set top box on the VHS/DVD recorder whilst watching a different digital channel on your digital TV. With a twin tuner Freeview PVR you can record two digital channels on the PVR whilst watching a third on the TV, should you want to..
You don't need a sky package per se, but if you don't have one then you have to pay for the recording features to work. Used to be about £10 per month just to record the 'free' channels. If you have any sort of sky package then the recording features are chucked in for free.