Hard disk recorder

[madaddo]

I have Sky digital (with no subscription).

I would like to be able to pause/record programs (like Sky+), without subscribing to Sky+.

I think a Hard disk recorder would do, but I cannot get Freeview, so I don't know if this limits my channel options for pause/record, or if I would be able to link a Hard Disk recorder into my Sky box? Can anyone give me advice? Many thanks.

[vehelpfulguy]

Well my Sky+ box is linked in to my DVD recorder via a Scart cable.

I can watch someting on Sky+ and record it to a DVD.

So I would guess you could connect your Sky box to a hard disk recorder via a scart cable and record whatever was on Sky to the hard disk.

Not sure if the pause stuff would work though.

One problem is you could only record on the hard disk what you were actually watching on Sky. You cant watch one channel on Sky and record another.

[LeMarchand]

My Liteon HDD/DVDR lets you "pause" whatever you are watching either on HDD or DVD RAM. Not sure how Sky+ works, but with V+ it automatically caches what you are watching, so you can "rewind" automatically - none of the standalone HDD boxes I have seen offer this functionality.

Having Freeview doesn't make any difference - if your Sky box has a SCART or other compatible output, then you will be able to output a signal to an HDD recorder. (Some programs/channels like "pay per view" may have encryption that does not allow recording).

[gumboil]

yes, you can do this without a problem. I have Sky digital (not plus) and I record the stuff on on my Toshiba HDD/DVD Video Recorder effortlessly.
As LeMarchand implied, the key to it all is getting the SCART connections right.