Page 1 of Using PC to record from Vcr/Sky

Insted of buying a stand-alone dvd recorder i want to use my pc.

1 : what kit do i need to connect my vcr or sky to the pc, also what software do i need

2 : is my pc up to the job, specs below

P4 . 2.4
768mb ram
80gb HD
pioneer 107xl
usb2.0

3 : can you record in real time or do you have to record to HD first, then to dvd.

kano

Wait for the BIG BUT at the end :)

You will need a TV tuner card and a long cable :)

I used the Lifeview Fly TV Prime 34 and simply connected the RF2 output from the Sky box to the aerial/RF in on the TV card and set it to auto tune and that was it.

That said I would probably go for one of the Hauppague external USB (Win TV Nova-T USB) units which would allow you to record DTT and also from the Sky RF2 output. The software you will get with the Hauppauge will in all probability be far superior to the stuff I got with my £40 card.
Yes your system should be up to it, my system is based around an XP2600 / 1Gig and performs well enough.
I would reckon it would be better to record to H/D initially and then to VCD/SVCD/DVD when you get round to it. The software you receive with this unit should allow you to burn in a variety of formats, VCD etc.

BUT ,after all this, in all honesty it is not worth the hassle. I gave up on this a few minutes :) after I got the card and resigned myself to the fact that I will get a DVDR in the near future and cut out all the phannying about.

Choagy FFCUK The SPL :)

This item was edited on Tuesday, 21st September 2004, 21:35