Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Hi Gents,
I will welcome any information concerning this subject. I bought the Verbatim MediaStation HD DVR Multimedia Recorder 1TB; and I am struggling to make the right connection to my SKY plus box. I would like to record on my media recorder; but the connections are still an issue. Also, I have a DVD recorder which is already connected up and working.
The Sky Box has:
Coaxial
Optical
HDMI
Audio Video Out
S-Video
2x Scarts
Aerial in
RF Out-1
RF Out-2

The Verbatim Mediastation Recorder has:
Coaxial
Optical
HDMI
Component Out
Audio Video in
Audio Video Out

Any Help Guys!

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Sky+ boxes do not have HDMI (& I don't think they have optical audio outputs either). Do you have a Sky+ box or a Sky+HD box?

What do you actually want to achieve by connecting the Sky+ box to the Verbatim box? You could connect the Sky+ box's "VCR SCART" to the Verbatim box, for archiving stuff off the Sky+ box's own HDD, but I assume that is already how you have the DVD Recorder connected?

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Sorry for the confusion with the various threads. I have a Sky+HD box. I would like to be able to record my movies straight to my Verbatim MediaStation HD DVR Multimedia Recorder for archiving. Also, the DVD recorder is connected via the scart leads.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Is that even possible?

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Yes it is possible. I was doing that with my previous Media recorder (Icy Box), before I bought a DVD recorder. Having a DVD recorder complicates my wiring. That's why I am looking for another method of conection so I can have them both. My DVD recorder will be used as a player only!

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Correction, sorry I should reword that. Is it allowed?

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

There are very few people who owns a DVD recorder and does not copy movies on to a disc or some other format.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

I'm talking within your Sky T&C's?

Can somebody else who is savvy with this confirm?

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

If Sky didn't want to allow archiving from their box to some other medium, they wouldn't allow the connections to do it. ;)

I suspect the problem here is that archiving may only be allowed via the SCART connection, and that's in use by the DVD recorder. If possible, and especially if the DVD recorder is no longer required for recording anything from the Sky box, I'd simply connect it directly to the TV via SCART, and not have it connected to the Sky box at all. Then use the freed-up SCART socket to connect the HDD recorder to the Sky+HD box.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Guess your right. Just not sure on the tech beind it ;)

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Yup. And not just the connections... Sky+ / Sky+HD boxes also have an actual archive function, specifically for archiving recorded programmes from the box to Something Else.

I would assume that anything Sky do not allow you / want you to archive (& movies may come under this?) would be protected (e.g. Macrovision).


Yup.

DVD Recorder >SCART> TV

Sky+HD >SCART> Verbatim (using the VCR SCART on the Sky box, not the TV SCART)

Sky+HD >HDMI> TV

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Indeed, there is even an option on the EPG to "copy."

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

It was just a thought :)

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Sorry gents, if you double check the first thread, you would have noticed that the Verbatim does not have any scarts socket at all. Just all the other sockets mentioned!
The Verbatim Mediastation Recorder has:
Coaxial
Optical
HDMI
Component Out
Audio Video in
Audio Video Out

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Hmmmmm ... you may need an HDMI doubler then, so you can output to the TV and the HDD recorder from the Sky+ box. However, if that works at all, it will not allow you to simultaneously archive to the HDD as well as watching something else on the TV.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

I assume that "Audio Video In" is comprised of one RCA phono socket for composite video (yellow) plus two RCA phono sockets for left (white) & right (red) audio?

In which case, you'll need a lead with a SCART at one end, and composite video plus stereo audio phonos at the other end.

---------- Post added at 17:33 ---------- Previous post was at 17:32 ----------


Recording from the Sky box's HDMI would not be allowed.

Although anyway I'd assume the HDMI on the Verbatim is an output.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Hi Matt, none of these socket are in use.

Coaxial
Optical
HDMI
Component Out
Audio Video in
Audio Video Out

I just need to know how to utilize on the verbatim. Also The sky box still has:
Coaxial
Optical
Audio Video Out
S-Video which are still not in use.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

AFAIK, the Sky box only uses the VCR SCART for the archive/copy function. So, as mentioned, you need to connect that to your Verbatim box.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Thanks Gents for all your help.
Well apreciated!

Bruster.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Why not connect HDMI to HDMI? I don't understand why that should be so difficult.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Two reasons. First, the Verbatim box is highly unlikely to be able to record from HDMI.


Second, even if it could, the copyright protection built into the HDMI spec would probably prevent the owner copying most of the programmes Sky broadcasting. HDMI (unlike DVI and VGA) is designed to enforce copyright protection at every step in the system.

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

But seeing as Sky do not have any problem with copying the stored content on the Sky+ box, that shouldn't be a problem, should It?

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Yes, it would be a problem, for the reason Stu outlined above. Sky doesn't dislike archiving as such, but content owners do dislike archiving via HDMI because HDMI carries a high definition copy of the content that could (potentially) be pirated. For this reason, HDMI has copy protection built in. Whether the protection is implemented is down to the broadcaster - for example, AFAIK the BBC does not employ HDMI's copy protection on any of its HD broadcasts. But the ability to protect it is there, so archiving via HDMI can't be recommended because it may not always work (I'd expect it to be particularly unlikely to work on the HD movie channels, for example).

Re: Connecting Sky+ to an external HDD recorder?
 

Sky will do what their content providors want. Content providors tolerate copying via composite video because there is a measurable drop in quality (not counting the drop from HD to sd). There is no drop in quality or resolution if you copy via either hdmi or dvi. This is why the VCR scarts on both the sky and virgin boxes are composite and not rgb.