For a couple of years, I've had a Sony RDR HXD995 DVD Recorder (with multi region playback) hooked up to a Samsung SMT-2110C Virgin Media Set Top Box.
This worked perfectly with no problems at all. I could set the stb to change channels and the DVD recorder to record the programmes. I could watch discs and record channels simultaneously. When I stopped watching a disc, the TV picture would come on automatically. If I was watching TV and wanted to switch to a recording saved to the Sony's hard drive, it was a one click operation.
That was then.
Unfortunately I allowed Virgin to talk me into upgrading my stb to a Virgin V BoxHD. As with many other posters in this thread, I've tried every Scart/HDMI permutation under the sun and cannot record from the V BoxHD – in fact I can't even see the Sony menu on the TV screen unless I reconfigure the Virgin box connection from HDMI to Scart. What I have at the moment is just the possibility of watching (but not recording) programmes saved on the Sony hard drive or watching DVDs – but to do either means reconfiguring the V BoxHD each time from HDMI to Scart. And then reconfiguring it BACK to watch the TV.
Virgin customer support is utterly useless – all they have done is offered me a TiVo (which is no good either as that assumes that everyone wants to watch everything they record AT HOME, whereas I record to DVD-R to watch on frequent flights and train journeys). In fact, Virgin they say they can't even swap the new V Box HD back to the old Samsung box for me, so I guess I'm absolutely shafted unless any tech wizard out there has a solution to the connection issue which will enable me to use the Sony + V BoxHD in the same way that I used the Sony + Samsung.
The other thing I thought of was buying a Samsung SMT-2110C on eBay, but then I'd need a new Virgin smart card and activation, wouldn't I..? I'm sure I can't just stick the current V Box HD smartcard inside an old Samsung stb?
HELP!
