recording tv shows

[rupertkj]

Hi, have a brand new XR-48A90K TV, and would like to record occasional TV shows. I have two remotes (why?) and neither has a REC button, so how do I record?

Thanks so much!

[LightFoot]

Hi @rupertkj 

Having set up your HDD property the easiest way to set up a timed recording is to use the Sony TV Guide. Simply press Select (the centre OK button) on the programme you want to record. Then choose Timer REC and then set timer for an event or for a series link (if available).

Alternatively press the 123 button and choose Record if you want the record a future programme from the TV Guide or even start recording the programme you are watching. I don’t believe you will get a series link using this method.

If you don’t see Record on the 123 menu then Edit and add it. Record may not be available if you haven’t set up your HDD properly.

[rupertkj]

Thanks for your reply, much obliged! Just to be clear I need an HDD to record a show? 

[LightFoot]

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@rupertkj wrote:

Thanks for your reply, much obliged! Just to be clear I need an HDD to record a show? 

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Hi @rupertkj   Yes you need a HDD (or I believe a memory stick, but I haven't tried it) connected to the USB port marked HDD.

[rupertkj]

oh I see, so when it says 'Freesat built in', what it actually means is 'Freesat built in with none of the functionality of your 8 year old TV and set top box'. I've had lots of other issues but I think this might be the final straw for me, I am now genuinely thinking about returning my Sony TV to the shop...

[LightFoot]

Hi @rupertkj   Freesat is just a proprietary electronic programme guide. You can buy stand alone Freesat boxes without the recording facility. I very much doubt that you can buy any make of TV that has recording hardware built in (I could be wrong).

[royabrown2]

@rupertkj 

Before you send the set back, figure out what you are going to replace it with. As above, I don’t think you will find a single TV with recording capability built in to it, beyond adding an external HDD.

The key words above, though, are ‘8 year old TV’ - where you should find the Sony greatly superior in most respects - and ‘set top box’ - where TVs have not evolved, probably deliberately, to replace the functionality of these.

You will, though, find that set top boxes have evolved since 2014, though perhaps not as much as TVs have.

What set top box do you have? I presume it’s a Freesat PVR?  Then we can tell you if there is a more modern equivalent of it or not.

But what is unsatisfactory about it that you can’t simply carry on using it?  No HD? Only SCART output? I would have thought that any 2014 PVR had both those things, though.

[rupertkj]

Hi royabrown2, thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it! For background I have been out of the TV market for 8 years so I am coming this a bit naive, I'll admit...

I think I'll probably just re-install my old LG and ancient Freeserve set top box, and wait for the technology to improve. I've found the Sony software infuriatingly clunky and difficult, and my research today indicates that I now need to buy and install a separate hard drive and/or new set top box, and a digital aerial to make my brand new £1,500 TV function properly! 

My old set up allowed recording of shows on Freesat with one button, channel selection with one button, and a simple TV guide always accessible, none of which, it seems, can be done on my Sony without buying a load more kit. I could of course reconnect my old Freesat box to my new Sony, but the picture quality isn't great when I do that, and part of the reason for the change was to tidy up the area around and under the TV.

Thanks again for your input, much appreciated!

Not even my sure my new TV came with a manual...!