Hi Guys,

I recently purchased a Funai DVD-R/RW Recorder with 250gb HDD,

I'm having some issues with the quality coming from the analogue (rf) input, when I turn the unit on and I go through the channels on the recorder, they are dull and not as detailed/sharp as when I watch them normally from the rf input to my tv. This loss is passed on in recording the channels too.

heres my setup

sky(satelitte)

AV1(TV) on sky box -> AV2 (Decoder) on DVD Recorder
AV1(DVD Recorder) -> AV1 on my tv

The RF feed goes straight into the DVD Recorder input, then loops out and back in to the sky, then out through the sky to the TV.

The unit has RGB out but no sign of RGB in.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Many Thanks

There's your problem.

I myself have a Funai DVD Recorder which has the same problem.

But I've learned to live with it. You will probably need to do the same.

Hi Soneman,

Thanks for your response, I'm not too clued up on what RGB is? Is it another signal?

It seems strange that it only tends to affect the analogue channels from the RF, and even though the RF goes through the box itself before it goes to the TV, it only looks dull etc on AV1 with the DVD Recorder on, the stuff from my sky appears to look fine, but I don't know if this too is also loosing quality like the RF obviously is.

Many Thanks

RGB is another type of video signal.

What I noticed with my DVD Recorder was that if I don't connect my Sky box to my DVD Recorder, then the Analogue channels look fine. But when I re-connect the Sky box again, the dull picture returns. The worst part about it is that it effects the picture quality of the Sky channels coming into the DVD Recorder. So you end up with a degraded picture recorded onto a DVD.

I think the problem is that Sky boxes are capable of emitting an RGB signal. That's where the problem is.

It would seem that the only way to get around this is either to not connect the Sky box to the DVD Recorder at all or buy a DVD Recorder that does support RGB input signals.

I didn't pay much for my DVD Recorder. It's the reason why I'm not so bothered about this problem - I would probably need to pay another £30-40 to get a DVD Recorder that supports RGB input signals. I only paid £55 for it so I'm not too bothered.

Hi Again Soneman,

Thanks for your explaination of RGB,

From what I can see when I have the Sky routed through the DVD Recorder it doesn't seem to have an effect on the picture, or not a noticeable one, its hard to tell though as I don't have the pictures side by side to draw any comparison ie: Sky straight to the TV, and Sky through the DVD Recorder, I have the Sky set to RGB rather than PAL, both settings are the same going through the recorder, though the sound does tend to be slightly quieter when I have the Sky going through the DVD Recorder.

I will try what you did and see what happens with the analogue picture quality.

I'm slightly cheesed off as I paid abit more for mine, £150 to be exact! it is the one with the 250gb HDD though, so I guess that could be why.

Why do these companies put RGB Out on but no RGB in?

Many Thanks

£150 is still cheap for a DVD Recorder with a 250 Gb Hard Drive. I bet a Sony DVD Recorder like the one you bought would cost you £400.

In regards to the RGB thing, I suppose you get exactly what you pay for.

Funai is not the best brand name in the world by a long shot.

Because they're such a small company, they're bound to cut a few corners here and there when it comes to manufacturing their products so they can try to cut down costs which in turn will cut down the retail price. Hence the reason why Funai DVD Recorders don't support RGB input signals. This is my guess.

Hi Again

Apologies for the delay in my response, and thanks again for the info

Yeah you are right I guess at £150 I can't really complain, If I decide I want RGB in the future I could buy another unit, this one is ok for now though

I've just found out something else, thought i'd post it here rather than create a new thread.

I have just copied a recording that was on the HDD to DVD, This recording is in 16:9. When I play the DVD back on my PC in powerDVD, it is displayed as 4:3. The unit states that it supports recording in 16:9. The video in powerDVD isn't a cropped 16:9 image, it's 16:9 but shrinked to 4:3.

Any Ideas

Many Thanks