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Can I record movies to my set-top box?

Our digital TV expert says...

Hi Annette, if you've got a set-top box with Personal Video Recorder (PVR) capabilities, you'll be able to record movies to watch at a later date. What you'll be able to record will depend on the service that you're signed up to.

Virgin Media

If you've got a V+HD box then you'll be able to record content from your TV. Simply press the Record button on your remote control to record.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) V+HD box lets you pause, record and rewind “live” TV as well as allowing you to record up to two different channels while watching a third.

You can even record every episode of an entire series at the touch of a button, as well as any movies shown on the channels you subscribe to - including Sky Movies.

To watch movies that you've recorded, simply press the V+ button on your remote control to bring up a full list of everything stored on your set-top box.

The V+HD service is free for XL TV customers, but L and M+ users must pay £5 a month in addition to their monthly subscription and a £49 HD activation fee.

Virgin Media announced the launch of a new internet-enabled TiVo service to go live later this year. The new 1terrabyte boxes will be able to store up to 500 hours of content with on-demand HD and even 3D movies.

Sky

Sky was the PVR pioneer and all new Sky (www.sky.com) customers receive a set-top box that allows them to record movies and TV content.

Both its standard and high-definition (HD) Sky+ or Sky+HD boxes offer up to 185 hours of TV recordings - though HD content will use up more space.

Just like Virgin Media’s V+HD box, Sky+ also lets you pause and rewind “live” TV as well as recording programmes. But unlike Virgin Media, you can also record pay-per-view content to your Sky planner. However, you'll still only have the movie for 24-hours once you start watching it. If you don’t start watching it, pay-per-view content will stay on your box for seven days.

You don’t have to pay an extra monthly fee for the standard Sky+ service, but if you do want to watch HD TV through the Sky+HD box, you'll need to pay an additional £10 a month for the HD pack.

Sky launched its new Anytime+ service in October, allowing broadband and digital TV customers to download movies and TV programmes using their internet connection.

It offers more than 500 on-demand movies, which you can watch for free depending on your subscription. You won’t be able to record this content, but anything you download will stay on your box until you delete it.

Again, simply follow the on-screen instructions using your Sky remote control.

BT Vision

BT Vision (www.bt.vision.co.uk) is the digital TV service from the UK’s biggest broadband provider. If you have a Vision+ set-top box you'll be able to record up to two Freeview channels while watching something else. However, you won’t be able to record any on-demand content from the supplier.

Find out how to transfer content from your Vision+ box to a DVD.

Pay-per-view and on-demand content

Because pay-per-view movies and TV programmes are only available for 24 or 48-hours, most digital TV providers do not allow you to record them to your set-top box.

You might also find that you can’t record on-demand catch-up TV like programmes from the BBC iPlayer because of legal and regulatory guidelines.

Freeview

Even if you don’t want to pay a monthly fee for your digital TV service, you'll still be able to record movies and other content from Freeview (www.freeview.co.uk).

Simply buy a Freeview+ or Freeview+HD set-top box that will allow you to pause, rewind and record content. The number of hours’ content that you'll be able to record will depend on the box that you choose, with more expensive models usually offering more space to store content.

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