I don't want to kill your hope, but in my knowledge the RDR recorders that has a freeview tuner built-in are the ones with code HXD (i.e RDR-HXD770/870/970/1070 and RDR-HXD890/990/1090). Your model type doesn't have the D after HX so it is enabled only for analogue signal, that means that it will be never again able to receive any tv signal after the digital change-over. You may still be able to use it as a recorder only via an external set-top box (or even the TV itself) connected via scart. Otherwise it will be only a dvd player for the time being.

I'm sorry.

Well, Well, Well , as Experts said your model don't have digital tuner , so the firmware update will do nothing about the problem

Apologize about the confusion I got about your model number

I'm sorry chitke80, Guideplus is dead . In your recorder (and by the way also in mine that HAS a digital tuner) Guideplus was meant to work only with an analogue feed. Now that there is not any analogue signal anymore, they just stopped supporting it. It seems that you may still have it working via a sat feed, but unless you already have it I wouldn't suggest you to try.

Dear chaitke80,

please don't blame me for your recorder  .

Regarding your further questions:

1. you may still be able to record from digital feed via connecting an external decoder to the scart input (should be LINE1) and setting your timer (manually) on the corrisponding input (L1). Be aware that you have to set manually (or via a timer depending on the decoder) the channel you want to record in advance directly on the external decoder - and you have to be sure it is switched on by the time you want to record. Your recorder will not be able anymore to set the channel, it will always record what is available on the scart at the time it awakes
   
2. I do not understand what you meant by "play digital cd's". Your recorder will continue to be a CD/DVD player, so it will play any material you'll put in the tray (with some limitation on divx codec) as well as whatever material you have on your HDD
   

bye,

rooob

Hi Chris,

unfortunately SONY, AFAK, is dismissing this sector. In the catalogue you should still find the DC series that spot the SONY name, supports the new Guideplus digital feeding, has a double tuner (one digital and one analogue) and do most of the things your HX is capable to do (not all). In my personal opinion, the HX series are better (and faster) than the DC ones (I own an HXD870 that works very fine, even if it has lost the guideplus feature), but it depends which actual use you want to do with the recorder. If it is basic and you find one to buy you can go for it. I know that in the UK market there is also the SVR series that on paper has better features (i.e. double digital tuner) but has not a DVD drive,so really depend on what you wnat to do. Out of the SONY world there are better option (i.e. Bluray recorder, double HD digital tuner, Guideplus, SD/USB full support) but they are very expensive (more than 600 EUR).

Regarding analogue support, for sure your recorder will still work but in my knowledge in UK they should almost completely switched it off...

Ciao,

Roberto

Dear Chris,

as I said it depends really on what you want to do. If you choose to add a digital tuner to your existing recorder because your are satisfied by it that's a good choice.

One more suggestion: if you go for it be sure to buy one that has its own timer functionalities so you still have to set the timer twice (one on your recorder for getting the input from L1 and one on the decoder to switch it on an selecting the right channel) but at least you don't have to deal with the decoder manually (avoiding the risk to record a black signal for 2 hours ).

By the way, looking at the one @24,99 EUR it says you can receive "up to 50 Freeview channels" : in Italy we get more than 300 channels on DVB-T, why is it so limited?

Ciao,

Roberto

There is an option of how to get around the digital problem. If you have Sky, you can connect video/audio cables (red, white and yellow) into the back of the Sky box and connect the other end into the video camera inlet on the front of the Sony HX525. I am still able to make direct DVD recordings this way.