I thought the sky HD box was going to be the answer to all my problems - the VHS had just packed up, I'd just bought a new HD plasma and it seemed the obvious answer for recording and playback of all those HD documentaries and films. But only a month or so after getting it the hard drive is 50% full and at this rate its going to be full in no time. So what do you do?
I'd love to keep BBC's Planet Earth as an archive, but how? I don't know how to back anything up and at the moment its occupying valuable disk space. Any suggestions?

I use a recordable DVD player, it comes in handy to archive stuff from the Sky hard disc.

I agree with Steve, without a larger disk you need to get stuff off you need to keep, but note that (as far as I know) a 1 hour HD prog will fill a 4.7gb DVD if you maintain quality. Maybe the option is to wait for HD-DVD, but start saving now!
There is a lot of forum here on Sky HD, there is also a dedicated forum to Sky+ here, in fact the DigitalSpy forums have lots of useful things on all aspects of AV. Might be of some use!
Steve

Just had a quick look at the Sky HD box and I think you might have another problem in that it might be difficult to get a HD signal to a DVD recorder. As far as I am aware Scart cannot carry a HD signal so you need a HDMI socket on your DVD recorder. The other option would be to put the progs onto a PC, assuming Sky have not stopped that trick which knowing Sky ...
There seem to be a few people around who have upgraded their hard drive with success - but no longer really have a warranty! If you feel like it have a look here

There is the SATA socket for "future updates"

The main issue is that you're not meant to be able to further copy the HD footage you have saved on your hard drive... or at least, not in HD resolution!

This is what HDCP is all about - the ability to produce HD quality wmv files on DVD and sell them on is a pirates dream.

If you want to back 'em up, then you'll have to settle for standard def

The HD is apparently 300Gb.
Only 160Gb is available for recording. The other 140Gb is for the new Sky push technology. They send you down programmes you want to watch i think.

ahem.............

Thanks for the replies Guys

I had a good look at things last night and the problem is that a typical episode of "Planet earth" occupies about 7% of the hard drive. A typical feature film in standard def is 2%.

I am currently recording the repeated Planet Earth series in HD and so far this has used 35% of my hard drive. As I see it, there seems to be no obvious way to back this up. So I am inevitably going to have to delete the series to allow me to carry on - all very frustrating.

Great for day to day recording/playback, but bloody useless for long term archiving.

Gary

I watch and learn with interest, knowing that ancient archaic recording-media are available for archiving.

quote:

Originally posted by Chumpy:
I watch and learn with interest, knowing that ancient archaic recording-media are available for archiving.

Chumpy

Not quite sure I follow you? What "ancient archaic recording-media" is suitable to back up an 11GB episode of Planet Earth in HD?

Gary