Re: Panasonic DMR-BWT850 BD/DVD recorder problem
Ok some questions
Do both units have 2 tuners in them each?
Or does one have 3?
With 2 tuners, a device can record 2 different channels and POTENTIALLY allow you to watch a 3rd. The ability to watch that 3rd depends on the specific channel you want to watch.
TV channels all belong to groups of channels called multiplexes. The BBC channels for example are all in one group, the ITV channels are in another and so on.
The tuners in the device tune into a multiplex, not into a specific channel.
So one a tuner is directed to a specific multiplex, EVERY channel within that multiplex group is viewable, even if you are recording a different channel IN THAT SAME MULTIPLEX.
There are to my mind 2 things that could be causing your problem.
The first is that you decided to watch a 3rd channel before one of the programmed channels started and that 3rd channel WAS NOT in the same multiplex group as the programmed channel. That could/would have prevented a programme from recording, though on most devices there would have been a warning on-screen to tell you about it, and usually a device will automatically change stations to the programmed channel anyway.
The second likely cause of your problem are the settings you have set up for recording. It's normal to set up a length of padding time both at the start and end of the programme. This allows the entire programme to be recorded if say the programme is broadcast slightly early or late. My recording usually have a 3 min pad at the start and 5 mins at the end.
If you haven't specifically set this up yourself, the device might already have a default.
The net result of this is that the machine starts recording before the programme starts. So where your programmes overlap you may have issues.
For example:
2030 – 2100 BBC2 University Challenge
2100 – 2200 BBC2 Collateral
2100 – 2200 Ch 4 24 Hours in Police Custody
Here you have 3 programmes
Tuner 1 will be using the BBC multiplex for University Challenge
Tuner 2 will be using the BBC multiplex also to record Collateral
The third programme should struggle because at 2100 hours the first 2 programmes are already still recording (because of the start and end padding times)
These are the 2 most likely problems imo.