Hi there,
I'm sure this will prove to be something very simple. It's possible that you have not selected the correct input on the DVD/VDR for recording, however, I don't really have enough information to be able to give you a definitive answer.
The most important factor is whether you are using a Satellite receiver box, or whether you have a Satellite 'tuner' (FreeSat?) built into your TV. This is not clear so I'm going to work on the assumption that you are using a satellite receiver (until you tell me otherwise) as this is still the most common setup.
The first thing I notice from your description is that you seem to have a slight mis-understanding of how the connections between your devices work. The cable/connection used between your TV and DVD/VCR for playback of DVD and videos can
only be used for playback. You cannot assume that your setup is correct for recording simply because you can watch DVD and video on your TV. You would need to have a minumum of 2 connections between the TV and DVD/VCR to be able to record from the TV and, with many TVs, this cannot be done anyway.
To record from the satellite receiver, the satellite receiver should ideally be connected
directly to the DVD/VCR. I have drawn a couple of simple diagrams below to illustrate this.
However, you did state that you were able to record last week, but you did not explicity say that you had recorded from a satellite channel, so it's possible that you were recording from the TV or from the tuner in the DVD/VCR. It is not possible for me to say unless I know how
all of your devices (TV, DVD/VCR and satellite receiver) are inter-connected.
Please take a look at the following diagrams and then answer the questions below. I should then be able to give you a definitive answer and a comprehensive solution to your problem.
Setup 1
This is the
ideal and normal setup for recording from a satellite receiver box. The DVD/VCR records
directly from the satellite receiver. The connection between the DVD/VCR and TV is for playback
only.
Setup 2
This setup is highly unlikely to enable you to record from the satellite receiver. This is possible on some TVs but very few. There are 2 connections between the DVD/VCR and the TV. One for recording and one for playback. This will normally only allow you to record from the TV if the TV also has an aerial/antenna connection and will only record the aerial/antenna channels. If your TV has a built in Satellite/FreeSat tuner, it may be possible to record from Satellite as long as you have both connections from TV to DVD/VCR. This depends on the TV you have and whether it supports this feature.
Setup 3
This setup will not record anything. The single connections between the satellite receiver and TV and between the DVD/VCR and TV are strictly for playback.
Please review the diagrams above and then reply to me from within this page with the answers to following questions:
1. Does your TV have a built-in satellite/FreeSat tuner?
2. Which of the above diagrams is most closely related to your setup?
3. How are your TV, DVD/VCR and satellite reciever inter-connected? - Which types of cable are you using and which sockets are the connected to?
Thanks,
BElectric