Do you use PDC?

[SimonI]

I was a great advocate of PDC when I got my first VCR with it, since it seemed to solve that perennial recording problem of programs running late. But after numerous complete failures I've given up on it. Does anyone else have problems with it?

The problem is that if it is not 100% reliable compared to plain old timer recording, it's a waste of time.

On Hogmanay, I set up two different VCRs to both tape Only an excuse and Chewin' the fat, both using PDC, and they both only taped the same 3-minute segment from Only an excuse; so it can't be the VCRs - they're even on separate aerials! It confirmed what I suspected about PDC in that the broadcaster does not always set it right.

I emailed the BBC PDC unit about this but they haven't had the courtesy to reply.

[GregB]

Well I don't use VCR since getting SKy+ but PDC was a complete waste of time. I used it a few times but got about a 50% success rate which was a joke so I just ended up manually setting progs with plenty of buffering.

It's a great idea in theory but useless in practice

[Faythur]

AFAIK the success or not of PDC was down to the broadcaster.

If they ommited to transmit the signal [as happened many times with myself] then as you say, all confidence is lost and you might as well not bother!:oh-hum:

[SOUNDSTYLE]

I used it in the beginning, but haven't the last few years due to it not recording certain programmes which I didn't want to miss.
I won't use it again.

[SimonI]

Thanks folks - it's good to hear that it's not just me :lol:

No more PDC for me... ;)

[gerkey]

The first time i used PDC on my MICO DVD Recorder, i used it on BBC2 on a Saturday to record the programme 'Monk' , 1st week OK , 2nd. week nothing, a video recorder i brought some years ago , a Thorn brand,it had very good reviews , was given an update with PDC, just after i brought it , and i regretted not having this version of the deck , sometime later i had to have a repair to it and as Rumbelows who sold it to me were no longer in business the only way to get it repaired was to call out a Radio Rentals Engineer, and i said to him how i regretted not waiting for the PDC version and he told me this machine had been nothing but a nightmare to him with the level of complaints about it not working ! so some things never change. gerry.

[James45]

I've given up using PDC or any form of timed recording I got sick of looking forward to a taped movie and then watching the resulting abortion the PDC signal had made of the recording. I frequently got 'edited' down versions of the recorded films, i clearly remember PDC only recording 25mins of random segments of one film.