Why not create a hard disk style recorder (like Tivo or Sky+) that connects between the ariel (or sattelite or cable) input and the TV. This box could then record the raw data signal, and therefore all the channels at a certain time. This signal could then be replayed into the TV (or Decoder) as though the signal was just coming in. This would allow people to record every channel at a specific time and never miss a show!!
The only problem i could see with this would be the amount of storage required, but surely a 120 GB Hard Drive would be more than enough (i use this as an example because 120 GB is the biggest i have seen available, but i am sure this has changed by now!!) for a couple of hours!-- MikeOliver, Mar 18 2003 All-Channel VCR http://www.halfbake...a/All-Channel_20VCRHalf-baked, and also poo-pooed on the grounds of bandwidth [ConsultingDetective, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004] promise.tv http://www.promise.tv/From the moment it's plugged in it records every programme, on every channel, and stores them for a whole week (three days for promise lite). It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. [xaviergisz, Feb 21 2012] are they cheap?-- MikeOliver, Mar 18 2003 .... and in this application, would last a few minutes at most, and that's if you can get the front-end ADCs to run fast enough.
What this idea describes is a recording, broadband frequency analyser, running from a few hundred megaherz up to several gigaherz, and it's got to record everything at decent resolution which means at least the second harmonic ...... if you do the sums, the real data rate required is quite staggering. At a 1 GHz bandwidth, and 16-bit resolution on a 10 Hz sample window, that's 200 Megabytes per second. Minimum. Your 120 Gb HDD would be full in about ten minutes.
One day this might be possible but at the moment, technologically it's a WIBNI.-- 8th of 7, Mar 18 2003 That's about right, [UB] - but the typical PAL signal on UHF uses about 25 Mhz of analog bandwidth including the guard bands. Scaling that up, to record a typical UHF spectrum (Channels 21 to 69) concurrently you'd need (48 x 140) /22 Gb for one hour of TV, which is 305Gb; and that's just for demodulated signals - for the raw signal you can add a factor of 10....-- 8th of 7, Mar 18 2003 My idea involved recording the encoded sky satellite signal as it is recieved through the dish. This could be decoded prior to viewing. I am not familiar with the size of the satellite signal that is beamed to us. If this is, as you say, many TB per hour, then i bow down to your superior knowledge. I must emphasise that the idea is to record the data exactly as it comes from the satellite!
I am in the UK, so we don't get to see anything until you yanks have tried, tested and surpassed it!-- MikeOliver, Mar 18 2003 Isn't this idea pre-halfbaked?-- beauxeault, Mar 18 2003 What? It would take a lot of electronic storage capacity? Well then it's quite impossible. Electronic storage capacity will never be any more compact and inexpensive than it is today.-- ConsultingDetective, Feb 01 2004 I need this!-- missingdonuts, Feb 24 2005 [ConsultingDetective]: 8 years later and your statement could not be more false. Multi-Terabyte hard drives now sell for the same price as the 120GB drive in the example. Data storage capacity will always get bigger and cheaper. Always.-- Cedar Park, Feb 22 2012 Umm... I think he was being ironic.-- Alterother, Feb 22 2012 random, halfbakery