Forget the TV and recorder - use an old computer with a cheap USB camera or two and use software like this:
Gotcha' software
Waaayyy cheaper, works tons better, can set it & forget it for months yet you can go back and check any scene from any period of time quickly and at will. You can even call home with a modem and watch your place in real time, remotely.
I've been using this type of setup for three years now and it's never let me down.
Lots of other software packages out there that do this same function so check around...