Anyone have the Comcast DVR?

[vettechick99]

I just had in installed today, and it didn't come with instructions. Anyone have experience with it?

I'm a little aggravated b/c I tested it out to record a movie I was watching, and then when I tried to switch the channel, it said the recording would stop if I left that channel. And if I have it to record a channel, it will automatically switch when that show comes on.

UGH, even VCR's can record while you watch another channel!!!! Please tell me I can work around this!

Any comments appreciated...

 

[monkeyboy]

Originally posted by vettechick99
I just had in installed today, and it didn't come with instructions.

I wouldn't have read them anyway

 

[ErikdaRed]

You need two tuners to watch and record at the same time. You can always split the cable and send one to the box and one to the TV and select the input as necessary.

 

[stinkerbelle]

nope - that's how it works! sorry!

we had to run a second line from our direcTv satelite to our Tivo box so we could 'record one channel and watch another'. (we can record 2 channels at once, but if the TV is on, we have to be watching one of those channels)

 

[vettechick99]

ok, neither my FI or I are good at electronics. So can I get around this without having to get my old tuner box back?

 

[vettechick99]

now someone explain THIS to me. at 2:55, i set it to record channel 4 at 3:00, but left it on chan 2. i turned the tv and DVR off.

now i return at 3:20 and turn it on and see what its done. Its tuned to chan 4 and correctly recorded it from the start time of 3 pm. Now someone please tell me how it can record a show when the set isnt even on, but i cant watch another channel???

am i just dense?

 

[trbrophy]

The issue is that the picture you are watching on the TV is being routed through the DVR using the tuner (the piece of hardware in the DVR that controls the channels, etc). Since the DVR only has one tuner, you can only "watch" one show via the DVR at a time. When you set the DVR to tape something, it uses the one tuner to record that show which is why you can't watch something else. If you plugged your DVR into your TV using three cables (red,white,yellow), then it is possible to split the cable signal so you can watch a show while the DVR is taping.

To do this, you'll need to get a cable splitter from your local electronics store and two new short cable coaxial cables. It will have 1 cable port on one side and 2 on the other. Unplug the DVR from the cable line and plug the cable line (coming from the wall jack) into the splitter. Then connect a new cable wire (black coaxial cable) from one of the two connectors on the other side to the DVR where the original cable was plugged in. Then plug another new cable wire from the second connector on the splitter into the cable jack on the back of the TV (the TV's tuner). This way the DVR is recording using it's own tuner and you can watch normal cable using the tuner within the TV itself.

Feel free to ask any questions. The above is probably more confusing than it should be