Need Help - TV Tech

[Zandy595]

I'm trying to help my mom figure out how to to record tv shows. She pays for very basic Comcast cable through her homeowners association and has a DVD recorder. Since they switched (whatever they switched) about a month ago she can't record anything. She doesn't have any cable boxes, but does have those little digital transport adapters that come with a remote. When she called Comcast they said her DVD recorder was no longer compatible and that the only way she could record a tv show was if she rented a DVR through them. She is not happy. Is there really no way that she can still use her DVD recorder?

 

[Uncle Remus]

I'm trying to help my mom figure out how to to record tv shows. She pays for very basic Comcast cable through her homeowners association and has a DVD recorder. Since they switched (whatever they switched) about a month ago she can't record anything. She doesn't have any cable boxes, but does have those little digital transport adapters that come with a remote. When she called Comcast they said her DVD recorder was no longer compatible and that the only way she could record a tv show was if she rented a DVR through them. She is not happy. Is there really no way that she can still use her DVD recorder?

I hope that's not true, that kinda crap just gripes my butt. I'd be inclined to tell Comcast well, in that case I'll have to switch to Direct. Hey, maybe your mom could start a facebook petition for the homeowners association to do just that.

And sorry, I don't know anythin' about recordin' from Comcast.

 

[Zandy595]

I hope that's not true, that kinda crap just gripes my butt. I'd be inclined to tell Comcast well, in that case I'll have to switch to Direct. Hey, maybe your mom could start a facebook petition for the homeowners association to do just that.

And sorry, I don't know anythin' about recordin' from Comcast.

Well, the problem is the HOA has a contract with Comcast for the next 3 years, so she has to pay it no matter what.

 

[sam_gordon]

If it's what I think it is (I'll give a description in a moment), I think she's out of luck.

First, look on the back of the Comcast box. It will have a connection that looks like (at least) one of these:

My GUESS is the only connection it has (aside from power) matches the kind on the far right of the picture (labeled 'VHF/UHF' in the pic). If that's the case, see if the DVD recorder has an identical connection AND that connection is marked 'IN'. If that is the only connector on the Comcast box, and the DVD recorder doesn't have an input, you're out of luck without purchasing something else.

If there are other connections on the comcast box (matching the yellow/red/white on the above picture), you should be able to hook into the DVD recorder.

If you post the model numbers of the comcast box and the DVD recorder, I can try to be more specific.

 

[Zandy595]

If it's what I think it is (I'll give a description in a moment), I think she's out of luck.

First, look on the back of the Comcast box. It will have a connection that looks like (at least) one of these:

My GUESS is the only connection it has (aside from power) matches the kind on the far right of the picture (labeled 'VHF/UHF' in the pic). If that's the case, see if the DVD recorder has an identical connection AND that connection is marked 'IN'. If that is the only connector on the Comcast box, and the DVD recorder doesn't have an input, you're out of luck without purchasing something else.

If there are other connections on the comcast box (matching the yellow/red/white on the above picture), you should be able to hook into the DVD recorder.

If you post the model numbers of the comcast box and the DVD recorder, I can try to be more specific.

She doesn't have a comcast box. It's just a digital transport adaptor.

Looks kinda like this

 

[bicker]

This actually is DirecTV's fault. They started up the whole "let's give everyone a billion HD channels" campaign. They never had to worry about the old, inefficient 6 MHz cable channels - DirecTV always required their digital box, and the DVD recorder your mother has never worked with DirecTV. They took advantage of their ability to offer only the more efficient service to gain significant market share. So much so that the cable companies had to respond by switching from the old, inefficient 6 MHz cable channels to something closer to what their very successful competitor was offering, i.e., new, efficient, 600 KHz standard definition cable channels and 3 MHz HD cable channels.

The math is unfortunate for your mother: People who want lots of HD channels contribute a lot more to profit than people who just want the basics. Our capitalist economy's strength rests on its vitality, and that means giving the customers what they want based on how much they're willing to pay for it.

There are alternatives, but they're not cheap. Your federal government requires cable television service providers to offer an inexpensive means of tuning in cable channels, separate from the DTA that your mother has. It's called CableCARD. It is possible that your HOA made an explicit agreement with Comcast to prevent you from getting CableCARD - if they did, then your mother should complain about her HOA to her neighbors, because that's a really stupid thing they did to their own residents. However, even if you can get a CableCARD, your mother's DVD recorder is surely not properly equipped for CableCARD. You'll need a reasonably modern recorder, and even then, the manufacturers charge a lot extra for that compatibility.

The best approach, I feel, is going with the cable company's DVR, assuming that option is available. While you can buy your own recorders, still, there is simply too much going on in the industry these days, as it modernizes from 1950s technology to 21st Century technology. Wait until the churn dies down a few years from now before investing in a new recorder.

 

[Zandy595]

This actually is DirecTV's fault. They started up the whole "let's give everyone a billion HD channels" campaign. They never had to worry about the old, inefficient 6 MHz cable channels - DirecTV always required their digital box, and the DVD recorder your mother has never worked with DirecTV. They took advantage of their ability to offer only the more efficient service to gain significant market share. So much so that the cable companies had to respond by switching from the old, inefficient 6 MHz cable channels to something closer to what their very successful competitor was offering, i.e., new, efficient, 600 KHz standard definition cable channels and 3 MHz HD cable channels.

The math is unfortunate for your mother: People who want lots of HD channels contribute a lot more to profit than people who just want the basics. Our capitalist economy's strength rests on its vitality, and that means giving the customers what they want based on how much they're willing to pay for it.

There are alternatives, but they're not cheap. Your federal government requires cable television service providers to offer an inexpensive means of tuning in cable channels, separate from the DTA that your mother has. It's called CableCARD. It is possible that your HOA made an explicit agreement with Comcast to prevent you from getting CableCARD - if they did, then your mother should complain about her HOA to her neighbors, because that's a really stupid thing they did to their own residents. However, even if you can get a CableCARD, your mother's DVD recorder is surely not properly equipped for CableCARD. You'll need a reasonably modern recorder, and even then, the manufacturers charge a lot extra for that compatibility.

The best approach, I feel, is going with the cable company's DVR, assuming that option is available. While you can buy your own recorders, still, there is simply too much going on in the industry these days, as it modernizes from 1950s technology to 21st Century technology. Wait until the churn dies down a few years from now before investing in a new recorder.

She knows that getting a Comcast DVR is the easiest solution to her problem, but she's stubborn and won't get one on principle. She thinks she and everyone else in her situation should be given a choice and not forced to shell out more money to Comcast for their DVR.

 

[bicker]

They do have a choice: Watching television live. In the end, no service provider should ever be expected to castrate themselves while their competitors are allowed to do whatever they want to steal market share away. Sorry that your mother ends up holding the short-straw in that.

Another tack that your mother could pursue is to go back to the DVD recorder manufacturer and complain that their device no longer works as it used to. I doubt that that would work out, though, but it is as valid a complaint as any other I suppose.

 

[sam_gordon]

First, for bicker... I have no idea how DirecTV gets the blame here. Isn't American business practice supposed to be "deliver a better product than your competitors"? I don't know how they get any of the blame in this situation. As far as blaming the DVD recorder manufacturers... how about blaming the TV manufacturers? After all, if TV manufacturers would have anticipated QAM tuning 50 years ago and installed one in every TV, the black boxes wouldn't be needed.

For the OP... there are CHEAP (possibly even free) alternatives...
1) The easiest (if available) solution is to use the existing DVD recorder assuming it has a 'UHF/VHF In'. If it does, you simply set the DVD recorder to record channel 3 or 4 (whatever you have the little black box set to) at the times you want.
2) The next solution is to find a VCR with video outputs (most will have these). You plug the cable in this order: Wall Socket --> black box --> VCR (now use yellow/red/white connections) --> DVD recorder. You'll set your VCR to channel 3 or 4 depending on what the box is set to and the DVD recorder to 'Line In' (or 'AV' In depending on labeling)

Now, here's the catch... unless she has a high end DVD recorder, she won't be able to automatically change the channels on the black box. So if she wants to record Disney (for example) before going out to dinner, she'll need to tune the Disney channel in on the black box and set the DVD recorder to record at the right time.

 

[Zandy595]

First, for bicker... I have no idea how DirecTV gets the blame here. Isn't American business practice supposed to be "deliver a better product than your competitors"? I don't know how they get any of the blame in this situation. As far as blaming the DVD recorder manufacturers... how about blaming the TV manufacturers? After all, if TV manufacturers would have anticipated QAM tuning 50 years ago and installed one in every TV, the black boxes wouldn't be needed.

For the OP... there are CHEAP (possibly even free) alternatives...
1) The easiest (if available) solution is to use the existing DVD recorder assuming it has a 'UHF/VHF In'. If it does, you simply set the DVD recorder to record channel 3 or 4 (whatever you have the little black box set to) at the times you want.
2) The next solution is to find a VCR with video outputs (most will have these). You plug the cable in this order: Wall Socket --> black box --> VCR (now use yellow/red/white connections) --> DVD recorder. You'll set your VCR to channel 3 or 4 depending on what the box is set to and the DVD recorder to 'Line In' (or 'AV' In depending on labeling)

Now, here's the catch... unless she has a high end DVD recorder, she won't be able to automatically change the channels on the black box. So if she wants to record Disney (for example) before going out to dinner, she'll need to tune the Disney channel in on the black box and set the DVD recorder to record at the right time.

Thanks. I sent her this info.

 

[bicker]

First, for bicker... I have no idea how DirecTV gets the blame here. Isn't American business practice supposed to be "deliver a better product than your competitors"?

Absolutely correct. Thanks for straightening that out, and I'm sorry I made it sound otherwise. Truly: There is no blame in this situation.

After all, if TV manufacturers would have anticipated QAM tuning 50 years ago and installed one in every TV, the black boxes wouldn't be needed.

However, consumers like the OP's mother, who bought a DVD recorder many years ago, had a right to be offered cheaper DVD recorders at that time, cheaper because they didn't support all the various upcoming technologies, even though that means that they were perhaps putting themselves behind the proverbial eight ball, five or ten or fifteen years later.

As late as 2005, people were complaining about having to pay extra for ATSC-compatible televisions, when they themselves weren't partaking of the newer ATSC signals. People have a right to save money, even if it is going to come back and bite them in the backside later.

Now, here's the catch... unless she has a high end DVD recorder, she won't be able to automatically change the channels on the black box. So if she wants to record Disney (for example) before going out to dinner, she'll need to tune the Disney channel in on the black box and set the DVD recorder to record at the right time.

Precisely right. Also, don't some of these DTAs turn themselves off after a period of inactivity? I'm not sure about that.

 

[sam_gordon]

I thought of another option, but it will cost some $$...

Find a 'ReplayTV' box. I just did an ebay search and they'll run ~$50 (I actually have one collecting dust). These are hard disk recorders, but they do have a 'UHF/VHF' input. The bonus is you can purchase an IR (infrared) transmitter that plugs into the back of the ReplayTV box and it can actually control the box comcast gave you.

This would all require some setup on someone's part, but you'd have the benefit of a DVR without (all) of the cost.

 

[tvguy]

I work at a TV station, and to be honest, cable, satellite, TV stations and the FCC have not been very good to TV viewers. The digital conversion 2 years ago didn't help. The generic answer is "you need to buy new equipment, or additional equipment". Doesn't make people with perfectly good equipment very happy that they have to throw it in the dumpster and buy something new just because of changes made in the delivery system.