Lithium78
join:2003-02-03
Tipton, IN
| DVR usage question
Since I'm so new to digital cable and DVR, I thought I'd post to see how everyone else uses their DVR... honestly when I got the DVR I thought it would replace my VCR, but the more I use it the more I realize that it doesn't replace it, it just supplements it.
For people that only have a DVR, if there are two programs on that you want to watch at the same time, how do you do it? Since I split my cable before the DVR and have one line going to the cable box and one to the TV I can watch most of my channels via coax while the DVR records. Is this how everyone else deals with this problem?
I'm hoping that I've missed something and maybe there is a better solution... thanks in advance  |
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tivofan
@insightBB.com
| I don't personally have an Insight DVR but from what I've seen it is a single tuner DVR. Your solution is probably the best choice if you want to watch something else while the DVR records.
The ultimate solution is to get DirecTV and one of their Dual Tuner Tivo DVRs (only $99 upfront + $5 / month per household Tivo fee). I can record two things at once, or record one show on one tuner and watch live TV on the other tuner or have both tuners recording and watch a 3rd previously recorded program at the same time. Not to mention that most people also agree that the Tivo software is far superior to most other DVRs.
At first I was p*ssed that Insight was dragging their feet on bringing digital cable to my town, but now I thank them because it pushed me to DirecTV and I love it! |
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oldjack
join:2002-12-26
Springfield, IL
| reply to Lithium78
said by Lithium78  :
Since I split my cable before the DVR and have one line going to the cable box and one to the TV I can watch most of my channels via coax while the DVR records. Is this how everyone else deals with this problem?
Yes, you're doing it correctly.
I have read that the future generations of DVRs offered by cable companies will have the ability to record one channel & watch another without having a splitter. |
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Lithium78
join:2003-02-03
Tipton, IN
| reply to tivofan
If Direct-TV would offer a low cost HD tuner I would look into going with them. However, I'm hearing that the direct-tv HD receivers are about $400-500 and I just can't see paying that much up front just to watch a few HD channels, and I haven't seen any specials that would lower the price. I have however, seen a Dish network special that lowerst he cost of their HD tuner, but I've heard some bad things about them so I'm steering clear.
Right now Insights digital cable is a more cost effective plan for me, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for a better solution for my TV and internet needs. Being a concious consumer is the only way to force companies to compete. |
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Lithium78
join:2003-02-03
Tipton, IN
| Sorry about the double post, but I couldn't find the edit function.
I see people talking about watching a recorded program while recording a new program. Is Insights DVR capable of doing this? I'm always afraid that if I mess with anything after the recording has begun it will just stop and I'll miss whatever I was trying to record. :P |
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oldjack
join:2002-12-26
Springfield, IL
| said by Lithium78 :
I see people talking about watching a recorded program while recording a new program. Is Insights DVR capable of doing this? I'm always afraid that if I mess with anything after the recording has begun it will just stop and I'll miss whatever I was trying to record. :P
Yes, Insight's DVR can do this. If you want to demonstrate it to youself, just set the DVR to record some random program, then watch a previously-recorded program, then verify afterward that the random program has been recorded. |
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Lithium78
join:2003-02-03
Tipton, IN | Well thats pretty handy. I'll give it a shot tonight and see how it works. Thanks! |
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IGGY
No Guru Just Here To Help
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-30
Chatham, IL
2 edits | reply to Lithium78
I normally just watch recorded programs as others are being recorded. The latest firmware did screw up one thing. Used to be you could watch on demand content while something was being recorded. You can no longer do that. From what we've been told in the forum a new box is coming soon. That will allow us to record a program while watching another. No one has been straight forward as to how easy it would be to move content from the current box to another outlet to record for archiving. The .pdf files do explain how to archive to VHS which is pointless.
»DVR service questions / review
»DVR Box Review, Northern Kentucky
»DVR Box Ethernet Connectivity
»Adding a hardrive to DVR
As for TIVO being superior - not. Replay TV is much better from what I've seen. Replay TV actually doesn't lock down content and allows the user fair use rights. As for Direct TV offerings look at the pricing of there DVR boxes then come back and talk here. Microsoft just did an update to there software that will work with the Motorola boxes as well. So it'll be interesting to see if providers decide to give that a spin. You have to love elitist who have more money than they know what to do with. Insights current offerings can be tweaked yes. But there far from being useless.
Also keep in mind most shows do have repeated times. Not on the major networks - but for me I never watch there crap anyway. That is why I have cable. So for me it's easy to schedule things to meet my needs for that day. If something is on say BBC America at a time something I want to watch on TECHTV is on. I just decide which gets taped at a later time of that day.
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