For my whole life I have been using a VCR and my own DVR device with a hard drive, to record shows while watching others. This is using plain old cable. Now I switched to Dish Network and they say I can only use my own devices to tape shows I am already watching! They say I need to buy a DVR from them and pay $13 a month to be able to do something so simple! Is there a way around this, a way to use my own VCR or DVR to record one channel while watching another? Why haven't I heard other people screaming about this? Thanks.
2006-07-28 16:45:48 · 7 answers · asked by Matthew R 1 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Other - Electronics
Here's the reason why it's different.
With cable companies, the first 60 or so channels are analog. This means that a receiver is not needed to watch them. The only requirement is that the cable service is turned on to your home. You can then hook the cable directly into your DVR or VCR and it can record the channels that it can see, which might be different than the channel you're watching on your TV. You cannot do this with "digital" cable channels, which I'm sure you knew already.
With satellite, it's different. Every single channel coming from your satellite dish is digital. Therefore, every channel requires your DISH receiver. Some DISH receivers can control more than one TV. You may want to look into this option. You can use your VCR and DVR as the "second" TV, so that you can record a channel your not watching on your "primary" TV. You can do this without actually paying for DISH's DVR package.
2006-07-28 17:46:03 · answer #1 · answered by SirCharles 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While i am not sure about the VCR thing,i know that the DVR is well worth the money.Although,i do recall one of my friends doing this but they had two tvs and taped on one while watching the other downstairs,anyway.The DVR is a wonderful thing,even if you think you will only use it once,you will be using it more often. I have one,i thought ill only use it once,well it turns out i use it almost every day or every other day,when im working or something comes up one click and im off and i wont miss my show or anything.Besides you dont have to mess around with all those VCR tapes either.They can get kind of hectic to deal with if you get too many!Good Luck!
2006-07-28 16:51:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A dual tuner (like Dish's 322, 522, or 625) is required to perform this function. You could also use two separate tuners to do it, however, you would have to pay the $5 extra each month that Dish charges for another tuner. If you had a dual tuner in that room, and you plugged it into a working phone jack, dish will waive the $5 charge each month for the dual capability of the tuner. That would allow you to record one thing on your vcr, while watching something different on your television. It will also give you the capability to perform picture and picture (watch two different things on one tv at the same time) if your TV is capable of doing that. p.s. you don't need any splitters either. Satellites don't use splitters the way that land based cable operations do.
2016-03-27 05:01:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
On a VCR you can record a show and watch TV at the same time by putting the right channel on your VCR then choosing TV mode with the remote.
2006-07-28 16:50:19 · answer #4 · answered by jjc92787 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about Dish network, but we have Directv, witch is basically the same thing, and my daughter tapes shows on her vcr all the time
2006-07-28 16:49:21 · answer #5 · answered by momofnine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they are right, with a satelite you can only record one show on a dvr while watching another....it's not like cable
2006-07-28 16:49:58 · answer #6 · answered by Amanda F 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can tape em with ur vcr...
2006-07-28 16:55:47 · answer #7 · answered by mazenrique 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋