can you watch another tv station while recording? I know this unit has a tuner, but does it have a dvd/tv button like vcrs have a vcr/tv button that you can hit which will allow you to watch other tv stations using your tv remote while you're recording another channel? can you watch another tv station while recording? I know this unit has a tuner, but does it have a dvd/tv button like vcrs have a vcr/tv button that you can hit which will allow you to watch other... » Read More can you watch another tv station while recording? I know this unit has a tuner, but does it have a dvd/tv button like vcrs have a vcr/tv button that you can hit which will allow you to watch other tv stations using your tv remote while you're recording another channel? « Show Less
1854105
T Kaz -- how do you split the cable connection to do this?I have cable running from the wall to the (Comcast) cable box (on top of tv), from the cable box to the dvd recorder then from the dvd recorder to the tv. I just talked to Comcast guy and he said the only way to watch one channel while recording another is to either bypass the cable box altogether (which would limit channel selection) or rent a dvr from Comcast (naturally!). I know there is a way around this I just haven't figured it out yet. Any details you can give on splitting the connection in order to view one channel while watching another would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. T Kaz -- how do you split the cable connection to do this?I have cable running from the wall to the (Comcast) cable box (on top of tv), from the cable box to the dvd recorder then from the dvd recorder to the tv. I just talked to Comcast guy and he said the only way to watch one channel while recording another is to either bypass the cable box altogether (which would limit channel selection) or rent a dvr from Comcast (naturally!). I know there is a way around this I just haven't figured it out yet. Any details you can give on splitting the connection in order to... » Read More T Kaz -- how do you split the cable connection to do this?I have cable running from the wall to the (Comcast) cable box (on top of tv), from the cable box to the dvd recorder then from the dvd recorder to the tv. I just talked to Comcast guy and he said the only way to watch one channel while recording another is to either bypass the cable box altogether (which would limit channel selection) or rent a dvr from Comcast (naturally!). I know there is a way around this I just haven't figured it out yet. Any details you can give on splitting the connection in order to view one channel while watching another would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. « Show Less
1854106
No it does not, the only way to record one channel while watching another is to split your cable (or other) connection cable one to unit one to tv or box.Ive not run into any that do that w/ out splitting.If you have a tv w/ digital tuner this shouldnt be a problem.
353791
There is not tuner in it so you would need a cable box or tv connected to be able to record broadcast content. We only use is for viewing DVD's and some older VHS tapes so I am not very familiar with the recording function. It has been a very reliable unit for us.
1812743
Hi there K.........how did this unit turn out for you? I've had mine for a couple of years so far, and it plays DVD's great. I gave up on learning how to copy a tape to a disk, but that is the one feature I needed to rid myself of boxes of old VCR tapes. (See my posts dated 2/21/10.) James says I need a tuner, however the inst. book does not mention that. Thanks for the help, Jeanette
1604213
Watching, requires a Tuner and a Display. Recording, requires a Tuner. Since this VCR only has 1 Tuner, you can only record and or watch one single channel at the same time.
1682620
The short answer is no, because the unit only has one tuner. However, as digitalicecream states, if your TV has a tuner, you can use the TV tuner to watch programs while the unit is recording.
47351
no idea, you can record all the channels but you will not be able to look at each one in full screen on a DVR. The unit record up to 30 days so no need to record on another DVR ?
1945290
If you have a analog TV, your digital TV converter can act as a tuner. I have a smart antenna and I connect the smart antenna to the converter. Then, I connect the digital converter to the VCR/DVD Recorder with RCA cables.
932014
No it had to have a tuner it, so you can watch one cannel as you are recording another. Philips DVP3340V DVD VCR Combo had no build in tuner.
607307
This unit can be used as one of the many units to set up a similar setup to the Verizon Fios multi-room VCR. You can record a show on one Tivo and watch it on another. They just have to be connected via intranet (all be on the same network).
678265
You can record with either the vcr or the dvd mode and you can record your vcr tapes onto dvd discs.. For months, I was using it for only vcr recording, and then decided to catch up with the times and bought some dvd-rw dics. I love the dvd recording now that I'm using it. The only down side, that I see is that you have to re-format the dvd discs before recording again and it takes a while to initialize when you insert the disc in the machine.
150455
I don't know since I haven't read all the instructions for recording programs. On a former product, there were two tuners so I could watch a program while recording another channel, or record both channels, but not watch or record a third .
389799
This does not connect directly to your TV. I plugs into a computer which you could then hook up to a TV through multiple methods. If you already knew that then yes, you can watch one show while another is recording.
1781760
yes on VCR tapes and on DVD's but you need a tuner or cable box it does not ha a built in tuner. you can use a cable slitter and watch TV on another channel while using the cable box to record
2092855
If you have dvr service, you won't need an external tuner. The dvr (or if you just had a cable box) would serve as the external tuner. However, with this recorder you can only watch what you are recording at the time. You can't watch one show and record another.
1023132
I was curious about this too. With old VCR units in the past, you could set the VCR to a public station like channel 3 and have it record from the TV tuner itself.Perhaps one could use a cable box output via coax to this unit and set the unit tuner to channel 3 or similar. This would however remove any automatic facets unless you set your EyeTV software to record channel 3, and make sure the cable box was set to the correct channel ahead of time.Anyone know if this would hold true?
1945288
This is not a tuner. If your tv is an analog one you need this. It works with your antennae to receive regular tv stations. If you have cable or satellite you don't need it. Your DVD/VHS recorder should connect directly to tv with RCA jacks.
129235
The box doesn't know if you are watching the output from it or not. Thus, you can split the antenna signal with half going to the box and half going to an alternate antenna input on your TV. This way you can watch one show and record another. I don't have this exact box, but I have the HDMI output from the box going into my TV and the (split) antenna signal going in the coax input on the TV. Then by choosing the source: HDMI gets me the box output (whether live or playback), while ANT gives me the live OTA signal. Of course, this works because my TV has a built-in tuner and I am just using the box as a primitive DVR. Since you stated that your TV is newer, it most likely will have a built-in ATSC tuner.