New COX Cable mini-box will not work with my Magnvox HDD/DVD recorder.

[JIMG4956]

Is there an adapter box or something I can use to make it work? IT SHOWS A PICTURE, BUT IT WILL NOT RECORD. Apparently the Magnavox recorder does not like the new all digital signal that is coming from the new COX mini box. Is there a way around this?

 

[americanaudiophile]

Assuming that you have the HDD/D/DR connected to the RF coax antenna output of the box that will not be a digital signal but either analog channel three or four (depending on how switch on the back of the mini box is set). You should get a recording if you have the HDD/DVDR set to record that channel
If you older cable box had composite video and audio outputs and it was set to record this you would have to set it to always record channel 3 or 4 (not the cable channel or line inputs) rather than the video/audio input.
If you didn't have a box before then you would have set the recorded to the channel that you wanted to record not channel 3 or 4 as you need to now.

 

[JIMG4956]

Assuming that you have the HDD/D/DR connected to the RF coax antenna output of the box that will not be a digital signal but either analog channel three or four (depending on how switch on the back of the mini box is set). You should get a recording if you have the HDD/DVDR set to record that channel
If you older cable box had composite video and audio outputs and it was set to record this you would have to set it to always record channel 3 or 4 (not the cable channel or line inputs) rather than the video/audio input.
If you didn't have a box before then you would have set the recorded to the channel that you wanted to record not channel 3 or 4 as you need to now.

 

[JIMG4956]

OK, very helpful. So then the signal from the coax output on the mini-box is still analog, and the output from the HDMI output on the mini-box is digital. Is that correct? I tried setting the HDD/DVD recorder to channel 3 and it recorded OK - but it always records the channel that the TV is set to with the mini-box. If I try to PROGRAM it to record a different channel, (set to a regular channel number and not an old digital number with a decimal point) the HDD/DVD recorder switches to that channel, but since it no longer is at channel 3, it doesn't record anything. Any ideas? Is there a way to send a digital signal to the HDD/DVD recorder using a splitter or something? I ran an "auto channel preset" scan on the HDD/DVD box as suggested by Motorola tech support using the "cable (analog/digital)" choice. It detected a bunch of analog channels and also all the digital channels from the mini-box coax output, (at least it displayed DTV during the scan) so I'm guessing that it will receive them. However when I set the HDD/DVD recorder to DTV, it always adds a decimal point, so it doesn't work. This is driving me nuts.

 

[JIMG4956]

Assuming that you have the HDD/D/DR connected to the RF coax antenna output of the box that will not be a digital signal but either analog channel three or four (depending on how switch on the back of the mini box is set). You should get a recording if you have the HDD/DVDR set to record that channel
If you older cable box had composite video and audio outputs and it was set to record this you would have to set it to always record channel 3 or 4 (not the cable channel or line inputs) rather than the video/audio input.
If you didn't have a box before then you would have set the recorded to the channel that you wanted to record not channel 3 or 4 as you need to now.

 

[JIMG4956]

AmericanAudiophile,
I posted an answer to something or somebody, but not sure exactly how this posting thing works, so I don't know if you saw it.
Anyway in a nutshell, it works when I set the HDD/DVDR to channel 3, BUT it records ONLY the channel that the mini-box it set to. If I try to PROGRAM the HDD/DVDR to record a different channel at a certain time, the HDD/DVDR changes to that channel, and no longer records. Any other ideas like a splitter or something?
Thanks, JimG

 

[americanaudiophile]

The tuner in your HDD/DVR is not digital and won't work on an all digital cable system
Your HDD/DVR can't change channels on the mini box so it can only record the channel that the box is set to at the time you specify the recording to start, If there are any analog channels still on your cable system you could split the cable going into the mini box and connect one to the HDD/DVR. Then the recorder could change channels but only on those. You might find some basic channels. To try it just connect the RF cable going into the mini box to the RF input on the recorder and see if you get any channels.

 

[JIMG4956]

I tried your suggestion by connecting the coax cable from the wall directly into the the Magnavox HDD/DVDR and got several old analog channels into the TV source input on the television with the Magnavox power OFF, and also several analog channels from the same coax cable thru the Magnavox HDD/DVDR into the HDMI source input on the television with the power ON. The HDMI ones are a little better quality because the Magnavox unit somehow enhances them.
I am now able to program the timer to change channels. Thanks for your help.