Recording with digital adapter

[JoeRan]

My local cable co. is going digital, providing a free converter box. They tell me I will not be able to watch one channel and record a different channel at the same time with my VCR. How can I get around this? Can I buy a digital DVD recorder to record one channel while I'm watching a different channel?

 

[40s]

buy another adapter and split the cable to go to both your TV and the VCR. If you are going to be using it a long time I think the investment is worth it only 40-50 bucks you can get it at walmart I think. More advanced options would be buying a cable card expansion for your PC or a box yourself which will cost you much more.

 

[americanaudiophile]

A VCR does not have a tuner in it for digital cable. You will need two cable boxes to be able to watch and record simultaneously. You will not be able to program recordings very well since your VCR will not change channels on the cable box.
A DVR from your cable co. will probably work a lot easier and it might not cost as much as two cable boxes. You can also record in HD.

 

[Wolfshadw]

I think the issue here is that the OP does not have an HDTV.

Unless the digital DVD recorder has multiple digital tuners, you will not be able to go that route.
The cable company should be able to provide you with a DVR (at cost) that will allow you to watch one channel while recording another.
Purchasing a cable splitter and another converter box would also work, but unless your TV has multiple inputs, you'd also need a switch to make swapping between the two sources easier.
Unless you previously required a set top box from your cable company, you will not need a cablecard solution. If you have a PC near the TV, you could make some updates (add a dual-tuner TV Tuner card and analog output) to it and connect it to the TV. This is probably the cleanest (and most expensive) solution.

-Wolf sends

 

[40s]

the TV tuner is less than 50 bucks and will already convert the signal. I have one, but I don't think you'll get anything more than basic channels and cspan, that's about all I get with my hapauge. Most shows I like are basic tv anyhow.