Pioneer 520H and the new digital age

[GeckoTX]

Hello to all. I joined this forum in hopes of getting some answers regarding my Pioneer 520H DVR.

Recently our cable provider switched to an 'all digital network'. Now I can't record any standard broadcast channel (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, etc.) through my DVR. I can still record but only if I switch the DVR to L3 and the cable box to the channel I want to record. I got a Digital converter from my cable company but that didn't do a thing to bring my 'record a broadcast channel while watching any other channel' ability back. Is it possible to get that ability back somehow with my 520H??

Thanks for any help possible.

Lee

[wabjxo]

Click #1 in my signature for three virtually identical DVDRs that have the digital tuners you need to record one channel while watching another. The "Basic System Connections" subject on the 1st page of the link describes how this works.

[samijubal]

You can get a two tuner cable box if your provider has them or you can get a second box. If we are talking OTA channels, use an antenna and get 2 digital to analog converter boxes. You can get 2 coupons and get 2 boxes for a little under $20. I wouldn't buy an inferior recorder when you already have a good one.

[usually_quiet]

If possible get a second cable box from your provider which includes a programmable timer, to syncronize with your Pioneer's timers. I didn't know such things existed, but they do. People often have it on their cable box, but don't know the option exists, and out of frustration, rent a PVR instead. Check your user manual and find out if yours has the feature

If I had not been searching my local paper's online archives to find out when my cable provider would implement some changes announced earlier in the year, I would not have found out about it. A subscriber had written to complain because Comcast had disabled the timer feature on his cable box when they downloaded a software upgrade. Turns out he needed to request a new cable box. His current one was an older model that did not have enough memory to hold a full version of the new software, which would have preserved the timers.

At this time, there are only two coupon-elegible that have event timers, the DTVPal/TR-40 CRA and the Zinwell ZAT 970-A. I have a DTVPal and a TR-40 CRA. The picture they provides is OK for me to watch on the two small TV's that I use them with, but it is somewhat soft/lacking in detail. Some people might not find the quality acceptable for recording, but other converter boxes that have been praised for their picture quality lack timers. I haven't seen any reviews about the Zinwell yet.

[GeckoTX]

Thanks for the suggestions but I do not want to buy another DVR. I love the Pioneer 520H I have and will stick with it. Besides, I don't have that kind of money to burn. A second cable box would cost me $15 a month... another option that I can't afford.

There has got to be a way to do this without spending much money. I have tried the digital converter route with no success. I already have an HDTV and the HD Cable Box but the 520H needs the updating or at the very least, an inline box to allow digital recording. Am I not seeing the whole picture here?... is it not possible to allow my beloved Pioneer 520H to advance into the digital age with a little help from a black box?

Lee

[usually_quiet]

With digital cable, you need a second cable box or one with two tuners to record one thing using a DVD recorder and watch another. There is no way around that. Even if your Pioneer had a digital tuner, chances are that most of the channels you have could not be recorded. By itself, a DVD recorder with a QAM tuner can only record unecrypted channels, and most digital cable system offer very few of those.

[Edit] Often the locals are unencrypted, but possibly not all of them. At present in my area, definitely not all of them.

I did find one in-line box, but at $180 not exactly cheap, the Samsung DTB-H260F - HDTV Digital Terrestrial Receiver, which offers component, composite, and S-Video out for analog devices, and can also tune clear QAM, according to one review. Best Buy has them.

There might be some DVD-only recorders with ATSC/QAM tuners around for less than that, which you'd only use for the timers and tuners.

Making the digital switch sure isn't inexpensive.

[samijubal]

What channels are you trying to record? Locals? National channels? Premium networks?