View Full Version : Help with watching tv while recording tivo
rottie95
03-12-2006, 08:50 PM
Good Evening, I read the thread regarding this but I am confused. I have a TiVo series two and use cable w/o a box. In the instructions I read, it mentioned hooking two cable lines to RF in on the back of the TiVo. I have only one RF in and one RF out. Please help here as I have this on my main tv where I have my regular shows I watch and want to record others.
I should add that I am running everthing through my home entertainment center (surround sound plus dvd recorder). Also having trouble hooking up my vcr as well.
TIA
Turtleboy
03-12-2006, 08:52 PM
You need to buy a splitter. I think there are like $5 at Radio Shakc.
hitbyatrain
03-12-2006, 08:53 PM
You'll only have one coax cable going into your TiVo, and only one going out to your TV. Are you wanting to split the cable to make it to where you can watch one show on the television while TiVo is recording another? In that case, you'll need a cable splitter and more than one input on your TV. Split the cable from the wall. One goes to TiVo's in, one to TV's in. Then TiVo connects to your TV with RCA cables--the red/white/yellow. Your TiVo would then be viewable on your TV's input channel.
mandms7
03-12-2006, 08:56 PM
You need to either:
1) Get a cable splitter (and 1 additional coax cable) that allows one cable to go into your TiVo and the other one directly into your TV
2) Use an additional coax cable to plug into your TiVo RF Out into the back of your TV, then put the TiVo into Standby (see page 100 in the TiVo manual)
rottie95
03-12-2006, 08:58 PM
Thanks for the responses. Now, I have split the cable - one to the TiVo and one goes to the home theater system. Should I use a three way splitter and run the third to the TV? I do have the 3-way splitter.
rottie95
03-12-2006, 09:05 PM
You need to either:
1) Get a cable splitter (and 1 additional coax cable) that allows one cable to go into your TiVo and the other one directly into your TV
2) Use an additional coax cable to plug into your TiVo RF Out into the back of your TV, then put the TV into Standby (see page 100 in the TiVo manual)
Did you mean to say put the TiVo in standby in your second option? I don't have the manual for the TiVo.
ZikZak
03-12-2006, 10:04 PM
You do not need a splitter, regardless of the well meaning but incorrect posts above. You only need to run an RF cable from tivo's out to TV's in. To watch live while recording, put the tivo in standby mode.
gastrof
03-12-2006, 11:08 PM
Thanks for the responses. Now, I have split the cable - one to the TiVo and one goes to the home theater system...
Ummm...
You're feeding a coax RF line into your home theater system?
How?
Does your receiver have a TV tuner built into it?!? :confused:
mandms7
03-13-2006, 01:16 AM
Ummm...
You're feeding a coax RF line into your home theater system?
How?
Does your receiver have a TV tuner built into it?!? :confused:
I was wondering the same thing.
mandms7
03-13-2006, 01:17 AM
You do not need a splitter, regardless of the well meaning but incorrect posts above. You only need to run an RF cable from tivo's out to TV's in. To watch live while recording, put the tivo in standby mode.
Its not incorrect - just a different way of doing it.
zaoliyik
03-13-2006, 01:29 AM
Its not incorrect - just a different way of doing it.
if you use splitter, the signal will be degraded to a large degree, but not so with his method, resulting in a much better quality of picture.
rottie95
03-13-2006, 07:09 AM
Ummm...
You're feeding a coax RF line into your home theater system?
How?
Does your receiver have a TV tuner built into it?!? :confused:
Yes it does. It can be switched from dvd to tv and I also think to a vcr.
ZikZak
03-13-2006, 10:03 AM
Yes it does. It can be switched from dvd to tv and I also think to a vcr.
That you can switch between DVD and TV does not mean the receiver has a TV tuner. I've never heard of a receiver with a TV tuner myself. Exactly where is that second RF cable plugged in?
rottie95
03-13-2006, 12:01 PM
That you can switch between DVD and TV does not mean the receiver has a TV tuner. I've never heard of a receiver with a TV tuner myself. Exactly where is that second RF cable plugged in?
The back of the receiver has a VHF/uhf In and out connectors. I should note that I am now referring to a Sony SV-2000 Tivo unit.
I switched the Tivo series two back to the bedroom but the tivo comes on but I can't get regular channels. :mad: Was working fine the first time around,
ZikZak
03-13-2006, 12:32 PM
The back of the receiver has a VHF/uhf In and out connectors. I should note that I am now referring to a Sony SV-2000 Tivo unit.
You're getting confused between the Tivo (a Digital Video Recorder) and an A/V Receiver, which is a completely different stereo component. The tivo is not a receiver; we were referring to an A/V receiver such as an amplifier in a home theater system. The thing you plug the big speakers into.
So never mind about that, and just run the coax from the wall into your tivo RF IN, and then Tivo RF OUT to your TV, and you should be just fine.
rottie95
03-13-2006, 12:48 PM
You're getting confused between the Tivo (a Digital Video Recorder) and an A/V Receiver, which is a completely different stereo component. The tivo is not a receiver; we were referring to an A/V receiver such as an amplifier in a home theater system. The thing you plug the big speakers into.
So never mind about that, and just run the coax from the wall into your tivo RF IN, and then Tivo RF OUT to your TV, and you should be just fine.
thanks, gotta run to Radio Shack for the S-Video part and then I will try to hook this one up and check back in later. I appreciate the help :D
rottie95
03-13-2006, 03:07 PM
After much changes, I got the tivo to work with the channels with just the main cable line hooked up. Now, here is another problem. I thought that you could watch another program on live tv while recording another by putting the tivo in standby? I tried that out and it wanted to me to either change to that recorded channel or cancel the recording. I am new to all of this so I am quite confused.
Thanks
ZikZak
03-13-2006, 03:22 PM
If it popped anything up at all, then you did not have the tivo in standby mode.
phox_mulder
03-13-2006, 03:37 PM
After you put the Tivo in standby, don't use the Tivo remote to change the channel, use the TV remote.
phox
rottie95
03-13-2006, 05:08 PM
After you put the Tivo in standby, don't use the Tivo remote to change the channel, use the TV remote.
phox
I just tried that again and it still did no work. I set a program to record, went to settings and put it on standby and went on watching what was already watching. When the time came for the tivo to record, that pop-up came again to either delete the recording or the channel will change. It also automatically shuts off the tivo and tells me to turn the tivo back on. I did try using my regular remote control and all I get is snow on any other channel.
I should mention, that the tivo shows up as Video 1
rottie95
03-13-2006, 07:03 PM
OK, I finally got it. I split the cable from the wall and put one to the tivo and the other to the tv. My test recording is now running while I am watching regular tv.
Thanks to ALL for your help
ZikZak
03-13-2006, 09:13 PM
It also automatically shuts off the tivo and tells me to turn the tivo back on.
No, it tells you how to turn the tivo back on when you're ready. The tivo never truly shuts off; it goes into standby mode. In that mode, the RF is passed through to the tivo's RF out, which should be plugged into the RF in on your TV. You should then be watching live TV using the TV's tuner, not on Video 1 as you mentioned you were doing. If you're watching anything on Video 1, you're not in standby mode because you turned the tivo back on.
The splitter, although it will work, will cause the picture to be much degraded.
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