Can you hook up a cable box and regular cable?

[mantis666]

Hi,
I'm using Tivo in a setup with a plasma TV that does not have any tuner whatsoever. I would like to set it up where the cable box is connected to Tivo for purposes of recording digital channels only and analog cable is connected to TIVO for everything else. Analog channels should be tuned and recorded using Tivo's built in tuner, and digital channels should be tuned via IR blastingand record via SVideo. This would allow me to

1)When recording analog programming, I can watch something different by tuning the cable box, which has a seperate hi-def component connection to the TV anyway. Tivo records using its analog RF input.

2)Use tivo to record digital channels, but with the expected restrictions (can't watch somethign else, since the tuner box is "in use"). Tivo records using the S-Video input.

The real world case for this is that I have NHL center ice (digital channels) and my wife would like to record her shows (available on analog) while I'm watching a game. The "default" cable box setup makes that impossible. The "analog" setup makes it impossible to record a game when I'm out.

Is tivo clever enough to handle this or not? I get the impression "no", but it would be a nice feature when its paired up with a "tunerless" display.

[hitbyatrain]

No, because in order to do this, the TiVo would need to have two tuners. Most people in your situation hook the digital cable box directly to the television, and use TiVo only for the analog channels.

Wait for the Series 3 to arrive--it's rumored to have two tuners and cablecard slots, making what you want to do (using two digital cable inputs at the same time) incredibly easy.

[mmascari]

I'm using Tivo in a setup with a plasma TV that does not have any tuner whatsoever. I would like to set it up where the cable box is connected to Tivo for purposes of recording digital channels only and analog cable is connected to TIVO for everything else. Analog channels should be tuned and recorded using Tivo's built in tuner, and digital channels should be tuned via IR blastingand record via SVideo.


Unfortunately, no you can’t do this with a cable box.

No, because in order to do this, the TiVo would need to have two tuners.

I’ve seen this response several times, and it’s just as wrong now as it has been every other time. Two tuners would be needed to record or use trick play on two channels at the same time, but not for what is requested here. This request would still only record one thing at a time. It would just give the option to use the CATV tuner built into the TiVo instead of just A/V inputs as a possible source. Right now with a cable box the built in CATV tuner isn't doing anything ever.

The idea is to treat any external tuner the same instead of making the artificial distinction between cable and satellite.

Today, "Satellite and Cable without Box" works just fine. (And does exactly what was requested here.)

Change this to, "Set top box and Cable without Box" with the exact same functionality as today would solve this problem. Unfortunately, the TiVo treats a satellite box and a cable box differently even though they work the exact same way.

This could be fixed two ways.
1: Change guided setup by adding "Cable Box and Cable without Box" as a valid selection. This has been done on hacked series 1 units, so it's possible.
2: Change the list of available line-ups for Satellite to include Cable line-ups that require a cable box and make those IR codes available in the IR selection screen. This solution essentially changes the meaning of "Satellite" to "Set Top Box".

Either one would meet the requesters requirements.

This allows advantages of being able to use the cable box directly with the TV for other things while the TiVo is recording analog content. It also uses the analog tuner in the TiVo instead of the one in the cable box.

It does have the disadvantage that if you change the cable box without checking if the TiVo is using it first, you'll mess up a recording. Also the TiVo may decide to record something from cable while you're using it for something else and change the channel on you.

These are small risks for the added functionality.

Easy usage scenario. Friday night and several prime time network/analog cable things are scheduled to record, but you want to watch a movie on demand or PPV. Both of those require going around the TiVo anyway. Today you can't, even though all of the hardware parts are present to allow the TiVo to record the programs anyway since it doesn't really need the cable box. It's a completely software related limitation.

This is the exact problem described above, only for NHL center ice instead of PPV. Recording this isn’t the goal, just freeing the cable box from the TiVo to watch live outside of the TiVo environment.

I’ve been asking for this since I got my TiVo and even tried to get my line-up added as a Satellite line-up. After all, the cable company used to advertise it as: Satellite TV delivered through the cable you already have.

[gazw]

Hi,

Mmascari, do you know where there are instructions on how to make this modification to a Series 1 TIVO (already got telnet access). Assuming that such modification doesn't violate the TOS for the site, of course. I don't see why it would, though.
Thanks,
-gaz

[mmascari]

Hi,

Mmascari, do you know where there are instructions on how to make this modification to a Series 1 TIVO (already got telnet access). Assuming that such modification doesn't violate the TOS for the site, of course. I don't see why it would, though.
Thanks,
-gaz

You'll need to look in the underground. I don't have a series one, so I got into the implementation details.