View Full Version : Dual Tuner Question
kpozzi
08-06-2006, 06:58 PM
Please help me understand this. I recently purchased the Tivo Series 2 DT and was thinking that I would be able to record one program while watching another. Am I crazy or just wrong about that? Last night, I was watching a program on MTV and then a pop-up came up advising me that my scheduled program would not be recorded unless I changed the channel to the designated program channel. Is there something that I'm doing wrong in this situation or does the DT even have this capablility?
Kerry
If set up properly, the DT will allow you record two things at once, but only one of them can be on a channel that reqiures a cable box. You also should be able to watch anything that already is fully recorded from your NP list without interfering with the DT's recording. But, your cable box can only be tuned to one channel at a time, so you can't watch two different cable box channels at once. So, I'm guessing that you had a scheduled program that needed the cable box, as did MTV, and that's why you got the conflict.
A good way to minimize the problem is to stop watching live TV and rely instead on timeshifted recordings. Many cable channels (and definetely MTV) re-run programs at lots of different times, so if you set up a Season Pass for your shows, your DT will find a time to record them that does not confict with any other cable-box shows.
It certainly can record two shows. Do you use a cable box? The DT can only record one digital and one analog show or two analog shows at once. Sometimes it seems these pop ups pop up when it'll change in the background and leave your channel alone anyway. Also, you're sure another program wasn't recording on the other tuner? Pushing live tv rotates between tuners.
mike55btz
08-06-2006, 07:12 PM
It certainly can record two shows. Do you use a cable box? The DT can only record one digital and one analog show or two analog shows at once. Sometimes it seems these pop ups pop up when it'll change in the background and leave your channel alone anyway. Also, you're sure another program wasn't recording on the other tuner? Pushing live tv rotates between tuners.
BUT what i want to know is can it record while i am watching something else...
in otherwords... like the poster previously stated.. be watching mtv, but recording CSI... or be watching g4tv and recording saturday night live...
BUT what i want to know is can it record while i am watching something else...
Absolutely. Each tuner can be used to record or view live tv at any time.
Only time you won't be able to record something and watch another channel live is if two programs are scheduled to record at the same time.
mike55btz
08-06-2006, 07:30 PM
Absolutely. Each tuner can be used to record or view live tv at any time.
Only time you won't be able to record something and watch another channel live is if two programs are scheduled to record at the same time.
:up:
kpozzi
08-06-2006, 07:54 PM
I have my DT hooked up straight from the wall with no cable box and nothing else hooked up to it. So I'm guessing that there must've been something else already pre-programmed for that time slot and that's why the channel that I was on was requiring me to change. Does that sound right to you guys?
Kerry
kpozzi
08-06-2006, 08:00 PM
Okay...now this makes no sense to me at all. I just went through my Now Playing list and there wasn't anything that was recorded during that time slot that my program should've been recording on. By my way of thinking it would seem that it would've recorded the other channel and continued my present program as the Live TV program so that both got recorded. What do you guys think?
Kerry
wscannell
08-06-2006, 08:06 PM
It is possible if you had Suggestions turned on, the TiVo wanted to record a suggestion. The suggestion may already have been erased, so you may not see it. If you refused to allow the channel change, the suggestion should have been cancelled.
Adam1115
08-06-2006, 08:07 PM
Please help me understand this. I recently purchased the Tivo Series 2 DT and was thinking that I would be able to record one program while watching another. Am I crazy or just wrong about that? Last night, I was watching a program on MTV and then a pop-up came up advising me that my scheduled program would not be recorded unless I changed the channel to the designated program channel. Is there something that I'm doing wrong in this situation or does the DT even have this capablility?
Kerry
Maybe I'm missing something, but you don't need a tivo to watch live tv.. through it in standby and watch live tv on your tv...
A series 2 will let you watch one program while recording another.... :confused:
phox_mulder
08-06-2006, 08:15 PM
Only time you won't be able to record something and watch another channel live is if two programs are scheduled to record at the same time.
You can't record a channel you need the cable box for while watching a channel you need the cable box for.
I.E., you can't watch HBO "live" while recording Showtime.
Depending on how your cable system is set up, you could watch CBS "live" while recording HBO, or vice versa.
phox
Edit: I see the OP doesn't have a cable box,
so something else must have been recording on the other tuner at the time.
Hmm. Well, we can rule out suggestions. Suggestions will be automatically cancelled if the user wants to do something else instead, like record something or watch live TV. If it's recording a suggestion and you want to change the channel, it cancels the suggestion automatically, deletes the partial, and you don't hear about it.
You say nothing was recording in that time slot. There wasn't something you deleted already, before you checked NP? How about a program that sits in the prior time slot, but has padding on the end?
mattack
08-07-2006, 10:02 PM
(I don't have any DT Tivos, but have used a friend's DirecTivo.)
Even if this isn't a box/no-box issue, don't the dual tuners on a Tivo essentially operate separately?
In other words, isn't a recording essentially "tied" to a specific tuner?
e.g. I'm watching something live on tuner #1, and something is already scheduled to record in a few minutes. Will the Tivo automagically switch the recording to tuner #2 so as to avoid the users' current "live TV" usage?
If I'm correct, a lame workaround (without losing any of the current show) would be to pause live TV, cancel the upcoming recording, and then re-schedule it to record, which hopefully would then use tuner #2..
or if you would be willing to lose a little bit of the recording, switch tuners (presumably that's possible like it is on the DirecTivos), and then change channel to what you were watching. If you do it soon enough before the new recording starts, you won't lose anything if you pause the first tuner first..
but then again, my basic idea of how it works may be wrong.
ZeoTiVo
08-08-2006, 12:27 PM
Hmm. Well, we can rule out suggestions. Suggestions will be automatically cancelled if the user wants to do something else instead, like record something or watch live TV. If it's recording a suggestion and you want to change the channel, it cancels the suggestion automatically, deletes the partial, and you don't hear about it.
You say nothing was recording in that time slot. There wasn't something you deleted already, before you checked NP? How about a program that sits in the prior time slot, but has padding on the end?
if you have not hit a remote control button in a while (I forget the exact time - maybe 30 minutes ?) then TiVo will assume you are not watching and it is in that very case that it will throw a suggestion up for recording.
It will put up the notice it will change the channel though and you can still say no. The bad part is for those watching TV in the background and do not see the notice.
so for just general live TV on in the background it is best to bypass the TiVo or else hit play button every so often to let TiVo know you are there.
And if you care enough about what you're watching live, you should hit record. :)
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