[c-collins]

I had a S2 ST for about 5 years now.

I just bought a S2 DT this weekend. The way the setup worked suprised me I have digital cable. Tivo set the cable box to channels 100+ with the analog tuner to channels 1-99.

I went in and turned on channels 1-99 for the cable box also. This was suprising because I would rather have the clear digital channels off the cablebox when possible. My non cable box analog channels usually do not have the best picture quality (enough static to annoy me).

This just suprised me since if I were less Tivo savvy I probably would have missed it. New Tivo owners will almost certainly would miss it.

I do understand it is to avoid have 2 listing for each analog channel since Tivo splits the analog signal internally. I just greatly prefer the picture quality off my cablebox.

 

[LifeIsABeach]

TiVo does this to prevent taking up the cable box when it is not completely necessary. If TiVo starts recording channel 20 using the cable box and you come along and decide you want to watch a scrambled channel or a channel over 99 you would not be able to do so. Also, your adding the lower channels to be able to use the cable box does not mean TiVo will actually use it unless you also uncheck the cable version. Doing so for all channels would effectively turn the unit into a single tuner TiVo.

 

[c-collins]

Since the order seems to be cable box first then analog I enabled cablebox for the lower channels. I left the analog enabled. I just want it to use the cablebox first if possible and the analog only when necessary.

The DT tivo (80 Hour) in the den is really backup tivo to resolve those nasty 2 & 3 way sehedule conflicts on the main ST tivo (400 Hour) in the living room. Where we watch everything. We just trandfer the shows to the living room tivo to watch.


The Tivo Wife Acceptance Factor struck again:

Wife: I dont want to watch Greys Anatomy live or on the backup VCR. It is too much of a pain.

( I was Tivo'ing CSI and VCR'ing Supernatural in the same time slot)

Me (seeing the oportunity): Then we need another Tivo. we cant get lifetime on the new ones, we would have to pay monthly buy it will be cheap.

Wife: so when are we going to best buy today?

 

[fredct]

This reminds me of something I experienced yesterday (when trying to bug fix an issue - apparently the cable box volume was set low),:

Having the lower channels set to 'cbl' (i.e. not box) still means the cable box *can* tune to them, right?

i.e. if I was recording something on channel, say, 44... it would use the rf input by default, but if I then wanted to watch (or record) something on another analog channel (say, 73) it would tune the cable box to that channel, right?

In other words the 'cbl' channels aren't only used with the rf tuner, but it means they can be used with either, right? or no?

In yet more words, there's no benefit to turning on the lower 'box' channels other than to allow you to force it to use the cable box when you want?