Xref: utzoo rec.video:14159 sci.electronics:13653 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!udel!princeton!siemens!neeraj From: neeraj@axon.siemens.com (Neeraj Bhatnagar) Newsgroups: rec.video,sci.electronics Subject: A simple (?) problem. Message-ID: Date: 20 Aug 90 16:44:51 GMT Sender: news@siemens.siemens.com Reply-To: neeraj@learning.siemens.com Distribution: na Organization: Siemens Research and Technology Laboratories Lines: 49 THE PROBLEM: The only TV signal that I get at my home is through a cable connection. The setup is the following: Cable input ---> Cable box ---> VCR ---> TV. The VCR is set to channel 3. If I have to program my VCR to record something from cable channel 23 at 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM (say), I do the following: Set the cable box to channel 23. Program the VCR to record channel 3 at 10:00 AM till 10:30. This arrangement works fine but suppose in addition to the above I have to record cable channel 25 (say) at 11:30 AM on the same day. For this I have to program my VCR to record 1. Channel 3 at 10 AM for 1/2 an hour. 2. Channel 3 at 11:30 AM for what ever time I want. But the problem is that between 10:30 (when the first recording ends) and 11:30 AM (when the next recording is supposed to start) I have to PHYSICALLY go to my cable box to reset it to channel 25. This is always inconvenient and some times impossible. MY QUESTION IS THAT CAN I RECORD PROGRAMS FROM TWO DIFFERENT CABLE CHANNELS ON TWO DIFFERENT TIMES WITHOUT TOUCHING TO THE CABLE BOX IN BETWEEN. My VCR (Panasonic VHS PV-4800), to the best of my knowledge, is NOT "cable ready" so I can not get rid of the cable box. The customer service representative of the cable company did not even understand my question. I can think of the following possible solutions: 1. Are there any programmable cable boxes available? If these boxes have a clock and can be programmed to send different channels at different times my problem is solved. How much do they cost? 2. Can I buy some gadget that will convert a "non-cable ready" TV/VCR into a "cable ready" TV/VCR? If so I can get rid of my cable box completely. Any suggestions? Neeraj --