vhs/dvd recorders

13 years ago

The TV I use is an old analog one and I just have basic cable hooked to it, no digital box. Picture is perfectly good so won't replace it until it dies. I have a VCR/DVD recorder with a tuner built in hooked to it so I can record from TV.

In looking around it seems they don't make any combos with digital tuners now so if my device goes other than paying for a cable box that records what are my options to buy something?

Will just a DVD recorder from best buy work with my old TV? I don't need the VHS part anymore as I have recorded all my sons baby tapes to DVD with this so now I just use the DVD part to record from TV.

Most of the channes I watch are non box channels so I don't really want to pay extra every month for a box on the bedroom TV and have 500 channels I won't watch up here. Mary

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Comments (5)

yosemitebill
13 years ago
A quick check online of retailers like Walmart show they have combo DVD/VHS recorders available with built-in combination tuners for NTSC, DTV, and clear QAM (basic cable) readily available.
acraftylady
Original Author
13 years ago
I was on the walmart site and there are 4 combo units and none list a TV tuner in the description like the one I have now did. Now I see in reading reviews people complained they could only be used with a cable box to record from TV so no basic cable or am I missing something?

If I get just a DVD recorder will I run into the same problem or can you buy the tuner separate to make it work? If I get a new flat screen can I just use a Dvd recorder on basic cable with no box or do you just need a digital tuner no matter what to record from TV? Sorry I am just confused about recording from TV without a DVR box from the cable company. Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: first 4 are combo models
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acraftylady
Original Author
13 years ago
Oops pardon me I see where some of the DVD recorders say digital tuner so assume I can just get this and it will work with my analog TV and basic cable to record from TV? Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: DVD recorder
yosemitebill
13 years ago
Mary, your analog TV is not a problem at all - it will display the output of recorder just fine as long as they have a standard analog video output - which so far they all do.

The recorder in your link allows for recording to either the internal hard-drive (HDD) or a DVD. And yes, if you were able to receive programing without a STB (set top box) before, you should still be able to.
acraftylady
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you exactly what I needed to know. I saw it had a hard drive but didn't realize about DVD also. Right now I record on DVD-RW then just format to erase and record over and it works well but I like the hard drive idea.

I am 49 and had a VCR since they first came out. I remember my Mom letting me get one and I hooked it up myself and was so proud and thought it was great to record stuff since we only had one TV and some of the teen stuff I liked was on when my father wanted to watch something. Mary