Where can I buy an external digital tuner for my analog VCR?

On Apr 30, 9:45*am, whosbest54
wrote:


Comcast likely carries some or most of the local OTA channels as
clear
digital QAM. Most HD digital sets made over the last few years have
built in clear QAM tuners. You may be able to split the cable and
hook
one leg up to the DTA and the other directly to your HD set and
record
off the DTA with the VCR and watch clear QAM channels on your TV at
the
same time. If your set is analog, this isn't an option. Based on
your
post, it sounds like your set is digital and may be able to get clear
QAM stations already.



My tv is, indeed, digital, and it does have a QAM tuner. Your idea of
splitting the cable, etc., certainly would allow me to watch one
channel while recording another.

However, there is one more problem. My VCR can be programmed for up to
8 events. For example, before the migration, I could program the VCR
to do the following:

record channel 2 from 3 PM to 4 PM (event 1)

record channel 5 from 4 PM to 5 PM (event 2)

record channel 7 from 6 PM to 7 PM (event 3)

and so on


If the VCR can record only via the DTA, then the VCR can record only
the channel to which the DTA's tuner is set. If I want the VCR to
record channel 2 from 3 PM to 4 PM, and then channel 5 from 4 PM to 5
PM, then I would have to do the following:

at 3 PM, I would have to set the DTA tuner to channel 2

then, at 4 PM, I would have to change the DTA tuner to channel 5

I can NOT leave the house and expect the VCR to record one channel,
and the *subsequently* a different channel.


However, if I get rid of the DTA and get an external QAM tuner for my
VCR, a QAM tuner that can get HD digital channels from the cable, then
my problem is solved. Alternatively, I can buy a new VCR with a built-
in QAM tuner.

So, where can I find an external QAM tuner for my VCR? If I get a DVR
from Comcast, then I have to pay a monthly fee. I don't want to pay a
monthly fee to record something. I already have a paid-for VCR.

By the way, thanks to everyone for all of the responses so far.

Regards,

Alex K.

On Apr 29, 11:33*pm, Al 2048 wrote:
Hello.

I live in a Chicago suburb. My cable company, Comcast, has migrated to
an all-digital signal. Before this migration, I had channels 2, 2.1
(CBS), 5, 5.1 (NBC), 7, 7.1 (ABC), etc. After the migration, the
analog channels (2, 5, 7) disappeared.

Why is this a problem? Well, my VCR is an analog VCR, and my VCR's
tuner can detect only the analog channels (2, 5, 7). The tuner can not
detect the digital channels (2.1, 5.1, 7.1).

If I use the Digital Transport Adapter (DTA) supplied by Comcast, then
I can still use the VCR to record. However, I can not record one
channel while watching a different channel.

So, I want to get rid of the DTA and to have a VCR that can record
digital channels. That means that I have to buy a VCR with a digital
tuner or an external digital tuner for my current analog VCR.

So, can someone please tell me where I can buy an external tuner? Are
external tuners even made anymore?

Thanks for any information.

Regards,

Alex K.

WHY would you fool around with analog tape? Best Buy hasn't had tapes
in years. Doesn't that tell you something? It doesn't take much of a
computer to record HDTV. I've been doing that for 7+ years starting
with a very modest AMD Sempron 2500, 512 megs RAM and ATI tuner and
video card. The TV recorded on the PC is as 'perfect' as the off air
signal - you CANNOT tell them apart. Granted a 'slow' PC may stutter
if you try surfing the web while the machine is in record but the AMD
quad core machines never stutter including web browsing, playing
another HD recording AND playing out another HD stream across the LAN.
You do not need special hardware for this The 10/100 link can play
multiple streams but if you're moving files between machines a gigabit
link can be about 5 times faster than the 10/100. The Hauppauge tuners
work great for clear QAM on cable or ATSC OTA.

G²

"Al 2048" kirjoitti
...
My tv is, indeed, digital, and it does have a QAM tuner. Your idea of
splitting the cable, etc., certainly would allow me to watch one
channel while recording another.

However, there is one more problem. My VCR can be programmed for up to
8 events. For example, before the migration, I could program the VCR
to do the following:

record channel 2 from 3 PM to 4 PM (event 1)

record channel 5 from 4 PM to 5 PM (event 2)

record channel 7 from 6 PM to 7 PM (event 3)

and so on


If the VCR can record only via the DTA, then the VCR can record only
the channel to which the DTA's tuner is set. If I want the VCR to
record channel 2 from 3 PM to 4 PM, and then channel 5 from 4 PM to 5
PM, then I would have to do the following:

at 3 PM, I would have to set the DTA tuner to channel 2

then, at 4 PM, I would have to change the DTA tuner to channel 5

I can NOT leave the house and expect the VCR to record one channel,
and the *subsequently* a different channel.


However, if I get rid of the DTA and get an external QAM tuner for my
VCR, a QAM tuner that can get HD digital channels from the cable, then
my problem is solved. Alternatively, I can buy a new VCR with a built-
in QAM tuner.

So, where can I find an external QAM tuner for my VCR? If I get a DVR
from Comcast, then I have to pay a monthly fee. I don't want to pay a
monthly fee to record something. I already have a paid-for VCR.

A tuner can't do the job unless it can be somehow ordered to switch
channels. On this side of the Pond, there are (or at least have been)
set-top-boxes that have timers in them. You could set such an STB to switch
on, and to a certain channel at a certain time, just like you're setting
your VCR; you'd just have to do the timer settings twice. Perhaps you could
find an STB for QAM that has the timer feature.

Another solution would be to use a chain of STB's that are kept always on
and that are set to output a digital channel set on each of them on a
different analog RF channel. This would require that there are channels left
that are not used for the digital broadcasts, and supposing the RF output
channel on the STB's can be changed. So each of the STB's would pass through
all incoming signals, digital and analog, and add a new analog one.

But whatever you'll decide to do, remember that your VCR must be very old
already, and it won't function forever. If you're going to make a big
one-time investment to avoid monthly fees, you might not be lucky enough to
have the time to get your money back from your investment before the VCR
will fail.

P.V.

"Al 2048" wrote in message
...
Hello.

I live in a Chicago suburb. My cable company, Comcast, has migrated to
an all-digital signal. Before this migration, I had channels 2, 2.1
(CBS), 5, 5.1 (NBC), 7, 7.1 (ABC), etc. After the migration, the
analog channels (2, 5, 7) disappeared.

Why is this a problem? Well, my VCR is an analog VCR, and my VCR's
tuner can detect only the analog channels (2, 5, 7). The tuner can not
detect the digital channels (2.1, 5.1, 7.1).

If I use the Digital Transport Adapter (DTA) supplied by Comcast, then
I can still use the VCR to record. However, I can not record one
channel while watching a different channel.

So, I want to get rid of the DTA and to have a VCR that can record
digital channels. That means that I have to buy a VCR with a digital
tuner or an external digital tuner for my current analog VCR.

So, can someone please tell me where I can buy an external tuner? Are
external tuners even made anymore?

Thanks for any information.

As said in previous responses--you can get a digital TV converter box.

Be aware that many are significantly more affected by DTVs limitations than
the newer TVs with built-in newer tuners. Except for a few with good luck,
expect a good amount of audio dropouts, picture artifacts and even picture
freezes unless the antenna is the right one and the aiming is spot on. You
won't be able to monitor this while watching one channel but recording from
another channel.

Best bet is to stick with the DTA from Comcast, even if it means not being
able to watch one channel and record from another channel.

"G-squared" wrote
-WHY would you fool around with analog tape? Best Buy hasn't had tapes
-in years. Doesn't that tell you something? It doesn't take much of a
-computer to record HDTV. I've been doing that for 7+ years starting
-with a very modest AMD Sempron 2500, 512 megs RAM and ATI tuner and
-video card. The TV recorded on the PC is as 'perfect' as the off air
-signal - you CANNOT tell them apart. Granted a 'slow' PC may stutter
-if you try surfing the web while the machine is in record but the AMD
-quad core machines never stutter including web browsing, playing
-another HD recording AND playing out another HD stream across the
LAN.
-You do not need special hardware for this The 10/100 link can play
-multiple streams but if you're moving files between machines a
gigabit
-link can be about 5 times faster than the 10/100. The Hauppauge
tuners
-work great for clear QAM on cable or ATSC OTA.
-G²

I started with a 2.2GHz single-core Pentium and Hauppauge 950 tuner
with their software on XP. The CPU was barely adequate, 90% busy when
recording 1080i, and the software could freeze from as little as
changing window size.

Now I have a 3GHz single core, Windows 7 and Media Center using the
same USB tuner, and the CPU loafs below 30%. Media Center's controls
are aimed at brain-dead vidiots but it has worked well enough for a
year and automatically switches channels.

The only remaining issue is the high cost and low reliability of
terabyte hard drives. 1080i consumes about 6.5G per hour.

jsw

Per John McWilliams:
Two exceptions are sports and CSPAN - but I'm not a sports fan
and can live without CSPAN.

Two? You'd be missing several dozens of movie channels, hundreds of
specialty channels, ESPN, and, of course, the Oprah channel.

Agreed.

But how much TV can I watch every day?

By the time I get through Charlie Rose, the evening news, and
maybe a couple TED presentations my grey matter is about dried
up.

If the weather's poor and I take enough coffee, maybe I can
handle an American Experience, FrontLine, POV, or somesuch... but
that's a stretch.

And then there's NetFlix....

One specialty channel that I left out is the History Channel.
When I go down the shore to my #2 daughter's place it's a problem
getting to the beach - I tend tb glued to the History Channel.

"Diffrn't strokes for diffrn't folks...."
--
Pete Cresswell

Per Al 2048:
However, there is one more problem. My VCR can be programmed for up to
8 events. For example, before the migration, I could program the VCR
to do the following:

record channel 2 from 3 PM to 4 PM (event 1)

record channel 5 from 4 PM to 5 PM (event 2)

record channel 7 from 6 PM to 7 PM (event 3)

I think Elmo Shagnasty nailed it: get a PC running Windows Media
Center.

Mine (running a different product) lives down in the rec room and
my TVs are fed by little black boxes that only draw 5-6 watts.

My own preference is for standalone "HD HomeRun" tuners that can
be accessed by the PC over the LAN. But there are plenty of
card-based tuners and the number of simultaneous programs you
could record would be limited only by the number of tuners/PC
slots.

I use 4 and have never had a conflict - and that's really only
three bc I almost never watch a show in real-time. Instead I'll
tune in 10-20 minutes after it starts and watch a buffered
version so I can fast-forward the commercials.
--
Pete Cresswell

Per G-squared:
It doesn't take much of a
computer to record HDTV. I've been doing that for 7+ years starting
with a very modest AMD Sempron 2500, 512 megs RAM and ATI tuner and
video card.

What application do you use to record the TV?
--
Pete Cresswell

Per Jim Wilkins:
The only remaining issue is the high cost and low reliability of
terabyte hard drives.

They're down to under a hundred bucks around here (Southeastern
Pennsylvania, USA).

Right now, I've got movies and all other data besides recorded TV
on a NAS box that can lose two drives without losing any data.

In something over two years, I've had one die on the NAS box very
soon after Day-1 and had one DOA - but no other failures.

I recently moved Recorded TV from the NAS box to a couple of
drives on my 24-7 PC and every so often I back those up to an old
Windows Home Server box....but my feeling is that recorded TV is
pretty much a disposable commodity... if I lose a drive, no big
deal.
--
Pete Cresswell

On Tue, 01 May 2012 09:38:48 -0400, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

But how much TV can I watch every day?

About 24 hours worth (with brief toilet breaks unless
you have a screen in the bathroom).

By the time I get through Charlie Rose, the evening news, and
maybe a couple TED presentations my grey matter is about dried
up.

Time for re-runs of "Roseanne" or "Sanford and Sun" then?