Does a cable box guide work on component only?

I bought a Panasonic DVD Recorder DMR-E25S and can't get my Comcast
cable box to show the guide through the recorder. Taking the recorder
out of the picture for the moment, I was using a little trial and error
and I found that the guide will only show up on the TV using component
video. I have the cable box to the tv, no recorder, and only component
shows the guide.

Is that always the way it is? If so I don't see how the DVD recorder
can ever show the guide. I don't know that it will work anyway because
when I tried to tune in the channels using the RF it only went to 120.
I realize this is because I need the box to get the digital channels,
but I also realize I know of no way to overcome this.

Any thoughts on any of this? Take the DVD recorder back, unless
willing to live with limitations?

Thank you.

I have the older model, ES20, connected only using the coax cable;
wall -- ES20 -- TV. Be sure both your TV & DVD recorder is set
to the same channel to receive the signals from the cable box.

It is probable that you have the TV set to, say ch 4, while the
E25S is set to ch 3; or the reverse. It looks like your recorder
is passing the signals it received from its channel setting to
the TV which isn't the correct channel for use with the Comcast
box.


On 2006-12-13, jm wrote:
I bought a Panasonic DVD Recorder DMR-E25S and can't get my Comcast
cable box to show the guide through the recorder. Taking the recorder
out of the picture for the moment, I was using a little trial and error
and I found that the guide will only show up on the TV using component
video. I have the cable box to the tv, no recorder, and only component
shows the guide.

Is that always the way it is? If so I don't see how the DVD recorder
can ever show the guide. I don't know that it will work anyway because
when I tried to tune in the channels using the RF it only went to 120.
I realize this is because I need the box to get the digital channels,
but I also realize I know of no way to overcome this.

Any thoughts on any of this? Take the DVD recorder back, unless
willing to live with limitations?

Thank you.

I found the model for my comcast cable box is DCT 6200. It only
supports overlays at 480i. The Panasonic ES25 does not have any input
beyond S-Video, so unless I set my cable box down to 480i, which isn't
going to happen, then I'm stuck. What I have decided to do at the
moment, is to just put the DVD recorder on channel 3 and tune my cable
box to the channel I want, record.

I may end up taking the panny back because one, it only goes to channel
120 (I'm guessing because it's analog only), two, doesn't support any
inputs that will work with overlays (have no idea if anything does.);
three, I'm losing functionality. I can't record and watch tv. Maybe I
bought product for all this. I'm thinking of taking it back and
getting the set top DVR for $10 a month.

Thanks again.

guest wrote:
I have the older model, ES20, connected only using the coax cable;
wall -- ES20 -- TV. Be sure both your TV & DVD recorder is set
to the same channel to receive the signals from the cable box.

It is probable that you have the TV set to, say ch 4, while the
E25S is set to ch 3; or the reverse. It looks like your recorder
is passing the signals it received from its channel setting to
the TV which isn't the correct channel for use with the Comcast
box.


On 2006-12-13, jm wrote:
I bought a Panasonic DVD Recorder DMR-E25S and can't get my Comcast
cable box to show the guide through the recorder. Taking the recorder
out of the picture for the moment, I was using a little trial and error
and I found that the guide will only show up on the TV using component
video. I have the cable box to the tv, no recorder, and only component
shows the guide.

Is that always the way it is? If so I don't see how the DVD recorder
can ever show the guide. I don't know that it will work anyway because
when I tried to tune in the channels using the RF it only went to 120.
I realize this is because I need the box to get the digital channels,
but I also realize I know of no way to overcome this.

Any thoughts on any of this? Take the DVD recorder back, unless
willing to live with limitations?

Thank you.

With the 6200 family boxes, only the component and DVI/HDMI outputs show the
on-screen menus & guide. That's what my 6200 does, anyway.

"jm" wrote in message
ups.com...
I found the model for my comcast cable box is DCT 6200. It only
supports overlays at 480i. The Panasonic ES25 does not have any input
beyond S-Video, so unless I set my cable box down to 480i, which isn't
going to happen, then I'm stuck. What I have decided to do at the
moment, is to just put the DVD recorder on channel 3 and tune my cable
box to the channel I want, record.

I may end up taking the panny back because one, it only goes to channel
120 (I'm guessing because it's analog only), two, doesn't support any
inputs that will work with overlays (have no idea if anything does.);
three, I'm losing functionality. I can't record and watch tv. Maybe I
bought product for all this. I'm thinking of taking it back and
getting the set top DVR for $10 a month.

Thanks again.

guest wrote:
I have the older model, ES20, connected only using the coax cable;
wall -- ES20 -- TV. Be sure both your TV & DVD recorder is set
to the same channel to receive the signals from the cable box.

It is probable that you have the TV set to, say ch 4, while the
E25S is set to ch 3; or the reverse. It looks like your recorder
is passing the signals it received from its channel setting to
the TV which isn't the correct channel for use with the Comcast
box.


On 2006-12-13, jm wrote:
I bought a Panasonic DVD Recorder DMR-E25S and can't get my Comcast
cable box to show the guide through the recorder. Taking the recorder
out of the picture for the moment, I was using a little trial and error
and I found that the guide will only show up on the TV using component
video. I have the cable box to the tv, no recorder, and only component
shows the guide.

Is that always the way it is? If so I don't see how the DVD recorder
can ever show the guide. I don't know that it will work anyway because
when I tried to tune in the channels using the RF it only went to 120.
I realize this is because I need the box to get the digital channels,
but I also realize I know of no way to overcome this.

Any thoughts on any of this? Take the DVD recorder back, unless
willing to live with limitations?

Thank you.

jm wrote:
I found the model for my comcast cable box is DCT 6200. It only
supports overlays at 480i. The Panasonic ES25 does not have any input
beyond S-Video, so unless I set my cable box down to 480i, which isn't
going to happen, then I'm stuck. What I have decided to do at the
moment, is to just put the DVD recorder on channel 3 and tune my cable
box to the channel I want, record.

I may end up taking the panny back because one, it only goes to channel
120 (I'm guessing because it's analog only), two, doesn't support any
inputs that will work with overlays (have no idea if anything does.);
three, I'm losing functionality. I can't record and watch tv. Maybe I
bought product for all this. I'm thinking of taking it back and
getting the set top DVR for $10 a month.

....
Ultimately, I think you will much happier with a DVR, but even then,
you can still use the DVD Recorder.

Of course the Panasonic ES25 doesn't go beyond S-video; all DVD
recorders are SD, so they only have SD inputs. You'll get your best
recordings by using the S-Video out from the Cable box into the ES25.
Failing that, use a component video cable (the yellow one). Only if
you want the lowest quality signal possible, should you use the Ch. 3/4
over coax method.

I do something very similar. I have a Samsung T451 Over the Air HDTV
tuner. I feed one SD output into an standard TV, and I feed the other
into a Panasonic DVD recorder. The down-converted HDTV recordings
still look pretty nice. Just like you, I need to set the external box
to the correct channel before the recording time. In the record
program menu, I set the "channel" to Video1 (or whatever the input is
that connects to the external box). It's a little kludgy, but it does
allow me to archive OTA TV to DVD in much better quality that any
analogue channel.

Dan (Woj...)