I've read through many of the previous posts on this site, but I'm so confused, I hardly know what to ask. So, at the risk of being selfish, I'm going to ask some very specific questions, and I apologize in advance.

I recently purchased this unit two major goals:

1. Stop renting a DVR from Time Warner
2. Record programs to DVD

I set the unit up in my bedroom, in which I do not have a cable box (digital converter?) between the coax and the TV. My assumption was that this unit would use its digital tuner to basically eliminate that need, and that this unit would allow me to pull in the same channels that Time Warner's box pulls in the other room. This is apparently not the case - I only receive the channels that came in before the box was installed. Am I correct in concluding that the tuners will never be able to bring in more than this?

Also, there doesn't appear to be any sort of "guide" that I can use in the same way that I use my Time Warner box. In researching DVDRs, I ran across VCRPlus and such, and sort of assumed that this recorder had something to that effect, but I believe now that I was wrong. Is that correct?

At this point, I'm left with the ability to record from my basic 70-ish channel analog lineup, but only through setting the timer. Is that what I paid $200 for? What if I set this up along with the box in the other room? Can I use Time Warner's guide (or some other being somehow transmitted through the line) to record to the Philips DVDR, or will it also be a manual procedure? My wife's not going to find that an acceptable alternative to the DVR box rental I'm paying for now..

Again, I'm sorry for my ignorance, and my inability to understand the extensive posts on this subject. Please just treat me as stupidly as my post comes across. :D

Thanks.

Your Time Warner cable has many encoded (scrambled) channels that require their converter box to unscramble and map the channels to the channel numbers familiar to you.

The Philips, or any other DVD or hard drive recorder not provided by Time Warner can not unscramble or map most Time Warner channels. You may have to enslave the Phillips to a Time Warner converter box to record most of the channels on your Time Warner cable service.

Ditto DigaDo.. :rolleyes:

The digital tuner will only pick up the free, unencrypted digital channels the cable companies are required by law to provide-the local tv stations' digital feeds and their (the tv stations) various digi-channels. And probably a few small, never before heard of cable channels that don't cost them anything to air, and some music stations. But the big nets like TNT, TBS, USA, Sci Fi, etc, will not be receivable. Regular analog cable chs will be tuned in. But not digital cable from the digital tier.

You will need to connect the digital cable box to the recorder, and record a digital channel over the recorder's line input. If your cable box has a program timer, you'd set it to come on and tune in the desired channel at the proper time, while setting the recorder to come on at the same time(s), recording on the line input.

I've got TW and no box, and I get 8 of the 9 digital HD channels in my provider's "HD Tier" (small town service).

I assume you scanned for "Analog/Digital" channels, not just the Analog? That's the 3rd option when doing an Auto Channel Preset (scan).

Just in case, here's a post on Cables and Connections... (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12298425&postcount=11)

And here's one on Scanning for Channels. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12298432&postcount=12)