Hi,

I am considering a DVD recorder and have a few questions. All I want my DVD recorder to do is to be able to record one show while watching another and also perform timer recordings. Then I can take the DVD and play it in other DVD players in my house. I have been looking at the Panasonic EZ48. I do not use a receiver and the recorder would be set up with the cable from my wall going into the recorder and then the recorder to my LCD TV using the HDMI output.

1) If my LCD TV has a QAM tuner built in, will a DVD recorder with the same QAM tuner cause any problems?

2) Will it record the HD channels I receive through my QAM antenna as well as regular non HD cable channels?

3) If I buy a DVD/VCR recorder combo will the VCR part of it still record when the 2/09 transition to digital only takes place?

Thanks for your help,
jeff

1. No it shouldn't, in your case turn OFF the RF modulator in the DVDR.
2. The DVDR should receive all the channels that your QAM TV can of course they will only be recorded in 480i WS, which is a lot better than SD or analog. Once you start recording off of HD channels you won't want to go back. Note like your QAM TV you will probably only be able to receive LOCALS in HD. The rest is probably scrambled, and would require a cable co. STB.
3. Yes the analog ones. You cannot record digital channels to the VCR, at least thats the way the predecessor to the EZ-48 the EZ-47 worked.

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Thanks for the help!!

So the VCR part will still work in 2009 when the transition takes place? I still plan to use it to record from cable.

Thanks,
jeff

So the VCR part will still work in 2009 when the transition takes place? I still plan to use it to record from cable.As long as your cable co continues to broadcast analog signal it will. You cannot record to the VCR from the digital tuner -- but then given you have the DVD recorder, why would you. As far as I know you cannot record one channel to the VCR while simultaneously recording another channel to the DVDR. There's only one tuner in the unit.

I have no idea if my cable company will continue to broadcast in Analog after 2/09. Due to this, I am thinking I may be better off just buying a DVD R with no VCR buit in.

Thanks,
jeff

Using cable from my wall to the DVd R and then the DVd R to my TV using an HDMI cable, can I record one channel while watching another just like you can with an old style VCR?

Thank you,
jeff

Using cable from my wall to the DVd R and then the DVd R to my TV using an HDMI cable, can I record one channel while watching another just like you can with an old style VCR?No. You need a tuner for each channel you want to tune. Either daisy-chain the RF from the wall through the DVDR to the RF input of the TV (passthrough) or split the cable at the wall (amplified splitter is the best) and run a separate lead to the TV and DVDR. That's the only way you can independently tune in separate channels on both the TV and DVDR.

You still need the HDMI, or other analog connection, between the DVDR and the TV to view anything recorded on the DVDR or view TV through the DVDR's tuner. All DVDR's offer chase-play allowing you to watch a recording from the DVDR while another show is being recorded.

All DVDR's offer chase-play allowing you to watch a recording from the DVDR while another show is being recorded.
I agree, you'll need a coax out from the DVDR to go the the TV. Then to watch DVD's or setup your DVDR watch it through your HDMI cable.
Note, Kelson is correct in his statement if referring to Panasonic's, but only DVDR's w/hdd or DVD RAM capability will be able to chase play, as far as I know. Your standard DVDR will not be able to chase play.
And as far as cable, I wouldn't worry about them dropping analog too soon. You may see a drop in the number of analog channels as they move them to digital, but personally I think they'll keep analog around for some time.

Note, Kelson is correct in his statement if referring to Panasonic's, but only DVDR's w/hdd or DVD RAM capability will be able to chase play, as far as I know. Toshiba and Pioneer do (did) chase-play from DVD-RW. If the -RW is recording in -VR mode the disk is formatted to UDF 2 the same as a RAM. That gives it the random write capability but not all the features of RAM. I seem to recall that +RW with it's +VR mode can't do it, but I never touch "+" media so I'm not sure.

In any event, the preferred media for chase play is HDD >> RAM > -RW.
I much prefer RAM to -RW as removable media. I do a lot of full image burning to -RW's (most of my players do not play RAM) and find I usually get less than 20 full disk burns before it develops an error and won't verify a burn. I then toss it. I've never lost a RAM yet and I'm still using originals I bought with my E-85 back in 2/05.

I am a little confused...why cannot I record one channel using my DVD R and watch another channel on my LCD TV which has a QAM, ATSC, NTSC tuner without any special hookups?? I hooked up an old Sony VCR that I had, set the clock, and it records fine while I am watching other channels on my TV.

Wouldn't a DVD R be the same as a VCR since I would be hooking it up the exact the same way?

I thought the only difference was that I would now be recording on DVDs instead of tapes.

Thanks again,
jeff

I am a little confused...why cannot I record one channel using my DVD R and watch another channel on my LCD TV which has a QAM, ATSC, NTSC tuner without any special hookups??
Don't be confused, you can.

If interested, this post describes that setup, which applies to virtually all DVDRs. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12298409&postcount=10)

Because you mentioned using DVDR to TV with HDMI.

In order to get the full capabilities from the cable, you need to directly connect the RF cable to the TV. This can be done, as was mentioned, by either DVDR pass through (RF cable to DVDR RF input, RF cable from DVDR RF output to RF input of TV), or by splitting the RF signal with a splitter (RF cables from splitter to RF input of DVDR and RF input of TV).

HDMI from DVDR will limit your TV input to whatever channel the DVDR is tuned to. So if you are recording on the DVDR on one channel, that channel would be the only one you could view on your TV.

Got it!! I did not know outputting to the TV using HDMI would make a difference.

So I could do this by using my cable into the DVD R and then one RF cable from the DVD R to my TV and also an HDMI cable from the DVD R to my TV?

If not, then I will just buy a splitter and run the RF cable from the wall to my TV and one RF cable into the DVd R and then HDMI to my TV.


Am I right?

Thanks!!

Got it!! I did not know outputting to the TV using HDMI would make a difference.

So I could do this by using my cable into the DVD R and then one RF cable from the DVD R to my TV and also an HDMI cable from the DVD R to my TV?
That's it! You got it now. Select the HDMI input on the TV to watch anything internal to the DVDR (menus, tuner, DVD).

EDIT: I just noticed you hadn't got a unit yet but were considering the Panny EZ48, which I believe has a VCR on-board? If so, I think there's a special setting you might have to make to use the RF coax in a "passthru" mode.

Maybe a Panny EZ48 owner can comment on this?

Yes, the first one will work.

What you are doing will allow the DVDR and TV to tune in all non-encrypted channels independently, and the DVDR to play programs on the TV through the HDMI connection.

I am considering both the Panasonic with the VCR (EZ48) and the one without the VCR (Ez28).

Thanks again for all of your help,
jeff

Wajo is correct. As I mentioned before if you get the EZ-48(or any DVDR w/VHS) you will want to "disable" the RF modulator in the setup. It will only confuse matters.
BTW I did see BB now has the EZ-48 as well as the EZ-28. In my area CC and UE did not have the new -x8 series Panny's yet, only the x7 series.