Timer recording w/ DVR & Comcast digital cable (2011)

My apologies if this question is answered elsewhere. I did search but couldn't find anything current.

Briefly, are there any recorders on the market today (2011) - vcr, vcr/dvd, dvr - other than Tivo or the DVR boxes rented at outrageous prices by the cable & satellite companies- which can control, i.e. change channels, on Comcast digital cable boxes for timer recordings?

Setup:
3 old Trinitron TVs*.

We're using a Panasonic PV-VS4821 (the last barely surviving member of a triumvirate) on one, a relatively new Toshiba DVR (no HDD) DVR670KU, and a brand-new Magnavox 515**. All set up with splitters (cable from outside to splitter inside; one internal cable to recorder, one to cable box).

Prior to the digital disaster, we got 80-100 unscrambled channels from Comcast and the Panasonic was able to change channels on the Comcast cable box so we could record multiple channels over time. We only needed to use the L1 option for channels beyond the TV/recorder's ability to recognize or for pay services such as HBO. For a brief period, Comcast offered through its software an option to set the cable box to change to a particular channel at a particular time which made the L1 option easy to use.

Subsequent to the digital disaster, Comcast has scrambled all but a handful of local channels. Among the scrambled ones are such high premium services as PBS and C-SPAN. Comcast also removed from its software the ability to set the cable box to a particular channel at a particular time. (We assume it did both in order to force consumers to pay $16/mo for a DVR for each TV if they want to do timer recordings.)

So, although we can watch one channel with our setups while recording another, we can do this only if one of the channels is among the half-dozen unscrambled or DTV (does anybody watch any of these?) channels. This is rarely the case. Most often, we are likely to want to watch two different scrambled channels. .

And, since almost all of the channels we record from are scrambled, we have to use the L1 option AND remember to turn the TV set to the channel to be recorded. Needless to say, if we want to record two or three scrambled channels when nobody is home, we have to remember to manually set the cable channel on each TV. This is a pain.

So, to get back to the briefly stated question above: are there any recorders today (don't care if they are VCR, DVR, or DVR/HDD) which can change the cable channels on the Comcast digital cable box at specific times? Or is there some third-party device that can do the same? (And if there isn't, there should certainly be an entrepreneur somewhere who could seize the opportunity.)

RS

*The TVs work perfectly. The picture quality, after 8-10 years, remains so good we've been unable to detect any difference from that available from HDTV so we see no reason to buy what are still exceptionally expensive TVs.

**Setting up the 515 was a snap. We just swapped the cables from a dead Panasonic to the 515 in sequence. However, since the digital disaster, we discovered that reception of unscrambled channels on the Toshiba was of low quality (slightly snowy) and DTV channel reception was iffy. Same problem with the 515 which leads us to the conclusion that the combo of digital channels and a digital tuner is not good for reception. Following the recommendations in the 515 thread, we changed the cable setup so it goes from outside to the 515 and then from the 515 to the cable box. This markedly improved the reception of the unscrambled channels although it is still inferior to that of the analog Panasonic off a splitter.

Thank you all for your very fast replies.

We have three Motorola cable boxes from Comcast all probably less than a year old since we had to replace each to solve one or another problem. The older replaced boxes had, at one time, supported the "set time/channel" function. These, which may be new or just refurbished, don't. We couldn't locate a model number. All are DCT with S/W 78.13 and firmware 8.16. I did notice that the configuration shows IR Blast = Yes.

We have no alternative to Comcast as we are renters in the SF Bay Area. Rental complexes, for the most part out here, use Comcast. A few small buildings may permit individual satellite dishes but we are not in that category.

We had pretty much guessed there was no solution but wanted to make sure before we bought another Magnavox 515. Although we have yet to play with all of its features, it beats out the Toshiba DVD/VCR because the hard drive is so much faster than the DVD recorder in the Toshiba. The Toshiba takes 30-45 seconds to turn on & load if there's a DVD in place, about the same amount of time to write and the same amount of time to delete a title & write the deletion - so if the channel is set wrong & we want to stop recording and start with the correct channel, it takes about a minute and a half. We had concluded that tape was infinitely more flexible.

I know this next question belongs in the 515 thread, but our one minor complaint so far is that the remote control is not very responsive. We put in our own batteries, based on something in that thread, but it seems to take an unusual amount of finger pressure and/or correct placement of one's fingers.

Again, thank you all. The FCC really missed the boat on the digital conversion rules.

After the posts about IR blasters, I Googled and found a product called a Vulkano from Monsoon Multimedia. shop.monsoonmultimedia.com. There are several versions but it is not clear to me if either of the DVRs (Blast or Deluxe Pro) would do what we want. All the emphasis is on access from a PC and various mobile devices. We, of course, just want to be able to schedule recordings and have the cable box change to the appropriate channels at the appropriate times then play back on our venerable Trinitron or transfer to DVD for use on other devices.

Also, Amazon offers the Magnavox 515 from a number of vendors. We ordered direct from Beach but probably won't buy from them again. They shipped the Magnavox in the manufacturer's box! (as opposed to packing it inside a suitably sheltered outer box.) I'm surprised it wasn't stolen.

Appreciate the info re lights. Yes, all the lights are CFLs. But we'll play around with the lighting and see if it helps with the remote.