Okay, I've done some searching around here and on the net, and I'm still confused about some things. I currently have two 5040s and one 4040 (all upgraded). I am still on analog cable, having never switched to digital because I didn't want to mess with set-top boxes (STB's).
But now FIOS has come to my area and I'm ready to take the plunge. I know that replays will control a STB via the IR blaster, but I'm still a bit confused about just how many STBs I will need. Perhaps somebody can tell me what I have correct and what I don't, and fill in the gaps.
If I go with a single-tuner STB for each replay, I assume that means that I can't watch one live program and record another, correct? But if I spring for the higher-cost dual-tuner STB then I can send one tuner's feed into the replay and another directly to the TV, correct? I want to verify that the two tuners in a Motorola STB can be sent to different locations. (For the sake of this discussion I am ignoring the few analog channels I could feed directly to the TV without going through the STB, since that would give me little flexibility.)
The most complex situation exists in my living room, where I run a 5040 and the 4040 side-by-side with my TV. If I have this correct, in order to simultaneously record a program on each replay and watch a third live program on my TV I would need a single-tuner STB for one of the replays, and a dual-tuner STB for the other replay and the TV. Also, would running multiple STB's in the same location cause problems with IR signal confusion?
Do I have all of this correct? It is just this mess of numerous STB's that has kept me from switching to digital before now. But my increasing distaste for Comcast and the option of FIOS has me finally ready to take the plunge. Thanks.
But now FIOS has come to my area and I'm ready to take the plunge. I know that replays will control a STB via the IR blaster, but I'm still a bit confused about just how many STBs I will need. Perhaps somebody can tell me what I have correct and what I don't, and fill in the gaps.
If I go with a single-tuner STB for each replay, I assume that means that I can't watch one live program and record another, correct? But if I spring for the higher-cost dual-tuner STB then I can send one tuner's feed into the replay and another directly to the TV, correct? I want to verify that the two tuners in a Motorola STB can be sent to different locations. (For the sake of this discussion I am ignoring the few analog channels I could feed directly to the TV without going through the STB, since that would give me little flexibility.)
The most complex situation exists in my living room, where I run a 5040 and the 4040 side-by-side with my TV. If I have this correct, in order to simultaneously record a program on each replay and watch a third live program on my TV I would need a single-tuner STB for one of the replays, and a dual-tuner STB for the other replay and the TV. Also, would running multiple STB's in the same location cause problems with IR signal confusion?
Do I have all of this correct? It is just this mess of numerous STB's that has kept me from switching to digital before now. But my increasing distaste for Comcast and the option of FIOS has me finally ready to take the plunge. Thanks.