Tivo: Record to Tivo and VCR independently, AND record from Tivo to VCR?

In My Humble Opinion
1

We are currently having problems setting up a TiVo the way that everybody wants. I am quite unsure that it is impossible to set up the way that everybody wants, but the suggestion brings about incredible enmity. We’ve had fierce shouting matches over something as stupid as hardware wiring, and nerves are seriously jilted. It is a very uncomfortable atmosphere.

But anyway, I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to connect a television with cable signal, Tivo, DVD player, and VCR all together in such a way as to achieve the following goals:

  1. Record the cable signal with the Tivo, obviously.
  2. Record a second signal at the same time with the VCR.
  3. Transfer Tivo recordings to VCR tape.
  4. Watch DVDs.
  5. Watch VHS tapes.

It seems that you can get the first and second goals complete with the current setup that’s presenting so much argument, because it requries foregoing the third goal. On the other hand, my father has been having trouble getting the first and third goal (for which the Tivo has a specific ability) to work together as they should. My guess is that if this is achieved, the second objective necessarily must be lost.

It is currently set up with a splitter coming from the source into the VCR and Tivo, both via co-ax. The VCR signal then goes into the television with another co-ax. The Tivo signal, using RCA cables, goes into a source selector, as does the DVD player. The selector then goes into the RCA spots on the TV. Television plays normally, VCR plays by setting TV to channel 3 and basically doing that classic setup method. DVD and Tivo both work as they should in sending their signal to the TV, when the selector is on the respective signal. But it is unable to record from the Tivo onto a VCR tape.

I don’t know what wires are and aren’t working as they should, or how things are wired, when my dad is attempting to run from the Tivo through the VCR to the TV (thus allowing for Tivo recording to VHS).

I apologize, I know this is obtuse and difficult to read and visualize.

2

Some VCR"s have to be set to channel “99” or AV input mode specifically to detect and record an incoming AV signal via RCA cables. See if your VCR has to be switched to AV input mode before for recording an AV line input.

3

Thanks. I’ll give his rig-job a looksee. But as far as I can remember, the Tivo has a coax out, so it shouldn’t necessarily even need the RCA cables. It’s quite possible he’s trying something like in with coax, out with RCA, and not realizing the trouble.

4

Well if your tivo is like mine you could have one set of AV connectors go into the AV in of the VCR. I also have a set of A/V cables from my Tivo, VCR, DVD player, and a whole mess of video game systems going into an AV selector box. Here’s one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051806538358&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08168

So basically you have this

+++++++++++++
|
+++++Tivo----------VCR--------switchbox--------------TV
______________/ /
DVD--------------------------------/

Hope that comes out right. The + indicates coax cable, the single line AV cables.

5

(Most) TiVos have two sets of RCA outputs, one RCA input, one coaxial input and one coaxial output. Wire one the RCA or coaxial outputs to your source selector so you can view it on the TV, and wire the one of the RCA outputs to the RCA in of the VCR. Set the VCR to the Line In setting appropriate for your RCA input, set the TV to the VCR setting, and you should see the TiVo screen on the TV through the VCR. Once you’ve done that, it’s simply a matter of hitting Red on the VCR.

Here:



				TIVO

COAX IN		COAX OUT	RCA IN		RCA OUT		RCA OUT
from cable					to source	to vcr rca in
						selector

				VCR
COAX IN		COAX OUT	RCA IN		RCA OUT
from cable	to tv		from tivo	

				TV
COAX IN		RCA IN
from vcr	from source selector

This is of course assuming the VCR has RCA inputs. If it does not, I don’t know that I can help you.

6

TiVo Customer Support: How Do I Set up My DVR to Watch One Channel while Recording Another? (Cable with a Cable Box or Antenna)