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VCR/DVD recommendations
Does anyone here use an antenna with a digital TV or converter, and have a VCR or DVD recorder? My parents are driving me completely batty since the digital switch, because they refuse to get cable, and since the switch their old VCR no longer works with their TVs. And they go to bed at 8 p.m. and tape everything they like, pretty much PBS stuff exclusively. So, they went and bought a very expensive digital VCR/DVD-R combo that turns out to be the most user-unfriendly piece of electronics I've ever had the misfortune to use. After having to go over there FOUR times in 2 weeks to try to help them set the timer to record, and re-program the channels, I finally told them to take it back before their 30 days was up and let me research a better one for them.
I realize probably everyone here who watches TV at all has cable or a DVR, but I figured I'd post my plea for help just in case.
I realize probably everyone here who watches TV at all has cable or a DVR, but I figured I'd post my plea for help just in case.
Tags: TV, electronics
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on -
What about finding them an old Tivo somewhere (ebay)? After we went to HD, I gave mine to my parents and they love it. Tivo is the most user-friendly interface ever.
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Permalink Reply by ruth on -
you don't need cable or internet TV for Tivo? I did look into Tivo briefly but I thought I read that it works with cable or internet. Did your parents hook it right up to their TV and/or antenna? and is there a monthly subscription fee?
Daria said:What about finding them an old Tivo somewhere (ebay)? After we went to HD, I gave mine to my parents and they love it. Tivo is the most user-friendly interface ever.
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Permalink Reply by Mamawho on
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Could they watch their shows on Hulu? We just plug one of our laptops into our TV via HDMI cable, and watch TV and Netflix. We haven't had cable for a year.
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Permalink Reply by ruth on
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You have to take every bit of technological incompetence you can imagine in an old couple (they're 77 and 80) and then triple it and you might approximate how things are. They have an ancient barely-functioning desktop that can barely download a photo, let alone stream video.
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Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on
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So I thought it didn't need cable, but it looks like it does. I'm going to research this more.
ruth said:you don't need cable or internet TV for Tivo? I did look into Tivo briefly but I thought I read that it works with cable or internet. Did your parents hook it right up to their TV and/or antenna? and is there a monthly subscription fee?
Daria said:What about finding them an old Tivo somewhere (ebay)? After we went to HD, I gave mine to my parents and they love it. Tivo is the most user-friendly interface ever.
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Permalink Reply by TeacherJ on -
I actually still use a VCR, and I would double check that the TV signal is going from the converter box to the VCR and then to the TV. I've screwed that up a couple of times when I moved and had to reconnect everything. Then they would use the VCR to change channels, and basically ignore the channel changer on the actual TV.
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Permalink Reply by ruth on
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They don't have a converter; they decided since their TVs were so old they would just upgrade to digital TVs. They did this before the switch, and the old VCR worked fine then, but when the digital switch happened their VCR suddenly didn't work anymore. They were told by someone that it was because the VCR didn't have a digital tuner. So they bought a combo VCR/DVD-R with a digital tuner that was hella expensive, but it was totally unreliable and impossible to learn how to record.
I like Cog's idea, frankly; I'm going to threaten themwith the nursing home if they don't just pony up for cable already.
TeacherJ said:I actually still use a VCR, and I would double check that the TV signal is going from the converter box to the VCR and then to the TV. I've screwed that up a couple of times when I moved and had to reconnect everything. Then they would use the VCR to change channels, and basically ignore the channel changer on the actual TV.
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Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on
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So I thought I posted this last night, but got up this morning to find it sitting in draft form on my computer.
Ok. Yeah, the Tivo option that I was thinking of only works with an analog tuner. There are other more expensive tuners that work with antennas, but they don't seem worth it for them. Sorry!
But, I also vote that you make them get cable.
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