The world’s first, best, and easiest-to-use digital video recorder just got better. Now, record two shows at once!* Only the TiVo® service gives you the freedom to watch your favorite shows any time, anywhere.
What does Dual Tuner mean?
Dual Tuner is the ability to record two shows at once. The Series2 DT DVR can record shows from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once.
The Series2 DT DVR cannot record shows from two digital cable or satellite channels at once. This is because the DVR can control only one cable or satellite box.
Basic cable channels are typically channel numbers 1-99, and can be received without a cable box. Digital cable channels are typically channel numbers 100 and up, and require a cable box to receive.
What is the Series2 DT user experience like for a basic cable subscriber?
A basic cable subscriber (with no cable box) gets full Dual Tuner functionality with no limitations. He can record two shows at once from any of his channels.
A basic cable subscriber will connect the coax cable coming from the wall plate to the coax input on the DVR. The DVR has an internal splitter to feed both tuners.
What is the Series2 DT user experience like for a digital cable subscriber?
A digital cable subscriber (with a cable box) can record shows from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once.
A digital cable subscriber will connect the coax cable coming from the wall plate to the included RF splitter. The user will connect one coax cable from the RF splitter to the coax input on the DVR. The user will connect another coax cable from the RF splitter to the coax input on the cable box. The user will connect the composite or S-video output from the cable box to the corresponding input on the DVR. The user will connect the serial control output from the DVR to the serial input on the cable box, or will position the IR blasters connected to the DVR in front of the cable box’s IR sensor, in order to enable the DVR to change the channel on the cable box.
What is the Series2 DT user experience like for a satellite subscriber?
A satellite subscriber (with a satellite box) can record shows from one satellite channel at a time.
A satellite subscriber will connect the composite or S-video output from the satellite box to the corresponding input on the DVR. The user will connect the serial control output from the DVR to the serial input on the satellite box, or will position the IR blasters connected to the DVR in front of the satellite box’s IR sensor, in order to enable the DVR to change the channel on the satellite box.
(Note: if the satellite subscriber also has basic cable, he can record shows from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable channel and one satellite channel, at once. In addition to connecting the satellite box as described above, he will connect the coax cable coming from the wall plate to the coax input on the DVR.)
Why didn’t TiVo design the Series2 DT DVR to be able to record shows from two digital cable channels at once?
This capability would have required the ability to control, and receive an input from, a second cable box. This would have meant a second set of serial and IR control outputs and a second set of composite/S-video inputs, which would have necessitated a major change to the back panel layout and the internal PCB, adding cost to the product. It would have significantly increased engineering effort for TiVo and lengthened time to market.
While the cost to add this capability was large, we judged the benefit to be small. We expect the majority of Series2 DT users will be basic cable subscribers, who with the current design will still get full Dual Tuner functionality with no limitations.
For digital cable subscribers, we believe that in actual use, not being able to record shows from two digital cable channels at once is less of a limitation than it might initially seem. Many shows on digital cable channels are repeated several times during the week, so that if the user cannot record a show on a digital cable channel due to a conflict with a show on another digital cable channel, he will often have the opportunity to record a future re-airing of that show. We have added guidance to the documentation and user interface advising the user when a recording conflict occurs to check for upcoming showings of the same show.
Even if we had enabled control of two cable boxes, we expected that very few Series2 DT users who were digital cable subscribers would have gone to the hassle and expense of renting a second cable box from their cable provider in order to be able to record shows from two digital cable channels at once. Being able to record shows from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once should still provide for a very satisfactory user experience for digital cable subscribers.
