Originally Posted By: tomcat27
I've got 3 JVC's and a Panasonic lying around. a couple of gen II Tivo's too. interested?
Post up the VCR model numbers and I can make a recommendation. Both JVC and Panasonic have made some good decks in the past.
Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
I bought a VCR/DVD recorder combo a few years ago, and was dismayed to find out some cable programs embed a signal that signals the recorder that it's content protected. If I hit record it will pop up a message on the screen saying it can't record because it's protected.
That's called the "
Broadcast Flag." Since a court ruling in 2005, there wasn't any legal obligation to obey the broadcast flag, and as of August 2011, it's obsolete. Unethical broadcasters may still set it in hopes of fouling up owners of old equipment. When purchasing digital recorders, always check the Internet to see if the device ignores the broadcast flag.
Originally Posted By: Jeff_in_VABch
I have a near new JVC HM-DH40000 D-VHS deck I want to get rid of that was high end stuff a few years back. It has the 1394 connector to record the digital stream right off STBs with a digital output. However, I cant see how it's internal non-digital tuner can record current OTA signals on it's RF connector.
D-VHS ... extremely rare. I've never played with those things. The 1394 connector is not for digital STBs; it's for camcorders. There's no way to get the OTA digital signal into the D-VHS VCR without using a computer or converting to analog. If you were local I'd totally come take it off your hands just for curiosity's sake, considering it has nearly zero value. At this point, it's just an S-VHS VCR (and not a good one) with some extra obsolete features. It might be a good option for Digital2K2--you both appear to be in the same state and it does do what what he needs it to do.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
This wasn't directly addressed but if you get your TV exclusively off the air you can get a set top convertor box that will have RF ch 3 out. You should hook up with the video/audio RCA cables though for a more clear picture.
I did say that, but thanks for restating it in a less jargony manner.