I spent some time at Artscape this weekend talking to people about the digital transition. I was happy to see that most everyone was at least aware that the change was coming. The majority of people I approached said they had cable or satellite and knew they were ready. Others who used antennas to receive over-the-air TV said they had already ordered their coupons or had even purchased converters.
One gentleman, though, had a problem I hadn’t considered before. He uses a older VCR to schedule recordings of programs he receives over-the-air with an antenna. He was none too happy to hear that this will, for the most part, no longer be possible after February 17.
With a digital converter box, he’ll be able to view TV shows. But since his VCR is unable to receive digital signals, it won’t be able to automatically change channels and record while he’s away.
With a little creativity it would be possible to wire the converter into the VCR and record shows on the channel you manually set on the digital converter before you leave home. But older VCR’s will no longer be able to switch channels without your help.
One option here is to go with a TiVo, which is kind of expensive and has a monthly fee. For over-the-air viewing, it’s overkill.
DVD recorders like LG’s DR787T have built-in digital tuners and should be able to do scheduled recordings with no problems. It would presumably even eliminate the need for a digital converter box.
If you’re dead set on using VHS tapes, LG’s RC79T DVD/VCR combo also has a built-in tuner and should allow the same functionality.
