Can I record on my tunerless DVD recorder if my tv has a built-in tuner?

Question

I recently purchased a DVD recorder which I just found out is tunerless. I don't have cable or satellite, and I'm hoping that buying an external tuner isn't my only option (aside from returning the recorder and buying a more expensive model). The tv I bought to go with the recorder DOES have a tuner. Is that good enough? Will it work in conjunction with the recorder? Or do I still need an external tuner in order to record shows from the tv? Thanks!

Answer 1

>Can I record on my tunerless DVD recorder if my tv has a built-in tuner?

No. Very few TVs have video out jacks.

There is a simple solution. Buy a converter box for $10 - $20 (after using a government coupon) and connect its composite outputs to your DVD recorder's inputs. The limitation is that you have to set the channel on the converter so you can't program channel changes.

In a month or so there is supposed to be a converter* on the market that has a "VCR timer" but no one has see it yet.

The DVD recorders that you can buy in the US only record a standard def signal, so a cheap converter box will work just as well as an expensive HD tuner.