Can I record straight from satellite broadcast to a dvd recorder?

Question

This is probably a very basic question for someone out there. I am wanting to purchase a dvd recorder (or something other than a tivo) to record football games for me while I am away on the weekends.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

No, the dvd recorder lacks the receiver necessary to decode the satellite signal.

You must connect your satellite receiver to your DVD recorder. Most receivers support 2 separate outputs  for 2 different TVs, or a TV plus a VCR.  Note that this means your VCR and TV can only watch the same channel, so if you go channel surfing while the game is on, that's what the DVD recorder will record.

Another option is to upgrade your subscription to include a DVR from the satellite provider.  The DVR replaces your receiver, and can record shows on its internal hard drive.  You can then replay a show, and record it with your DVD recorder later on, if you wanted to save it.  Most DVRs also come with multiple tuners, so you can watch 1 show while another is being recorded - or record two separate channels at the same time while watching a pre-recorded program.