Question about Dish DVR for 2 TV sets?

Question

I just ordered the DVR upgrade for my dish system... It has two satellite connections in the back to enable the recording of two shows at once. It also has two TV outputs. Do I need two satellites in order to watch live programming on two TV's at the same time? Or is the dual-satellite setup for recording purposes only? Thanks!

Answer 1

Your new DVR can be configured different ways.

If you want to use the DVR on just one TV, then you can do things like picture-in-picture, or swap between the tuners.  The tuners in this case can record different channels at the same time, while you watch something that was previously recorded.  While you can still connect multiple TVs in this mode, all of them will see the same thing - that is, if you change the channel in the family room, the TV in your bedroom will also change the channel.

Another way to configure this is to let each TV control just one tuner.  Each TV will still be able to watch their tuner independently - be it channel surfing or recording a TV show -  as well as watch programs that have been recorded.

By default, when the DVR needs to record something, it will try to use Tuner#2 - which would be the tuner used by the remote TV (e.g. the TV in your bedroom).

Answer 2

Two satellite tuners allow you to select from two viewing options.  Single Mode: Picture-In-Picture (PIP) available on any TV, watch/record two live programs,  while watching a pre-recorded program.  Dual Mode: Independently view and record programming on two televisions.