How do I watch one channel while recording another at the same time? There has to be a way but I can't figure it out. I can do it on my VCR so I would think it can be done on a DVR. My DVR model is ViP722k. Please help if you can.
It's really simple to do, but it requires a little knowledge...
First, the 722 needs to be in "single" mode. Single mode means that both TV1 (HD) and TV2 (SD)
outputs show the same program. Dual mode means that TV1 and TV2
outputs show different programs (usually used when you have one receiver serving TVs in two rooms). Note that the TV1 and TV2
tuners are independent, and can always tune and record different programming, and always in HD (on HD channels, of course). Consult the manual for how to change between single and dual modes.
So, if you have the 722 in Single mode, you have a few scenarios:
1) You just turned the 722 on, nothing is presently being recorded.
If you want to record what is on, press the record button, press select or choose another option for recording. Now, if you want to watch a different program, press the "SWAP" button on the remote. This "swaps" the displayed channel with what the TV2 tuner is tuned to. Now you're watching TV2, and TV1 is recording your program for later viewing. You can swap back and forth anytime you want.
(The "swap" button is also used for swapping the PiP pictures)
2) You just turned the 722 on, but it is already recording something from a timer you scheduled.
In
most cases, the receiver will default to recording on the TV2 tuner, so that you may still watch anything you choose on TV1. So, in this case, you're watching TV1, while TV2 goes on merrily recording in the background.
Sometimes, if you had two programs scheduled to record at the same time, you may end up with the receiver recording on TV1. Just press the "SWAP" button to change tuners, and - so long as it's not still recording two programs - you can select what to watch on the other tuner. In all cases, when you press "INFO", the info box shows the "REC" and a red ball in that tuner is recording.
3) you turn the 722 on, BOTH sat tuners are recording, but you want to watch/record something from an OTA tuner.
This is a little counter intuitive, unless the 722 is substantially different in handling OTA tuners than my 622 is. On the 622, you go into the guide, and select an OTA (yellow background) channel. The receiver switches the display to the OTA tuner, and does not affect the two sat tuners recording.
As I said, the receiver must be in "single" mode to make this work. If it is in "dual" mode, you can work around it a little, but somebody will end up watching the program being recorded!
