questions about computer tv tuner and dish

[jdvaughn]

I am looking to buy a new desktop computer soon with Windows 7 and I think I want a TV tuner, but now sure how this works with Dish? I emailed them and asked, but they pointed me to Microsoft's site where I still can't find a simple answer to my questions..

I assume I will have to run a cable from my 722 DVR box to my computer, but then what capabilities would I then have? Could I record movies and then burn them to DVD's? I know everyone considers this wrong now, but I used to to do this all the time on my old VCR. I don't want to sell them or anything, just record?

If I wanted to watch TV in my home office, would this then pull the signal away from our living room (or the other way around?) Right now, we have the dual tuner with a TV in our living room and bedroom.

Anyway, I would love to hear from any of you that have this setup already and what did it take to get it setup and is it worth it? Not sure if it is worth the extra cost of a TV Tuner, not sure what I could do with it?

Any and all advice would be appreciated!
JD

 

[TheKrell]

Lots of questions.

You can record the analog outputs of the Dish 722 receiver. A TV tuner, if an analog/digital combo, usually can record NTSC input signals, including the RF output of your 722, or the S-video or composite, all of which are SD and not HD. If you want to record the HD component output, you will need an HD DVR of some sort such as the Hauppauge. I know of no way to record the HDMI output since it's encrypted.

As for watching the TV2 outputs, you most certainly can feed it to multiple rooms. There are two modes for the receiver to operate in; the one where the two outputs are independent is called "dual" and is the default. So any TVs viewing the TV2 output will not interfere with somebody else viewing the TV1 output. The only confusion here is when something is being recorded, and there are two modes of operation here as well. The simplest to understand is the mode where a recording scheduled from one TV is recorded on that satellite tuner. the other mode shoves the recording over to the other tuner, and we just hope that nobody else is watching at that time. If you don't have collisions, this makes it possible for either TV1 or TV2 outputs to record something while watching something else live. If you do have collisions, then something has to give.

 

[mdavej]

I much prefer a stand-alone DVD recorder to using a pc. You press a button, go to bed, and you have a finished DVD in the morning. You could still get a tuner for watching, but a sling adapter would be better since it would be HD. It works with the 722k, not sure about the 722. A regular sling box would work for sure.

 

[bradfordj]

Same questions for the 922. This should be good since it is sling loaded.