I'm trying to figure out if you can have a DVDR recording and watch another program at the same time. I doesn't make much since you would have to watch the show you are recording unless you want to use the time shift. My Zenith sat520 will not allow this. I called Sony, Lite-On and Pioneer and they said you could not do this. Has anyone found a way to do this.

Thanks Brad

I don't have much satellite experience (use cable at home), but you would need to have two separate tuners to do what you are talking about. I seem to remember hearing about two-tuner TiVo units of some sort, which were specifically marketed toward what you are talking about, but I don't know which units they were or what satellite service might use them. Short of having a two-tuner unit of this type, the only way to be recording one thing and watching another is having two separate receivers.

A friend of mine has a Comcast DVR box and he can record one program and watch a separate program being aired at the same time, because it has two tuners. Not sure what box it is, though. On my single-tuner TIVO, you can't do that, but you can watch a pre-recorded program while recording something new.

That is true, and a good point - my DVD recorder (a Panasonic DMR-E80) also allows this, as should any DVR type of device, and it is pretty handy.

I have one of the Samsung HD Tivo boxes from Directv, and it has two receivers. you can watch something on your playlist while it simultaniously records two other channels or watch one live tv while recording another program. Nice box but pricey although I think they came down to 799.00