Why can't I watch a Freeview channel and record another?

To record a programme (or even more than one programe) while watching another you will require a Freeview Recorder/ Digital Recorder or Set top box with multiple tuners.

You are very unlikely to find a VHS recorder capable of recording a digital channel while recording another as almost all video recorders have one analogue tuner, and for obvious reasons new recorders are not being made.

New digital recorders are commonly DVD recorders or HDD/ Hard Drive recorders, DVD recorders obviously produce a disc with your recorded programme and HDD recorders save your programme to a hard drive which can be later played back from you digital recorder set top box.

How they work is quite simple, more tuners more recorded programmes, the popular Sky + set top box has three tuners.

Having three tuners means you can watch one programme and record two others, on standby you can record 2 channels, the other tuner is not a recorder, meaning you can only watch television if you are recording 2 other programmes.

Freeview recorders work much the same, more tuners, more programmes can be recorded at the same time.

Links
Freeview
John Lewis
Freeview Channels
Wikipedia: Freeview  

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