What is the difference between cable and digital recorder networks?

Hi Rick
I think you are painting yourself into a corner. So to Speak.
Why buy a SetTop Box to convert to an old VHS Tape when you can buy a Digital Recorder for probably the same price.
The modern way to Record video is to use a Hard Disk Drive Recorder rather than a VCR. They have a built in tuner and can record 2 stations at once and have a built in Electronic Program Guide. The EPG info is transmitted with the Digital TV transmission from the broadcaster.
I bought one 2 weeks ago for an old 85yo friend so he could record late night stuff and play back later. He still uses the VCR but only for old VHS Tape playback. It was a TEAC HDR9650TS Digital Video Recorder and I picked it up new for Aus$188.
Here are the unit features

1. Main Features:
   DVB-T Twin Digital Turners
   DVR Recording: Record three channels while watching a 4th from same network Smart Series Record feature to record a whole series at a touch of a button
   2.5" Sata Hard disk: 500GB
   Time Shift Function (Pause live TV)
   HDMI Digital Output
   Digital Audio Output
   CVBS/YPbPr/SPDIF connectors
   Supports TV formats 4:3 and 16:9
   Electronic Program Guide (EPG) up to 7 days in advance
   EPG searching and auto download
   Recorded program edit
   Parental Control
   Copy files from internal HDD to external HDD
   Built-in WiFi
   Network Playback
   USB 2.0 Interface

Now
This was my original reply until I saw the light.
So, Hopefully one of these will answer your queerie.

A digital TV picks up the new Digital Transmission and stores it in memory, then supplies the high definition to the input of your TV.
With a STB, once the digital broadcast signal is captured by the Set Top Box tuner, it is stored in memory and then it is converted to Video Format and comes out of the back connectors as a standard video & audio signal on the Red & White (Audio) & Yellow (Video) as a composite signal that can also be attached to an older VCR tape recorder.
If the STB output connectors have a Red White & Yellow RCA plugs then it is all ready to be picked up by an older TV or VCR.
Most set top boxes also have HDMI Output for high definition video & sound in the one cable, which attaches directly to the back of your TV (assuming it doesn't already have a tuner (STB) already built in).
HDMI is the state of the art cabling for modern devices. But probably not on the old VCR.
It will either use Component, Composite or SVideo cables. Match one of these cable standards up with your VCR.

Cheers.... Trevor
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If your using digital cable it will only record channel 3 or 4 depending on what your cable box is set to...In order for it to record different channels it needs a cable source plugged directly into it. You will only be able to record standard cable channels 1-125. If it's digital cable forget about... you can only record it with channel 3/4 a solution to this would be using a 2nd digital box.. "auto-programming" may be limited even with a 2nd cable box. If your only using standard cable 1-125... you can use the TV/VCR button it will switch between the tuner of the TV & VCR allowing you to record while you watch a different show... keep in mind this won't work for digital channels which if I'm not mistaken comcast has already converted all channels to digital even basic.

I bought a set-top converter box from Dish Network, which will operate with the DMR-EH75V through the remote control cable that was provided with the recorder. It tunes in all the available digital channels and uses the RCA A/V cables to connect to IN1 on the back of the recorder. TVGOS is now provided through channel 2.1 (CBS) in our area and it also provides the time signal that keeps the recorder's clock updated. NOTE: ONLY the Dish Network boxes work with these functions. I've had occasional issues with the box after some period - a few weeks - it needs to be rebooted or reset to manual and then back to automatic (which causes it to reboot anyway.) Model no is DTV PAL PLUS.

Samsung DVD R150 recorder only picks up channels 2 7 9 10 &28, no digital channels, is this all it will record or am I doing something wrong with the installation?

I have Dish Network and a DVR and I do not know what I would do without it. I can record 2 shows at once and watch to 2 recorded programs while recording two shows. But getting to your problem... It sounds like the vcr cannot process the digital signal. You could try hooking up the vcr to the rca inputs from the cable box but you will only be able to record whatever channel the cable box is on. Any way you hook them up the programming of the vcr to change channels at different times for different programs probably won't work now. It sounds like Direct TV with two DVRs will solve your recording needs.

Comcast is full of it.

If you have a cable box, plug the box directly into the cable feed, then place the VCR inline between the cable and the TV. Leave the VCR on Channel 3 or 4 and use the box to select the channel. You could also use the video and audio out lines from the box and run them to the VCR.

Just want to make sure you are talking about a four-pin firewire cable (small and flat) as opposed to a 4-pin s-video cable (round).

If you are talking about the latter, there is no control signal in an s-video cable so there is no "recognition" possible. Make sure that you have your DVD recorder set to S-video in and then hit play on the camcorder. You will need audio cables too if you want sound transferred. You should see video after you have manually pressed "play" on the camcorder.

where do you see the recorder ?
do you see it as removable drive ?
Are you on a network? if yes, unplug network cable and try again .

need more info to be able to help you .

Ha this is a greatly contested two posiblities.

1/ Are you on a business network? The most common reason for this error is because the user has mapped network drives on low drive letters e.g. mapped drives on E F G H I etc. When you connect recorder windows trys to assign the physically available drive letter. However that drive is being used by a mapped network drive so windows simply doesnt recognise the newly attched device hence the sanyo software not recognising the device.

2/ Some Dell PC's struggle to supply enough power to all USB ports so try connecting to the back of the PC or removing some USB devices and reconnect the B130.

This error cannot be produced without a recorder being connect so it recognised to a point just. Just not correctly.

Unfortunately, no. The tuner in your DVD recorder works differently than how your satellite receiver works. You *must* use the satellite receiver to select the active channel, and then send that channel to one of the inputs on your recorder. You can then record that channel. Unless your satellite receiver is has "dual tuners" in it, you are stuck watching the same channel that the DVD recorder is recording. If your goal is primarily time-shifting of shows (as opposed to archiving shows forever to DVD), you might consider getting a different satellite receiver with a built-in DVR (hard disk recorder). These allow you to mark shows in advance, have them recorded to the hard drive, and then you can watch them whenever you want, skipping all the commercials. You also get the ability to pause and rewind live TV.