Pausing live tv

[wynford]

I just got a motorola dcx 3200-m p3 hd box and I can't seem to be able to pause live tv, when I press the pause/play button at the bottom, nothing happens. In video on demand, I can pause/play shows with no problem. Is live tv not supported with pause/play?

[rstra]

That cable box is not a pvr, so you won’t be able to pause or record.

https://support.shaw.ca/t5/tv-articles/equipment-info-shaw-motorola-tv-box-dcx3200-m/ta-p/6567

[mdk]

@wynford -- the important parts of the web-page that @rstra cited are:

PVR: No
Tuners: 1
eSATA Port (for Expander): No

Some of the older Shaw Set Top Boxes (STB) did allow an Expander (external disk-drive) to be connected.

But, since your STB only has 1 tuner, adding an Expander (if it were possible) would only let you record what you are watching.

Instead, contact Shaw. Depending on which TV plan you have, you could be entitled to receive, for a net cost of $0/month, a newer STB that has multiple tuners and PVR functionality. Nice!

Or, browse sites like www.used.ca or Craig's List to find an Shaw Gateway PVR being offered for sale by somebody who switched to TELUS, and thus has no use for their Gateway PVR.  I see one listing showing "free" and one priced at $10. Check the device's serial-number with Shaw, to ensure that they will activate it on their network (not stolen, not a "rental" that they did not return to Shaw, no outstanding charges, et cetera).

[wynford]

So how come I can pause/play video on demand?

[wynford]

I never asked anything about an expander or gateway... I just asked, what I thought was a simple question...

[rstra]

@wynford You can pause video on demand because the programs aren’t stored locally on your cable box, they are streamed to your set top box. 

[wynford]

ahhh... ok thanks... too bad. if I'm watching a movie and want to take a break, I can't pause it 😕