Forum Discussion

MBoozer's avatar
MBoozer
New Contributor II
7 years ago

Go to Contour?

I presently have two DVR boxes.  The one in the living room appears to be bad and will probably be replaced.  I'm trying to decide if I should go to Contour instead and take advantage of whole house control and having ability to record 6 shows at once ( though I've never had to record more than two at once). 

Is it worth changing?

I have several questions:

Would I still have the SWAP button and feature with Contour?

How are all the TV's attached to the DVR?  Will I have cables to both TV's from one Contour DVR?

Can an external drive be added to Contour DVR to expand capacity?

Do I loose any other controls if I go to Contour box?  OLd questions here seem to show that Contour doesn't have slow motion for recorded shows.

9 Replies

  • Karen_R's avatar
    Karen_R
    Former Moderator

    Hello MBoozer, Thank you for contacting Cox Social Media team. I've provided answers to your questions below and a link to Contour 2 features. http://bit.ly/2zTyL4d

    -Would I still have the SWAP button and feature with Contour? The swap feature is not needed on the Contour 2 (6-tuner) receiver Contour 2 allows you to record 6 shows at once and watch all your recorded shows on any TV in the house. For instance 5 shows can be recording and you can change the channel to a different channel to view while recordings are in progress.

    -How are all the TV's attached to the DVR? Will I have cables to both TV's from one Contour DVR? The primary tuner connect to one TV and the additional Tvs will have a client box that you can playback the recorded shows on. Each box has separate wiring similar to your current setup.

    -Can an external drive be added to Contour DVR to expand capacity? The boxes do not support external drives.

    -Do I loose any other controls if I go to Contour box? OLd questions here seem to show that Contour doesn't have slow motion for recorded shows. Contour has various new features that the older version does not support. See the link above.

    Let us know if you have any more questions. Thanks 

  • yak's avatar
    yak
    Contributor III

    I have the Contour 1 DVR.  I enjoy it.  there are lots of times when I want to record 3 shows.  the Contour has its quirks.  it needs to be rebooted every 1-3 weeks.  Sometimes it will fail to record a show.  if I really want to be certain about a recording, I record it once on an HD channel and once on the SD (non-HD) channel.  it does have a slo-mo feature: hit Pause and then hit FF once or twice. 

  • MBoozer's avatar
    MBoozer
    New Contributor II

    Thanks for your reply.  I have found answers to several of my questions from several sources (including you).  My questions are more directed at Contour 1 - I'm not interested in C2 or voice command.  The question about the SWAP button and buffering of channels has not been answered (also asked as a separate question):

    Does the Contour 1 DVR's (2 and 6 channel). buffer both (or all 6) channels and for how long?  This is different then recording  - it's the automatic buffering in order to rewind live TV.

  • MBoozer's avatar
    MBoozer
    New Contributor II

    Yak. 

    You should not be having these problems.  I fought a non-Contour DVR for some time with several of the same problems - I think the DVR was overheating and it died on me a couple of days ago.  I found the cooling fan had stopped.  Lost many old shows and games I didn't get off DVR and onto DVD.  I would get a new DVR if you're having problems.

  • Hi MBoozer,

    The SWAP function is not offered with Contour in contrast to our first generation DVRs. This means the functionality to swap between tuners is not operational.  I regret the buffering will only suffice for one hour and that is only if you have been watching the channel.  Should you happen to tune to a new channel, the ability to rewind is only available for the viewing time.  For example, if five minutes have lapsed, you may rewind only five minutes.  I know this is not what you were looking to hear, but I hope this helps in your decision. Let us know should you have any further concerns. 

     

  • Buck_Rogers's avatar
    Buck_Rogers
    New Contributor

    I have the contour 1 record 6 DVR, works great, never have to reboot.  The swap button on my remote will switch between the tuners to see what is being recorded on each.  Keep in mind that there are 6 tuners, you can use 5 for recording and one for live tv or record 6 channels but you will have to watch one or use another device such as blueray etc to watch tv.  Hope that helps with the swap question...

  • MBoozer's avatar
    MBoozer
    New Contributor II

    Thanks for the input.  That is the exact answer I was looking for.  However, I think that is a knock against Contour and may prevent me from switching.

  • MBoozer's avatar
    MBoozer
    New Contributor II

    Buck, thanks for input - good info to know.

  • mac1938's avatar
    mac1938
    New Contributor

    no  do not change I have regretted it ever since they made me swap out the boxes.