If your cable TV provider still offers analog channels, you can record one channel while watching/recording another. With only one cable box, you can descramble and tune in only one digital channel at a time to record or view. As long as you view or record a digital channel and view or record an analog channel, you can do both at the same time, but you cannot do two digital channels at the same time. For this, you would need two descrambler cable boxes. With this in mind, see the diagram above. Basically you use a signal splitter to connect the first VCR and the cable box from the wall. The first VCR's output goes into an A/B switch and then to the TV which is set to channel 3. The cable box output goes into the second VCR. Then the second VCR's output connects to the A/B switch and on to the TV. You can record or watch digital channels and record/view analog channels using the A or B position of the switch. The first VCR has to have a cable ready tuner, which most do, to pick up analog channels. Set both VCRs to output on channel 3. You could also connect the cable box to the second VCR using RCA cables (yellow, white, red) but remember to set the VCR to LINE input. Note: Many cable TV providers today use a two-way communication path over the coax cable. Therefore connecting a VCR between the wall out and the descrambler box could result in problems and is not recommended. By using the splitter, the cable box is free to communicate back and forth.