P.I.P. w/ Tos 32HL83 (1 Viewer)

[MichaelKl]

I am considering purchasing the Toshiba 32" LCD, 32HL83 and one of the reasons is the 2 tuner picture in picture. Will the PIP work with only 1 cable box b/c it has 2 built in tuners? Also will I be able to view all the channels my cable box displays on both screens. Also if anyone has or knows anything about this set any feedback would be great.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I don’t think that your PIP will work for any channels that the cable box only can tune (such as scrambled channels).

I don’t know the specifics of your TV (or cable box) but the PIP will only work with what it can see, so if you are using your cable box to tune channels, that will be the only channel known to you set (and the PIP feature). But if you have a native feed from your cable, the PIP feature should work for every channel that it can tune (which will in all probability not be any premium channels and maybe some non-premium ones that you need a cable box to tune).

In some cases if you can input to your TV both a direct feed from the cable and one from your cable box you could use the PIP feature for one premium channel and one non-premium channel. You can get a direct feed from the cable by splitting the signal before it gets to the cable box. Some boxes may have a native cable output, as well as one that the box tunes.

 

[LewB]

I have 2 2 tuner PIP 32" set myself. That was a selling point for me. Until I tried watching it. I have it hooked up as the other Lew explained. Split the signal where it comes into the room, one line goes to antenna A, the other side goes to the cable box and it's output goes to antenna B.
I can watch 1 premium channel and 1 unscrambled cable channel.
Now about the PIP:
In reality I never use it because the small picture is always in the way of something else no matter what quadrant of the screen I locate it. It's also too friggin small (IMHO) to be watchable. Try watching a sporting event on the small picture and then try reading the scores and such that are in that small picture.
Now an LCD with 2 tuner side by side ...