Recording – different kit / features

How can I / Why can’t I record one TV channel while watching another?

You could do this with your old TV and VCR, because that gave you two analogue tuners, one in the TV and one in the VCR. Similarly for digital TV you need two digital tuners to watch and record from different digital channels. There are several ways of achieving this, for example:
Most convenient: you could buy a twin tuner digital TV recorder (PVR) to work with your existing TV. This option is arguably the most convenient and versatile. See Digital TV recorder - pros and cons
Cheapest: you could buy two separate set top boxes for your existing TV and recorder. But if you do opt for this, we advise that you buy two different brands to avoid the problem of the remote control operating them both at the same time.
Most expensive: you could buy a new TV with digital tuner built in (iDTV) plus a new DVD recorder with digital tuner built in.
See also Recording options for information on kit choices and connecting up.

What products can you use to record from cable? Is Virgin + the only option?

Virgin is the only national cable TV provider and supplies its own recorder – see our report on the Virgin Media +. A Freeview digital recorder will not record Virgin subscription services.