[JeffB]

An IR blaster (infra-red blaster) also known as a Cable Box Control is used to transmit an infra-red signal to a cable box to change the channel. This is useful for VCRs and DVD recorders. You can set the recorder so that for example channel 2 is recorded at 8:00 and channel 4 at 9:00. The recorder is capable of changing the cable channel so that both channels can be recorded. In my opinion this feature is of absolute critical importance. I would consider any unit without one to be completely defective by design. And yet, very few to any products have such a feature. Further, in shopping lately, I get the feeling that this feature may go away completely.

I suppose that it is possible to run the cable signal into the recorder directly and to use the recorder's tuner. However, I don't believe that this will allow all channels to be recorded. I am pretty sure that some are encrypted, like Showtime and HBO.
Further the cable signal needs to go to the cable box to take advantage of the programming guide.

It seems to be almost guaranteed that if a recorder has an ATSC tuner then it won't have an IR blaster. So I can record OTA 2,4,5,7,9,11 but there is no help to change the channel for the cable channels. Why or why? There is an LG unit that has been recalled that had an ATSC tuner and IR blaster.

I can't find a single standalone VCR anymore.
All of the VCR/DVD players lack an IR blaster.
A couple of VCR/(DVD recorders) have IR blasters.
However, I have just tried the Samsung and the audio hums through the HDMI.
This leaves only a single Sony unit left for me to try.

I have even looked at SVHS. They all seem to lack this feature even at $1000.

I am completely mystified by this. Why does anybody buy a recorder without this feature? Am I missing something?

Further when ever I asked friends, family and co-workers about this, none of them know what an IR-blaster even is. Is this simply a case of people not knowing what they are missing? Still does this explain why products don't contain the feature?
Is it reasonable to assume that TV watching America doesn't know they need an IR-blaster?

Even the sales people at Circuit City seem to know nothing about the feature.