We can't record TV shows to VCR from Time Warner basic cable (no box, just a cable from the wall) since we changed to one of the newer dvd/vcr combo units. Had no problem before when the old VCR had R6 Coax "in from ant" and "out to TV". These newer VCR/dvd combo units don't have the coax connections. Do we need a combo unit with a tuner? Do we need a splitter? We want to keep it simple like it was before if it's possible. I've read allot of the forums but can't find a straight answer if we need a combo unit with a tuner or not. How about the splitter, do we need that? On top of that, Panasonic web-site has a note: "will not record paid programs, only free programming" referring to a unit with tuner so I'm not even sure if getting a combo unit with tuner will solve the problem.
You either need a VCR with a tuner or a cable box. They quit putting tuners in cheapo combos because they have to have ATSC tuners now. If you are wanting to record premium movie channels you may have problems with some movies and not with others. Last I knew Starz still wasn't using copy protection.
Thank you Dave, This takes away most all of the confusion and it appears you have helped many others as well on VCR recording issues. Oh, Your answering is helping at least three additional families here in Maine having the same problem as us. I volunteered to help figure it out. We now know we need either a recorder with an ATSC tuner or have a cable/satellite box. Now we have another dilemma: The VCR DVD combo we want to buy is PANASONIC DMR-EZ37VK, the add say's ATSC but ownwers manual on Panasonic web-site says "Television system: TV system: NTSC system". I don't know enough about this to figure it out. Another dilemma is that the cheapo dvd/vcr combos people bought two years ago with the RF(coax) in/out are still working fine. The new cheapo units don't have the tuner but the older cheapo ones did; is that it? There must be millions of people with this problem. We have been recording for years with no problem until now. Barry
By FCC mandate all new recorders either have to have ATSC tuners or no tuner at all as the day of analog OTA broadcasts coming to an end draws near, February 17 2009 if I remember correctly.
If you're looking at current model Panasonic DVD recorders, they should all have an ATSC tuner if they have a tuner. It's VCR/DVD player combos that don't have a tuner in the VCR anymore. No one is going to pay what it would cost for an ATSC tuner for a VCR these days. DVD recorders have so much better PQ I don't know why anyone would want to record with a VCR anymore anyway.
In other words the VCR/Dvd Combo units cannot record on the VCR and use the programing feature of the VCR. This is false advertizing! My Sony manual states and shows how to program in recording of programs. Waht about using a Rf modulator box for the Coax. connection to the cable and then to the TV. The boxes have Video/Audio out to the VCR input line. If You could get a switchable box to playback DVD's and VCR's separately would the box give the VCR a signal to record from? Not sure what else to try. Any help greatfully appriciated. Glen
Have the same issue described here. Is it possible to buy/build the old type receiver for input from the cable to the VCR/DVD?
Alternately, can the old VCR (that has a tuner still working) be an intermidiarly to the new VCR/DVD (placed between the cable line and the combo unit)? Or the receiver scavenged to accomplish this?
Have 3 old VCRs with good tuners but dead VCR (tape eaters) and, if this is possible, I'm regretting ditching the last 3 that died.
I was talking to cable seller and they said they gonna do something so everybody who has cable will need a box for the cable tv for every tv set they own
Cool Kid, thanks for posting. I'd lost this link. Turns out it's easy to record (so far). digital to analog converter and all the old VCRs plugged in after the converter and, voila, recording again.
Oh, yes, indeed, the cable companies are planning to make it impossible to use TVs without individual descramblers. That was the plan from the beginning. They backed the switch from analog to digital, delayed their own conversion to sign everyone up, and now will require renting or buying descramblers for each TV set. Originally, they'd targeted 3 years after the transition but they've been steadily moving that up because everyone is pretty much "stuck" now.
Me, I'm going back to a huge antenna and just plain broadcast TV; my very own little boycott.
perhaps I am stupid, but I too do not have a cable box with mediacom in Illinois. My old DVD player VCR works great, but I can not use the new ones without tuners to record to the VCR. The cable company has taken care of the digital conversion, I have both kinds of TVs, they all work. What "cheap" solution is there to record? I don't care about super high quality video or audio?
We have Comcast and can't record TV programs on our VCR since we got the new converter box. We really want to be able to record programs when we can't watch something. Do we have to get a DVR?. Is it easy to set it up. We are very "Electronically Challenged" here. I don't want to buy the wrong thing. Thanks for any help anyone can give
You Comcast converter box should have a set of yellow+red+white RCA jacks. You would connect those to the same yellow+red+white jacks on your VCR and set your VCR to LINE IN1 or LINE IN2.
Without seeing a picture of your Comcast converter box, I can't be any more specific.
I haave a Phillips DVD/VCR and a Phillips TV model 20PT5441/37. They are connected with a RF modulator. I can play VCR tapes and DVD's, but I cannot record from the TV onto the VCR tape. Can yoy help.
Since you have a cable box with a DVR, you will need to set the cable box to the channel you want to record and connect composite cables (red+white+yellow) from the cable box to your Toshiba 620.
Set your Toshiba to record from LINE_IN1 or LINE_IN2 or whichever you are actually using.
You can pick any HDMI input you wish, just write down the number to remember.
The outputs from the cable box to the DVD/VCR combo should allow you to record also. You just won't be able to record one channel and watch a different one anymore. Whatever channel the cable box is set to is the one that will record.