Old tv, cable box, dvd help?
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 1 Registered: Jun-08 | Hi all, I'm a newbie here and I thought I knew about connecting simple things, but apparantly i'm a newbie in that catagory too. My problem is; I have an old RCA tv with just the one cable hookup in the back. I'm also using Comcast's Motorola cable box. The tv is hooked up just fine to it, but now I bought a Magnavox ZC320MW8 DVD recorder that came with the 3 cables (red, white, yellow). I thought I could just hook up the cables from the DVD to the cable box, keeping everything else the same, but it's not working, or rather it's me that not working ;/ . I've read other posts here, but nothing quite fits with this (simple?) connection. I've been looking around the net to try and figure out what i'm doing wrong, but either the answer is so simple that i'm just overlooking it, or is there something else I need to add? Thanks for any help in advance, and please help if you can, I want to record some kewl shows.  |
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Gold Member Username: SamijubalPost Number: 3858 Registered: Jul-04 | You need an RF modulator. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 2 Registered: Jun-08 | I can get one of those, but i'm still confused as to why this won't work directly. Yes, ok i'm blonde, but atleast I can work on cars and computers. ;) |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 3 Registered: Jun-08 | By the way, thank you David, for letting me know about this RF Modulator. (I forgot to mention that.) |
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Gold Member Username: SamijubalPost Number: 3859 Registered: Jul-04 | If your cable box has inputs and you can switch it to auxilary, it should work. I think cable box inputs aren't active, you can try though. |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 114 Registered: Dec-07 | If you'd post your cable box model number, it would be much more helpful. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 4 Registered: Jun-08 | I have the Motorola SFT 2 cable box, and my tv is a 1987 RCA Colortrak, Model FPR520WR.  (Ignore the circle on the back of this. These are images I found, but it shows what I have.)  Thank you again to all who have and may be able to help with this. I'm debating too, if it would just be wiser to get a new tv. I had no idea mine was so old till I looked at the back of it. |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 115 Registered: Dec-07 | I can't tell from those images whether the red/white/yellow connectors are inputs or outputs. If they are labeled as outputs then you can buy one of these that David Massey wrote about. $10 http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=15-1988&origkw=15-1988&sr =1 |
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Gold Member Username: SamijubalPost Number: 3869 Registered: Jul-04 | Those are outputs. You really should get a new TV if you can afford one. DVD recorders output around 500-525 lines of resolution. THe best that can be done through RF is 330 max with the quality varing greatly depending on the RF input of the TV. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 5 Registered: Jun-08 | I almost did, but since I was trying to save some money, yesterday I bought the Phillips 4 in one RF Modulator. So, now I have it all hooked up and was thrilled when the opening screen of the DVD recorder came on. I programmed it in, then tried changing the channel on the tv to test it out, and now??? I lost all the channels on my tv! When I turn the DVD off, they come back. So I thought maybe it will still record even though I can't watch tv at the time. I tried that, and the recording is the same empty screen. No audio, no video. What did I do wrong this time? |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 117 Registered: Dec-07 | Does your DVD recorder have a RF input? If so, I would connect 1.) RF output on cable box (this is the connection that had been connected to TV) to RF input on DVD recorder This connection you will need to be able to record on your DVD recorder. 2.) connect red-white-yellow cables from cable box to RF modulator input #1 3.) connect red-white-yellow cables from DVD recorder to RF modulator input #2 4.) connect RF modulator output to TV To watch TV, you'd select RF modulator #1. To watch DVD recorder, you'd select RF modulator #2. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 6 Registered: Jun-08 | My DVD recorder doesn't have an RF input. |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 118 Registered: Dec-07 | You'll need to buy one more thing then. http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5fid=2405&sku=41015 Connect red-white-yellow cables from cable box to DVD recorder. Connect DVD recorder video and audio out to RF modulator with red-white-yellow cables. Connect RF modulator out to input B on the product I linked. Connect RF output on cable box to input A on the product I linked. You'll be able to watch TV or watch DVD recorder or record on DVD recorder. When recording with DVD recorder, remember to select the correct set of video input; there are 2. |
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Bronze Member Username: LevelzeroPost Number: 47 Registered: Aug-07 | Sheryl, I have a Motorola DVR DT3400, it's the silver one. I've recorded from the cable box to DVD recorder before. Although I use the HDMI cable from the box to the TV, I have the red/yellow/white plugs connected from the box to the DVR. I just had to select the correct input/source in order to get the audio and video. You may have to try selecting Channel 2 or 3 perhaps on the dvd recorder in order to view the stations through it. |
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Gold Member Username: SamijubalPost Number: 3870 Registered: Jul-04 | Connect the Y/W/R RCA outputs of the box to one of the inputs on the DVD recorder and set the recorder on whatever input you used. If there isn't an input button on the remote, go through the channels until you get to the right one. Connect the RF out of the cable box to the modulator. The modulator will automatically switch to the recorder when it's on and the cable box when it's off. |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 119 Registered: Dec-07 | I'm not sure what you are talking about there. You can't connect RF out of the cable box to the RF modulator. The inputs of a RF modulator are not RF. It is the output of a RF modulator that is RF. The inputs on the RF modulator use the red-white-yellow cables. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 7 Registered: Jun-08 | I am so very much confused right now.  |
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Silver Member Username: Ieee488Post Number: 120 Registered: Dec-07 | I have an old TV like you. I also have a 2-to-1 RF modulator. I have a JVC DVD recorder. I have a DVD player. Until you understand what is going on with the signals, even if you buy yourself a brand new TV, you will STILL have problems. You weren't clear that not only did you want to watch DVDs, you also wanted to record while watching something else on the TV. All of these things are important to tell us beforehand. Anyway, you can either do as I suggested, or find someone you know to straighten out for you in person. |
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Gold Member Username: SamijubalPost Number: 3871 Registered: Jul-04 | Most modulators have an RF input. If the one you bought doesn't, trade it for one that does. |
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New member Username: DustwolfAuburn, WA United States Post Number: 8 Registered: Jun-08 | Problem solved now. What I needed was another set of the colored connectors. Also I had removed the cable connection in back of the cable box that looped back to itself. I know I can't watch one station while recording another, at least not with the type of DVD recorder that I bought. I'm just glad it's fixed now. Thanks for the help here, but a friend of mine came over and showed me how it all worked. I think I shall now take lessons in electronics. |
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