Sherlock5b

Our family VCR recently died. To replace it I purchased a TOSHIBA SD-V295 DVD VCR COMBO RECORDER. Alas, instead of getting the great deal I thought I was getting, I learned that the unit lacks a tuner, and our home does not use either a cable or satellite box.

Can a digital converter serve the same purpose as a cable or satellite box? From what I understand, the tuner my new DVD/VCR combo lacks is an ATSC tuner. Is the digital converter an ATSC tuner?

If not, is there any way that I can hook my new DVD/VCR up to my non-digital TV?

[I'd return the unit to the seller, but I bought the unit on e-Bay, and the seller's description was very accurate. It was my mistake when I purchased it not understanding exactly what a tunerless DVD/VCR combo was.

Thanks.

christyanne

Sorry, not to intrude on your question, but I had that happen to me last year when I bought an Ipod. Someone listed it as "in working condition" on Ebay, so I bid, paid, and received an Ipod that worked only when I plugged it into my computer. The owner wouldn't give me my money back in exchange for me sending the Ipod back to him, and Ebay sided with the seller because he listed that the "Ipod works completey after being plugged in," which I thought that it meant that the Ipod worked after being charged. Sometimes, people list things on auctions that can be so ambiguous.

cowboyup4christ

ok this means that it needs an external tuner to operate attach it to the tv or the converter box by the rca cables the red yellow and white cables sometimes called component cables. I take it does not have a coax connection on the vcr if it does connect the to tv from the converter to the vcr antenna in and the to tv on the vcr to the tv.

Jay

Like Cowboy said, to connect a converter box to that VCR, you'll either need a RCA input or RF/Coax input on the VCR itself. If you're not sure, let us know the manufacture and model # of the VCR?

Sherlock5b

The unit does have RCA inputs and outputs, but no coax connection.

Thanks in advance.

wijwij

You have probably already discovered the answer yourself by now but ....

You can simply use red-white-yellow RCA cables from the converter box to the VCR/DVD player. They should go into the far right-most set of holes if you are looking at the back of the player.

Then you need another set of red-white-yellow RCA cables to connect the VCR/DVD player to the non-digital TV, from the next set of holes to the left. Your TV probably has jacks that will accommodate these, either at the back or front, and you will have to consult your TV remote directions for how to switch from watching TV to watching VCR or DVD player.

That will let you 1) watch TV via the converter box and 2) record to VCR tape (but only the channel that your converter box is bringing in) and 3) play VHS tapes on the VCR player using composite video (the yellow cable), and 4) play DVDs to the TV through composite video (the yellow cable).

I just hooked up the SD-296, which is very similar to the SD-295, and it works fine. However, the VCR/DVD player needs to be turned on in order to receive TV signal if you have hooked it up in this manner.

Another thing I discovered -- you can get much better output visually when playing DVDs by using component video connection between the VCR/DVD player and the TV. If your TV has a set of red-blue-green jacks, you should try this. You can do it in addition to the setup I just described (and then choose whether to watch a DVD using composite video (yellow cable) or component video (Y-Pb-Pr), which is less degraded signal.

To do this, you'll need another red-white-yellow RCA cable and a red-white audio RCA cable. You don't need any special "component" cable. Just make the red-blue-green output on the left of the DVD player rear gets sent to the component cable input on your TV. Those three cables will provide the video signal. Then red-white cable nearby will provide the audio signal. Put a DVD in and watch.

If both setups are established, you can use your TV remote to switch between the composite video and component video and see which one you prefer. They don't interfere with each other and can be set up at the same time.

Sherlock5b

Thanks to all for your responses. (And please accept my apology for not responding earlier.)

Alas, I am still having trouble.

I see how I can hook up the DTV Converter box to the tunerless VCR/DVD player, using the red, yellow and white (RYW) cables. But, my TV is ancient and so it does not have RYW ports. Would using an RF modulator do the trick? That is, should I connect RYW cables going out from the VCR/DVD combo to the RF Modulator, and then use a coax cable from the RF modulator to the TV?

Thanks to all for your assistance and your patience with me.

Sherlock5b

1inxs

That's what I would recommend if you plan on keeping the old TV. The picture would be better if you connected it to a TV with composite inputs.

Quentin

Hello, I am having the same prob. as Sherlock 5b. I have an old RCA tv, a Phillips dvd player/vcr-DVP3345V, an Magnavox TB110MW9- converter, and a RF Mod w/rwy and 2 connects. Telly is playing great but can't get the dvd combo to work. I'm seeing the dvd movie, but is very distorted, it's just not coming thru all the way. Can anyone help, will keep looking over threads, I will stay posted for any help thanks.

O-O

Almost sounds like copyright protection or something. You're getting the distortion only when you view movies right? What kind of wires are you using?