Diagram the hook up

With the popularity of digital and high definition televisions and corresponding cable boxes now, our psychic abilities are inadequate to determine which equipment you have. Please check you VCR/DVD manual and your cable provider's web site, since both often include hookup diagrams. Some VCR/DVD manufacturer's make their user manuals available on their web sites for the convenience of customers who have misplaced the ones that came with their product. Since cable box manufacturers often supply similar boxes to multiple cable companies, you might even be able to locate a diagram on another cable company's web site.

For analog it's usually a matter of connecting a combination video (yellow plug) and stereo audio (white and red plugs) cable between the cable box outputs and the corresponding inputs on the VCR. A similar cable connects the outputs on the VCR to the inputs on the TV. The jacks on the cable box, VCR and TV are typically color coded and each group of hacks marked "IN" or "Out". Feel free to use the second set of stereo and video jacks many TVs have on or near the front (easily accessible for connecting a camcorder)

For high definition TVs you may need to connect a component video cable directly between the cable box (requires a high definition cable box) and the TV.