Hi there,

I have a complicated set of stuff to connect. Complicated for me anyway! Most things I can figure out but this one has me stumped.

The components are TV, cable DVR, and a DVD/VHS combo recorder. I've been able to get the cable TV signal to show up, and also the VHS tape to play, but the problem is when I want to record from the DVD/VHS unit the TV signal is not there.

I know I have something connected wrong somewhere. Can someone think it through for me and tell me where the ins and outs should go?

Thanks,
Laura

The best sequence would depend on your TV being High Definition (HDTV)) or Standard Definition (SDTV).

Your cable provider might have diagrams in the customer support section of their web site or in a printed user manual included when customers pick up a new DVR/converter. Sometimes a PDF version of the DVR manual is available on the cable provider's web site.

For SDTV many people would make both connections with combination stereo/composite video cables. Such cables have three collor coded (red and white for stereo, yellow for NTSC composite video) RCA connectors on both ends. One cable would connect from between the matching color coded output jacks on the cable converter/DVR and the input jacks on the DVD player/VHS recorder. The other cable would make a similar connection between the outputs on the DVD player/VHS recorder and inputs on the TV.

With a HDTV you would bypass the DVD player/VHS recorder, connecting both component and stereo cables between the DVR/converter and inputs on the TV. Again, the RCA plugs are color coded to match the jacks on the equipment. DVR/converter boxes are often subject to customized software written to your cable company's specifications and might allow you to substitute a digital HDMI cable for the stereo and component cables between the DVR/converter and the HDTV. There are also DVR/converter customizations that might allo you to use the composite connection to the DVD/VHS unit (usually standard definition only) and the HD connections to the HDTV at the same time.

Thanks for the info, robertva. The TV does happen to be HDTV but the user does not plan on subscribing to HD cable, therefore I was planning to not even bother hooking up for the HD. You can tell I am fairly clueless about HD and how it all fits into the equation. I do know that she specifically bought an HDTV that has a built-in receiver(?) or something to allow it to be connected to standard equipment.

I plan to work on this some more today so I'll check back later for any more insights. Thanks again for your help! :)