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juggler52 · Oct 15, 2007, 10:12 PM

I finally broke down and bought a new DVD/VCR. (The clock had broken on the old unit, and would gain time) I was surprised to find that there was no coaxial cable connection at all. I took the unit back to Best Buy for my refund and to see if they had any that did have a coax connection. The answer I found was, precious few. One salesman said that, with the advent of digital and HDTV the manufacturers were omitting the coaxial connectors "to keep prices down". Which was a laugh, since my old unit was 80 bucks at Fry's a couple of years ago and BB didn't have any units under 100 bucks. Well, they had a completely stripped down DVD player. But a DVD/VCR? Don't make me laugh!

So... is there a way to adapt my ancient cable setup to accommodate a recorder? I was told over and over how to connect the player part up to my TV. This was pretty obvious.

I forgot to include the technical details. My TV is a Zenith. More importantly, the connectors are as follows: it has an S-Video jack, a coaxial cable input for a/v, and the usual RCA jacks (red-yellow-white). The current cable input is via a coaxial cable. It runs into an A/B switch which is no longer needed since TWC changed it's lineup. (Everything is on A now)

robertva · Oct 16, 2007, 12:42 AM

Would depend on what connections remain on those new recorders.

I would suspect a VCR/DVD combo would have some combination of RF (coax) and composite video/stereo audio inputs. IF the manufacturer goes so far as omit a tuner for the VCR they would have no use for the coax connectors. Since many TVs have multiple sets of composite video/Stereo inputs, those connections are often best for connecting a VCR or VCR/DVD combo to an analog TV anyway.

If the TV only has a single set of composite video/stereo inputs you may want a switch box. If the TV cable section doesn't have them on display check the video game accessory department.

If the TV has no composite video/stereo inputs at all you may need an RF modulator. Those MIGHT still be in the video games accessory section as well.

Check your cable provider's web site for connection diagrams, as they might have an assortment of diagrams for different combinations of equipment.