[Perplexed77]

My old VCR died. I'm in the market for a DVD/VCR Combo. Both salesmen I talked to today said that regular DVD/VCR Combo units are no longer made with Coax input, and that the only way I can use the VCR to tape is if I have Digital Cable with a cable box or satellite TV. When I asked if they had *anything* with coax input, one guy showed me a Panasonic model DVR/VCR player for close to $300 with coax input. The other guy suggested I look for a refurbished old VCR if I wasn't going to get a cable box or dish.
Can this possibly be true? Am I missing something here? Is there any way I can keep my current analog cable service and still find reasonably priced equipment to tape programs?

[Stratmando]

If VCR/DVD have Composite Video(Yellow RCA), +red and white for audio. Use That.
Usually the Problem is using DVD Players with No Coax output, and TV with only Coax input, Then use a Modulator, it converts the red, white, and yellow to coax out, usually channel 3 or 4. about $12.00
They also make a Stereo Cable converter that has coax in, and the Composite video out. Electronics store or Radio shack, about $100.
You don't have to get the Stereo, but make sure it has the correct outputs.

[username12345]

If VCR and DVD have Composite Video(Yellow RCA), +red and white for audio. Use That.
Usually the Problem is using DVD Players with No Coax output, and TV with only Coax input, Then use a Modulator, it converts the red, white, and yellow to coax out, usually channel 3 or 4. about $12.00

I think you're misunderstanding the question. It's not about outputting a DVD on the TV but recording analog cable programs.

Yes, the salesman was correct. The cheaper DVD/VCR combos do not have a tuner at all and are only good for recording things through a cable box (via RCA component jacks - the red, white, and yellow). What you are looking for is a DVD/VCR combo with an "NTSC tuner". That will allow you to plug your coax cable into the DVD/VCR combo and have it record a channel like your old VCR did. Because of laws about digital TV, the combo will also have an ATSC tuner (for digital TV), but you won't use that now if you are using analog cable. The cheapest DVD/VCR recorder combo with an NTSC tuner is likely to be $200-something.

I should also point out that depending on how your VCR died (if only the tape mechanism broke), you could use it as a tuner in conjunction with one of those cheap tuner-less DVD/VCR combos instead. You'd have to set the channel on your old VCR which would then output that channel over its RCA component jack outputs. So you'd connect the three output jacks from the old VCR to the input on DVD/VCR combo. Then when you change the channel on the old VCR, it sends that channel to the DVD/VCR combo. You then set the combo to record from its input and voilà. That's much more hassle though...

[Perplexed77]

Username12345 has it right. It IS the input that I care about.
After I posted my question I kept researching and found out the following:
I call my research:
**Why I won't be able to record programs from my TV to my new DVD/VCR combo unit on sale at Circuit City for $89.99 (with a $10 gift card) and what to do about it.**

I called Sony Tech Support (since all my current equipment is Sony), and I called my Cable tech support. I spoke with them for way too long.

The big difference between 2 years ago and now is that in 2009 analog programming will no longer be supported. Everything will be high-definition and digital.

From Wikipedia.com:
In the United States, all U.S. television broadcasts will be exclusively digital as of February 17 , 2009, (jbr - this is only 15 months away!) by order of the Federal Communications Commission. This deadline was signed into law in early 2006. Furthermore, as of March 1, 2007, all new television sets that can receive signals over-the-air, including pocket-sized portable televisions, must include digital or HDTV tuners so they can receive digital broadcasts. Currently, most U.S. broadcasters are transmitting their signals in both analog and digital formats; a few are digital-only. Citing the bandwidth efficiency of digital TV, after the analog switch-off, the FCC will auction off channels 52-59 (the lower half of the 700 MHz band) for other communications traffic, completing the reallocation of broadcast channels 52-69 that began in the late 1990s.
The analog switch-off ruling, which so far has met with little opposition from consumers or manufacturers, would render all non-digital televisions dark and obsolete on the switch-off date, unless connected to an external off-the-air tuner, analog or digital cable, or a satellite system. The FCC has determined that an external tuning device can simply be added to non-digital televisions to lengthen their useful lifespan. Several of these devices have already been shown, and it is expected that low-cost units will be available in January 2008. At that same time, the U.S. government will take requests from households for up to two coupons to reduce the price of some converter boxes by $40. Currently, even the earliest televisions continue to work with present broadcast standards. This mandate was designed to help provide a painless transition to the new standard.

Also see DTVAnswers.com for the National Association of Broadcasters information about the transition - this site has info on how to get the converters and coupons, if you're interested.

Almost all units in the $80-$250 price range no longer have Coaxial RF Input. In preparation for this big change, Sony (and other manufacturers) have stopped making most DVD/VCR units that directly support analog, since it won't be around in another couple of years anyhow. The units have no tuner. The tuner was the component that descrambled the signal from analog to digital for recording purposes. The presence of the Coaxial RF input jack implies that the unit has a tuner. Without the tuner in the DVD/VDR unit, you have to rely on having a tuner in the cable box to do the descrambling before it gets to the combo unit.

Some DVD/VCRs are still being built with a (high definition) tuner, but they are much more expensive - in the $300-$400 range.

Options:
1) See if my existing VCR unit is repairable, and continue to use it until 2009, then deal with the changeover.

2) Find another old VCR with a tuner in it, and continue to use it until 2009, then deal with the changeover.

3) Buy a high-end VCR/DVD player that includes an HD tuner in it.

4) Subscribe to cheap digital cable and buy a regularly priced VCR/DVD player. The cable box has the tuner that the VCR/DVD player no longer has.

5) Subscribe to more expensive digital cable and buy a regularly priced VCR/DVD player. The cable box includes a DVR, which allows me to record directly to the unit. I will supposedly come to the conclusion that I now longer need a VCR player if I have this option.

6) Go to satellite TV, which also has a tuner before it reaches my VCR.

7) Use the old VCR as a passthru unit. Coax into the old VCR, then use RCA connection to the new combo unit. The old unit will have to be on when I use the new unit.

Interesting: My Dad came up with 7), which username12345 did as well. The old VCR seems to be broken on the mechanical level - the tape won't come in or out; record doesn't stop recording, etc. We're guessing that the tuner is still intact and can be used.

My tendency is to go with is to start with 7) as a solution.
The only thing is buying the new combo unit.
I originally wanted to stay with Sony to match the TV, but I also want an upconvert unit, and best I can tell, Sony's cheapest upconvert unit starts at $200.
I feel it's important to get the upconvert feature because my TV is about 15 years old and I figure I'll probably be buying another one in a couple of years and by then most sets will be HDTV. I wouldn't want to have to replace the VCR again in just a couple of years.
So now I've just got to figure out a cheap good upconvert unit to buy.

Thanks for your thoughts. This is the first time I've used this site and I didn't know how it would work. It really did help!

[condie]

I'm in the same boat, with a flaky VCR/DVD combo with coax..

Does Composite Video(Yellow RCA), +red and white for audio give you the same quality as coax?

It seems the audio in a cheap DVD unit I got isn't up to par