Hello everybody. I have a problem connecting my TV/VCR combo to my new DVD recorder.
Basically I have my combo TV and a freeview box which I'd like to connect to the DVD recorder. My TV is 8-9 years old and simply has one scart socket and one other plug... maybe an RF port?? (sorry if I sound like a dumb blonde). It has no Red/Green/Blue or Red/White/Yellow ports.
I cant get any picture or sound on the DVD recorder whichever way around I arrange my scart leads. I even bought an automatic scart box to switch between devices but this didnt help. I'm reluctant to buy a new TV because this one works otherwise perfectly. Is there a way round the problem?
I heard vaguely of an RF modulator to get around the problem... however I have been trying for a week to order / buy one - unsuccessfully!!!
If anyone knows of a way around the problem I would be very pleased to hear from you. I'm getting disheartened!!

Thanks in advance.

floss wrote:
Hello everybody. I have a problem connecting my TV/VCR combo to my new
DVD recorder.
Basically I have my combo TV and a freeview box which I'd like to
connect to the DVD recorder. My TV is 8-9 years old and simply has one
scart socket and one other plug... maybe an RF port?? (sorry if I sound
like a dumb blonde). It has no Red/Green/Blue or Red/White/Yellow
ports.
I cant get any picture or sound on the DVD recorder whichever way
around I arrange my scart leads. I even bought an automatic scart box
to switch between devices but this didnt help. I'm reluctant to buy a
new TV because this one works otherwise perfectly. Is there a way round
the problem?
I heard vaguely of an RF modulator to get around the problem... however
I have been trying for a week to order / buy one - unsuccessfully!!!
If anyone knows of a way around the problem I would be very pleased to
hear from you. I'm getting disheartened!!

Thanks in advance.


Try this:
1.connect the aerial to the freeview box.
2. connect the freeview box via scart to the dvd recorder. This will
allow you to record in better quality from freeview - just select the
dvd's 'AV' /'ext' input.
3. connect an rf cable from the freeview's output to the dvd aerial
input.(this will allow you to record from normal analogue tv channels).

4. connect another rf cable from the dvd 's RFoutput to the aerial
socket on the combo.

5. Finally, tune the combo Tv in to the dvd recorder. (before starting
the tuning process, play a disc you know well so you know when you find
the signal from the dvd unit) .
hope this helps, B.

Hi B

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I will definitely give this a try. However I have more questions.... Is an RF cable the same as a 'coaxial' cable?? Also I have two scart points on the DVDR, will the scart lead from the freeview box go into the in or out scart? Sorry if I'm asking silly questions. Just desperate get it right!!

Floss.

Hi B,

Well, I tried your suggestions... I've made progress but I'm not there yet.
When I first connected everything up, I had no picture or sound on my TV. I then added the scart lead from my VCR port on the freeview box to the scart on the TV. This gave me all the channels on freeview through channel E1 on my TV. However the AV channel remains blank. When I switch on the DVDR it plays the DVD but there is nothing playing on the screen. I retuned my TV to see if it picks up the DVD but it did not. I was also able to 'record' from the scart channel on the DVD but I am unable to play whats recorded, just like the ordinary DVD.
What is channel E1? How can I move the cables round to record from this, or make the channels appear on the AV channel?
Any ideas?

Floss.

Er..... the RF cable is a coaxial, 75 ohm type cable.

floss ha escrito:

Hi B,
Well, I tried your suggestions... I've made progress but I'm not there yet.

Don't worry! we'll keep at it.

When I first connected everything up, I had no picture or sound on my TV.

1. Assuming you connected everything up as I mentioned, to the letter,
then that is probably just a case of tuning the tv into the dvdvr. Did
you play something recognizable and start the tuning sequence? you
ought to be able to get that signal. try putting the tv onto an unused
programme number (say 7), and try again.....

I then added the scart lead from my VCR port on the freeview box to
the scart on the TV. This gave me all the channels on freeview through
channel E1 on my TV.

.....but that means you won't get them 'through' the dvdr and hence
can't record them.

2. If there are 2 scarts on the dvdr, Try connecting the OUT /tv one to
the tv's scart.
You should then get the dvd-r on E1 on your tv.

3. connect freeview's 'vcr' scart to the dvdr's IN scart. To get
freeview, select Av or Ext or whatever ON THE DVD-R.

However the AV channel remains blank.

....what machine are you referring to??
AV is usually the same as E1 . both names usually refer to 'whatever is
coming in via the scart socket'. ( Unless AV on your set is a tv
programme position (often also called 0) which is not connected to
scart, you have to tune it in to something but lets not worry about
that for the moment..)

When I
switch on the DVDR it plays the DVD but there is nothing playing on the
screen. I retuned my TV to see if it picks up the DVD but it did not.

Did you get a menu or ANYTHING from the dvdr? (in any case, if you did
what i mentioned in 2. above this ought not to matter now, it should
be on tv's E1)

I
was also able to 'record' from the scart channel on the DVD but I am
unable to play whats recorded, just like the ordinary DVD.

I dont understand. If you can record but not see anything on the tv
screen from the dvdr, how do you know if it really is recording from
scart?

anyway try the above and post back!
regards,
B

Hi B

Thanks once again for your speedy reply. Again, progress has been made but not quite there yet. Here goes!
I connected the DVD OUT to the TV scart, and the freeview 'vcr' scart to DVD IN scart and arranged the RF cables as you said. Hey presto as predicted I got the freeview channels on E1. With the cables arranged like this I was able to record and play discs and also play pre-recorded discs with no problems. Success! But the picture on the TV (and subsequently on the recorded disc) is so poor its not worth watching!! It is very blurry and black and white.I checked the settings for the TV and freeview were configured to scart and they are. I tried changing the TV reception from NTSC to PAL but this made no difference. I tried tuning the TV, but I'm not entirely sure I'm following your suggestions correctly there, as I used the autoscan to look for channels. Anyway the scan only picked up the analogue channels. The DVD has a channel scan, I ran this too, but it came up with zilch. No channels found.
You mentioned before that AV can be a TV programme position... I pressed zero on my remote, and AV channel popped up on the TV screen, so what does this mean?? Does this change things?

Kindest regards,
floss.

Hi,

More progress....

I now have established that there is one way of connecting the cables which enables me to see freeview and to record and play discs on my dvd recorder.
This is as follows:

1. Main aerial into Freeviw antenna in
2. RF cable from TV out on Freeview to Antenna in on DVDR
3. RF cable from TV out on DVDR to antenna in on TV VCR combo.
4. Scart from VCR on Freeviw to Scart IN on DVDR
5. Scart from OUT on DVDR to TV VCR combo

This would be fantastic except for the exceptionally poor picture. I've tried to tune the TV, Freeview and the DVDR but to no success. Boo hoo! ;o)

Does anyone know if my problem would be solved by buying a newer TV... ?? If I had a TV that had two scart sockets (meaning I could plug in the freeview AND the DVDR), would this help?

Any advice much appreciated.

Floss

floss wrote:
Hi,

More progress....

I now have established that there is one way of connecting the cables
which enables me to see freeview and to record and play discs on my dvd
recorder.
This is as follows:

1. Main aerial into Freeviw antenna in
2. RF cable from TV out on Freeview to Antenna in on DVDR
3. RF cable from TV out on DVDR to antenna in on TV VCR combo.
4. Scart from VCR on Freeviw to Scart IN on DVDR
5. Scart from OUT on DVDR to TV VCR combo

This would be fantastic except for the exceptionally poor picture. I've
tried to tune the TV, Freeview and the DVDR but to no success. Boo hoo!
;o)

Does anyone know if my problem would be solved by buying a newer TV...
?? If I had a TV that had two scart sockets (meaning I could plug in
the freeview AND the DVDR), would this help?

is the picture poor on:
a) the dvd
b) the freeview channels
c) the vcr
d) normal terrestrial channels??

....give me a grading for each of the above and we can narrow down the
problem.

-B.

Hi B,

Thanks for replying!

Well, with the cables arranged as I said, the picture is exceptionally poor on freeview. Normal terrestrial channels are ok, not great but watchable. When playing a pre-recodrded disc in the DVDR, the picture is perfect. I'm not sure about the VCR because at the moment its not working properly anyway. When I play videos the picture 'slips'. Thats why I was considering a new TV. Its only just occurred to me, but might this be why I cant get things to work?

Looking forward to your reply.

Floss.

floss wrote:[color=blue]
b Wrote:
floss wrote:
Hi,

More progress....

I now have established that there is one way of connecting the cables
which enables me to see freeview and to record and play discs on my
dvd
recorder.
This is as follows:

1. Main aerial into Freeviw antenna in
2. RF cable from TV out on Freeview to Antenna in on DVDR
3. RF cable from TV out on DVDR to antenna in on TV VCR combo.
4. Scart from VCR on Freeviw to Scart IN on DVDR
5. Scart from OUT on DVDR to TV VCR combo

This would be fantastic except for the exceptionally poor picture.
I've
tried to tune the TV, Freeview and the DVDR but to no success. Boo
hoo!
;o)

B Wrote:
is the picture poor on:
a) the dvd
b) the freeview channels
c) the vcr
d) normal terrestrial channels??

....give me a grading for each of the above and we can narrow down the
problem.

-B.

Hi B,

Thanks for replying!

Well, with the cables arranged as I said, the picture is exceptionally
poor on freeview. Normal terrestrial channels are ok, not great but
watchable. When playing a pre-recodrded disc in the DVDR, the picture
is perfect. I'm not sure about the VCR because at the moment its not
working properly anyway. When I play videos the picture 'slips'. Thats
why I was considering a new TV. Its only just occurred to me, but might
this be why I cant get things to work?

Looking forward to your reply.

have you tried viewing the freeview through the dvd-r (through its
scart /av input)? is it still poor? if so, what kind of problem ? (e.g.
snowy, jumpy, no colour, cuts out, etc...)

If the picture is perfect on the dvds, that more or less rules out the
tv or the dvd-r as the problem. It could be your freeview box is at
fault, or your aerial isn't great.

the vcr section malfunction on your tv/ vcr makes no difference to this
problem, sounds like the tape path needs cleaning/realigning or a new
pinch roller fitting but thats another story!

Anyway, let us know what the freeview's like through the dvd-r.
-b.