My Toshiba VCR is the SD-296KU model. With my usual skill, I pressed a
button that made the thing either NOT tape a program at all or NOT
make it show up on the TV screen. Here's my setup: I used the cable
remote to change channels, that's working ok. I use the remote for an
Insignia TV for turning the TV on and off, change volume, that's
working ok. I use the Toshiba remote to tape programs and that seems
to be working--I can see the numbers increase as the program is taped.
Before this problem, all I had to do was press the "Video" button on
the TV remote, press "Play" on the VCR remote, and I would be able to
watch the taped program. I'm sure there is some button I shouldn't
have pressed and I'm hoping someone can help me so that I won't have
to pay the Geek Squad $100 to come out and fix it. Any ideas? I hope
I've given you enough info.

Cardinal Creek wrote:

My Toshiba VCR is the SD-296KU model. With my usual skill, I pressed a
button that made the thing either NOT tape a program at all or NOT
make it show up on the TV screen. Here's my setup: I used the cable
remote to change channels, that's working ok. I use the remote for an
Insignia TV for turning the TV on and off, change volume, that's
working ok. I use the Toshiba remote to tape programs and that seems
to be working--I can see the numbers increase as the program is taped.
Before this problem, all I had to do was press the "Video" button on
the TV remote, press "Play" on the VCR remote, and I would be able to
watch the taped program. I'm sure there is some button I shouldn't
have pressed and I'm hoping someone can help me so that I won't have
to pay the Geek Squad $100 to come out and fix it. Any ideas? I hope
I've given you enough info.

Does a channel tuned with your VCR show on the TV? If so, pressing "PLAY"
on the VCR's remote should replace the tuned program with the program being
played back. If not, find out why you can't get the VCR tuned program to
appear on your TV. That will solve your playback problem, too.

Does a channel tuned with your VCR show on the TV? If so,
pressing "PLAY" on the VCR's remote should replace the tuned
program with the program being played back. If not, find out why
you can't get the VCR tuned program to appear on your TV. That
will solve your playback problem, too.

Absolutely correct, in principle.

I'm also puzzled how changing the /cable channel/ lets you select the
channel to record on the VCR. Unless you have a video output from the cable
converter feeding the VCR, you need to select the channel to record on the
VCR itself.

On 16/03/2010 10:39 PM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
Does a channel tuned with your VCR show on the TV? If so,
pressing "PLAY" on the VCR's remote should replace the tuned
program with the program being played back. If not, find out why
you can't get the VCR tuned program to appear on your TV. That
will solve your playback problem, too.

Absolutely correct, in principle.

I'm also puzzled how changing the /cable channel/ lets you select the
channel to record on the VCR. Unless you have a video output from the cable
converter feeding the VCR, you need to select the channel to record on the
VCR itself.



You probably still have to selected the right channel - being the video
input - on the VCR. Conceivably the VCR is usually 'tuned' to its video
input, and the OP has inadvertently changed that. The result, if there's
no antenna input, or the selected channel is not tuned to a broadast
channel, will either be a recording of static, or a blank screen on
playback, depending on the VCR.

Either way, the increasing numbers on the front panel likely indicate
nothing more than the passage of time, and not that a real signal is
being recorded.

Sylvia.

On Mar 16, 4:12*am, Cardinal Creek wrote:
My Toshiba VCR is the SD-296KU model. With my usual skill, I pressed a
button that made the thing either NOT tape a program at all or NOT
make it show up on the TV screen. Here's my setup: I used the cable
remote to change channels, that's working ok. I use the remote for an
Insignia TV for turning the TV on and off, change volume, that's
working ok. I use the Toshiba remote to tape programs and that seems
to be working--I can see the numbers increase as the program is taped.
Before this problem, all I had to do was press the "Video" button on
the TV remote, press "Play" on the VCR remote, and I would be able to
watch the taped program. I'm sure there is some button I shouldn't
have pressed and I'm hoping someone can help me so that I won't have
to pay the Geek Squad $100 to come out and fix it. Any ideas? I hope
I've given you enough info.

a few checks.
1. set the tv to the video channel, and play a known good tape - what
happens? Any sound ?pic?
2. if playback is OK - leave the tv on the video channel, and stop the
tape, what do you see? if you are hoping to record from cable, you
should see the cable programme going through the video. If not, you
need to check the cable box is wired to the vcr's AV input ,and then
you select that input (usually called 0, AV, input, line, or EXT) on
the vcr.

Post back with results and we'll take it from there.
-regards
B