VCR

Gdetrailer wrote:

1775 wrote:
If you VCR does not have a digital tuner you are going to have to put a digital tuner box on it - about $50 - to be able to bring in digital signals though you will only get the basic channels as in the broadcast networks. It can be done. I have one at home set up like this. What you cannot do is get full cable unless your cable company provides a cable decoder box with analog out connections - which I also have set up from my cable company - they charge per box but this is half the monthly charge than for the DVR box. Also you can connect an antenna to the same digital tuner box and bring in bring in a lot more as there are many digital over the air networks - some better than what is on cable - you will need a decent antenna to do that.

ATSC/CLEAR QAM external tuner WILL NOT WORK PERIOD once the cable co flips to all digital.

Ran into this with my Dads cable co last summer.

A FCC ruling preventing cable co from scrambling all channels expired a couple of years ago.

My local cable co REQUIRES a digital set top cable converter in order to get even basic channels. Cable company will provide at no charge the cheapest piece of junk converter you can find. It has NO analog or digital video/audio outputs and only has analog RF 3/4 modulator.

You set your tv to channel 3 or 4 and the converter does all the rest of the work. Very bad for those who are elderly like my Dad and don't have good vision or memory on how to work new things.

The converter isn't compatible with the super sized basic 6 button generic remotes I bought for him 4 yrs ago..

Basically in a nutshell the cable co is merely removing all analog channels and then flipping on the private bit in the QAM data stream. A non cable tuner will see the private data bit in the stream and ignore that stream.

If the OP wishes to use their VCR to record the cable channels they still can. However there will be some sacrifices to do so.

They will need to use RF out of the cable tuner to record.

The cable co converter is first (RF out of the converter goes into the ANT IN of the VCR) then the VCR RF output goes to the TV antenna in.

VCR tuner needs set to channel 3/4 to get the output of the converter.

You will have to set the cable tuner to the channel you want to record then set the VCR tuner for the time you want to record.

You will not be able to multiple record without changing the cable tuner and you will not be able to watch a different cable channel while recording..

Not to mention ALL recordings will be reduced in quality due to the multiple tuner chain..

Now if you wanted to chip in and pay a monthly "rental fee" your cable co may offer a better converter which may analog video outputs but these are also becoming dinosaurs, most likely the step up converters will have HDMI output and that output will be HD copy protection compliant.

I have a VCR with a digital tuner. I connect the cable coming into the house directly to the coax connector on the VCR and its digital tuner gets all of the basic channels - no problem. It is not connected through the cable box. Our cable went digital about years ago. We use this when the cable box decides its time to update itself for a hour. This update (which is a regular occurrence) only effects the cable box and not the cable signal on the line. Works just fine.

Let TiVo take you to a better place :B

The tubes and magneto in the vcr are no longer compatible. Just wait until you get your new bill increase in 6 to 18 months :(

I am in the same Cox Cable service area (RI) as the OP. They were supposed to drop the analog signals by June 8 but so far they are still there. At some point everything will be scrambled and require some kind of box .... and the monthly fee $$$$ after the first 2 years.

If your VCR has a slot for a cablecard that is one option. I added one to my TIVO series 3 HD. Older VCRs do not have that option.

The other option is the Cox "mini box" which has a channel 3/4 output in SD mode but the VCR would need an IR blaster to control changing channels on the mini box.

The cablecard works well but the mini box I got doesn't work properly. I already exchanged it and the new one doesn't work either, same failure mode.

One sore point with Cox Cable. Their promo material says you get 2 mini boxes free for the first 2 years (as required by the FCC). It also says you can substitute a cablecard for a mini box. When I went to the Cox store to get a mini box and a cable card their computer upchucked and indicated I could get 2 mini boxes OR 2 cablecards but not one of each without the $1.99/month fee.

1775 wrote:
If you VCR does not have a digital tuner you are going to have to put a digital tuner box on it - about $50 - to be able to bring in digital signals though you will only get the basic channels as in the broadcast networks. It can be done. I have one at home set up like this. What you cannot do is get full cable unless your cable company provides a cable decoder box with analog out connections - which I also have set up from my cable company - they charge per box but this is half the monthly charge than for the DVR box. Also you can connect an antenna to the same digital tuner box and bring in bring in a lot more as there are many digital over the air networks - some better than what is on cable - you will need a decent antenna to do that.

ATSC/CLEAR QAM external tuner WILL NOT WORK PERIOD once the cable co flips to all digital.

Ran into this with my Dads cable co last summer.

A FCC ruling preventing cable co from scrambling all channels expired a couple of years ago.

My local cable co REQUIRES a digital set top cable converter in order to get even basic channels. Cable company will provide at no charge the cheapest piece of junk converter you can find. It has NO analog or digital video/audio outputs and only has analog RF 3/4 modulator.

You set your tv to channel 3 or 4 and the converter does all the rest of the work. Very bad for those who are elderly like my Dad and don't have good vision or memory on how to work new things.

The converter isn't compatible with the super sized basic 6 button generic remotes I bought for him 4 yrs ago..

Basically in a nutshell the cable co is merely removing all analog channels and then flipping on the private bit in the QAM data stream. A non cable tuner will see the private data bit in the stream and ignore that stream.

If the OP wishes to use their VCR to record the cable channels they still can. However there will be some sacrifices to do so.

They will need to use RF out of the cable tuner to record.

The cable co converter is first (RF out of the converter goes into the ANT IN of the VCR) then the VCR RF output goes to the TV antenna in.

VCR tuner needs set to channel 3/4 to get the output of the converter.

You will have to set the cable tuner to the channel you want to record then set the VCR tuner for the time you want to record.

You will not be able to multiple record without changing the cable tuner and you will not be able to watch a different cable channel while recording..

Not to mention ALL recordings will be reduced in quality due to the multiple tuner chain..

Now if you wanted to chip in and pay a monthly "rental fee" your cable co may offer a better converter which may analog video outputs but these are also becoming dinosaurs, most likely the step up converters will have HDMI output and that output will be HD copy protection compliant.

Your cable box may have red/white/yellow RCA output connectors in which case your VCR probably can record.

We use our VCR for old Disney movies for the grand kids via an old (RCA I believe) input on our AV receiver. You could also do it if your TV has the right input. Doubtful you can plug it into the cable box.

If you VCR does not have a digital tuner you are going to have to put a digital tuner box on it - about $50 - to be able to bring in digital signals though you will only get the basic channels as in the broadcast networks. It can be done. I have one at home set up like this. What you cannot do is get full cable unless your cable company provides a cable decoder box with analog out connections - which I also have set up from my cable company - they charge per box but this is half the monthly charge than for the DVR box. Also you can connect an antenna to the same digital tuner box and bring in bring in a lot more as there are many digital over the air networks - some better than what is on cable - you will need a decent antenna to do that.

SCVJeff wrote:
If you are required to use their cable box to see anything, then your VCR is useless unless the cable box has analog outputs and you plan on recording what you watch.

Bcsdguy: You are running on borrowed time with your analog system. The FCC cleared the cable companies to shut down their analog systems and go full digital if they want. TWC quietly killed what analog service they had left on my system about a year ago.

My unit is a combo dvd/vcr recorder and I can record with the vcr or the dvd. Maybe the conversion takes place in my machine.

There used to be a hand held (Remote) Device that would operate both a VCR and a Cable box.. You put it where both could be seen, Left both VCR and Cable box on and it selected the proper cable channel and then told the VCR to start (and stop) recording.

TV Guide (partnered with the manufacturer) had code numbers in their publication which auto-programmed this device or you could do it VCR style.

I do not know if it is still made or if it will work with your box.

SOME Recordrs (Mostly DVR's) can power an I/R Blaster device to control a cable box.. My DVR's can.. But I've never seen a VCR do it.

Time for an Upgrade I think.

Nothing like a VCR with a 1,000 hour tape that has instant access to any show recorded on it.

Just look at the new cable box
How is it connected to your tv
Does it have A/V connectors

From statements in your post...seems you are still watching SD tv on a tube type set, recording SD tv on your vcr

Either that cable box is going to have analog VIDEO output for your old tv
Or you are going to need a new hdtv

IF it will connect to the old tv, it will connect to the old vcr

Either it works or you are forced to upgrade everything

If you have a new HDTV why are you still recording SD tv on a vcr ?