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How do you hook up a vcr with an insignia converter box?


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25 replies to this topic

#1 leader2

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Posted 10 March 2010 - 07:38 PM

Hi. I have an insignia conveter box that is hooked to my tv. But I want to figure out how to hook it up so that it will work with my vcr. Please help me learn how to do this. Please keep in mind that my tv only has an antenna input and doesn't have inputs for the red, white and yellow audio/video cables. Please somebody reply quickly. I need my VCR next week to tape some programs.

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#2 8210GUY

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Posted 11 March 2010 - 07:57 AM

I do not know that hardware, but assuming this is the Insignia NS-DXA1 shown there, then it is so simple you will kick yourself, you simply daisy chain the devices together, BUT, you will not benefit from the full ability of the unit as it will be limited by the connection used, best results are via HDMI lead, of course this does not appear to offer that, but best result would be via the the 3 ports which you say you don't have, but although the TV may not have this, does the VCR ? and does the TV have a scart lead ?

Now lets move on assuming you only have RF connections available, each component usually comes with an RF (coax) lead, it does here anyway, so what you do is bring the aerial lead from the house and connect that too the box on the aerial In connection, now use a coax lead that probably came with the unit and connect that too the aerial Out port, take the other end of that lead and connect it too the aerial In port on the VCR, now take another coax lead and connect too the aerial Out port of the VCR, then connect the other end to the TV, job done.

That will bring a signal in through all the devices so each can do it's job, and you will be able to watch them in the TV, only point to note is you may need to tune in a station on the TV to see the box, a further point to note is sometimes devices are so close together on the tuning frequency they can interfere with each other, when this happens you need to re-tune one of the devices, BUT, not all devices allow this, but better ones have a menu function that allows you to change the frequency it uses, but we will look at that if need be should it become an issue, but daisy chain them together as described and they should work fine.

Braindead


#3 leader2

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Posted 12 March 2010 - 11:48 AM

Wow you sure did reply to my topic, thanks but I can barely under stand the terms you are using. Could you simplify your response please? :blush: MY vcr has red, yellow and white connectors in the back. I'm not sure if they are output or input. In the front it also has these connectors, alrhough they aren't color coded. They are where I plug in my Playstation for play. As for the tv what is a scart lead? You also said I'm to bring the aerial lead from the house and connect that to the box on the aerial in connection. How do I do it from my house. I don't have a lead (whatever that is :blush: ) from my house. All I have is a tv with a connector for antenna, An antenna and a vcr. There are no cords coming from my house. Sorry I'm misunderstanding you. I'm not very technical :blush:

Edited by leader2, 12 March 2010 - 03:04 PM.


#4 8210GUY

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Posted 13 March 2010 - 09:32 AM

Right lets try and break this down for you, hopefully I can make it clear enough to follow, don't be worried if you still need further explanation, I will do my best to work at your pace so you can achieve your goal.

Now House, by this I mean the main antenna (aerial) that brings your signal in to supply the stations for you to view, how you get this lead will vary depending on how it was installed, if it was an install after the property was built, or done on the cheap, you will have a length of coax (aerial wire) that plugs into your TV coming out of the wall somewhere, if the install was done when the property was built, or it was done properly, there will be a socket on the wall, and you plug in the coax lead to that which then supplies the signal to watch TV.

Scart lead, this is a term given to a specific range of leads that give a better quality signal than normal coax, and is the better option to use if available, now these leads do come in a few different styles, and your 3 colour jack points (ports) are RCA connectors, now the fact your VCR has the same connectors, I would suggest using that type of lead, it will give a better picture, This sounds like it should be what you need given what you've said so far.
The question is does your TV have a scart socket ?
And does the VCR have another scart socket ?
These sockets should like like the following:-
Posted Image

Depending on those answers it may change the way I suggest connecting it all together, but no matter what the coax lead should be fitted as described, so take the 1st coax (aerial) lead (plug) and connect the house aerial to the IN socket on the set top box, then take another aerial lead from the OUT port on the set top box and put that into the IN socket of the VCR, you will notice that both of these have 2 aerial sockets on them, one is aerial IN, the other aerial OUT (although it may be noted differently), they are also male\female (usually) so the aerial lead should only fit one way round, but if you find it doesn't fit don't panic, they do have male\male and female\female leads as well, so worst case it just needs a new lead, but that said you should be fine.

The final connection you get another aerial lead and connect to the VCR OUT, and plug it into the TV, there is only 1 socket on there, and thats it, I always have these connected as well as scart leads it just means I can change channels if I didn't want to watch what I was taping or the like, the other point to note, scart leads will come through on the AV\Aux channel on the units, and they automatically switch to that channel when powered on, so handy feature there, I hope I've covered what you need.

Feel free to ask more questions if need be, and where I linked above I am not suggesting going to those places to get the item, they are purely to try and show what you need so it hopefully makes more sense to you, cables come in a massive price and quality range, so do blindly buy the first one you see, because unless your equipment is of a high enough quality top end cables wont show the true picture, or rather the equipment wont be able too, so it has to be a balance of quality and money based on your needs and equipment, hope this helps.

Braindead


#5 leader2

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Posted 15 March 2010 - 12:26 AM

Thank you very much and you are being very helpful. :)

No my tv does not have a scart lead and I believe that I have socket on the wall, but it is downstairs in my living room and not in my bedroom where the tv is.

I hope what I'm about to say make sense to you and please bear with my description as again I'm not very technical. :wub:

Here is how my converter box looks...

http://www.ezdigital..._connection.jpg

In order to finally get it to work I had to connect the antenna to the vcr, and connect converter box's to tv cord to my tv and the vcr to tv cord to the antenna in of the converter box. Then I had to plug the converter box's audio/ video cables to the connectors (not sure if they are inputs or outputs) on the front of my vcr.

The problem with this is I have to turn the converter box off to play the vcr and the vcr's display function (time, length of recording, SP or EP etc.) don't show up, meaning I have no idea how long the program is taking to record and can't clear the recorded time.

Sorry if this at all confusing to you, but I appreciate your help and time. Please reply again with your info. ;)

#6 8210GUY

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Posted 15 March 2010 - 10:14 AM

Yeah it is hard to follow, and from what you've said I don't think you have set it up right, as such you wouldn't be able to tape from the box if I'm right, and I don't understand why you connected to the front of the VCR with the 3 RCA cable connection, you said the VCR had this front and rear of the unit ? Anyway attached is a very crude diagram that will hopefully make sense to you, this is the ideal way to connect your equipment. Now from that link you gave it would appear it uses F connectors rather than ordinary coax plugs, I know thats probably over your head, so to simplify that an F connector uses a thread and screws on, a coax plug has no thread and simply pushes in, so if you have a mix of these connections as I now suspect you have, tell me which of the units (and aerial that comes from the house) uses screw on (threaded) connections and I will show you what you need to connect each device to the other, hope this helps.

Braindead


#7 leader2

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Posted 15 March 2010 - 06:07 PM

I'm sorry we don't seem to be understanding each other 8210. I know it's my fault because I'm a total novice. Forgive me for this. :blush: I connected it that way because that was the onlhy way I could get the vcr to work at all with the converter box. It came with the red, white and yellow audio video cables and I tried to plug them in back to the inputs, but nothing recorded at all. It wasn't until I connected them to the front of the unit (where I normally plug the audio video cables from my playstation 2 ) that it worked to record anything. I tried this with a Philco box and it worked the same way. :unsure: Actually the converter box came with coax plugs and not F connectors, if I'm understanding you right. I believe that my antenna is the only one with a F connector. There is no aerial lead from the house at all upstairs where my tv is. You see my tv has an antenna input. It came with a coax plug. My vcr has a place where you plug in the antenna and a place to receive tv plug. Before I used the converter box I would simply connect the antenna, vcr and tv together, since there was no aerial lead from the house. Am I correct or is this aerial lead connecting to an outdoor antenna? If I am understanding your diagram correctly (bear with me since I am lacking understanding :blush: ) I would need an aerail from the house to be connected to the converter. Since I have no aerial in in my room (and even downstairs there is no cord, just an empty wall socket.) could I substitute my antenna for the aerial in from the house? I have never in my life used an aerial in before. Just a regular antenna. I would need an aerial out to the vcr according to your diagram. Well according to the original instructions I could only connect the box to the tv and there were no connectors for the vcr. :huh: I'm not sure cable is meant for the the vcr and converter box unless you plug the cable from the vcr to the back of the converter which I have done. Sorry I know that doesn't sound right, but I am trying to understand the process. There was a fuscia, green and blue plug between the vcr and converter box. Do they represent the red white and yellow audio video cables? As for the aerial out to the tv I guess I understand that, because in order for the vcr and tv to work together they need to be connected via a cord between the vcr and the tv. I hope I understood you correctly and thanks a bunch for your patience with me. ;)

#8 8210GUY

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Posted 15 March 2010 - 07:12 PM

NP it's just as much my fault not fully understanding your issue(s), so lets break this down into basic steps, once we clarify a few of the facts hopefully we will both start to see the picture so to speak lol. Lets start with the aerial, this seems to have the most amount of confusion around it, so if we can clear that up it will aid us both in moving forward, now where I talk about an aerial\antenna from the house, I am on about an external aerial by default, as that is usually what most people have, so don't let this confuse you too much, if you don't have an external aerial, or access to a feed\supply from one, that is only a side note, so my guess is you're using some kind of internal\portable aerial ? An external aerial is far superior most of the time for getting a better reception, more so when looking to HD\digital TV, indoor aerials may not be able to get a strong enough signal to give a good picture, but all of this aside, whatever you are using as an aerial\antenna, treat this as the connection from the house\external aerial, and connect whatever your using as the aerial to the IN socket of the set top box. Now to clarify on the IN\OUT aerial connections, to the best of my knowledge ALL units (but I dare say there may be a freak one about somewhere lol) that have 2 aerial sockets on them use male and female connections, and if you look closely by these connections on the back of such units you will probably see written\imprinted by each connection IN or OUT, what this is telling you is the direction that the aerial feed must go to work correctly, think of plumbing (hoping I don't add to the confusion here lol), have 2 pipes in 2 directions, put water in one pipe it goes one way, put water in the other pipe and it goes somewhere else, so the IN\OUT is simply the flow that the aerial must follow to feed through each device to carry the signal to the nest device in the chain, I hope this clarifies that better for you. The 3 colour above is to refer to the 3 RCA cable connections, and as these are so obvious being colour coded I didn't think further notation was required for that, but the fact you can't record from the rear connections, starts to suggest that "maybe" this is an outgoing source only, eg it is meant to feed to another device like the TV, and not to receive from another device, if you can tell me the exact make\model of your VCR, I can try and find a manual for it and try to see if it says anything about this, but if it is down to this then there is no other way to connect it other than you have achieved so far. Should that be the case then you may find it easier to forgo those RCA connections and just settle on using the normal aerial connections between the equipment, the VCR will record fine through this, but you will need to tune the VCR into the set top box, no different to tuning into a normal TV channel, not sure what experience you have there, but presumably you had to tune it into your channels when you first got it, it's no different to tune the set top box in, but the best advice I can give there is select a channel that is clearly different to the normal channels you get, it will make identifying that box from normal channels a lot easier, I hope this makes things a bit easier to follow now.

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#9 leader2

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Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:27 PM

Ok I'm trying to understand. Please bear with me and thank you for your patience in already have done so. I don't think I have internal/portable aerial unless you count my tv top antenna as one. It has the rabbit ears connected to a box where I can turn a dial and adjust the picture. I am still struggling to understand the in/out aerial connections, but I think I am following you better. lol. Thanks so much for your patience and help with this. :) I have had trouble with before and sorry it it troubles you now, but my vcr is a JVC HR-A591U. I tried to forgo the RCA connections before and found that my vcr refused to record anything. I was even told by a salesman on the phone that you needed these RCA connections for your vcr and/or cable box to work. When I tried to connect my mom's insignia downstairs. (She tried to use the aerial lead from the house and got horrible results so she went back to using an antenna like I do.) it seemed to work well with the vcr. I was able to record and play vids like I normally do and everything seemed to work fine. The only difference? Her tv has the RCA connectors in the back and I was able to hook the tv, converter box and vcr in a simitar way to the way my mine is upstairs, with the RCA connection in the front of the vcr and it worked. It's a pity :( I can't remember how I did it at the time as she has since disconnected the whole thing to install another vcr/dvd player instead. lol. :lol: I am not sure exactly how I could tune the vcr into the set top box. I know when I first connected the box that it had me set the channels thru setup. How do you do this? Also it's a shame you don't live near by. I would pay you show me what to do. :P :) Thanks so much for your patience and help. I appreciate it. :)

Edited by leader2, 15 March 2010 - 09:29 PM.


#10 8210GUY

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Posted 16 March 2010 - 11:35 AM

From your description of "rabbit ears" it definitely sounds like an internal aerial, without an aerial of some sort you would get no signal (thats usable at least), so I'm pretty sure this must be your aerial for all intense purposes, and is classed as an indoor aerial, below is a typical image searching rabbit ears.
Posted Image

Should yours be along the same lines then count this as your aerial, and plug that into the IN socket of the set top box.
Now the IN\OUT still seems to be confusing you a little, probably your doubting yourself due to being unaware of such things, we've all been there, so just take it 1 step at a time and you will be fine, you will have to be doing something very wrong to do any damage lol, the connections wont allow you too.
Have you actually viewed the rear of the VCR up close ?
the manual shows it very clearly, so I'd of thought it would be imprinted in some form on the rear by each socket, but failing that attached is an image direct from the manual, with this you will easily identify the IN\OUT connections of the VCR.

Assuming that image helps you identify that, connect the TV to the OUT connection of the VCR, and connect the set top box to the remaining connection, which is the IN connector.
Now if you refer to the image for your set top box you gave above, it very clearly shows which socket to connect the aerial into, and which connection to take the next connection from, in most cases they will say connect to the TV, often they don't consider connecting other devices, so in such situations take the OUT connection as being the TV one, but again look closely on the rear of the unit, and you should see such info imprinted by the connections, following these instructions you should be able to connect all 3 devices together correctly and easily.

As to the RCA connections on the VCR, I can confirm they are OUT connections ONLY, they are made to simply feed the TV, you can NOT use those ones to receive a signal, which is why you have been forced to use the front ones instead, so as I suggested above your probably better off forgetting that connection and using normal aerial lead to supply the feed between the units, otherwise you will have the hassle you have now.

To do this you will almost certainly need to tune your VCR in to be able to see and record the signal from the set top box, going from the manual here are they're instructions on how to use the auto set up feature, this will automatically scan and show all signals it sees, just make sure the aerial wire is connected as described here, and that the set top box is turned on, the VCR will do the rest when you follow the instructions copied from the manual here, hope this helps.

Setting channels automatically
– Auto Channel Memory
The VCR can receive a maximum of
181 channels by presetting the
channels into memory.

1. Access Menu screen, then CH
Set Up screen
Press MENU on the Remote. Press
SET –/+ to select “CH SET UP”, then
press ENTER.

2. Perform Auto Channel Memory
Press SET –/+ to select “AUTO CH
MEMORY”, then press ENTER.

3. Complete Auto Channel Memory
The auto tuning will start. The
channel display will count up and
when finished, the screen returns to
normal.


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#11 leader2

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Posted 17 March 2010 - 08:28 PM

Yes my antenna is very similar to the picture you provided and my vcr looks just like the other picture you provided. I believe I was able to connect the vcr, box and tv as you suggested. The only problem is the vcr isn't playing or recording anything. It's on, but it doesn't play anything but snow. The only way the vcr appears to work is for the antenna to be connected to it. I'm sorry to tell you this and I know it's frustrating, but it won't won't. What else do you suggest I do?

#12 8210GUY

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Posted 18 March 2010 - 04:06 AM

The VCR pic is taken directly from the manual which is why it looks right lol, but if you have done all the above you "should" be able to see it fine, now I have a couple of thoughts, but I need to know a bit more first, so if you can answer the following it would help me get a better picture (scuse the pun lol) in my mind of whats going on. Leaving it set up the way as described please answer the following:- 1. Does the TV get the signal ? eg are you able to watch the signal as is on the TV itself ? 2. Also, does turning the VCR on make any difference to what you see on the TV ? 3. Have you tuned in the VCR to the set top box as described above ? 4. At least 1 item has an F connector (screw thread) connection, have you used a proper plug (F connector) to connect to this item ? 5. Continuing from the previous question, please tell me exactly what units\wires have this screw thread connection type (F connector). Also it would be a great help if you could take a pic of the units\connections, I would be able to see what you see and possibly spot an issue, but with the answers to these questions it will help me narrow down where to look for the problem.

Braindead


#13 leader2

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Posted 20 March 2010 - 09:42 PM

1. Does the TV get the signal ? eg are you able to watch the signal as is on the TV itself ? Currently I am able to watch the tv and change channels if that is what you mean. 2.Also, does turning the VCR on make any difference to what you see on the TV ? I turn on the vcr and all I get is snow when I try to play it because the vcr isn't hooked to antenna anymore. 3.Have you tuned in the VCR to the set top box as described above ? I tried to do that and couldn't for some reason. I don't understand why. 4.At least 1 item has an F connector (screw thread) connection, have you used a proper plug (F connector) to connect to this item ? I guess so. I connected the antenna with this connector to the converter box, if that is what you meant. 5.Continuing from the previous question, please tell me exactly what units\wires have this screw thread connection type (F connector). I believe the antenna does. I am very sorry that I cannot provide pictures, but I hope these answers help.

#14 8210GUY

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Posted 21 March 2010 - 08:23 AM

Something has to be very wrong, and without pics I am really struggling to picture what you have done, because if it had been connected as described you should have no issues, the fact you can't use the VCR without plugging the antenna directly into is tells me either it's not been done correctly, or there is a deeper reason behind all this.

F connectors use threaded connections, so you must use an adaptor to cross over between the F connector (threaded connection) to the normal aerial plug, the following link is to show an example of what you need to make the proper connection, nothing more, also be aware your getting into male and female connectors, I'm sorry if this adds confusion, but you need to be aware or the connections wont go together right, my best advice is to take as much detail (manuals would be great) down to your local store that sells these, and ask them to tell you what you need, this may be the weak point currently, but without pic's I'm unable to see where your going wrong.
http://www.ccrane.co...f-connector.jpg

1. When I asked about watching TV, I am trying to see if the signal from the antenna is correctly passing through the set top box AND the VCR, if the antenna is connected to the set top box, then the set top box connected to the VCR, and finally the VCR connected to the TV, then if you can receive a signal on the TV that tells me the signal is passing through the other devices correctly, the VCR should not require the antenna to itself, it's more than capable of receiving the signal through the way I've said to connect it.

2. What I was trying to see here was if the VCR was cutting off the signal when not powered on, again it should get the signal it requires from the set top box if connected properly, but "some" VCR's have a switch through option, and it will block the signal reaching the TV unless it is powered on, that was the point of this test.

3. This is essential to be able to record from the box, the auto set up should be capable (and easiest for you) of doing this, but make sure the set top box is powered on and on a channel it's receiving before starting this.

4. This may be the weak point, as described above.

5. This is extremely easy to identify, all you need to do is look at each device in turn, and look at the aerial connection on that devoice, if it has a thread it requires an F connector of some kind, if it is a smooth connection then it requires an normal aerial plug, it's as simple as that, what I need to know is which device(s) have threaded connectors, once I can ascertain which connections have this I can begin to show you the type of adaptor to use for each, so if you can check for sure please.

Edited by 8210GUY, 21 March 2010 - 08:26 AM.

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#15 leader2

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Posted 21 March 2010 - 08:23 PM

I saw you used a sick icon for your post. I understand how you are feeling about this. You and me both is all I can say. I am very frustrated at the gov't and the company for not making this easier. You think they can make apps on an Iphone to turn off your lights and they can't make this simpler? Puh-lease. 1. When I asked about watching TV, I am trying to see if the signal from the antenna is correctly passing through the set top box AND the VCR, if the antenna is connected to the set top box, then the set top box connected to the VCR, and finally the VCR connected to the TV, then if you can receive a signal on the TV that tells me the signal is passing through the other devices correctly, the VCR should not require the antenna to itself, it's more than capable of receiving the signal through the way I've said to connect it. By receiving a signal if you mean can use the converter box for the tv then that works fine. It's the vcr that is the sticking on. When off things work fine, but when it is turned on for play and recording all that plays and records is snow. I'm sorry to be redundant here, but that is all I'm getting. 2. What I was trying to see here was if the VCR was cutting off the signal when not powered on, again it should get the signal it requires from the set top box if connected properly, but "some" VCR's have a switch through option, and it will block the signal reaching the TV unless it is powered on, that was the point of this test. The vcr doesn't cut off the signal when not powered on. The tv and converter box seem to work fine. 3. This is essential to be able to record from the box, the auto set up should be capable (and easiest for you) of doing this, but make sure the set top box is powered on and on a channel it's receiving before starting this. I tried to program it, but for some reason it didn't work. Sorry for all the frustration this is causing. 4. This may be the weak point, as described above. I admit I am some what confused by what you saying. Forgive my noobieness. :blush: If I am now understanding you correctly maybe I don't have an F connector the way I thought I did. Forgive my mistake. (Darn noobieness) :blush: 5. This is extremely easy to identify, all you need to do is look at each device in turn, and look at the aerial connection on that devoice, if it has a thread it requires an F connector of some kind, if it is a smooth connection then it requires an normal aerial plug, it's as simple as that, what I need to know is which device(s) have threaded connectors, once I can ascertain which connections have this I can begin to show you the type of adaptor to use for each, so if you can check for sure please. Thanks for the heads up. I don't think I have F connectors now that I think of it. If I did (forgive my indecision) it would be the antenna. It has a connector that screws on rather than slides on. And it is very difficult to screw on at that. Thanks for your patience with all of this and with me. ;)

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