#1  
08-17-2010, 04:03 AM
Sossity Sossity is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 434
Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts
I just bought this TV; http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26...=1218129862699

and I need to hook up a DVD player, a VCR, & antenna to it. Our house has an analog antenna, we do not have a subscription to cable, or satellite, just use free over the air signals the other tube TVs in the home get DTV with converter boxes.. My new TV can get digital channels over antenna because it has a built in tuner. It has one RF hookup in the back, of which I plugged in my indoor antenna. My DVD player is hooked up to the the AV input 1. That leaves the component & HDMI hook ups free. The thing is I want to be able to use the VCR to record from the signals the antenna picks up, not just play VCR tapes. And there seems to be no way to get an output RF to feed the antenna signal to the VCR for recording, the single RF input is being used by the antenna.

Another issue I am having is I dont seem to get reception for all channels, I get UHF, but not VHF, I get alot of Spanish channels, KPBS 15, KUSI 51, & KSWB 69, but no CBS 8, ABC 10, or NBC 39.

Is there anyway to make it all work? or did I get the wrong TV? are there any adapters I can get? I am not too experienced with setting up an HDTV, have been using tube analog TVs so far.

I also noticed when I played a standard def DVD on the new TV, it looked a bit stretched horizontally, & a bit grainy, are there settings that I can adjust for this? & other standard def material?
Reply With Quote
Someday, 12:01 PM
admin's Avatar
Ads / Sponsors
 
Join Date: ∞
Posts: 42
Thanks: ∞
Thanked 42 Times in 42 Posts
  #2  
08-17-2010, 03:55 PM
admin's Avatar
admin admin is offline
Site Staff | Web Development
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,310
Thanked 654 Times in 457 Posts
TV doesn't come over analog airwaves anymore (excluding a few low-power stations in certain areas). It's all ATSC digital reception now. An analog antenna can work, but digital antennas are suggested for full reception and signal quality.

The VCR does not have an ATSC tuner, therefore it cannot receive the digital signals. It sounds like you're receiving some low-power stations that have analog exclusion licenses.

You'll have to use a DTV converter box to get those networks you can. The DTV box can then be composite-in to the VCR, where you'll record off the input station. Timer recordings will require that you manually sync the VCR and DTV converter box, programming each with the times and stations you want. (The VCR station will always be the input.)

HDTV signals show all the flaws of older analog material. Welcome to the disappointment that is HD. Only HD material will look clean and sharp.

The stretching is because the TV is in the wrong mode. Set it to 4:3 with "black bars" (pillarbox). That will be correct. If you're already at 4:3, and it still looked stretched, know that some cheaper TV sets still have the aspect wrong. It's just poor engineering. It's one reason I typically only suggest Sony HDTVs -- they've not screwed up aspects that I've ever seen.

If your DVD player has it, use HDMI or component for better quality picture. S-video is better than composite, too, if available. If not, oh well, best you can do. Not the end of the world on this one. (One of my old LCD TV's only has composites, too. At the smaller sizes, not a big deal.)

- Did this site help you? Then upgrade to Premium Member and show your support!
- Also: Like Us on Facebook for special DVD/Blu-ray news and deals!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
08-17-2010, 04:10 PM
admin's Avatar
admin admin is offline
Site Staff | Web Development
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,310
Thanked 654 Times in 457 Posts
I just checked wikipedia for info on KPBS 15 and KUSI 51. Both of those stations are digital-only stations. What this means is that your digital reception is being cut off for some reason. This is probably due to your using an old analog antenna. However, it can also be caused by routing the coax through a non-digital device (like a VCR), before it gets to the TV.

- Did this site help you? Then upgrade to Premium Member and show your support!
- Also: Like Us on Facebook for special DVD/Blu-ray news and deals!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
08-17-2010, 05:35 PM
Sossity Sossity is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 434
Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts
I am getting KPBS 15 & KUSI 51, the channels I am NOT getting are CBS 8, ABC 10, & NBC 39.

I have an indoor antenna that has a knob that adjusts for the signal, with a coax cable, & a power cord.

so the converter box will feed in the digital signal to the VCR? there is still a problem with the TV having only 1 Rf hookup on the back.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
08-19-2010, 03:18 PM
admin's Avatar
admin admin is offline
Site Staff | Web Development
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,310
Thanked 654 Times in 457 Posts
I forget which is which, but the issue is you're only getting UHF and not VHF. Or the other way around, VHF and not UHF. Either way, you're missing a whole range of reception. And it's the antenna causing it.

You're going to have a mess of wires. It goes like this:
  • DTV converter box > VCR, using "not coax" (pick another connector found on both items)
  • VCR > TV, also using "not coax" (pick a connector both have)
Separately, you'll have:
  • DVD > TV, using composite or s-video (or whatever both have)
Separately again, you'll have:
  • Antenna coax > TV coax input, and this lets you use the TV's ATSC tuner to watch TV, separately from whatever the VCR is doing. So watch one show, record another.
That might mean two antennas. I don't remember.

If your TV doesn't have enough inputs for all the VCRs, DVDs, etc, then you get to play "musical wires" each time it comes time to change devices. A switch box may be an option, but many of them really degrade the signal and add noise. So watch for that.

Didn't know it would be so hard, did you?

You need a laugh. Watch this: http://www.digitalFAQ.com/forum/show...funny-399.html

- Did this site help you? Then upgrade to Premium Member and show your support!
- Also: Like Us on Facebook for special DVD/Blu-ray news and deals!
Reply With Quote
Reply




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Need help hooking up Hotronic ap41 TBC DaneClark Restore, Filter, Improve Quality 4 11-04-2009 02:43 PM
Question regarding hooking up a DVD recorder?? MagnificentMarcus Capture, Record, Transfer 5 03-20-2008 02:45 AM

Thread Tools



 
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:46 AM