I just received the wonder of digital cable, and the technician who “installed” it - ie, the person who the cable company insisted I pay to simply take out my old analog box and put in the new digital one - couldn’t get it to work with my current setup. Basically, to simplify things, I had my cable routed from the wall, to the cable box, to the VCR, and finally back to the TV. This allowed me to 1) route the cable signal to the surround sound system on the same link as the VCR and 2) made the remote setup MUCH easier as I didn’t have to switch from Ant to Video 1 depending on if I wanted to watch cable or a video. I just always left the TV on Video 1.
We could never get the digital cable box to work that way, though. It works fine hooked directly to the Ant port on the back of the TV, but if I try to run it the old way, it doesn’t work. The technician made some calls, and came back with “The digital system is more complex, and the VCR isn’t set up to route it through like it can with analog.” OK, I can buy that… maybe. So what’s the dope on this? Is it true, or is there some way I can set it up like my old analog system?
The “digital system is more complex” thing doesn’t quite ring true with me, either. If that were true, it wouldn’t be possible to record from the digital cable, right? But I have only a passing knowledge of these types of things, so I figured I’d ask the teeming millions.
For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure the VCR is a Mitsubishi, and the cable box is a Motorola DCT-2000.
I’m awaiting answers as well… I’m in the same boat, however I’ve not completely played around with it as I just moved into a new house. I, too have a motorola digital but my vcr is at least 10 years old. Not really buying the fact that the technology isn’t there in the old machine. Also not using it as an excuse to buy a new VCR.
Wall to analog box to VCR to tv was your old setup? Same boat exactly… trying it again when I get home…
Wow, Pessor, sounds like we’re definitely trying to do the same thing. What happens when you hook it through the VCR? IIRC, mine showed channel 3, but changing the channels (on the cable box) did nothing. Like I said, the old analog box worked fine in the same configuration.
I probably won’t have time to seriously work on it until this weekend, so if you have any luck please keep me updated.
We have digital cable running through our VCR. Simply connect the cable out to the VCR in, and the VCR out to the TV in. If you have an amplifier, connect the TV out to the amp in. Set your VCR on channel 3 (or 4), and your TV the same. Change channels with your cable box.
(Of course, with this construct, you can tape only what you’re watching.)
My digital cable setup is the same as Libertarian’s and it works, except that you do have to have the cable on the channel you wish to record from. Not a huge problem, since I don’t think you can program my old VCR to tape on channels that have more than 2 digits anyway.
As an aside, it may just be the crappy, ignorant, surly service here in St. Louis, but I have had nothing but trouble with my digital cable. If I didn’t rent, I’d get a dish. The only comfort for me is on the 50% of the time when it is working correctly, I get the Sci Fi channel.
May I recommend that you double-check everything, even what might seem trivial, heedful of Sherlock Holmes’s sage advice: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”? There is no logical reason your setup, if like the rest of us, should fail. Therefore, the reason must be something “out-of-bounds” (like your VCR is turned off, for example, or the channel isn’t right).
Libertarian, Pessor, agreed. I need to check things, too. I actually didn’t hook it up - the cable person did, and who knows what they could have screwed up. I’ll keep you posted.
If you really want to know, look at the back of your VCR, it has the date of manf back there 95% of the time. Also, the model number give me those then I can ask about it in the VCR tech guys newsgroup.
What happens when you run it thru the vcr? did you make sure the vcr/tv button was set to vcr? Also, did you kick Macrovision in by running it through the vcr?
Well, the fact that the signal is from a digital source is pure crap.
The whole reason you need a box is to convert the signal from digital to analog. The box does not send a digital signal anywhere.
There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. I agree with Libertarian, it’s got to be incorrect setup. Although the VCR being turned on is most likely the problem.
Run the cable back through the VCR and leave the VCR turned off. The VCR is now just an extension of the cable. The signal passes through untouched. Turn on the tube to verify the picture.
Now turn on the VCR. If the picture dies, check the source (TV or Video) and the listening channel (3 or 4) of the VCR in all 4 possible combinations.
If none of this works than I have no idea. Good luck!