# DVD players and image quality **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978 "2002-05-14T05:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/1 "2002-05-14T05:46:36Z")
Okay, so I’m borrowing my friend’s DVD player while he’s out of town, and I hook it up and I’m planning on watching this fantastic movie in all its visual glory, when the image constantly fades in and out throughout the whole damned thing. Now, I have it hooked up through my VCR, so I’m sure the whole copywrite thing has something to do with it, but it’s an older television, and it doesn’t have the proper connection outlets. Is there anyway to get around this soe I don’t have to watch my DVDs in shit quality? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/2 "2002-05-14T10:12:38Z")
You are correct - you cannot watch a DVD player threaded through your VCR because the copy protection in the VCR prevents it. You can buy adapter cables (or have them made for you) at an Electrics store. What do you call em in the US? Radio Shack? They will need to connect direct from your RCA connectors on the DVD to the RF input on your TV. But I dunno if the quality would be much good, so _Caveat Emptor._ ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/3 "2002-05-14T12:59:52Z")
I have an adaptor that hooks the A/V output from my DVD into the Co-ax cable signal on my tv and it works just fine. They run about $28-$30US. Colin ---
**Author:** ![Tattva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@Tattva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tattva)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/4 "2002-05-14T13:05:20Z")
You’ll need an RF adapter. It allows you to input RCA connectors and converts it to coax, for the input on your tv. I think this is what **interface2x** is talking about. Cost me about $30 at Radio Shack. ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/5 "2002-05-14T13:18:32Z")
What model is your player? Some have hidden menus to deactivate Macrovision. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-players-and-image-quality/108978/6 "2002-05-14T13:20:12Z")
One of my friends got a DVD player for christmas. As a present to herself she bought a decent TV to go with it. When I went to help her hook it all up, I found that her TV didn’t have an S-video input or RCA jacks. I ended up hooking the RCA jacks to her VCR input and then a coax from the VCR to the TV and it works just fine.