My bedroom TV only has 1 coaxial input. It also has 2 A/V inputs for RCA cables, but since those are in front of the TV the wires could get in the way if I hooked anything up through them. So I am looking for a device that lets me hook my VCR and DVD player up and have both of them transmit their signals into the TV via its coaxial cable. What is the name of this device that allows you to connect 2, 3, 4, etc. devices into it but it only has one output that leads to the TV (usually a coaxial output)? I thought I saw one once I think it was called a ‘universal something’ but I am not really finding anything online with keywords like universal or DVD.
I think my VCR can function in the same way as the device i’m thinking of. Like I could hook the DVD player up to the VCR (which is already connected to the TV via coaxial cable) then change the VCR to line1 and watch TV. I am going to try that later (I don’t have my DVD player with me right now to test this) but I think when I did that before that the audio I got was not very good for some reason. Maybe I did something wrong, i’m not sure.
I’m pretty sure the device i’m thinking of is called an A/V Selector. However alot of them also come with ‘RF modulators’ too and I don’t know what they are. I may be able to look it up before anyone responds but figure i’ll ask here anyway.
I use an RF modulator with my TV, DVD and VCR. I am not at home and don’t have the configuration before me, but I think I have the DVD player and VCR hooked up to the RF modulator, and then I have a coaxial cable from the modulator to the TV. My cable box is connected to the VCR. I have my VCR set for channel 4, my DVD set for channel 3 (these channels set on the backs of the respective devices).
Because of the type of signal it carries, it’s not a good idea to connect all of your video equipment by coaxial cable. You’ll get a much better picture if you use the RCA video input provided, even though it’s on the front of the TV. You can tuck the wires underneath the front of the set, or run them alongside it, to keep them out of the way.
Here’s how we have ours set up, with the use of a Radio Shack A/B switch: Cable goes into back of VCR. VCR output goes into A of switch. DVD player output goes to B of switch. Output of switch box goes to the front RCA inputs on the front of the TV. Then you can watch your VCR or DVD by selecting “Aux” or “Line” input on your TV. Works like a charm.
Using an RF input will keep you from getting the best picture quality and from getting stereo sound. Sorry your TV doesn’t have rear A/V inputs. If you must go RF I suggest using the highest quality cable available. Get RG-6 with properly crimped on connectors. It might be worth it to buy the crimp tool, they’re only about $10. If it was me I would tolerate the A/V connectors in front of the set rather than have poorer picture quality with RF.
To ellaborate on what Lightnin’ and Jayrot are talking about, sending a DVD player signal through the VCR will make the image brightness fade in and out, and will be very annoying.
In addition, I recommened using the RCA jacks if at all possible for the VCR and DVD connections. By just going in through the coaxial cable, the signal will be VERY low quality. You are basically eleiminating the point of a DVD player by sending it through a coax. Even the RCA connections (I assume they are a composite video and audio, not component video RCA jacks) are of poor quality. But I’m not gonna tell you to go out and buy a new TV.
Yeah, I can set it up through the VCR. Do you mean to say that DVDs will have pulsating video even if i’m not recording the DVD onto VHS tape? What can I do to get around this? Will an A/V Selector disable the macrovision problem since I wouldn’t go through the VCR?
On another note in my living room entertainment setup I have a VCR, TiVo, TV, digital cable box and VCR. When I run the signal like this wall—>digital cable box—>TiVo---->VCR----->TV I get my signal poor. The audio is poor and I have to turn the audio up 50% and the video is worse too, it is grainy. But when I run it like wall—>digital cable box—>TiVo----->TV and bypass the VCR the picture is clear and the sound is clear. Does anyone know what could cause this? Am I using bad wiring, is it a bad VCR, or what? I don’t see why it’d be some kind of intentional problem designed to prevent people from using their VCR.
Yeah, I think tucking the wires underneath is my best bet, I just didn’t want wires all over the front of the TV but that idea should work pretty well. Doing that prevents them from getting in the way, so problem solved. Thanks.
The VCR may be poorly designed to use as a pass through device. I think you might be better off spending a few dollars on an A/V reciever. You not only get all the switching capabilities you might need but can power external surround sound speakers. Recording devices are connected in a loop so they can record from whatever device is currently selected such as the cable box or TIVO.
Also, I just looked at my setup and the VCR is connected to the TV via coaxial cable. I have 3 things connected to the TV, 2 are from the TiVo and are a set of RCA cables and an S-video cable while the third goes to the VCR then to the TV via a coaxial cable. So maybe that is my problem too and if I use the RCA cables to connect the VCR to the TiVo and the VCR to the TV maybe that’ll take care of it. I only need one connection directly from the TiVo to the TV and the S-video is very clear, so the RCA connection from TiVo to TV is just pointless right now.
A TV with S-video but no inputs on the back panel? That is weird.
FWIW S-video just splits the signal you’d normally get from the yellow RCA jack into croma and luminance which generally gives better quality. Higher end TVs, cable boxes and DVD players have a three component video which uses separate RCA connectors but I don’t recall how the signal components are split up.
Sorry, that is a different TV I referred to when I was talking about my TiVo. My TV in the bedroom is a 13" with an RCA input and coaxial input. The TV in the living room is a 27" and has multiple inputs (S-video, Coaxial & RCA). I’m wondering why the quality of the audio and video in the living room TV is so much lower when I run it through the VCR but when I run it directly from the TiVo to the TV via either S-Video or RCA cables the picture and sound are really good quality.
Its black friday in 2 days, its the best sale day of the year. I know that I saw ads for a 32" panasonic for $229, a 27" Apex for $89 and various 19" TVs for $60.
Does the 13" TV with the RCA input have three RCA jacks, or just one? If it’s just one, it’s meant to be video only, and may be there so you can use the TV as a monitor for a security camera. If that’s the case, then your only option is to use the coax. The cheapest solution then is to get an A/B coax switcher to feed your two inputs into the TV.
That’s really strange, because I run my DVD player through my VCR, have for four years now, and I’ve never noticed anything like this. I watch a lot of DVDs, too, and I would have definitely noticed it if this were going on.
