• Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Submit Products
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
thefixchicks.com
  • Decorating
    • Design
    • Flooring
    • Home Decor
    • Ralph Lauren Paint
    • Walls
  • DIY/Home Improvement
    • Air & Heat
    • Automotive
    • Electrical
    • Lawn & Garden
    • Plumbing
    • Remodelling
    • Roofing
    • Tools & Hardware
    • Woodworking
  • Hobbies
    • Blogging & Internet
    • Collecting
    • Computers & Electronics
    • Crafting
    • Fine Art
    • Geekery & Gadgets
    • Music & Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
    • Food / Drinks / Cooking
    • Halloween
    • Parenting / Family
    • Rants & Raves
    • Real Estate
  • Product Reviews
Browse > Home / Computers & Electronics / how does the vcr work?

how does the vcr work?

June 7, 2003 · Print This Article

most problems with tuning, recording, and/or playing a video game in the midst of a stack of vcrs, gaming consoles, satellite receivers and so on can be solved by learning how to use 1) the TV/VIDEO switch on your tv and 2) the TV/VCR switch on your VCR.

before you rip apart or put together your tv/video center, take a moment to think logically about the sequence in which your devices must be chained in order for the signal to get from the wall (or the box) to the screen, make sure all channel selectable devices like game consoles and satellite recievers are set to the correct channel, and learn how to switch your tv from television mode to simple video monitor.

in general, your tv only has to be in TV mode when you’re watching a broadcast. if you have cable, you’ll probably change channels with the tv tuner. if you have satellite, you will keep your tv on one channel and change what you watch through the satellite receiver.

a VCR also has a tuner - that’s how it records - the signal has to go through the VCR before it ever gets to the TV. the TV/VCR switch usually has to be set to VCR in order to watch a video tape, but remains on TV most of the rest of the time, so as not to block the received signal. usually the VCR-pass-thru feature that allows the signal to go through the vcr as if it were invisible requires that the TV/VCR switch be set to TV, but check your manual. if you’re recording from a satellite receiver, you generally have to tune the VCR just like the tv - to channel 3 or 4 - and use the satellite reciever to change the channel.

to view a dvd, play a video game, hook up a digital camera, web tv, or other device where your tv does nothing but SHOW a picture, you will probably use VIDEO mode on your television. in some cases, a tv will have VIDEO 1 and VIDEO 2 - this is so you can keep multiple video sources hoooked up without interfering with each other - you can put the DVD player on VID1 and the X-box on VID2 and they won’t clash.

if you can remember which entertainment center functions are actually “tuning in” a signal as opposed to simply displaying a picture, it’s easy to figure out which switches need to be where in order for you to see what you’re trying to see.

oh yeah, here’s the basic order i use for chaining my video devices:

satellite dish >to> sat receiver
sat receiver & DVD player & game console >to> a/v amp
audio/video amp >to> TV

my TV has three input selections - TV, VID1 and VID2 - the basic logic is that the TUNED signals (VCR, Satellite receiver) go to the TV input, while the DVD player and the game console can go to separate VID outputs so they don’t interefere with each other. if i only had one VIDEO input then i would have to turn off the game console to use the DVD player and vice versa.

*NOTE*
most VCRs have selectable inputs now - Line, Tuner, and Simultaneous. the VCR tv signal pass thru feature almost always only works if you have the VCR input set to TUNER, however, you can use the LINE input, which will take a signal from the RCA jacks in the back instead of the threaded coax connection, to run a video game console into a TV that doesn’t have RCA jacks of it’s own or a suitable adaptor… but that’s another topic altogether.

Written by michelle · Filed Under Computers & Electronics 

Comments

One Response to “how does the vcr work?”

  1. Tricia Anderson on October 9th, 2006 12:55 pm

    I’m trying to set my VCR to record a satellite program while I’m away. However, my VCR will only allow me to program a 2-digit channel and the satellite channel I want to record is 3-digits. Is there another way?

Got something to say?





eNews & Updates

Sign up to receive breaking news
as well as receive other site updates!

Revolution WordPress Theme
  • Recent Posts

    • Bookshelf Facelift
    • Required Reading
    • Inspiration
    • The fix is on!
    • The contact paper cure
  • Recent Comments

    • Joseph: Quick Update. I did go for a fourth coat. The third was better, but I still had a few noticeable areas where...
    • Joseph: Wow! I might not have ever started my project if I had seen this first. I’ve just finished my third...
    • danielle june 22, 2008: I’ve used Ralph Lauren’s river rock in the past and love the look. Now I would...
    • Jennifer: I have Ralph Lauren’s Adobe Suede finish in my home office. I applied it myself and it took about 4...
    • David: Hey… thanks for the shout out to Bettercoffee.com (and the recommendation!) We now have about 180 pod...
  • Categories

    • Air & Heat
    • Automotive
    • Blogging & Internet
    • Collecting
    • Computers & Electronics
    • Crafting
    • Decorating
    • Design
    • DIY/Home Improvement
    • Electrical
    • Fine Art
    • Flooring
    • Food / Drinks / Cooking
    • Geekery & Gadgets
    • Hacks
    • Halloween
    • Home Decor
    • Inspiration
    • Lawn & Garden
    • Music & Entertainment
    • Parenting / Family
    • Plumbing
    • Product Reviews
    • Quick Fix
    • Ralph Lauren Paint
    • Rants & Raves
    • Real Estate
    • Remodelling
    • Required Reading
    • Roofing
    • The Fix Chicks
    • Tools & Hardware
    • Walls
    • Woodworking
  • Archives

    • March 2008
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • January 2007
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • February 2006
    • November 2005
    • April 2005
    • February 2005
    • July 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
    • February 2004
    • June 2003
    • February 2003
    • September 2002
    • June 2002
    • March 2002
    • Kitchen Sinks
    • LED Rope Lights, String Lights
    • Lighting Fixtures and Lamps
    • Self Build Conservatories
    • Wall Fountains
    • House Plans
    • Refinance Mortgage
    • Robert Abbey Lamps
    • Owens Corning Basement
    • Under Cabinet Lights

Copyright © 2008 · All rights reserved · Revolution Pro theme by Brian Gardner · WordPress · XHTML · Login