Connect a DVD Player, VCR, and Digital Cable Box

When you're assembling your home theater system, making sense of all the cables and devices can start to get overwhelming. It doesn't take long before you're jamming the DVD player into any available space and letting the cables get tangled behind the TV. With a little planning, you can keep everything organized, efficient, and ready for future expansion.

Steps

Connect The Wires And Devices

  1. Know how you are going to arrange/connect the wires and devices. You should know what types of cables are needed, such as coaxial, S-video and RCA patch-cords. You should also know how they will be stacked, arranged or otherwise situated when you are finished. This foreknowledge will prevent a frustrating do-over.
  2. Connect the "tv out." On the back of the cable-box/vcr there will be two coaxial hookups labeled "cable in" and "tv out," or something similar.
    • The "cable in" (cable box) gets hooked to the cable jack from the wall or floor. Connect the "tv out" (cable box) cable to the "in" on the VCR. Connect the "out" (vcr) to the coaxial connection on the TV.
  3. Connect the red, white, and yellow colored RCA patch-cords. You could also connect an S-video cable (small, round ends with little pins and a piece of long, thin plastic inside).
    • These cables should have come with the DVD player. If not, you can buy them at any store that sells electronics, such as Radioshack.
  4. Check the back of your TV to see which type of hookups are available. Use the appropriate cables and make sure that you are going "out" of the DVD player and "in" on the TV. These should be labeled as well.
  5. Plug everything in to test. Make sure that your TV is on the proper channel for the cable-box and VCR (usually channel 3, but sometimes 2 or 4). The VCR should be on the same channel (for recording purposes.) When the VCR is off, you are watching cable. When the VCR is on, you are watching a tape.
    • The DVD player will be found on an alternate "input" setting such as "video1" or "svideo," depending on the input and type of TV.
  6. Stack your components however you wish. Power them up.

Using a 3 Way Splitter

  1. Hook up a 3 way splitter to the wall cable outlet.
  2. Attach 3 RF coaxial cables to it.
  3. Connect one cable to the (in)on the cable box.
  4. Connect one cable to the (in) on the vcr.
  5. Connect one cable to the (in)on the tv.
  6. Connect the Svideo cable from the cable box to the tv.
  7. Use red, white and yellow audio and video and cables to go out from the vcr and into the TV.
  8. Use red white and yellow audio and video cables to out go from the cable box into the tv.
    • If the S video cable is connected (#6), the yellow video connection from the cable box to the TV should not be used.

Tips

  • RCA patch-cord cables are color coded. Red & white are for audio (red is for right channel, white is for left channel) and yellow is for video.
  • If you are still having problems, call your cable provider and ask them to send a technician to help connect them. There might be a small charge, but it might be worth it.

Warnings

  • Be sure that all of your components have room to "breathe." Any openings in the case of your equipment is there to prevent overheating. Don't cover them up!
  • Be sure to unplug components before changing connections to avoid power surges that might damage the delicate electronics.

Related Articles

  • Connect Your Sky Hub

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