Need help from the dvd/vcr electronic geeks

[texasgirl]

I am trying to record onto a vhs tape from a dvd. I have tried everything that I can think of and can't get it to record. It's my sister's dvd, Walk the line, and I want to record it for my son as he can't get over here to watch it before I give it back to sis.
This is how my tv and the others are set up.
directv reciever to vcr and then out to tv.
dvd is hooked to tv.
Should I just unhook the Directv and run the dvd to vcr and then to tv?
There is nothing on the dvd or vcr manuals that show what to do. I guess it's for copy infringement {sp} Or, could it be the dvd is blocking any recording?


I'm the one that hooks everything imaginable to this stuff and can normally get it all working perfectly, but, this one isn't working and there is no help from dh as he's NOT the electronic person as I am.

 

[Hopz]

Trying to give instructions over long distance is hard.

YOur DVD player must have a Signal Output with three colored cables on it- Red, White, Yellow.
Your VCR will have an INPUT connection of the same colors... use a cable and connect the red to red, white to white yellow to yellow.

The VCR will have another signal Out place, probably a thing for Coaxial cable- thats the one fat cable with silver screw-on terminal at the end.

connect that from the VCR to the TV.

Put a (known) good already recorded tape in the VCRe and play it to make sure you have signal from VCR to TV.

Then try to turn on the DVD and see if you can play the DVD thru the VCR to the TV. If you can't see the picture- you cant record it.

You may have to try various switch configurations...probably the TV/VCR switch on the VCR....

Ought to work... Leave power off all devices when doing any of the cable work. You cannot hurt anything by trying...

 

[texasgirl]

Thank you Hopz!!
Both of my vcr's only have audio/video {white and yellow}
My dvd does have the three, but, I have those hooked into my surround sound.
I will take a picture of the backs and see if you can figure it out like that.

 

[texasgirl]

Nevermind, there is evidently something called Macrovision on these dvd's and keeps you from copying them. I guess son will just have to wait and see it later when it comes on cable. Thanks for your help Hopz!!

 

[Hopz]

Texasgirl...
OK fine- but I think the Macrovision thing has to do with not letting you making a copy on your computer...

Once the signal gets to the VCR- I **think* any electronic barrier to making a copy is not a factor.

And, I might suggest you look again at the back of the VCR.. I have never seen a VCR with just a two wire Input or Output. There are two -what they call RCA plugs- for The Audio (sound) one red the other yellow.Thats right channel/left channel. The White is the Video signal (picture). (I may have the color-channel thing mixed up, but it does not matter.

In any case if you don't want to fuss with it I understand...

 

[buckytom]

tg, you might be able to take an output of your tv to get around the copy protection.
the tv's composite output may be able to clean up and remodulate the signal so it won't make the vcr record circuits go nuts, preventing a good record.

take and post the pics and we'll see what we can do.

 

[texasgirl]

here is the back of the vcr and dvd.
vcr has audio and video in and out, antenna in and rf out.
dvd has audio and video in and out, cr/pc and cb/pb.
The dvd came up first.

I'll get a picture of the tv too.

 

[buckytom]

darn, i was hoping your dvd had an rf input (the fat black cables), it doesn't look like it does.

ok, does your tv have an audio (red/white) and video (yellow) output. if so, reverse the cables that go from the dvd to the tv so that the output of the tv feeds the input of the dvd.

hope this works...

 

[texasgirl]

Here is the back of the tv, hopefully they will come up in the right order. A whole of the back and a close up of each group, left to right.

And of course it didn't.
It came out, each group right to left and then the whole of the back.

Dang, please don't look at the dust!!

the s video is coming into the tv from the dvd.

 

[buckytom]

yup, it doesn't look like there's an rf out of the tv. it may need that to remodulate the signal so it will be able to be copied.

well, don't remove any cables, but if you have extra cables, still try connecting the audio and video outputs of the tv to the vcr inputs. then select that input on the vcr, start the dvd, hit record and do a quick test to see what happens.

 

[texasgirl]

I give up!! Nothing is working. No matter how I hook up the dvd to the vcr, or through the tv, it won't pick it up. It's just static. Thanks for your help, both of you!