How to Connect a VCR or DVD Player to a Television

Hooking up AV equipment is a relatively simple procedure. Although there are many different models on the market, most of them use universal cables and jacks. There are three basic types of AV cables: RCA, S-Video and HDMI.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Television or monitor that supports HDMI
• DVD player that supports HDMI (since HDMI is HD only, it is not available on any VCRs)
• An HDMI cable

Connecting RCA Cables

1. Identify the different colored cables and locate the RCA jacks. RCA cables are universally color coded according to their function. With almost all non-HD setups, the colors you will encounter are white (left audio), red (right audio) and yellow (video). In HD setups that use component cables there will also be a green and a blue which are HD video feeds.

2. Connect the cables to the corresponding jack with the same color on the VCR or DVD player.

3. Connect the cables to the corresponding jack with the same color on your television, or monitor.

Connecting S-Video Cables

4. Determine whether your television or monitor supports s-video. This information should be included in the instruction manual. If you have lost your manual you should be able to find it online through the manufacturer's website. If your television or monitor supports s-video, you should be able to find a small circular jack in the back that will likely be labeled "s-video."

5. Connect the s-video cable to "s-video out" jack on the back of your VCR or DVD player.

6. Connect the other end of the s-video cable to the "s-video" jack on the back of your television or monitor.

Connecting HDMI Cables

7. Determine if your DVD player and television or monitor supports HDMI. Like s-video, HDMI is a relatively rare connection and is only used in high end HD equipment such as HD DVD players, Blu-Ray disc players, the Xbox 360 elite and the PlayStation 3. The connector for HDMI looks like a trapezoid.

8. Connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI jack on the back of the DVD player.

9. Connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI jack on the back of the television.

[scottys94]

on 1/18/2008 To connect a VCR to your TV, you have 2 choices of what channel you want the VCR to be on. If you want it to be channel 3, then you will need a coax cable. If you want it to be an Input channel, you will need an RCA cable. To connect a VCR to an Input to your TV, first, get an RCA cable, and connect it from the VCR's output to your TV's Input. The Input in the VCR allows you to connect portable devices to be viewed through the VCR. If you want to have the VCR on channel 3, and you want to watch TV on it as well, first, get 1 coax cable, and connect it to the coax port labeled In From Ant, and connect it to either a coax wall jack, or a coax splitter. Then, grab another coax cable, and run it from the Out to TV port in you VCR, and connect it to your TV. Your VCR can be connected both ways so that you have it on both channels.