How to Hook Up a VCR-DVD Combo to an Analog TV

VCR/DVD combos contain two distinct sections, allowing you to play VHS tapes and DVDs on the same machine. With the VHS format rapidly going the way of the dodo, they now represent the only practical way to keep watching VHS tapes while building a DVD collection. If you have an older analog TV, you may be concerned about whether a VCR/DVD combo will work with it. Not to worry. The technology is designed to hook up to any TV and can be connected to older sets just as quickly as newer ones.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• VCR-DVD combo Analog TV RCA cables Coaxial cables (optional) Digital converter box

RCA Cables

1. Check the back of your analog television set. Hopefully, you'll see a set of three small round cable jacks: one red, one white and one yellow. These are RCA jacks, which are the easiest way to hook up the VCR-DVD combo. In some cases, the RCA jacks will be in the front of the analog TV rather than the back.

2. Connect one end of a set of RCA cables to the corresponding "Output" jacks on the VCR-DVD combo and the other end to the three RCA "Input" jacks you identified in Step 1. The cables themselves correspond to the colors of the jacks: white to white, red to red and yellow to yellow. (The yellow cable sends the video signal, and the white and red cables send the left and right audio signals.)

3. Turn your TV on and set it to receive signals from the RCA input jacks, usually by pressing the "Line" or "Input" button on the remote. You can then watch tapes or DVDs on the VCR-DVD combo normally.

Coaxial Cables

4. If your TV doesn't have RCA outlet jacks, it will have a coaxial outlet jack: a single raised round jack with a waxy white interior. You can still hook up a VCR-DVD combo, but you will need to do it through a cable box or digital converter box.

5. Check the back of your cable or converter box. You should see a set of RCA jacks, along with a coaxial jack.

6. Plug the VCR-DVD combo into the RCA jacks in back of the converter or cable box. Plug the TV into the coaxial cable jack in back of the converter or cable box.

7. Tune the cable or converter box to receive signals from the RCA input jacks, usually by pressing the "Line" or "Input" button on the remote. You can then watch tapes or DVDs as normal.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have an analog TV, you need either a digital converter or a cable box to receive programming. All TV signals in the U.S. are now required to broadcast in digital, not analog.
• Make sure all of your components (TV, VCR-DVD combo, cable box) are turned off while hooking them up. Otherwise, you run the risk of shorting something out.