Help me configure my TV, Cable, VCR, DVD & Xbox

[tannersarms]

Hi,

I'm sure to most of you, this is a no brainer, but I'm from the UK and am not used to the configuration you have over here. I am trying to figure out the best set up for the above listed equipment. Here is how I think it currently goes:

The TV has a AV (yellow, red & white) input and a coaxial input.

The VCR has two sets of the y, r and w spare. I think the cable goes to the VCR and then the VCR goes into the TV.

The DVD player, I think goes in to the VCR. Or at least we have to switch to the VCR channel on the TV in order to view DVDs.

The Cable box also has seemingly endless inputs/outputs available, including an empty AV set.

As things are, everything is viewable except the Xbox, but I'm sure you'll agree that it probably isn't the ideal setup anyways. I got the Xbox in there but couldn't find a channel with a visible picture.

I'm sorry for the lack of info, but girlfriend is already p'd off with me screwing around with the TV and so on. I will post a bit more info as soon as I can get in there without upsetting her viewing habits, but in the mean time, how would you configure this set up? We only have basic equipment, no digital TVs, audio receivers etc, the only digital thing is the cable box.

Thanks for any help

[Flay]

If it were me, I would get an AV selector to make everything easier. Basically, it has 1 output, which would be your Red, White, and Yellow jacks into your TV. You would leave your TV on "Video 1" always. The other four inputs into the selector could be taken by your VCR, DVD player, Cable box, and XBox.

You can get a cheap one in a gaming store. EB sells 3 different ones:

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/deptpage.asp?wherefrom=search&searchword=selector

If you wanted to spend a little more money on higher quality, get the Sony model. Buy.com has a good price on it: http://www.buy.com/retail/electronics/product.asp?sku=90050382&loc=14713

Or you could always buy a receiver. That acts as my AV selector.

[tannersarms]

Thanks for the reply. Are all of the inputs to this box r,w and y jacks? And I would probably still run the cable box into the VCR and then into the AV selector, so I could still tape TV (not that that has ever happened in the last year)


Cheers

Mark

[Flay]

Originally posted by tannersarms
Thanks for the reply. Are all of the inputs to this box r,w and y jacks?

Yep, they are all red, yellow, and white connections. 1 output and 4 inputs.

[joltaddict]

Originally posted by tannersarms
girlfriend is already p'd off with me screwing around with the TV and so on.

Thats an emergency, IMO! You should have put that in the thread title!

This site has everything you could possibly need to know...
http://www.monstercable.com/hookup_learning/

[tannersarms]

Heh heh. I think we're fast approaching "that time....." as trying to plug in the Xbox led to a whole "Why don't you move back to England and play stupid video games all day" discussion. Can't complain, gave me a chance to sneak off and spend the whole night on the internet drinking beer rather than sit and watch some crappy TV. Sitiution wasn't helped by the fact the TV stand has a back on it with no holes and the whole thing is pushed up against the window, laden down with hardware so difficult to move - had to use a mirror to figure out what had which sockets available.

Add to this the fact that the Xbox was picked up off of ebay for $70 from some liquidation center and it's a little worrying that I can't get a picture. Will check out that site though and try and figure things out


Cheers jolt and flay

Mark

[sniper308]

as trying to plug in the Xbox led to a whole "Why don't you move back to England and play stupid video games all day" discussion.

Too bad you can't disconnect her audio :D (actually sounds like your running around with my wife :D)

The splitter is definitely the way to go ... I have one that I have a DC, GC, satellite, and DVD player going S-Video through & it is great... unfortunately my TV has input 1 as component, and input 2 is either S-Video or composite (but not both) as input 2, so I have the VCR coming in the coax (& no unfortunately my DVD player does not have component output to utilize input 1)

If you don't tape anything I would not run anything through the VCR. You can have macrovision issues with the DVD player (not sure about the X-Box), and generally in my experience signal degraded passing anything through the VCRs that I have had.

Anyway, I'd also get a hole saw drill bit & put a couple of well place holes in the back of the entertainment center for ease & better cable placement.