Trouble-shooting VCR setup. No video (1 Viewer)

[dave snyder]

Digital cable box fails, cable guy installs new box and now everything works as before except my VCR works.

VCR is still routed to AV receiver in same manner as before, (when it worked!) and AV receiver has S-VIDEO cable to TV. Playing a video tape produces accurate surround sound, but no video.

Interestingly enough, when I route the VCR THROUGH the cable box, I get a picture and sound, but not when the VCR is routed through my AV Receiver as a stand-alone component.

Any ideas on where to look for the problem? Thanks in advance.

dave snyder

 

[RobertCharlotte]

when I route the VCR THROUGH the cable box, I get a picture

I've never seen a cable box that had an input (other than the coax RF input you connect to the wall). Are you sure you don't have an output and input crossed up somewhere?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Dave,

There definitely are some inconsistencies here. You say “The VCR is still routed to the AV receiver,” then you say “When I route the VCR through the cable box, I get a picture.” The inconsistency is that the two are incompatible signal paths. The former uses signal cabling with RCA jacks, and the latter uses RF coaxial cables (aka “antenna” cables) with F-connectors. And as Robert noted, it is unusual for a cable box to have an A/V input, like home theater receivers do.

You didn’t say what kind of VCR you have, but since you are using an S-video cable from the receiver to the TV, the only way you will get a picture from the VCR will be if it also has an S-video send - in other words, a Super-VHS VCR. You can’t “mix and match” composite and S-video signals through a receiver. All components have to use the same protocol.

Based on this, I’m guessing the only way you got the VCR’s picture on the screen before was through the antenna cables, with the cable box and TV tuned in to channel 3 or 4. So you need to keep doing that, or else change the cable between the receiver and TV to composite.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[John Garcia]

You didn’t say what kind of VCR you have, but since you are using an S-video cable from the receiver to the TV, the only way you will get a picture from the VCR will be if it also has an S-video send - in other words, a Super-VHS VCR. You can’t “mix and match” composite and S-video signals through a receiver. All components have to use the same protocol.

This is the most likely reason for the video issue, however this is not the case with allr receivers. Try connecting from the receiver to the TV with a composite video cable and see if it solve the issue.

The next question is WHY are you looping the video signal through the receiver? Are there too few inputs on your TV? If the VCR is the only video device (not including cable), there is no reason to loop it through the receiver.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

If the VCR is the only video device (not including cable), there is no reason to loop it through the receiver.

Sure there is – convenience and simpler operation. Yes, I know all the “better picture” arguments, but a lot of people value the convenience more. Besides, if going through the receiver degrades the picture, it’s not a very good receiver, IMO.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Greg_R]

And after all, we're talking about a VCR! If you want picture quality watch D-VHS or a DVD...

 

[Greg*go]

Dave said that he had a digital cable box. I'm not sure about other areas, but in the Phila region Comcast digital cable boxes do have component outputs.
Greg.