VCR recording through receiver (1 Viewer)

[AndyDixon]

Ok, I don't have a receiver yet, but I have a question niggling in the back of my mind that I would like to have answered.

Assume this setup: DVD player, cable box, vcr and tv all hooked up to a receiver. Now say that I have the cable input selected on the receiver. The cable video is output to the tv through the monitor out and to the vcr through the vcr out on the receiver (and to any other video outs that might be on the receiver). Am I correct so far? Similarly if I have the DVD input on the receiver selected I get the DVD video being output on the monitor out and any other outputs.

So, I'm wondering if it's going to be possible to say watch a DVD and record something off cable on the vcr at the same time. Seems to me that this is not going to work? Would I have to have the cable box connected up the the 2nd video in input on the vcr as well as to the input on the receiver, thereby bypassing the receiver when recording? Or would I need to connect the zone 2 outputs (if present) from the receiver into the vcr and select the zone 2 input to be cable (this option seems to me to be a bit of a waste of the zone 2 outputs)?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Andy

 

[Allan Jayne]

The standard A/V receiver with several input banks and one monitor output is not intended to let you watch one program and record something else at the same time.

It may work coincidentally for you perhaps if you are watching a DVD on a player connected via S-video while recording a broadcast from a cable box connected via composite. Depends on the exact way things were plugged into your receiver.

Even when the receiver has special jacks for VCR in and VCR out, it may still not let you watch one program and record something else.

At least if the thing you want to record is a broadcast, you may be able to record via the VCR's RF, or antenna, connection with the VCR tuned to channel 3 or 4, while watching a DVD via the receiver.

There may be some receivers that allow two things to be processed at the same time, for example DVD to one TV and VCR to a second TV. This will let you record one thing and watch something else. I haven't seen receivers of this kind. How they divide up the audio amplifier sections I wouldn't know, maybe front channels for one source and rear channels for the other?


Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[AndyDixon]

Thanks for the response Allan.

I've been reading through a few AVR manuals that I have downloaded and it seems that there are a few models that allow you to feed a 2nd input to a vcr via the zone 2 circuitry.

This is not really a big issue. I would be happy feeding the output from the cable box into the 2nd input on the vcr.

The main reason for the question is that I'm in the market for an AVR and I'm just trying to get my head around all the features and capabilities to try and work out what functions I actually need/want.

Thanks for the input.
Andy