How to Connect a Digital TV Converter with a DVD Player or VCR

Connecting a digital TV converter box with your television is a simple process. However, when you are trying to connect a DTV converter with your DVD player or VCR, the process becomes more confusing. Many people find that adding a DTV converter box to their home entertainment equipment setup causes problems with the way they record and play back programs. Also, the more complicated your home entertainment setup is, the more likely you are to have problems with the connections. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to solve these problems. The first step is knowing the proper order in which to connect your DTV converter box, television, DVD player and VCR.

First, make sure that you have an antenna that is sufficiently powerful to pick up digital signals. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a "digital" antenna. An old outdoor or "rabbit ears" antenna will do in most cases. Connect the antenna to the back of the DTV converter box using a long radio frequency (RF) coaxial cable. Then connect the DTV converter box by coaxial cable to the back of the VCR or DVD player. Then use coaxial cable to line the back of the television set. If your television is very old, you may need to attach a channel splitter to the end of the coaxial cable to separate the UHF and VHF bands. Tune your television to channel 3 or 4, and then set the same channel on the back of the DTV converter box.

If you are using an analog VCR, you must tune your VCR to channel 3 or 4, then use that channel exclusively for recording directly off the DTV converter box. You will lose the ability to pre-program VCR recordings by channel. You will still be able to set timer programs on the VCR, but you will have to set the channel manually before the timer starts. These same basic connections should also work for setting up a DVD recorder.

If you are setting up a DVD player, you have the option to use an alternate connection method, such as RCA or component video, to connect it to your DTV converter box and television. This is because a DVD player has no receiver, so it does not need a coaxial connection to provide radio frequency signal. When using this method, use the RCA cable to connect the DTV converter box to the DVD player's input ports, and then connect the RCA or component video outputs on the DVD player to the input on the television. Use the "Input" or "Source" button on the DVD player or DVR remote to switch between DVD playback and DTV input. You can also use RCA cables to set up both a DVD player and a VCR to your television, since most TVs and DTV converters have only one coaxial port. To achieve this setup, simply use coaxial cables to connect the VCR to the television, but use RCA cables to set up the DVD player.

These tips should help you to connect your DTV converter box with a VCR, DVD player or DVR. If you have trouble, consult the documentation for your home theater equipment.

For more information, read Hooking Up Your Digital Converter Box and How to Set Up Your Digital TV or Converter Box.