Learn How to Connect a Home Theater System to a DVR

Learn How to Connect a Home Theater System to a DVR
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Connecting Your DVR to Your Home Theater System

DVR systems are pretty cool. You can record live programming so that you can watch it at a later date. You can even record two separate programs simultaneously. But, now that you have it fresh out of the box, how do you connect a home theater system to a DVR? Good question. And, there are number of ways in which you can connect this component to your home theater system.

Connecting Your DVR to Your Cable Box

If you have a cable box, here’s how you connect your DVR to your home theater system.

Look at the different color cables. Each cable, red, blue, yellow, etc., of the DVR has a corresponding color on the cable box. You just need to match them up.

  1. Take the cables, and plug the corresponding colors into the Output plugs of your cable box.

  2. Take the other ends of the cables and plug them into the Input plugs of your DVR.

  3. Test the setup.

If you are able to pull up your cable channels, you have it connected correctly. If not, try experimenting with the plugs. You should also check your DVR to see if it’s on the right Source setting.

Connecting Your DVR to an Older TV

If you have an older TV, then you will need to hook up your DVR via a coaxial cable in your home theater.

  1. Connect the cable for your left speaker (white) to the DVR’s left audio output plug.
  2. Connect the other end of the coaxial cable to your televisions left audio input plug.
  3. Repeat the above steps for the right (red) cables.
  4. Input the yellow video cable from the DVR output plug to the TV input plug.

Connecting Your DVR to a Newer TV

For newer home theater system televisions, you can use composite, component or S-video A/V cables. Composite/component inputs will only have one prong; the S-Video input will have several prongs. This will assist you in distinguishing between the two types. To connect your DVR to your home theater system via these sources, follow the below procedures:

  1. Connect the red RCA (composite/component) cables to the red output plug on the DVR. These will be the right plugs.
  2. Connect the white RCA cable to the white output (left) plug on the DVR.
  3. Follow the above procedures for connecting the other end of the cables to your television. These will go in the input jacks on the television.
  4. Plug in the yellow RCA video cable to the DVR output plug and the other end into the TV’s video input plug.
  5. Connect the S-Video cable into the television’s S-Video input plug. Place the other end into the S-Video output plug on the DVR.
  6. Test the DVR. If you have a picture, you have connected it correctly. If not, check the system to see if you have correctly inputted all cables. Check the TV to see if it’s on the right Source setting.

If you are using an audio receiver, you need to connect a coaxial or optical digital audio cable into the DVR to hear your audio through the receiver.