Marinette Boat Forum

All the vcrs I've used in the past allowed a scheduled time & channel to be recorded. No need to be in front of vcr or tv to record. No need to have the tv turned on. In order to do this you must have the cable service feeding the rf modulator which feeds the vcr which feeds the TV.


I doubt your going to find any kind of digital vcr. Maybe some type of portable DVR??
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Digit ... 3880127392

I get it! That will work great!

Thanks!

Jeff

PS: I bought a BUNCH of used VCRs while the getting was good so I won't be running out of them.

... and these will go well with your stash of "state of the art" audio devices....

Ha ha!

Seeing I don't have a cell phone (and don't want one) I get accused of having "rotary dial phone" mentality.

Jeff

Thought of another potential problem: Digital channels from my cable company are labeled decimally (as in D112.3) instead of the usual analog method (ie; channel 84).

Would my VCR be able to even recognize channel D112.3?

Jeff

I would think you could find out by hooking up one of the VCR's to your cable system (at home?).
- Connect the cable system to the VCR's coax connector (remember, the VCR is just a TV without a screen).
- Connect a set of "RCA jacks" to the back of the VCR (Video OUT <could be a red AND a white> and Audio OUT <Yellow> and run those to the VIDEO IN and AUDIO IN ports on the TV.
- Once connected, it (VCR) should have the ability to be programmed to your cable system. Once it runs thru the channel availability search, you could then view LIVE Channels to the tv (as well as displaying any recorded programs).
- Most VCR's have a switch on the back which tell it whether to use channel 3 or 4 to pass thru to your tv whatever channel you select on the VCR (and those chosen channels numbers should show up on one of the devices (either on the display of the VCR or passed thru to the TV.))
- To view a live channel on the TV that has been selected on the VCR, select the associated channel (3 or 4) on the TV.
NOTE - some TV's also have the ability to use an "AUX" (auxillary) input so you may need to use that to view live channels on the TV as they're selected on the VCR. Or the AUX selection may be used solely for recorded shows.
- You should be able to view the live channels the TV found on the screen of the TV as you rotate thru them (the channels) on the VCR.
- If you don't have a manual for the VCR, you should be able to find one online. Just use Google and do a search for "[manufacturer] [model number] user manual".

Bill

Fastjeff wrote:Thought of another potential problem: Digital channels from my cable company are labeled decimally (as in D112.3) instead of the usual analog method (ie; channel 84).Would my VCR be able to even recognize channel D112.3?Jeff

Bingo. That's zackly what I was referring to in my earlier post. The VCR almost certainly won't be able to tune those digital channels. However, your cable box may pass to the VCR an analog signal that it could record as if were coming from, say, a camera feed. The tuning is done by the cable box, not the VCR which has to take and record anything its gets from the cable box. All this is pretty easily tested at home. You are either in like Flynn or skunked and I hope it's the former

I have something similar at the moment, with my analog VCR seeing what the digital TV sends it. Though I can't tape anything not analog, I can see one show and tape another, and tape when I'm not around--the important things.

Looks like I'll have so send 4 to 500 bucks on a DVR and hope my existing DVD player unit will work with it (same protocol). Ain't no cheapskate way around it!

Jeff

Jeff,
I dumped the cable pig a few years ago. Cost way too much to flip through a bunch of channels with nothing on worth watching. More gas money for the M Problem is, you can't do this if you are a sports junkie. My large TV is a computer monitor basically. So I watch TV via antenna for local HD channels. I watch a lot of stuff via the internet...etc. You guys that like sports can buy NFL internet package on their website.

You can watch and record TV through a laptop or desktop using a TV tuner (silicondust) and Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center is your DVR. You can burn some shows to a DVD depending on the licensing of that show...bla...bla...bla. This stuff makes my head spin, but somehow I got it all hooked up. Jeff I do not think you will find a way to record and burn to DVD because of all the legal copyright laws. The only way i know to do what you want is to buy a silicondust tuner, hookup to your laptop and record what you want via Windows Media Center. When you go to the boat, take your laptop and hook it to your TV on the boat via HDMI cable and watch what you have recorded in Windows Media Center.

Jeff you have helped me so many times, I hope this helps you. Call me if you need to talk about it. I will PM my number.


http://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHom ... ilicondust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboJT3ea_Ik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Wslszo-rY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN1Z0oKwELk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKpqmkpkyOA

Watched the video. (Thanks!) Now there is an option that might work. (I'll need to run my TV cable to my man cave--no problem.)

One concern is this: Will my DVD player play the stuff I record (off the PC)? They tend to be 'fussy' in some cases. Know how I could test this before hand (like recording ?? something from my PC and trying to play it)?

Jeff

PS: I assume that 'Silicon Dust' unit is the only 'black box' unit I need, for I have the Media Center, cables and etc.