How to Connect a VCR to a TV With a Converter Box

By James Clark

The VCR is still a popular choice for recording TV programs.
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VCRs remain a practical choice for recording television programs despite the burgeoning popularity of digital recording equipment such as TiVo and DVD recorders. Your VCR will operate slightly differently when connected to a digital converter box, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with a few basics before you begin recording your favorite movies and TV shows.

Step 1

Disconnect the power to all equipment before you make any connections.

Step 2

Plug the red and white audio cables into the "Audio Out" jacks of your VCR, and then plug the other ends of the cables into the "Audio Input" jacks on the back of the converter box.

Step 3

Plug a second set of red and white audio cables into the input jacks on the VCR. Connect the other ends to the audio Output jacks on the digital converter box.

Step 4

Connect yellow video cables to the video input and output jacks on the VCR.

Step 5

Connect the yellow video cable from the VCR's input jack to the video output jack on the converter box. Next, connect the video cable from the VCR's output jack to the input jack on the converter box.

Step 6

Set your VCR to channel 3 or 4, depending on the manufacturer's instructions for your particular model, and then set your converter box to the channel you wish to record.

Step 7

Insert a blank videocassette in the VCR and press "Record"; alternately, program the VCR to begin recording at a particular time.

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