Questions about home "theater"

[Jenny]

Ok, I have some questions and they are complicated, so I'll try and make it as simple as possible. lol

1) Can you have 2 VCRs hooked up to 1 tv and record different things on them at the same time? For example, if I program in Channel 11 to record at 7:00 on one and program in Channel 13 to record at 7:30 on the other, will that work? Also, can Josh watch tv on a different channel while those record?


2) We have the following pieces of electronics and need them all wired up the best way possible. Please help!

TV
Digital Cable Box
DVD Player
Stereo
(We have a vcr, too, but it's a pain to record anything on it in here with the cable box because you have to have the cable box channel set to the channel you want to record. So if we want to watch something different, you can't record. So that vcr is going on the other tv. See question 1)


Thanks in advance!!! :D

[Tommy Boomfiger]

im not really sure of your situation. if you want to record from digital cable, you can only record one thing at a time per cable box. if you want to record from analog cable you can as long as your vcr can get cable. if you want to record analog tv you can do that too. if the vcr has a full display you wont even have to hook it up to the tv, you should be able to set the time and day right from the vcr. or if it can take vcrplus codes, it would be even simpler. you will need to hook up an antenna to each vcr or you probably wont get any picture.

if your tv has multiple inputs hook each vcr up to a different input but if it only has one you might want an AV switch.

so the answer to the first question is yes, you can record 2 things and watch something else at the same time. i dont know about your cable service, but everyone i know with digital cable gets analog cable on tv's without a digital cable box.

i think that should about cover it, hope it wasnt too confusing.

[Tommy Boomfiger]

Originally posted by Jenny
2) We have the following pieces of electronics and need them all wired up the best way possible. Please help!

TV
Digital Cable Box
DVD Player
Stereo
(We have a vcr, too, but it's a pain to record anything on it in here with the cable box because you have to have the cable box channel set to the channel you want to record. So if we want to watch something different, you can't record. So that vcr is going on the other tv. See question 1)what kind of stereo do you have? is it a boombox type stereo or an AV reciever? these make a big difference on how your hook up will be.

[Jenny]

hehe

Ok, yeah, the 2 VCRs would be in Josh's playroom, which only has the regular cable hookup, not a digital box.

Dopey & I were talking and he was trying to explain something. Lemme ask you to make sure I'm talking to him about the right thing. lol

On the regular cable hookup, can I just get a cable splitter, take 1 to vcr A the other to vcr B. Then what do I do? Probably get one of the AV switches you were talking about?

The stereo... Hmmm....

Boombox type stereo. I'll look on Amazon (where i bought it from a couple of years ago) and see if I can find something similar after dinner. :)

Thanks!

[Tommy Boomfiger]

yeah, use a spitter to the vcr, then hook the vcr to either
a) tv if you have 2 inputs (if your tv has 2 component inputs use that, if it has only one component and one coax, use accordingly.)
b) if your tv only has one coax you will need a way to use 2 coax cables. im not sure whats availible.

since you are using a boombox, you will want to hook up the cable and dvd to the tv and use the audio out from the tv to an auxilary input on the boombox.

[Jenny]

*sigh* ok

I think our tv only has 1 plug thingy. lol I'll have to look. (Yes, that's the technical term. ;) )

Here's a stereo similar to mine:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004SDA5/qid=1031098278/br=1-18/ref=br_lf_etk_ce_av__18/?v=glance&s=audio-video&n=281055

Thanks again :)

[Tommy Boomfiger]

http://www.theforumisdown.com/uploadfiles/0802/B00004SDA5.01.BACK.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
if the back of your boombox is like this, you can hook up your tv's audio out to these connectors.

as for the "plug thingy", most newer tv's will have one connection for the cable and at least one composite input. a composite in will look just like the audio in i highlighted above but there will be another connector for video

[Jenny]

Hrmm, neither of our 2 tvs has anything but the cable plug...

:( lol

[attgig]

Originally posted by Jenny
Hrmm, neither of our 2 tvs has anything but the cable plug...

:( lol

u mean the round thing with the hole in the middle? (coax)

well, you can still hook up your stereo ... i think.
at least from the dvd player to the tv.

but errr, if you only have the coax in on the tv, how are you gonna hoook your dvd player up?

[Jenny]

haha

Hadn't thought of that. Right now, it is hooked into our vcr. Hrmm... I just need to buy a new vcr to put in the playroom with the other one. lol