Connecting a DVD recorder question

H

HelenS

Guest
I apologise in advance for my ignorance here (and the length of this posting), but I'd be grateful for any advice. I've a DVD recorder arriving this afternoon, and whilst trial and error may well be the answer in connecting it, I've been perusing an online version of its manual and starting to wonder about the possible complications (plus, the main TV's so darn heavy it's practically impossible for me to shunt around to mess repeatedly with the connections!).

My current setup (before the DVD recorder arrives):

Room 1:

Sony KV28LS35 TV (maybe I'm a weakling but this thing feels as if it's filled with concrete!)
Panasonic NV-FJ710 VCR
Panasonic S35 DVD player

Room 2:

Samsung TV (modern, NICAM, but can't remember the number!)

All this lot is just receiving ordinary, analogue terrestrial TV. We have just a single aerial and socket, so it's connected up as follows:

The aerial is connected to the RF input of the VCR. Its RF output goes to the input of a 2-room splitter/amplifier (mains powered, in the room). From output one of the amp, an RF lead goes to the Sony TV. Output 2 connects via an RF lead to the Samsung TV in the other room. That is the ONLY connection to the Samsung TV, in fact.

From the VCR's AV1 SCART is a lead to SCART AV1 on the Sony TV. From the S35 DVD player's only SCART goes a lead to SCART AV2 on the Sony TV, and that's it.

With this setup, we get: live TV to both TV sets, VCR playback to both TV sets (presumably mono only on the Samsung TV as it only has an RF connection, though I can't say I've ever noticed!), DVD playback to just the Sony TV in room 1, which is fine, and nothing interferes with anything else.

Now, we are going to replace the DVD player with a Panasonic DVD recorder (the DMR-E55). We're hanging onto the VCR for now since it has some pretty useful features (tape library, subtitle record etc.). Ideally therefore, I'd like to keep the VCR connected as it is now, with the ability to pipe the playback through to both TVs. DVD playback from the recorder would be fine just going to the main Sony TV.

So, what do I need to do? I'm thinking: split the aerial lead, leaving the connections to the VCR as they are thereafter, and having the new branch of aerial lead into the DVD recorder's aerial input, and then connecting one of the DVD's SCARTs to AV2 on the Sony TV (in place of the DVD player). Would that work or am I being too simplistic? Do I need to connect the DVD recorder's RF output to anything? (Can't to the TV, it's already occupied by the lead from the amp [which if the amp was out of the loop would be the RF out lead from the VCR]). I don't need the ability for the DVD recorder's playback to reach the other TV, nor do I need to be able to record anything from the DVD onto tapes or vice versa (if that's possible anyway - told you I was ignorant!). It's got me wondering as the instructions for the E55 DVD recorder talk about putting SCART connections between it and the VCR (in a particular order - the DVD must not be connected through the VCR, but vice-versa) but I can't understand why I'd need to connect the two together...

All I would like is for the tuners of the two - DVD recorder and VCR - to operate independently and without upsetting each other (and the TVs independently too of course).

Thanks in advance and sorry for my denseness.

Helen
 
Is there some reason that you are still in the dark ages of analogue TV.

Most programming on digital TV is now widescreen and an £80 Freeview decoder will bring you much better quality pictures simply by using the RGB video output which is normally streets ahead of the composite signal which is all that's available from an analogue signal.

To do a DVD Recorder justice you should be feeding it the best possible signal and a scart lead from the freeview box to the dvd recorder and a further scart from the recorder to AV1 on your TV will bring you glorious widescreen pictures in RGB
 
Ian J said:
Is there some reason that you are still in the dark ages of analogue TV.

Most programming on digital TV is now widescreen and an £80 Freeview decoder will bring you much better quality pictures simply by using the RGB video output which is normally streets ahead of the composite signal which is all that's available from an analogue signal.

To do a DVD Recorder justice you should be feeding it the best possible signal and a scart lead from the freeview box to the dvd recorder and a further scart from the recorder to AV1 on your TV will bring you glorious widescreen pictures in RGB

Thanks for the reply! Er, yes - there is a reason I'm still in the dark ages - believe it or not, according to Freeview, there's no reception where I live (which is surprising because I'm nowhere out of the way, at all. However, terrestrial reception's always been a shade dodgy here, so...). Equally strangely, I've had no big urge to get cable, satellite or anything so far, because I find enough to watch on those measly five channels!

Fortunately the Panasonic E55 is working happily, without disrupting any of the other equipment - the nice chap who delivered it made the connections (without me seeing, actually) and until I get up the strength to drag the apparently lead-lined Sony TV around I won't quite know what he did - except it was a heck of a lot simpler than I envisaged from the E55's instructions!

Thanks very much for your help.

Helen
 
for anyone else an E55 connects just a VCR, aerial in and out and scart feed to TV.
Suggest you move old Panny DVD to second room,
And IAN J Analogue TV reception (on a good TV) with a good analogue feed is much better PQ than freeview!!!!!! Less choice, better PQ!
 
hornydragon said:
And IAN J Analogue TV reception (on a good TV) with a good analogue feed is much better PQ than freeview!!!!!! Less choice, better PQ!

Not widescreen though
 

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