How to Get Digital Cable From Your VCR

by Maya Austen
You can pass a cable signal from a cable box through a VCR to a TV.

You can pass a cable signal from a cable box through a VCR to a TV.

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To get digital cable from your VCR you must first subscribe to a cable TV service such as Comcast or Time Warner Cable. After subscribing to the service you must then install the service. If you have a VCR that is equipped with a built-in QAM tuner, connecting the main cable signal directly to the VCR allows you to program the VCR to pick up the nonencrypted digital cable channels. To pick up the full range of digital cable channels offered in your cable TV package however, you must pass the signal from a cable set-top box through the VCR.

Connect Main Cable Signal Directly to a VCR with a Built QAM Tuner

Step 1

Plug the coaxial cable connected to the cable wall outlet, put in by your cable company's technician, into the RF In nodule on the rear panel of the VCR. Secure the cable to the nodule by turning clockwise the screw-on connector at the end of the cable.

Step 2

Use another coaxial cable to connect the RF Out nodule on the VCR to the RF "Antenna In" nodule on the TV set.

Step 3

Turn on the TV and VCR. Tune the TV to channel 3.

Step 4

Press "Menu" on the VCR remote. Use the arrow buttons on the remote to navigate to the Channel Setup menu. Locate and select the automatic "CATV" channel-scan option.

Pass the Digital Cable Signal Through the VCR

Step 1

Connect the coaxial cable connected to the cable wall outlet, put in by your cable company's technician, to the RF "Cable In" nodule on the rear panel of the cable box.

Step 2

Insert one end of the AV cable with the red plugs into the VCR's red AV "Audio R Out" jack. Insert one end of the AV cable with the white plugs into the VCR's white AV "Audio L Out" jack. Insert one end of the AV cable with the yellow plugs into the VCR's red AV "Video Out" jack. Connect the other end of each AV cable to the matching-colored "AV In" jack on the back of the cable box.

Step 3

Use the remaining set of AV cables to connect the VCR's "AV Out" jacks to the color-corresponding "AV In" jacks on the TV set.

Step 4

Turn on the TV, VCR and cable box.

Step 5

Change the TV's video input channel to AV using the "Input" button on the TV remote control. Change the VCR's video input channel to AV. Generally this is accomplished by using the "Input" or "Source" button on the VCR remote control. In other instances you have to use the VCR's channel buttons to tune the VCR to the channel designated for the AV inputs. Refer to the VCR's owners manual if you are unsure how to set the device's video input channel.

Tip

  • Often VCRs equipped with a QAM tuner are combination DVD recorders and VCR devices. Check your VCR's specifications in the owner's manual if you are unsure if your VCR has a QAM tuner.

About the Author

Maya Austen began freelance writing in 2009. She has written for many online publications on a wide variety of topics ranging from physical fitness to amateur astronomy. She's also an author and e-book publisher. Austen has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the New England Institute of Art and currently lives in Boston, Mass.

Photo Credits

  • Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images