VCR will not record

What is your signal source and cable type? If your signal is being transmitted by a composite video cable, you need to upgrade the cable to component video or HDMI. (The cable you use depends on the device providing the signal.)

Next you need to set the set top box to an HD signal, if it has that feature. The steps will vary depending on the source. Please add a comment with the source for specific steps. (If you have cable, internet TV or satellite TV, you may need to contact your provider to enable HD programming. Many services charge an extra fee for HD content.)

I hope this helps.
Cindy Wells
(The source really does matter. My DVD recorder only records SD content. Even though I have the TV set connected to the unit with a component video cable, I don't get HD signal from those recordings or from the Digital-to-Analog OTA converter box that feeds the recorder.)

Most Goldstar VCRs only have an analog tuner. (TVs do not often have an option to output their video to another device.)

So first what is the source of the TV program? If it is an OTA analog or CATV cable. Set up the VCR normally by connecting the incoming signal cable to the VCR and then use the coax out to the TV. Scan for channels and set the VCR to record the desired program. (Either use the timed record or one touch record method.)

If your source is digital, you will need a set top box (either a digital to analog converter or cable box). To split an incoming OTA signal between your TV and the converter box, you can use a switch or a splitter. (A splitter will give lower signal strength to both the TV and the converter box.)

Depending on the box, you can either connect a coax cable from the box to the VCR and then to the TV or composite video from the box to the VCR. If you use coax, set the converter to channel 3 or channel 4 and record that channel. Otherwise set the VCR to record Line 1.

To record, put in a tape with sufficient space available with an intact safety tab. For One Touch Recording, set the VCR to the desired channel and tape speed. Then press Rec. Press several time for a timed recording. For Timed recording, press Menu > Program. Press Select and move through the list to program day to record, the start/stop time, and channel, etc. When done, press Menu to save the setting. The timer light should come on (most VCRs will turn off).

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

A VCR cannot record HD programming. To record non-HD programs, you would need to hook the cable coming out of your cable box to your VCR, and then have a cable going from your VCR to your TV. If you hook it up this way though, there is a chance that you may have to have your VCR on in order to watch TV.

You don't record from TV, you record from cable so cable needs to be hooked up to input on VCR.
If you don't use cable box you would hook cable to VCR then out of VCR to TV. If you use cable box then you need to connect Video and Audio outputs on cable box to Video and Audio inputs on VCR and switch input of VCR to Line input.

Here are a few items to check and how you need to set your recording.

1. Your HD box should have a coax out (or to TV) connection on the back of the box.
2. Connect a coax cable from the back of the HD box to the "RF IN (FROM ANT.)" in the back of the VCR.
3. When you set your VCR to record you need to set it to copy channel 3 and tune the HD box to the channel you want to record.
This should fix your problem...

Good Luck...

You should be able to accomplish this. Run the antenna to your converter box. Run the video and audio outputs of the digital converter box to the inputs on your vcr. Your vcr should then be able to record the program (select line-in as the channel when setting up the recording). Hook your vcr audio and video output to your tv.
It's best to use a converter box that has an event timer - this allows the converter box to turn on at a specified time and channel. Otherwise you will need to manually set the channel you wish to record on the converterbox, and leave it turned on.

1st, see if you can get another cable box that offers component as well as RCA outputs on the back. Does your cable box have S Video out and does your toshiba have S Video in? If so, hook up the S Video from cable box to Toshiba. Then hook up R&W audio from Cable Box out to Toshiba In. Set the channel on the cable box to what you want to record. Set Toshiba to record channel 3 or 4, whichever your Toshiba is set on. The cable box controls the channel you are recording. You cannot set the recorder to the channel you want to record. It must be either 3 or 4. Try it. If everything else fails, you have to go cable from wall to cable in on cable box, cable out on cable box to cable in on Toshiba then either cable or RCA out on Toshiba to TV.

I have been able to record down converted HDTV shows on my Panasonic DMR-EH50 recorder directly to the unit's hard drive and/or directly to a blank DVD-R disc.

I do not know of any DTV converter box that can provide the proper codes to the Panasonic DMR-EH50 to allow recording and scheduling of shows using the unit's built in TV Guide menuing functions (the program recording codes are essentially VCR Plus codes in the USA and VCR Video codes in the UK, and this technology was previously owned by TV Guide/Gemstar but was purchased by Macrovision within the past couple of years.)

When the DMR-EH50 is hooked up to standard RG-59/U coaxial TV cable, the cable company provides the specific VCR Plus recording codes, as well as auto setting the time and date information required for the TV Guide recording schedule menus. The VCR Plus recording codes are sent via the cable company through the coaxial cable to the end consumer's recording device. Since Gemstar's VCR-Plus patents are now owned by Macrovision, I am not sure of how this works (or will work) for non-cable/non-satellite customers or if such codes will be made available by Macrovision to record shows when one receives HDTV signals (or down converted DTV signals) from an over-the-air antenna.

Though the DMR-EH50 recorder can only record at Standard Definition (SD) broadcast resolutions, I connect the DMR-EH50 to my High Definition TV using the three progressive scan YPBPR output cables and switch my HD-TV into the YPBPR mode when I want to watch shows from the DMR-EH50.

YPBPR are the analog video signals carried by three color coded component video cables. The green cable carries the Y signal; the blue cable carries the PB signal; and the red cable carries the PR signal. The added benefit of using the YPBPR hookup is that you can 'up convert' a standard DVD disc (non HD Blu-Ray disc) in progressive scan mode to somethin akin to 720p resolution using the DM-EH50 (or any other progressive scan DVD player) to get a better quality image on your HD-TV.

Visually speaking, the same appears to hold true for playback of programs recorded on the DMR-EH50's hard drive even though down converted via the DTV converter box, and when played back on an HD-TV using the YPBPR progressive scan cabling hookup.

I also been able to successfully record programs from the DTV converter box to the DMR-EH50 recorder in both 16:9 wide screen and 4:3 normal aspect ratios, but again only in Standard Definition quality.

For NTSC and PAL formats, the correct aspect ratios for any particular TV (the rectangular height and width of your output resolution for a TV screen) can usually be setup correctly for most any DTV converter box by going carefully through the menus on the converter box. Though the converted DTV often will yield 'better looking TV' than cable, it's certainly not high definition however, as the purpose of any DTV converter box is * not * to yield a High Definition digital TV signal but a lower quality Standard Definition signal for viewing on older SD-TVs.

We must remember that what is happening here is that (by NTSC USA standards), we are transcoding (i.e., down converting) an over the air 1920 x 1080p (progressive scan) High Definition digital broadcast signal, captured by your over the air antenna, back to a Standard Definition 720 x 480 resolution analog broadcast signal (the 720 x 480 resolution is a 4:3 aspect ratio.)

Hope this helps a little -

Greg Loveria
Conklin, NY USA

if you mean the digital set-top box (freeview) then it connects to the tv via scart just to deliver a signal but the vcr uses ordinary aerial input to record it's programs.. you cannot get a 'HD box' to plug into a tv the tv is either HD ready or it is not

Hi Seve.
Not sure what is meant by 'HD cable box'.
If you mean a DSD (Digital Satellite Decoder), then the built-in firmware prevents recording (of composite video signal).
In our country the SP requires that you buy a dedicated 'Explora' decoder which allows recording.
HD cable technology may have introduced similar anti-piracy measures.
{reminder to me: Google "HD cable TV" :)