cable box to vcr/tv problem?

Usually the cable box outlet cord goes into the back of a vcr, or dvd player. The front connections on a vcr or dvd are usually called

'AV1' or AV front, and the ones on the back are called 'AV2' or AVrear. You may have a button on your remote called 'source' that you can set to one of these, or to the one called 'TV'

Here's the right way to do what you want:

1. Connect your cable wall outlet to the cable box as usual.

2. Connect the component output of the box (red-blue-green video plus red-white audio) to the component input on the TV.

3. Connect the auxiliary RF output on the box (like an antenna jack) to the antenna input of the VCR. Connect the composite (yellow-red-white) output of the VCR to the composite (a.k.a. "A-V") input on the TV.

4. Turn on the VCR and the TV, select the A-V input with the TV's remote. Bring up the menu on the VCR, set its tuner to channel 3 and leave it there permanently. On the TV you should now see an analog version of whatever channel is selected on the cable box. If you don't, change the VCR to channel 4. It will be on one or the other.

5. To record something off the cable box, just set up the VCR timer in the usual manner. Only change channels on the cable box. You cannot record a channel in this manner while you are watching a different one. Remember that the VCR is strictly an analog device, so anything you record will be in analog, not HD.

6. To watch cable channels in HD, just use the TV's remote to change its input to the component jacks (see #2 above). If you want, you can watch a program in HD while it's being recorded on the VCR.

You can't go thru the cable box with your vcr, you have to connect your vcr directly into the tv. If you have an SD tv and you want to be able to record, call cablevision and ask how and if you can use a VCR with their service. Most people now use cable boxes with built in recorders.

If all you want to do is watch vcr tapes and not tape new things, just connect the vcr's yellow, red/white cables directly into the tv then select the video 1 input on the tv's remote to watch.

Usually, there is a red, white and yellow for connections.. Yellow is for video, red and white for audio.! I believe the red, green and blue are for component TV.. (Does not carry audio..)