How do I hook up a DVR, DVD/VCR player and TV together with a slave tv

[rjpaschen]

My tv has a area marked "in" with a s-video port and video1, L R and video2, L R. Then another area marked "DVD in" with a Y, PB and PR and audio L R and finally a area marked "out" that has V, L and R. There also is a 75 ohm ant.

My DVD/VCR player has a area marked "DVD output" with Y, PB/CB and PR/CR ports and a s-video. Then there is a area marked " DVD/VCR" with a V, L and R in, and v, L and R out, and a VHF/UHF in and out

My dvr is a model R22-200. It has in componet out ports for Y, PB, PR and V1, L and R and V2, L and R. There is also a s-video port.

I have a coax run to a slave tv and have a RF modulator. It isn't necessary that the slave run movies from the DVD/VCR player. Would be okay if possible but primarly I would like the slave to play direct tv and shows I've recorded with direct tv. Thanks for any help. Also, can rca cables (red, white and yellow) be used if I need to use the Y, PB and PR ports?

[MrBoylan]

My tv has a area marked "in" with a s-video port and video1, L R and video2, L R. Then another area marked "DVD in" with a Y, PB and PR and audio L R and finally a area marked "out" that has V, L and R. There also is a 75 ohm ant.

My DVD/VCR player has a area marked "DVD output" with Y, PB/CB and PR/CR ports and a s-video. Then there is a area marked " DVD/VCR" with a V, L and R in, and v, L and R out, and a VHF/UHF in and out

My dvr is a model R22-200. It has in componet out ports for Y, PB, PR and V1, L and R and V2, L and R. There is also a s-video port.

I have a coax run to a slave tv and have a RF modulator. It isn't necessary that the slave run movies from the DVD/VCR player. Would be okay if possible but primarly I would like the slave to play direct tv and shows I've recorded with direct tv. Thanks for any help. Also, can rca cables (red, white and yellow) be used if I need to use the Y, PB and PR ports?

The highest quality connection to use between your DirecTV box and your TV (and your DVD/VCR and TV) is component video with stereo audio. So if you're primarily interested in getting the highest quality picture on TV 1, then get yourself a component video switcher, so you can connect both the DVD/VCR and DVR to the one component input on your TV.
This will cover you for DVDs and DirecTV viewing on TV #1.

In order to watch tapes, you will also need to connect the DVD/VCR's "DVD/VCR" output to your main TV which you can connect to the TV's "Video 1" input using a set of white/red/yellow A/V cables. If you connect everything this way, then you will switch the component video switch to input 1 and the TV to "DVD" when watching DirecTV, and switch the component switch to input 2, and the TV to "DVD" when watching DVDs. You would switch the TV to "video 1" when watching VHS tapes.

If you want to be able to record from the DirecTV receiver to tape (or if you want to simply use the DVD/VCR as a video switch to broadcast the DirecTV signal to TV2), then hook up the DVR's V1 outputs (yellow/white/red) to the VCR/DVD's Yellow/white/red INPUTS. Switch the DVD/VCR to its LINE input to watch or record the signal from the DirecTV DVR on the DVD/VCR.

In terms of this "slave" TV, I'm not 100% sure what you're trying to accomplish with that. Do you want it to display whatever is on the main TV at all times? If so, then you *SHOULD* be able to use the TV's Yellow/white/red (video/stereo audio) OUTPUTs into your RF modulator and then into the antenna input on the second "slave" TV. The TV should be able to convert the component video inputs of the DISH DVR and DVD player to composite output which will then be modulated and sent to the second TV where you'd tune in the signal via channel 3 or 4 of that TV.

If you'd rather save money and not buy the component video switch, then use the DISH DVR's "V2" (yellow/white/red) output into the TV's video 2 input instead. This won't be quite as high quality a picture as using component video, but it should still look OK and will make for slightly simpler wiring.

But if you want to be able to watch TV on TV2 *without* TV1 being on, then your best option would be to use the coax output of your DVD/VCR directly to TV2's antenna input (with that TV tuned to channel 3 or 4). When you want to watch DirecTV, set the DVD/VCR to its "Line Input," when you want to watch tapes, set it to VCR mode and when you want to watch DVDs, set it to DVD mode. Actually this option is probably better than using the modulator and TV output at all, as it makes everything simpler.

In terms of your other question, yes you *can* use those cheap yellow/white/red cables for component video (red/green/blue) but you may not get great results this way. Also, remember you still have to carry the audio separately - you need a total of 5 RCA cables for component video and audio - Y, Pr, Pb, Left audio, Right audio.

Here are some links you might find useful, to a component video switch review and to some cheap but decent A/V cables:

• Impact Acoustics 3-Play Component Video/Digital Audio Selector/Switcher: Review by Joe Lozito on BigPictureBigSound
• Parts Express:Component Video Cable 6 ft.
• Parts Express:Belkin PureAV Blue Series Stereo RCA Patch Cable 6 ft.
• Parts Express:Belkin AV Master Series Audio/Video Cable 6 ft.

Hope it helps.

-CB