Can I send my digital TV signal to my analogue DVD/HDD recorder?

May 13, 2007 9:03 PM

Can I send my digital TV signal to my analogue DVD/HDD recorder?

I have a TV with a built-in high-definition digital receiver. My DVD/hard disk recorder, however, has a shitty analogue receiver.

I have been trying to get the DVD to accept the signal from the AV-out of the TV, so I can record at digital-quality (reception is way way way better) but with no luck. Any advice on how/whether this can be done? I have tried using the red-yellow-white cables, but don't particularly feel like throwing $ away on s-video / DVI etc cables unless I am convinced that it can be done...

Australian context, if that makes any difference.

posted by UbuRoivas to technology (7 answers total)

When you say 'no luck', what do you mean?

I have a similar recorder (single analog tuner), and as long as you have a spare (and appropriate) output from your set-top box, I don't see why there would be a problem.

I've used the rear inputs on my recorder to make up for a lack of inputs on my receiver, but haven't recorded anything yet... but surely that's what those inputs are there for.
posted by pompomtom at 9:24 PM on May 13, 2007

Yeah, you're going to have to be more specific.
posted by rhizome at 9:36 PM on May 13, 2007

no luck = no picture, glitchy humming sound, a bit like a skipping ambient electronica CD.

no set top box here. the receiver is built into the tv itself, although that shouldn't make a difference - it should just be a matter of where the technology is physically located.

the tv manual indicates that the AV-out plugs (red-yellow-white) can be used to connect a second tv. i would assume that by this stage the signal has been converted to analogue. in any case, i connected the AV-out at the back of the tv to one of the sets of AV-in plugs at the back of the dvd recorder. the idea would be to tune the tv to the desired recording channel, and the signal would flow along the wires to the dvd recorder, which is then set to the AV1 input. all i get, tho, is the aforementioned glitchy sound.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:40 PM on May 13, 2007

I'd've done just what you have... and been annoyed too. Have you got a spare TV to check that it's not just a faulty output on the TV?
posted by pompomtom at 9:57 PM on May 13, 2007

um, no, but i might be able to hook up a vcr for that purpose. good thinking.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:04 PM on May 13, 2007

Also, do you need to configure the TV to use that port as the AV-out port? Some TV's will let you choose whether to use AV-out as either an out or an in (giving you more inputs if you need them).

Another test you could do would be to wire the red and white AV-out cables into your stereo and see if sound comes out there...

Also, just for clarification, is this a composite (yellow-red-white) connection directly on the TV, or are you using some kind of scart connector (big thick connector with AV-out on the end of it)... I ask because you suggest you could also use s-video etc
posted by ranglin at 6:26 PM on May 14, 2007

is this a composite (yellow-red-white) connection directly on the TV

yes.

Another test you could do would be to wire the red and white AV-out cables into your stereo and see if sound comes out there...

yes, that works. in fact, the DVD/HDD recorder was able to record the sound coming out of the TV across these wires, but not the picture, leading me to suspect that the picture might be exiting the AV-out of the TV in a digital form...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:03 PM on May 14, 2007