ChatterBank6 mins ago
New Tv Old Vhs
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Just bought new tv, obviously loads of inputs etc, trying to get vcr to work through it, can play tapes with picture okay, but vcr will not tune into tv channels? It scans but will not detect any, aerial is okay because works on tv...any ideas? TIA
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.The VCR probably has an analogue tuner and no analogue broadcasts are made nowadays, so you never will get it to receive live broadcasts. Playing back stuff you recorded some time ago is nothing to do with the current tuner - the VCR takes the information stored on the tape and puts out a digital signal to your TV via the SCART/HDMI lead.
There will have been no need to retune the VCR. Your new tv will need to be tuned to pick up the vcr output "channel". Yo should find this facility on the tv remote, probably in the "TV" sub menu( the one that does not say AV(which gives the Audio Visual inputs via HDM sockets etc.) Yo can set the tv to scan for the vcr, like it does when looking for tv channels but the vcr will need to be playing probably(so that you recognise it as vcr output).
If your tv tuner is not compatible with the vcr output you will need to connect it via the Audio Video leads Red White & Yellow. If your vcr only has yellow and white(meaning mono sound) connect the white out to the mono input on the TV. If the tv does not have a yellow (video in) jack but has a green one then connect the yellow vcr video out to the tv green video in.
As others have indicated, a VHS VCR uses its OWN built-in tuner to provide a signal to the recording part of the machine (and NOT the tuner in the TV set that it then feeds a signal to).
To the best of my knowledge, no VCR was ever manufactured with a DIGITAL tuner inside it, so ALL VCRs ceased to be able to RECORD programmes (other than as below) when the digital switchover was completed back in 2012. (However VCRs can still PLAY tapes, as that doesn't required the use of a tuner circuit).
The only way you can use a VCR to record TV programmes is to provide a signal from another device that's got a digital tuner built into it. A Freeview set-top box is such a device. The aerial is connected to the set-top box, with channel selection being accomplished via that box. The output from the set-top box is then fed to the input of the VCR. (If the VCR has a Scart input, hen a Scart-to-Scart cable can be used. However most VCRs only have Scart OUTPUTS, and NOT inputs. So it's necessary to use a Scart-to-Phono lead and the RCA input on the VCR). Then the VCR is set to record from an external source (typically indicated by 'Aux', 'Ext' or something similar), rather than from any numbered channel.
To the best of my knowledge, no VCR was ever manufactured with a DIGITAL tuner inside it, so ALL VCRs ceased to be able to RECORD programmes (other than as below) when the digital switchover was completed back in 2012. (However VCRs can still PLAY tapes, as that doesn't required the use of a tuner circuit).
The only way you can use a VCR to record TV programmes is to provide a signal from another device that's got a digital tuner built into it. A Freeview set-top box is such a device. The aerial is connected to the set-top box, with channel selection being accomplished via that box. The output from the set-top box is then fed to the input of the VCR. (If the VCR has a Scart input, hen a Scart-to-Scart cable can be used. However most VCRs only have Scart OUTPUTS, and NOT inputs. So it's necessary to use a Scart-to-Phono lead and the RCA input on the VCR). Then the VCR is set to record from an external source (typically indicated by 'Aux', 'Ext' or something similar), rather than from any numbered channel.