Can You Connect a DVD to Your TV through Your VCR?
Mar 26 '01 (Updated Feb 07 '02)
The Bottom Line With a DVD player running through a VCR, copy protection wrecks the picture. Online source says this is true with 95% of consumer VCR's.
I recently came across an editorial in this category ("DVD-TV Compatibility") in which the author stated that, after receiving a DVD player as a gift, he read the posts here on connecting a DVD player to a TV through a VCR and discovered that several Epinions warned against doing this because the "copyright protection" (I think he meant copy protection) would negatively impact the image quality. According to this editorial, its author owned a TV which only had an RF (antenna) input jack, so connection through the VCR was basically his only option.
Those Home Entertainment Gurus
The author of this editorial noted that, as he put it, based on the statements of the "home entertainment gurus" (I've yet to see anybody refer to themselves as a "guru" in the Electronics section), he "might as well not have a DVD player with the ‘obsolete' equipment [he] had." In fact, this person said he was initially thrown into a state of "disappointment and frustration" due to the information he received. Not only that, but he interpreted the advice in the other editorials to mean that he "had to go out and buy a new TV, new VCR, and probably a new entertainment center (to fit the new larger TV) because my equipment was just ‘inadequate' for the ‘DVD experience.'"
On Being Tweaked
Wow. No wonder the guy was upset. But wait, the story doesn't end there. This person claims to have discovered that, in fact, he could connect the DVD player to his VCR and in turn connect the VCR to the TV (which had only the antenna input jack). He claimed that the picture quality he got with this configuration was "fine" and "the picture was 10 times better than the VCR." He also said that a tight budget made it impossible to upgrade his equipment (other than having the DVD player) and he suggested that other owners of older TV's with only RF inputs also buy DVD players, relying on being able to connect them through their VCR's.
Connecting DVD to TV through VCR on the IRT, LBJ
I'm very happy that this individual was successful in connecting his DVD player to his TV through his VCR, and that he got such gratification out of what he felt was a case of proving the "home entertainment gurus" wrong. As one of the people who included cautionary information in a review on the subject of connecting a DVD player to a TV through a VCR, I hope I haven't contributed to giving the guy a complex or thinking his equipment is inadequate or something.
However, believe it or not, there are some cases where the "home entertainment gurus" actually know what they're talking about (in fact, the author of the editorial noted himself that the owner's manual that came with his DVD player also advised against connecting it through a VCR -- so if you can't believe your own owner's manual, who can you trust?).
The Basics of TV Inputs
First of all, let me quickly explain how this situation comes about. On some TV's, the only input is an antenna jack, a small silver jack, usually labeled "RF" or "antenna," which is designed to take the plug from the cable which comes from a radio-frequency source (usually broadcast television) such as a TV antenna, the output from a cable TV box, or the RF output from a VCR.
Keep in mind that, with an RF signal, the video (picture) and audio (sound) information are all combined on the single cable. It's becoming less and less frequent that you find TV's with RF-input only. There are almost no new TV's above the 20-inch screen size (or even below it, in most cases) which only have an RF input. With some very rare, and usually extremely inexpensive, exceptions, the TV's now on the market will at least also sport a composite video input jack.
The composite-video input is an RCA jack (the type used, for example, to connect the input from your turntable to your stereo). Almost without exception, the composite-video RCA jack is yellow and it is typically labeled "video," "video in," or "A/V." As this type of input carries video only, it will always have next to it an audio input. With a mono TV, there will be a single white RCA jack, usually labeled "audio" or "audio in,"which takes the audio, while on a stereo TV there will be a pair of RCA jacks, the left-channel, "audio left" jack being white and the right-channel, "audio right" jack being red. Partly because the combination of the composite-video input jack and the analog (mono or stereo) audio input jack(s) carry the picture and sound on separate lines, this means of connection provides better quality than the RF jack, on which everything is mushed together.
As long as your TV at least has the composite-video and analog-audio jack set, you'll be all set for connecting a DVD player to the TV. Even the least-expensive DVD player will have a composite-video output and stereo analog audio outputs (with a mono TV, you could use a $3.00 "Y" adaptor to connect the two RCA audio output jacks on the DVD player to the TV's single audio input jack).
RF-Input Only Becomes a Rare Critter
On a tiny minority of current sets, and more frequently on older, less-expensive TV's, you'll find a model which only has an RF jack for input. For example, my last TV was a 27-inch Sharp which I purchased about ten years ago and it had composite-video and stereo audio input as well as RF. The TV I had before that, a 1980 Sharp, had RF only.
With each passing year, it's less and less likely that any particular TV will have RF input only. However, if that's the case for your set, you'll have to deal with it, if you want to connect a DVD player. Unfortunately, the problems and compromises inherent in connecting a DVD player to a set which only has RF input make it a very attractive option to replace your older set with a new model, as long as you can afford it.
DVD Not Best for those on Tight Budgets
Actually, if your budget is so tight that you're stuck with a set that only has RF input (you can get a new 27-inch TV with composite-video input for less than $250), you might want to consider how badly you really need a DVD player. There are several down sides to DVD's, the most notable being that there are only about 6,000 titles out on DVD now (mostly new releases and classic blockbusters, but the variety is growing). On VHS, there are over 50,000 titles available, so it's still, by far, the medium of choice for those who put the most importance on having access to low-budget, indie, foreign, documentary, and older films.
Many stores charge more for DVD rentals -- so if your budget precludes replacing an older TV set you might want to think about how quickly DVD rental fees can add up. In fact, you can frequently get VHS (VCR) tapes free from your local library. I'm not aware of any libraries loaning DVD's. Not in New York, anyway.
Speaking of tapes, a VCR allows you to make them while a DVD player has no recording capability. With a VCR, for the price of blank tapes (about a buck apiece, if you look for sales), you can tape movies and PBS specials off the air, building your own fine collection of almost-no-cost entertainment. Because of all this, a person on a tight budget might decide they're better off to not even own a DVD player.
DVD Plus Points
On the other hand, DVD's create a finer screen image and they have extra features, like actor bios and commentary tracks. Also, a DVD player allows you to connect to an A/V surround-sound receiver, thus enjoying, in your home, a soundtrack which is similar, in configuration, to that in a movie theater.
Unfortunately, a surround-sound receiver, and the set of six speakers needed to fully take advantage of its output, will set you back at least $300 (and that's for a pretty cheesy system -- a decent-quality surround-sound setup will cost at least about $450, independent of the cost of the DVD player itself).
However, DVD players, as previously mentioned, also have regular analog stereo audio output, so, if you've already got a stereo receiver and speakers, you can use those to play your audio at high volume levels, although movie and TV soundtracks don't provide very accurate imaging through a pair of stereo speakers, unless the speakers are much closer together than they typically will be in a home stereo setup. On a newly-purchased VCR, you can get stereo sound for ten bucks more than a similar mono model would cost. Stereo VCR's often sell for as little as $70.
If You Insist (Owner of RF-Input-Only TV)
But let's say you have a TV with RF input only and you still want to get a DVD player. What are your options? Actually, they're not quite as dire as some folks would think. For about $30 to $40, you can get an adaptor, from Radio Shack or Recoton, which will take the composite video and analog audio output from a DVD player and convert these inputs to a single RF output which you can then feed into your TV.
Avoiding Confusion
Now, to avoid any possible misconceptions, let me point out here that the editorial I mentioned at the beginning of this Epinions says: "I read things that stated that if you had an older TV that didn't have the composite or S-Video inputs, you would have to buy some type of adaptor that cost around $25 and even then the picture quality wouldn't be that great."
The author is apparently referring to one of the DVD-TV Compatibility editorials which stated that, with a $25 "RF modulator ... the picture and sound will be downgraded to about the same quality as VHS tapes." Actually, compared to the image quality you'd get running a DVD player directly into a TV, the picture quality, and the sound quality, will be degraded. If the output of an RF adaptor (i.e., modulator) matches the quality of a broadcast RF signal, it would have a resolution of 330-interlaced, or 330i. A VHS VCR has a resolution of 240i, so the result from the DVD playing through an RF adaptor would be improved over the VHS resolution. On the other hand, the RF adaptor wouldn't give an image as good as you'd get with a DVD player directly connected to a TV, which is 480i.
If this is in reference to my editorial on this subject, then I'll repeat here what I said in my original DVD-TV Connection editorial ("Back-Panel Connection Secrets") about connecting with an RF adaptor: "If, in fact, the only input on your television is a coaxial RF-in jack, you'll need an adaptor to connect a DVD player to your set. Radio Shack can help you figure out what you need and supply you with the appropriate adaptor, but make sure to explain that you have to run both video and audio lines into a single RF input. This might be a rather dicey connection and, to be honest, I can't guarantee that you'll get the output from a DVD player to work with a TV that only has an RF-in jack."
So, I didn't say the picture quality "wouldn't be that great." Rather, I suggested that I had no way to know for sure, without seeing the exact model of RF modulator that would be used, what the final picture quality would be. This is because the quality would totally depend on the quality of the RF adaptor. As my editorial was not about any particular model of RF adaptor, I had no way of knowing, or guaranteeing, what the results would be. Mainly, I wanted to suggest to readers that their video-gear budget might be better invested in a new TV.
The other DVD-TV Connection editorial which was made reference to stated that "clever attempts to route DVD players through video inputs on VCR's will not be effective. The copy protection system on many discs confuses most VCR's and will severely degrade the picture." This statement is true in most, but not all, cases, as I will explain shortly.
Basic Facts of RF Adaptors
There's nothing inherently wrong with an RF adaptor, as long as it's of good quality. In fact, if you run the output of a DVD player into the A/V (composite-video, analog L/R audio) jacks of your VCR, and then run the RF output of the VCR into your older, RF-input-only TV, you'll be doing the same thing as if you ran the DVD output into an RF adaptor -- lumping the audio and video together and changing them from their original formats to a single RF (radio frequency) output. Whether you used an adaptor or the RF output from your VCR, you'd set the TV to channel 3 or channel 4 (whichever was unused in your area) and your TV would receive, and display, the video and audio from the RF input.
As the editorial I quoted points out, it's quite possible to connect a DVD player to a TV through a VCR. In this particular case, the author of the editorial claims to have had the good fortune of having no problems with the picture from the DVD player when using this connection method.
Copy Protection -- a Fact of Life
However, most DVD players have copy-protection circuitry built-in. According to the DVD FAQ, this circuitry will cause image degradation in 95% of consumer VCR's:
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.11
To confirm the information from the DVD FAQ, I just connected a DVD player (Panasonic RV30) to a TV through a VCR (Hitachi VT-FX621A) and this resulted in the picture cycling between almost-black and slightly-dark brightness levels. This occurred with the signal just running through the VCR, and without recording the signal or the VCR even being in record mode. The DVD FAQ says this cycling is one of the outcomes created by the copy protection circuitry when you play the DVD output through most VCR's. Other problems the copy protection creates include "colored stripes, distortion, rolling," and the picture displaying in black & white.
I have received e-mails from other people here who also reported trouble from copy protection when connecting a DVD player to a TV through a VCR. Some models mentioned: Panasonic PV-7450, Panasonic PV-3201, and NEC N912U.
One way around the problem of connecting a DVD player to a VCR is to use an RF modulator. These are made by companies such as Recoton and Radio Shack and sell for about $30. One example is the Radio Shack 15-1244 RF modulator which sells for $30 and includes a composite-video (RCA) input jack plus left and right stereo audio input jacks (RCA). Using one of these modulators won't let you get as sharp an image as you'd get directly connecting a DVD player to the TV's composite, S-Video, or component-video input, but it will provide a sharper picture than you would get with VHS tape.
Conclusion
So, not to dampen the excitement of the guy who was so overjoyed at discovering that he could successfully connect his DVD through his VCR, but I have to suggest that readers be cautious if they're owners of older TV's (with RF input only) and they take his suggestion that, if they're considering the purchase of a DVD player, that they just "go for it." At the very least, if you have RF-input only, don't assume that you'll get good results by running the DVD output to the TV through your VCR. It's quite likely that this won't work at all, unless you want to have a highly-distorted picture.
It appears that the best option, for an owner of an older TV, is to purchase an RF adaptor from Recoton or Radio Shack. However, this isn't going to give you the same level of quality you'd get from directly connecting the DVD player to a TV with composite-video input, much less the sharpness you'd derive from hooking the DVD player up to one of the higher-quality connection types (S-Video or component video).
If you're the owner of one of these older sets with RF input only, and you're going to buy a DVD player with the intention of running it through either your VCR or an RF adaptor, make sure everything you buy is completely returnable so you don't end up stuck with something that doesn't work. Remember, dropping $200 for a DVD player you can't use would be even more extravagant than replacing your old TV.
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