Can't Record DVD

[knittingdiva60]

Hello all, so glad I found this site. Please forgive me if this question has been answered, I didn't see my problem, but then again I might have missed it. Spectrum has given us new cable boxes which only have one IN port for coax from the wall - no out port to connect my DVD recorder. I have connected the cable box to the Vizio tv with HDMI cable (HDMI port #1), and connected the DVD recorder/player to the tv with another HDMI cable (HDMI port #2), so now I can watch tv, or I can watch a DVD, but so far have been unable to record anything. Seems like the recorder doesn't recognize the cable box - all I get is static when trying to record. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm 65 so probably not as tech savvy as you folks, if you could keep the answers in plain english I sure would appreciate it. Thank you so much (in advance) for your help.

 

[helpstar]

Eventually a coax splitter between wall and box could work, if the cable connection works with analog as well. Otherwise I think it won´t be possible to record to DVD.
Can´t you use your Vizio TV with an external hard drive / USB flash drive to record?

 

[americanaudiophile]

The HDMI connections you made are for playback only. You no longer have a connection from the cable box to the input of the DVD recorder. The only way make recordings from the cable box would require you to split the HDMI output of the box with a 1x2 distribution amp. Connect one output to the TV. Connect the other to an HDMI to AV converter and connect that to the DVD recorder AV input.

 

[Alabalcho]

I doubt that even with HDMI splitter (providing that the DVD recorder ever has HDMI input) OP would be able to make recordings - a lot of cable boxes implement HDCP just for that reason, to prevent (unauthorized) recordings and to be able to sell more expensive proprietary DVRs.

 

[knittingdiva60]

Eventually a coax splitter between wall and box could work, if the cable connection works with analog as well. Otherwise I think it won´t be possible to record to DVD.
Can´t you use your Vizio TV with an external hard drive / USB flash drive to record?

Thank you for the reply helpstar. I did use a splitter - using the coax from the wall IN the splitter, then one leg OUT going to the DVD, the other leg OUT going to the cable box - still can't record. I have read other places about using an RF modulator, but I have no idea how to connect it to cable-to DVD-to TV, to even try it out. I didn't know you could use a hard drive to record. How would that work? Thank you again for your reply and the info.

 

[knittingdiva60]

The HDMI connections you made are for playback only. You no longer have a connection from the cable box to the input of the DVD recorder. The only way make recordings from the cable box would require you to split the HDMI output of the box with a 1x2 distribution amp. Connect one output to the TV. Connect the other to an HDMI to AV converter and connect that to the DVD recorder AV input.

Thank you for the info americanaudiophile. I was looking around yesterday at electronic supplies and saw an HDMI splitter with 4 out ports, is that what you mean? Please forgive me asking newbie questions, what is an AV converter? I also saw yesterday RF Modulator - not the same thing I gather from your post? Thank you again for the info. Just an aside, my hubby who is even more technologically challenged than I am has decided we didn't need cable anymore, and wanted to try ROKU. Well that lasted all of one weekend, but once he took the old cable boxes back to Spectrum last Friday, that bridge was burned; could only get new cable boxes, no digital adapters which were great since they had IN/OUT ports. Now I'm stuck trying to get back to some semblance of they system I had working just fine a week ago today. Again thank you for your help, and for the info. I will try the HDMI splitter, I hope it works (fingers crossed).

 

[americanaudiophile]

You need to convert the HDMI to composite video (1 RCA) plus audio (2 RCA) so you can connect it to the input of the recorder. The RF modulator is to take that composite video plus audio and make it into channel 3 or 4 so you can connect it to an antenna input on the recorder (if it has one). It's an additional conversion that you don't need.

 

[Alabalcho]

@KnittingDiva60,

Can you provide exact models of your DVD recorder, and cable box?

One reason why coax splitter did not work - the coax cable coming from the wall does not carry signals your DVD recorder (and its TV tuner) can understand.

 

[helpstar]

the VIZIO TV model would be great to know too. If the TV supports it, you would just have to plug in an external hrd drive or flash drive to the TV and the manual of the TV should help you, how to record.