As television has become an all-digital medium, home video viewing has increasingly gone toward DVDs and away from VHS. However, with the right equipment and connections, it is still possible to record some DVDs onto VHS with a VCR. Many studio-produced DVDs have copyright protection that can prevent dubbing, but other DVDs can still be copied onto a tape.
Instructions
1. Ensure that you have the right equipment to copy a DVD to a VCR. While many DVD/VCR combination players are on the market, only a few of the higher-end ones let you dub from DVD to VHS. Shop around to find one that does will simplify the process; if you can't find one, you will need a separate DVD player and VCR.
2. The DVD player should have a few different output options; connect to the TV via HDMI or component video, depending on what your TV supports. Connect standard 3-prong audio/video cables (white and red plugs for stereo audio, yellow for video) from the outputs on the back of the DVD player to an input on the VCR--either on the back of the unit or the front if it has an extra input there.
3. Connect another set of audio/video cables from the VCR's output to an input on the TV to view what the VCR is picking up. Tune the VCR to Channel 3 or Channel 4 or to the auxiliary/line in setting, depending on the input you chose.
4. Use the Input button on the TV remote to monitor either the DVD or VCR's input; both should be showing the same thing. If a DVD is playing and the VCR is accepting the incoming DVD signal, the DVD setting will have better picture quality.
5. Insert a VHS tape in the VCR; set it to "SP" or "EP" recording speed. Most likely, you will choose EP, especially if the DVD being recorded is close to or more than 2 hours long.
6. Press "Play" on the DVD to begin playback and press "Record" on the VCR to begin recording. Press "Stop" on the VCR to stop recording, and play it back with the TV set to the VCR's input to see that video and audio were recorded.
Tags: audio video, audio video cables, right equipment, video cables