Dish DVR 510 Cabling Questions

[coreillydish]

Okay here is my setup. I have a Dish DVR 510, a Samsung VCR, and a Zenith TV that has 2 inputs (Input 1 is the standard coax port and Input 2 is S-Video/RCA). I currently have the PVR 510 connected directly to Input 2 via S-Video and the red/white audio RCA ports and I get a great picture. To record to the VCR I have a RG6 cable from the back of the 510 to the input of the VCR. Then a RG6 cable from the VCR's output to Input 1 on the TV. When I switch to Input 1 to either record or watch TV the signal is fuzzy. I know that Coax is very inferior to S-Video/RCA so I was thinking of ways to improve the picture on Input 1. Let me know what you think of my ideas.

1. Since the DVR 510 has two sets of RCA outputs, I could connect the second set of outputs to the RCA inputs of the VCR. Then I could connect the RCA outputs of the VCR to a RF Modulator and then connect an RG6 cable from the RF modulator to Input 1. In this scenario the signal from the 510 all the way through to the RF modulator would be RCA and the last hop to the TV would be COAX.

2. Purchase a 10 dB video signal amplifier like this one http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2625063 and put it between the VCR and the TV and hope the it makes the picture better.

Please let me know what you think and if you have a 3rd idea please post it here. Thanks for the help.

 

[Mr Tony]

run the av outputs of the 510 to the VCR in and the Video 2 of the TV
510 output--------VCR---coax------TV
510 output--------Video 2 to TV

Hook a coax from VCR to TV

 

[ShadowEKU]

run the av outputs of the 510 to the VCR in and the Video 2 of the TV
510 output--------VCR---coax------TV
510 output--------Video 2 to TV

Hook a coax from VCR to TV

That will give you the best quality through the VCR.

 

[Mr Tony]

and to the TV

if he watches something from the VCR, it will be coax.

The only other option is to get a 2x1 AV switcher. Then he can hook both up to the one set of av plugs

 

[SimpleSimon]

Unh. We might be missing something. Every VCR I've bought for the last several years has RCA plug OUTPUTS, too.

Best all around (like to play tapes, too) might be RCA cables from 510 to VCR and then from VCR to TV.

 

[j5races]

Why do you need a vcr? You can hold 100 hrs of shows???

Just wondered. Jon

 

[ShadowEKU]

Unh. We might be missing something. Every VCR I've bought for the last several years has RCA plug OUTPUTS, too.

Best all around (like to play tapes, too) might be RCA cables from 510 to VCR and then from VCR to TV.

He said his tv only has 2 inputs 1 coax and one composite. the composit/svid is hooked up directly.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I missed the S-Video part (but swore I posted something like that today ).

Sometimes, S-Video doesn't really make any difference, so, INSTEAD OF going direct from the E* box to the TV, put the VCR in between - all with RCA cables.

 

[coreillydish]

OK I connected the RCA cables from the 510 to the VCR input and then RCA cables from the VCR output to the TV. I did notice that the picture quality was a little degraded compared to my previous S-Video connection. My VCR is a Samsung from 1996. Do you think a newer VCR would put out a better signal. Also, I found out that they make a S-Video Female-RCA male converter. Here is a link http://www.monoprices.com/products/...&cs_id=1040105&p_id=123&seq=1&format=2&style=. I could get two converters and plug one in the VCR's RCA input and one in the VCR's RCA output. Then I could run an S-video cable from the back of the 510 to the VCR's input converter and then run a S-video cable from the VCR's output converter to the S-Video input of my TV. Since all the cabling is S-video do you think that the picture quality would be as good as it was when I originally ran S-video from the 510 directly to the TV. Thanks for the help.

 

[SimpleSimon]

No, the advantage of S-video is the separation of the various parts of the video signal. Once it's composite (RCA) that advantage is lost.

Looks like you're one of the lucky(?) ones where S-Video makes a distinct difference.

Sounds like an external video switch is going to be the way to go. Find one that totally kills the S-Video output when there's no corresponding S-Video input active, or your TV may nt be happy.

Sorry, I don't know of any - never needed to. Hopefully someone else can help!