1. Home
  2. Electronics & Gadgets
  3. Home Theater
How To Hook Up a VCR to a TV with Single Tuner Picture-in-Picture Function

Here is an easy, quick hook-up guide for connecting your Cable and VCR to a TV that has a single tuner Picture-In-Picture function (provided you don't have cable box or satellite receiver).

Difficulty Level: easy      Time Required: 15 minutes


Here's How:
  1. Plug the cable or antenna leads into a two way signal splitter.
  2. Connect one cable from the splitter to the TV's RF or Antenna Input.
  3. Connect the other cable from the splitter to the VCR's RF or Cable input
  4. Connect the VCR's AV line outputs to the TV's AV line inputs.
  5. Turn on the TV
  6. Turn on the VCR
  7. Tune the TV to a station
  8. Tune the VCR to a Station or put a tape in and press Play.
  9. Activate the TV's PIP function and switch the PIP source to Video 1 or Line-in.
  10. You will see that the main picture is from the TV's internal tuner and the small inset picture is from the VCR tuner or tape.
  11. Push the SWAP (or exchange) function.
  12. You will notice that the pictures have exchanged places and the main picture is now from the VCR.
  13. Repeat steps 7 through 12 to get familiar with this function.
Tips:
  1. Make sure your cables are long enough.
  2. The VCR must be on in order to use the PIP function in a single Tuner PIP set.
  3. This setup must be done differently if you have a cable, satellite box, or a dual tuner PIP set.

Related Features:

Explore Home Theater

About.com Special Features

Family Tech Center

Stay connected and entertained with reviews on tips on the latest HDTVs, cellphones and more. More >

How to Buy a BlackBerry

Sleek and trim or loaded with extras? Select the right smartphone for your lifestyle. More >

  1. Home
  2. Electronics & Gadgets
  3. Home Theater

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.