Hooking Pioneer 220 DVR to standard cable box

[scrivener]

I'm hooking up the Pioneer 220 DVR to a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3100 standard cable box. After lots of going around in circles I have it hooked up correctly according to the diagram, but cannot pull up any of the DVR menus on the AV2 mode on the TV (an Advent TV). I sync'd the DVR to channel 3, but I'm at a loss as to what else to do.

The DVR worked before when it was hooked to the TV, before I got cable. I always programmed what I wanted to record and played back on the AV2 "channel" on the TV. I have component A/V cables running out from the DVR to the TV.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BobK]

What was your input before you got cable. If (whatever it was) was plugged into the coax input in the recorder then all you needed to do was unplug that cable and plug the cable box output into the same plug (although I prefer to use the composite out of the cable box into line one of the DVR).

If you changed any other wires/cables then just put them back the way they were before.

[Frobozz]

Okay, you have the Pioneer connected to the TV via component output to AV2. You don't say how you have the cable box connected to the Pioneer. Since you say you have the Pioneer set to channel 3, that must mean you have the cable box connected to the Pioneer via a coax cable (just like the cable that is connected from the wall to your cable box). Is that correct?

I wouldn't do it that way.

I'd have the coax cable come from the wall to the Pioneer recorder and then have the second coax cable go from the Pioneer's RF output to the cable box's cable input. Next, I would connect an S-video cable from the cable box's S-video output to one of the Pioneer's S-video inputs. Do the same with RCA audio cables between the cable box audio output and the Pioneer's audio input.

Now you can record and watch analog TV channels using the Pioneer's tuner. When you want to watch or record digital channels from the cable box, use the Pioneer's remote control to change its input to L1 or L3 depending on whether you connected the S-video and RCA cables to the Line 1 or Line 3 inputs on the back of the Pioneer.

[scrivener]

Thanks for both of your replies.

I have it hitched up now the way Frobozz recommended, with the exception that instead of S video I have a basic A/V cable. (This was also the way the DVR manual recommended.) In addition, as in the DVR manual diagram, I have component video running out from the DVR to the TV. I realized I had the AV in on the DVR on AV3 so I switched it to AV1. I get nothing on AV1 on the TV, but I do get bad reception on the DVD input on the TV now - a rolling picture with diagonal jagged lines. In other words I can't see any images. It's like getting bad reception on a TV without cable. Any suggestions?

[Frobozz]

You have connected the Pioneer recorder to the TV using the component input but the TV is showing a rolling, jagged picture. I saw something like this with my son's TV when I tried connecting his Pioneer recorder. It turned out that the TV has a set up to tell it whether or not to use the component input. My guess is that is what needs to be changed. Have you substituted a regular video connection from the Pioneer to the TV instead of component to see if that works?

[edDV]

Easier to follow if you draw your hookup and post it here.

[scrivener]

Actually I had the component running from the DVR to the TV with rabbit ears (remember those?) prior to getting cable, and all was well; that's way I let that be. (Re the S video, I'll get the better S video cable once I get these basic connections to work.) I don't think that's it, but I can purchase a basic A/V hookup and see. I'll send a diagram tonight or tomorrow, if that change doesn't work. Thanks for working with me on this. It's less frustrating to know someone is willing to help.

[scrivener]

Here's the diagram. I realized I had misread one output as an input. I changed that. I also switched from the component A/V cables to a standard one as suggested. I switched to the A/V 2 input on the TV and can now bring up the DVR menus, but not play a recording. I get nada zip. It records but will not play back.

[scrivener]

I give up. I've renamed the stupid file half a dozen times. No spaces, all small letters - img etc around it. Can't do anything more to get this .gif file to show up.

[Frobozz]

I'm bewildered, too. You say you're seeing the Pioneer's menus on the TV. If you insert a DVD and press play you should see the video, too. In order to see the video from the cable box you need to press the input button on the Pioneer's remote control until it cycles to the one you used to coneect the cable box.

[edDV]

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