BIGHMW Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) 33 minutes ago, 0078265317 said: You mean no coax on some newer tvs. They how do you play anything made before the millennium after all my tis break. If there is no coax or rca then I can't hook up my vcr. Before I got basic (local channels only) cable back in October, for OTA digital tuning I used to use an Insignia NS-DXA3 digital converter box (it has a built-in HDMI output as an option), for my Atari systems or other devices that require OTA analog tuning, I use that now-famous RF-to-HDMI analog receiver/converter, and for your VCR or just about anything that requires composite output, there are many options out there that will convert composite video to an HDMI source, many of them are available at Best Buy, and also on eBay and Amazon. TONS of choices to make your 70s/80s/90s/00s tech perform on newer TVs, yes, even 4K TVs of any size. Can you imagine how awesome Missile Command or Star Raiders (or The Last Starfighter) would look like on a 100" 4K TV??? Edited January 4 by BIGHMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 2 hours ago, 0078265317 said: You mean no coax on some newer tvs. No. I meant exactly what I said: no analogue tuners. That's not the same as coax, which only defines the cable and connector used to feed an RF signal from the device to the TV. 2 hours ago, 0078265317 said: They how do you play anything made before the millennium after all my tis break. Depending on how recent the TV is, it may have a tuner that is only capable of ATSC (digital) broadcast reception. Unless it can also receive NTSC (analogue) broadcast signals, it may be entirely possible to physically connect the legacy device to the TV's antenna jack, but the TV will not be able to tune its signal. TV manufacturers don't care about things like VHS decks, DVD players, laserdisc systems, video game consoles, or other devices that used analogue RF output to send their video to the TV. If it saves them $0.02 per unit to buy a chipset that can't handle analogue reception, they'll do it because there's no significant demand for it in the market and it's an easy way to shave costs with zero effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, x=usr(1536) said: No. I meant exactly what I said: no analogue tuners. That's not the same as coax, which only defines the cable and connector used to feed an RF signal from the device to the TV. Depending on how recent the TV is, it may have a tuner that is only capable of ATSC (digital) broadcast reception. Unless it can also receive NTSC (analogue) broadcast signals, it may be entirely possible to physically connect the legacy device to the TV's antenna jack, but the TV will not be able to tune its signal. TV manufacturers don't care about things like VHS decks, DVD players, laserdisc systems, video game consoles, or other devices that used analogue RF output to send their video to the TV. If it saves them $0.02 per unit to buy a chipset that can't handle analogue reception, they'll do it because there's no significant demand for it in the market and it's an easy way to shave costs with zero effort. So as long as any new tv I buy has a coax connection I can just plug in a vcr and I am good to go? And any chance tv will come without any cox someday in the future. And I found this reddit discussion. As suggested one of these might work if the tv has no coax someday. https://www.amazon.com/IVIEW-3500STBII-Digital-Converter-Recording-Channel/dp/B00GOILYB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516322701&sr=8-1&keywords=iview&pldnSite=1 Or the Insignia one BIGHMW suggested. Edited January 4 by 0078265317 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 6 hours ago, 0078265317 said: So as long as any new tv I buy has a coax connection I can just plug in a vcr and I am good to go? Not necessarily. It's model-by-model, and newer TVs seem to be less inclined to incorporate an analogue tuner. Many still do, but if the specs don't specifically mention one being included you'd need to either test it for yourself or confirm with the manufacturer. If your VCR has the option of composite output, you'll probably have better luck finding a TV that supports it. Note that component inputs generally also accept composite, so options are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 13 hours ago, Ecernosoft said: Wait! Don't give up. We've been able to find TV's (Particularly from Best buy) that HAVE the RF jack on them and most do a decent job. It's not perfect but It's pretty good. That's not the problem. I tried plugging the 5200 into a new(ish) Samsung and tried scanning channels and it wouldn't pick it up. I think it only uses ATSC not the old NTSC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Another option is the older Antenna->Composite converters. They were a thing in the USA like 10 years ago and they're popping up all the time at thrift stores. Not the greatest picture but given the quality of signal coming out of an RF box its acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 21 minutes ago, iscariot said: Another option is the older Antenna->Composite converters. They were a thing in the USA like 10 years ago and they're popping up all the time at thrift stores. Not the greatest picture but given the quality of signal coming out of an RF box its acceptable. Search for 'RF Demodulator' if looking for one of these. There are quite a few options out there. One thing to keep an eye out for is that they're not being confused with the digital-to-analogue converters intended to receive digital broadcasts and output them over analogue RF to a TV without a digital tuner. I've yet to find one of those that will act as a demodulator for an RF-attached device, and I've gone through probably 20 of them at this point. Only mentioning it because they tend to be listed by sellers as being RF demodulators despite just not having that capability. 24 minutes ago, iscariot said: That's not the problem. I tried plugging the 5200 into a new(ish) Samsung and tried scanning channels and it wouldn't pick it up. I think it only uses ATSC not the old NTSC. Entirely likely. We received a Naxa NDL-287 portable TV / boombox for Christmas about four years ago, and I was really excited about being able to use it as a workbench display. Then I discovered that the tuner is ATSC-only and the composite jack is output, not input. It's been used three or four times on camping trips and that's about as useful as it's been. FWIW, modern NTSC tuners (when included) tend to be kinda crappy; they're just not a design priority. We have three Samsung TVs from the 2012 to 2016 timeframe, and the newer they get the less-impressive their analogue RF capabilities are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGHMW Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) 13 hours ago, 0078265317 said: So as long as any new tv I buy has a coax connection I can just plug in a vcr and I am good to go? And any chance tv will come without any cox someday in the future. And I found this reddit discussion. As suggested one of these might work if the tv has no coax someday. https://www.amazon.com/IVIEW-3500STBII-Digital-Converter-Recording-Channel/dp/B00GOILYB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516322701&sr=8-1&keywords=iview&pldnSite=1 Or the Insignia one BIGHMW suggested. I bought that Insignia NS-DXA3 back 3 years ago after finding out that we had a rooftop antenna and I had a hunch it would work with it and it did! Since then our antenna signals were crippled with 4G/LTE/5G cell tower interference so the guy here in Port Townsend (the only TV guy in all of Jefferson County, Dan's TV & Satellite) found the module that filters out that interference but when he came to our apartment complex (Bishop Park) to install it, our management for this building (from out-of-state) tried to screw him over and would not allow him to install it unless he did some BS paperwork about being a "vendor" for our complex, so that forced me to get digital cable (local channels only), and since I did that I also got broadband internet to go along with it. Sadly, this model is no longer available at Best Buy BUT you CAN get it off of eBay for pretty cheap, here are some auctions for some brand new ones on there: ... BTW, I know it says "box only" they mean it just comes with the basic unit, no remote or anything like that https://www.ebay.com/itm/225264287730?hash=item3472cc3ff2:g:gasAAOSwdtxftwcG&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4N92Juz%2BbiBpD7AOGCy2YSp2CGqFpVz5S1%2BEBx9YzSub8x6%2FYHx%2F%2Fx0Di9q%2BvJ1M8LuI9Qz1wqvoGH2a4EuJWjXotuuFnpSDsP%2FZ8y%2FVc7Hyite5WhYnTBKPNCOiXs5nvjJsOgmaww3CSx50BH8rQKSHpj9B7tcXWTAqWNUe%2FZFTsaeO3mVRFowvamdQ1%2BfXkrHiv%2F6MAIAURLjtBs0oW6GI3hldzjS16%2F1Vcm01Nf9MdkaD5RNZZSXiztz6nSKSZusXjaJZTdsmjkv8XIBkn7xJIHfaUtpeKiAdg1OtpJ1a|tkp%3ABFBMkpTH4a9h There are others that are more complete like these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265968429092?epid=540016512&hash=item3decf42824:g:3HMAAOSwjqdjYpyy&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4D3ODhUVt3fuMeEK8YSf0cN08vjudcxRojMO3wHmOI30Ow0O1E6NeHB0Vx%2BCYMdBwbtvObnIGJ7w6%2FtuQatJrll3LL2STecnaZKjigsH3AueufYl2d%2BeIeJV5no3CffjdkuocX9moiYDbN%2Bq%2BERoETu4Jsi0alxnkztzza4J%2FPpNDgUqAQCQnibkAfDdHODgLiBDmR26rWrIZAjuiHlIk7EZ7T3TmIuORQe6no4AcqImXjurAjb%2FjZ5e8tLC7msqZcVDndQr%2BTjDcumcRTJCZuVqKtR8NZcqIS6UVL2Gf2VY|tkp%3ABFBMkpTH4a9h https://www.ebay.com/itm/144831384653?epid=540016512&hash=item21b89f8c4d:g:QOEAAOSwcQdjhQ~6&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4PoJzID3RCUHVAQCS5IvnyyHRtURliIaRzDjJIwzMte7vAwNZC9N%2Bhk9C4x2zJPolU1%2Fr6u%2BZk1Mh5Ka1F4h0LPq%2FeWTF766gGMUnUDlgR0gfbhuaSOWjDXtYPnhoN9yoO8RzxRnKZtO47%2FYRV6wVS4XUSwFphlVIZlsUKk5GNqPE3FAfHjp1Q5Ijj%2BMmlvslpfY1CZt9rLI8crFPVJkiLiVXxCvZmyqCfXUq%2F%2B0aQ%2BN49J2oanh5a%2BkbJeMU7he8xGbV943jj32bG2ReZhIPXdW%2BCTrZIK5FFcDHqFFEUNJ|tkp%3ABFBMlJTH4a9h and the link for more of them: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=Insignia+NS-DXA3&_sacat=0 Edited January 4 by BIGHMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 9 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said: Not necessarily. It's model-by-model, and newer TVs seem to be less inclined to incorporate an analogue tuner. Many still do, but if the specs don't specifically mention one being included you'd need to either test it for yourself or confirm with the manufacturer. If your VCR has the option of composite output, you'll probably have better luck finding a TV that supports it. Note that component inputs generally also accept composite, so options are good. These are the vars I have. http://mvvg.blogspot.com/2023/01/vcrs.html I got two symphonic back in the day from Walmart for like 50 bucks. The black one attached to the tv hanging from the ceiling. One was chewing tapes and I threw it out. The other is like new and still works to this day. I have the remote somewhere also. The tv its attached is from 1990 and is an orca with only 1 coax and no rca jacks. The coax snapped few years ago while trying to unscrew the wire attached. But I took off the cover and my friend and I put some crazy glue and solder and fixed the jack. Better than ever. Tv still works. The silver Go video DV2140 was from goodwill for 5 bucks with remote and manual. Not bad. Both sides work. DVD is a little picky but it works as well. There is S-Video but only for the DVD side. And Component output but that is for the DVD side only also I think. VCR won't work I think. I would try but I have no component tvs any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Cool. I didn't even know that there was one that let you go RF->HDMI/COMP->HDMI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 OK so stupid question, but I just realized that both of the controllers on this thing are stuck in the robotron joystick holder--How do you get them out of that thing without breaking something? They must have been stuck in there for a good long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB5200 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Push from the keypad side/narrow side out the top, There usually kind of tight but not to terribly bad. but if they been in there a while who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGHMW Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 12 minutes ago, RB5200 said: Push from the keypad side/narrow side out the top, There usually kind of tight but not to terribly bad. but if they been in there a while who knows. Sounds like the script for a "how-to" video for YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 2 hours ago, iscariot said: OK so stupid question, but I just realized that both of the controllers on this thing are stuck in the robotron joystick holder--How do you get them out of that thing without breaking something? They must have been stuck in there for a good long while. 1 hour ago, RB5200 said: Push from the keypad side/narrow side out the top, There usually kind of tight but not to terribly bad. but if they been in there a while who knows. A little PB Blaster or similar and some tactical wiggling can help with this. As an absolute last resort: very carefully use a heat gun to slightly soften the plastic. Obviously, this should be the last thing you try after all else has failed, but it does work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 8 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said: A little PB Blaster or similar and some tactical wiggling can help with this. As an absolute last resort: very carefully use a heat gun to slightly soften the plastic. Obviously, this should be the last thing you try after all else has failed, but it does work. Ok another dumb question but what is PB blaster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 1 hour ago, iscariot said: Ok another dumb question but what is PB blaster? It's a penetrating oil used mainly to free things like stuck fasteners, etc. More info here. What I like about it is that I've yet to find a plastic that is affected by it. Use sparingly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyindrew Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 If anyone needs the 5200 4 port TV adapter hit me up as Im not using mine anymore and its just collecting dust. I recently "upgraded" to a 2 port with modified RF output. Works like a dream with the exception of the sound when using the 2600 adapter. Not losing any sleep over it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 (edited) Ok well I got a controller off the robotron holder. So far it appears that the controller hardware is in bad shape. I need another flex board at least. Cleaning it exposed one of the wires is sticking up from these so it needs replacement. How do you remove the bezel that holds the S/P/R buttons off? Edited January 18 by iscariot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 36 minutes ago, iscariot said: Ok well I got a controller off the robotron holder. So far it appears that the controller hardware is in bad shape. I need another flex board at least. Cleaning it exposed one of the wires is sticking up from these so it needs replacement. How do you remove the bezel that holds the S/P/R buttons off? Take a gander at this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Ask and thee shalt receive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 The final one will be black 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iscariot Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 OBTW, is there some trick to ordering from BEST? I don't see a shopping cart or anything like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB5200 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 You either order from him through e-mail with with what you want, or i find it best to just call him and order over the phone. his hours are between 1-5 pacific time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGHMW Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) 2 hours ago, RB5200 said: You either order from him through e-mail with with what you want, or i find it best to just call him and order over the phone. his hours are between 1-5 pacific time. .....and he's also real cool to deal with just be sure you have down what you want including any model or part number you may need (those are available on the Best site) and speak slowly as well, after all he IS jotting everything down, it's almost like ordering from the old mail-in catalog stores (like JC Penney or Sears) or off of a TV offer from BITD, so you have to have a mindset from like the 90s when you place orders like this. Edited January 19 by BIGHMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Just don’t piss him off or be lax. He’ll blacklist you forever. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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