Help with a party!

[Genesis Knight]

Hey, I'm having a gaming party here pretty soon and I wanted to hook some of my consoles into the VCR so that I could record the footage while we play. So I jacked in the Dreamcast to the input AVs of the VCR and ran an RF (yeah, yeah) from the VCR to the tube, but it was a no go. A shifting blue screen with an imprint of the Dreamcast's output was all I got. What am I doing wrong?

[Blades]

It should all work given your setup if nothing's broken. It should be like this.

Genny
>
VCR (if in front inputs, then you should set it to line 2, if in back set to line 1)
>
TV

I've used this setup for many years before composite available TVs became mainstream and it works fluently.

Good Luck,
Blades

[Joe Redifer]

Run the S-video into the VCR and the VCR's s-video to your TV.

[Blades]

VCR's dont have S-video inputs and outputs usually

Am I wrong?

[evildragon]

only the expensive ones do.

Joe's used to the TV studio ones, that always have S-video. i got one of those things, big creamish-white colored, heavy, and has a big knob! (lol)

[Blades]

lol,

Really? I thought only the S-VHS Machines had it, because S-video was introduced with the S-VHS standard.

[Joe Redifer]

Yeah. Who would buy regular non-Super VHS? Maybe the same people who buy $20 DVD players.

[evildragon]

heh, even my grandparents have an S-VHS player.. but they don't have the tapes, nor the TV! (they still use coax only TVs)

[Blades]

S-VHS machines never seemed like a good investment for me.

They were expensive and DVD was rght around the corner so I didn't care that much.

[Meoang]

Have fun with your party?

[Blades]

Yeah, How did it turn out?

I'm curious as to what you're original problem was.

Blades

[Genesis Knight]

It's on Thursday, and I still haven't gotten the feed to go through the VCR. Dang.

[evildragon]

Is it only the dreamcast, or does other things do the same problem?

[Genesis Knight]

I guess I should try my Saturn and Genesis as well. I'll get back to you on it.

[evildragon]

ok..

(just posting so you don't have to double post, or me having to check to see if you edited)

[Genesis Knight]

Saturn doesn't work, either. =\

[Blades]

Can you get a picture of what shows up?

[evildragon]

Make sure the composite video is going into the composite video IN on the VCR, NOT the out.. That can give you an embossed image as your causing problems with the RF modulator..

[Genesis Knight]

God, I feel stupid. I pulled the VCR out of the cabinet instead of fumbling around blind and saw that the In/Out setup wasn't like I remembered. It's working now that the Dreamcast is plugged IN. Geez.

Thanks for the help; just in time!

The only sucky thing is that Bomberman Online didn't come in time for us to play.

[evildragon]

glad to have helped..

when the saturn didn't work, it clicked in my head you had the AV backwards :p

[Genesis Knight]

Well, it was a success and I got some great footage. We're not the best players, but it was fun. Thanks a lot!