Jonathan Kramer

Actually your VCR will record a digital signal on the standard digital boxes. These boxes are equipped with an RF output (ch.3 or 4), RCA jacks and/or S video outputs. If you are wanting to use your standard analog VCR to record broadcast digital feeds, the box is what you will need. Some VCR's now have a digital tuner built in so you can continue to record without a box. If your digital TV has a monitor output, you can run the RCA out to the RCA in of the VCR and record it after it has been converted through the TV.

Sir:
With all the hype about the digital-TV changeover, it dawned on me the other day that nothing has been said about the affect on current analog-tuner equipped VCRs. I am assuming that the current VCRs will not receive or translate a digital signal. Here's my situation: I have one analog TV, and two TVs that can receive both analog and digital; I plan to ask my cable company (Suddenlink) to keep the digital signal (I have obtained one Zenith dtv converter box). However, I am now wondering if the VCR I plan to use with one of my digital TVs will still work without the coverter; will it record the digital signal and the TV unscramble the signal or will the VCR need to be hooked to a converter box? This is really bugging me, and I need to know before my second government-issued coupon expires.