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How do I hookup my 1986 TV to DVD/VHS player? No RCA ports...

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computerdude92

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Yesterday I picked up a 1986 Hitachi CT1341 color TV. It still turns on! I adjusted the antennae and turned the knobs on the front. I could not pickup any channels...

I also noticed on the back it has a VHF port, and some other stuff. I remember when I was a kid, a VHF connector was used for the cord coming out of the wall in our house to plug into the TV to be able to watch cable channels. I also used to hookup my Nintendo NES to the same connector, so I know VHF can transmit both video and audio.

What kind of adapter box or cable do I need to buy to have my TV work with VCR/DVD players that use the colored yellow/red/white RCA connectors?

Thanks guys!
 
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computerdude92 said:
I could not pickup any channels...
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Of course you won't, terrestrial analog TV was shut down back in 2009.

computerdude92 said:
What kind of adapter box or cable do I need to buy to have my TV work with VCR/DVD players that use the colored yellow/red/white RCA connectors?
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You need an RF modulator, which can inject an NTSC signal on usually channel 3 or 4. Something like this:

Just beware that RF modulators introduce signal degradation from the muxing of the analog video and audio. Since CVBS is already a muxed signal, you get double the degradation.
 
Seconded. Find an RF Modulator. They aren't overtly rare or have any one brand that is better than another. Sure you will get some degrading of the signal but on a TV that small that's going to be mono-only audio, you will never notice.
 
I'm not picky. I've always wanted a TV from the 80's and here I am...

Don't some older VCRs have VHF output ports?
 
So this is where things get weird.
Everything you have come to expect with TV's and RCA jacks for video and audio, forget them. Most lower end TV's didn't start shipping with that as expected until the early 2000's. I don't even recall seeing an N64 or a Playstation hooked up using anything other than RF until years later. From the beginning your TV had 300 ohm terminals, often you had two terminal sets so that you could attach UHF and VHF antennas (I'm old enough to remember that). It also let you conveniently connect accessories like VCR's and game consoles, but it sucks. 300 ohm down the side of the house was fine but behind the TV was always prone to interference.
At some point in the early 80's as cable TV became more common in homes manufacturers added the 75 ohm coaxial jack to their equipment because it was way more reliable and hassle free compared to 300 ohm. Things like closed caption decoders and VCR's served double duty as what they were designed for, plus combining 300 ohm VHF/UHF cabling into a coaxial output. If you were like me and didn't have a TV with a coax jack on the back of it in the 90's you had an adapter to convert that coaxial output from the VCR or even the cable box back to a pair of 300 ohm cables.
300 ohm terminals on the back of the TV died out at some point late in the 80's.

Yes, VCR's with 300 ohm UHF/VHF out did exist but they are early machines. I think 300 ohm out VCR's died not long after the first front loaders came out. I think the newest device I own that still had 300 ohm out is my Pioneer VP-1000 laserdisc player and that is from 1980 and next to the terminals is a 75 ohm coax jack.
 
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You can get a digital TV tuner if you want to watch over the air TV.

Don't waste money on a "digital antenna" there's no such thing. Any TV antenna will work doesn't matter of it's old or new or if it says "digital" on the packaging. Although there is a difference between vhf and uhf antennas.
 
If you REALLY want to attach a modern device, it seems china is now cranking out HDMI to RF modulators which is weirdly niche but my god, it's brilliant and removes a bunch of intermediate adapters if you ever wanted to do the same thing.
 
What's a good priced quality over the air digital tuner and how do I set it up please? (Sorry, I've never had wireless or cable TV before as an adult)

I want to make use of the free local broadcasts on the antenna. Having a retro TV will make it fun! I heard they've got the Grit western channel in my area! ;)
 
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NeXT said:
If you REALLY want to attach a modern device, it seems china is now cranking out HDMI to RF modulators which is weirdly niche but my god, it's brilliant and removes a bunch of intermediate adapters if you ever wanted to do the same thing.
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Heck ya, I would love to try bluray HD on this thing someday! (Just for fun LOL) Can you recommend me a good model please?
 
This will get you RCA inputs on your TV. Connect it with an F-type coax cable and set your TV to channel 3.
Most of the new ATSC tuner boxes are cheap crap. I would look for an older one like Insignia NS-DXA1. There are some open box ones on ebay around $30.

Any TV antenna will work but better antennas will pick up more channels than others. The orientation can also make a big difference. For an indoor antenna, I have had good experience with amplified "leaf" style antennas.
 
Digital TV tuners are pretty common, when tv was making the transition from analog to digital the us government gave vouchers for people to get them for free (or discounted). That was a temporary program but a lot of people took advantage of it.

As people started getting newer tvs with built in digital tuners they'd donate those boxes to thrift stores.

Sometimes I still see them in thrift stores so you might check there but I bet you could pick up a new one for not much money, or check used ones on ebay.
 
computerdude92 said:
Heck ya, I would love to try bluray HD on this thing someday! (Just for fun LOL) Can you recommend me a good model please?
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Everyone pretty much copies eachother so I can't name any one brand, but these seems to be fairly tweakable and support HDCP.
www.aliexpress.com

25.85US $ 29% OFF|Digital HDMI RF HD Modulator VHF/UHF Frequency PAL/NTSC Standard TV Modulator AV to RF Converter Satellite Receivers EU Plug|KVM Switches| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com

Is it a big deal that there's a chunk missing from the tip of the antenna on the TV?
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It's fine. Since you aren't planning to pick up anything in analog over the air I'd just ignore it.
 
Yes it's really beautiful. The silver-coloured parts give it a very clean look, and the black bottom part that juts out is an interesting idea, that I don't think I've ever seen elsewhere.

I'm not surprised that it still turns on, since it's so recent. From experience, 60's TVs still work. 50's ones however.. I tried a '55 one a few years ago and it turned on, but didn't work. I thought it was from the 60's which is why I tried it, if I had known that it was from the 50's I wouldn't even have plugged it in. I have a '53 one that I'd love to try out, but because of its age I'll probably never plug it in. The problem with televisions of this era is that if the capacitors short-out and they take out a coil, you'll be in big trouble. The coils and the picture tube are the most valuable parts of a television.

That white television next to it is in a design that I am unfamiliar with. Is it a regular television?
 
I thought it's a pretty ordinary TV in my opinion, a white 1995 G&E TV with a built in VCR. I can post pics if you want.

The white painted wooden base can spin and it has a single mono speaker. It still works, but the VCR is broken and it has some minor picture issues. Geometry distortion and a slight rainbow on one corner. Both are not very noticeable.

It's also my daily driver CRT TV until I find a bigger one.
 
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ATSC converter boxes for OTA viewing are still available--most tend to use the same firmware, oddly enough.
Some also have the ability to simulate a DVR on a USB flash drive. Amazon has a few choices--most priced between $20-30.
 
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