VCR to Bravia 4K TV?

[VeronicaSawyer]

I hope this is the right board to post this question on, and forgive me if it's a dumb question.

I recently bought a Bravia 4k UR3 TV, and ridiculous though it may seem, I'm hoping to find a way to hook up a VCR to it.

My TV doesn't have the inputs for the cables that go with my VCR (which are the basic 3.5mm RCA cables), but it does have a single "Video In" jack. According to the Sony website, what I need is a 3.5 mm conversion cable that will plug into the TV's video in jack on one end, and receive the VCR's cables on the other.

Here's a link in case I'm not explaining it well.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...icles/00150369

Anyway, looking for this cable is proving a little more complicated than I'd expected. Sony of course recommends their own, and says that they can't guarantee any other brands will work, but it seems as though they no longer make one.

Most of what I'm finding online seems to be of the cheap, generic variety. I'm fine with cheap, but I also want something that will actually work, and many of the reviews I'm reading for conversion cables on Best Buy and Amazon don't instill much confidence.

So I guess my question boils down to this:

1. Is this the most efficient way to hook up my VCR to my TV?
2. If not, what's a better way? (The less complicated the better!)
3. If this is the best way, is there any particular brand or type of conversion cable I should be looking for that is of higher quality than most of the super cheap stuff I'm seeing online?

I'd super appreciate any guidance!

[mikesncc1701]

If you have an amp, just plug it in there and run it to the TV.

[BLMN]

Originally Posted by mikesncc1701

If you have an amp, just plug it in there and run it to the TV.

That’s what I do, I run a Sony VCR into a Marantz receiver, the receiver does the upscaling. It comes out decent actually.

[chingythingy]

Hello, I would suggest getting a device called a "scaler." A scaler will take the resolution from the VCR output - likely 240p to 480i image - and upscale it to 720p, which is a resolution and frame rate that your 4K tv will recognize. And best of all, it will convert it to HDMI so you can plug it right into your TV, AVR, etc.

Of course, as with any devices, you can pay $20 or $2000 depending on your needs. For a simple home theater, a simple scaler of Amazon would work, I have experience with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Compos...3418050&sr=8-1

I also have a $200 scaler, which of course is better, supports more inputs and resolutions, but the one above for a VCR to HD, that's all you need.

Hope this helps!

[chingythingy]

Originally Posted by VeronicaSawyer

I hope this is the right board to post this question on, and forgive me if it's a dumb question.

I recently bought a Bravia 4k UR3 TV, and ridiculous though it may seem, I'm hoping to find a way to hook up a VCR to it.

My TV doesn't have the inputs for the cables that go with my VCR (which are the basic 3.5mm RCA cables), but it does have a single "Video In" jack. According to the Sony website, what I need is a 3.5 mm conversion cable that will plug into the TV's video in jack on one end, and receive the VCR's cables on the other.

Here's a link in case I'm not explaining it well.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...icles/00150369

Anyway, looking for this cable is proving a little more complicated than I'd expected. Sony of course recommends their own, and says that they can't guarantee any other brands will work, but it seems as though they no longer make one.

Most of what I'm finding online seems to be of the cheap, generic variety. I'm fine with cheap, but I also want something that will actually work, and many of the reviews I'm reading for conversion cables on Best Buy and Amazon don't instill much confidence.

So I guess my question boils down to this:

1. Is this the most efficient way to hook up my VCR to my TV?
2. If not, what's a better way? (The less complicated the better!)
3. If this is the best way, is there any particular brand or type of conversion cable I should be looking for that is of higher quality than most of the super cheap stuff I'm seeing online?

I'd super appreciate any guidance!

Hello, I would suggest getting a device called a "scaler." This is your best option. A scaler will take the resolution from the VCR output - likely 240p to 480i image - and upscale it to 720p or 1080p, which is a resolution and frame rate that your 4K tv will recognize and process correctly. Also, it will convert the signal from analog to digital HDMI so you can plug it right into your TV, AVR, etc.

Of course, as with any devices, you can pay $20 or $2000 depending on your needs. For a simple home theater, a simple scaler of Amazon or Monoprice would work great. I have experience with this one below for VCR:

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Compos...3418050&sr=8-1

Keep in mind, it is a powered scaler, so you'll need to plug it in. I also have a $200 scaler called the Open Source Scan Converter, which of course is better, supports more inputs and resolutions, but the one above for a VCR to HD, that's all you need.

Hope this helps!

[captainsolo]

The RCA to 3.5mm breakout cable is pretty straightforward and is now necessary as most TVs leave out legacy RCA jacks in favor of a single small 3.5 jack like what you're talking about. Of course the hard part is finding a good converter that isn't some off brand piece of junk.
Sony is the one manufacturer who still leaves in comb filtering and things with old standard def in mind. If you get the proper cable adapter and just run composite in straight you should get pretty good results-of course you'll have to adjust settings accordingly with VHS footage.
Normally you'd have to get some kind of external scaler or processor to make your SD content not look so terrible but some 4K tvs are surprisingly not bad for older video. You just have to give it a try and see what results you come up with.

[reedzkee]

Theres no conversion taking place. Its just an rca to 4 conductor (video, audio L, audio R, ground) 3.5mm adaptor. The kind of thing that comes free in a little bag. Nothing to spend money on. 5 bucks on amazon.

[slimdude]

Just you know, VHS movies are going to look terrible on a 4K TV, and it may not be worth connecting, unless you have either an old Plasma, LCD or a CRT TV that you can put in another room to watch your VHS movies and other content on.