How to Connect DVR to TV

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You can connect your DVR box to your television using an HDMI-to-DVI cable, component cable, or S-video cable depending on which ports your TV and DVR have.

Method 1 of 4:

Method One: HDMI Cable

Note that both devices can be plugged into a wall outlet or other power sources, however, as long as you keep them powered down during the connection process.

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Connect one end of the cord to the DVR. Connect one end of a full-size HDMI cable to the HDMI 1 Out port on the back of the DVR box.

Connect the other end of the cord to the TV. Plug the other end of the same HDMI cable into the HDMI 1 In port on the back or side of your television.

Press the “Source” or “Input” button on your TV or remote control to change the input setting. Scroll through the options until you reach “HDMI.”

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Method Two: DVI Cable

You can keep both devices plugged into a power source as long as they remain off while you connect them.

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If you cannot find an HDMI-to-DVI cable, you can use a standard HDMI cable and an HDMI-to-DVI adapter. Simply plug one side of the HDMI cable into the HDMI port on the adapter and plug the DVI connector on the adapter into the DVI In port on your TV.

If using an HDMI cable with an adapter, simply plug the free end of the cable into the HDMI Out port on the DVR.

The red plug should be plugged into the red Audio In Right port and the white plug should be connected to the white Audio In Left port.

Connect the red plug to the Audio Out Right port and the white plug to the Audio Out Left port.

You'll need to press the “Source” or “Input” button on your TV or remote control to change the source. The cable is connected to the DVI port on your TV, so you need to scroll through the options until you reach “DVI.”

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Method Three: Component Cables

Both devices can be plugged into a power source during the process. Just make sure that the devices are powered down while you connect them.

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Plug the green connector to the green Y port, the blue connector to the blue Pb port, and the red connector to the red Pr port.

As before, the green connector plugs into the green Y port, the blue connector plugs into the blue Pb port, and the red connector plugs into the red Pr port.

Plug the red connector into the red Audio In Right port and the white connector into the white Audio In Left connector.

You'll need to insert the red plug into the red Audio Out Right port and the white plug into the white Audio Out Left port.

Scroll through the input options by pressing the "Source" or "Input" button on your TV or remote control. Stop once a picture appears on the TV screen. Usually, this will be the "Video" option.

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Method Four: S-Video Cable

You can keep both devices plugged into the wall outlet or power strip while connecting them, but the devices must remain off until the end of the process.

Step 2 Connect the S-video cable to the TV." width="460" height="345" />

Connect the S-video cable to the TV. You'll need to use a standard S-video cable for the video. Plug one end of the cable into the S-video In port on the back of the TV.

Connect the other end of the S-video cable to the DVR. Plug the other end of the same S-video cable into the S-video Out port on the back of your DVR.

The red plug connects to the red Audio In Right port and the white plug connects to the white Audio In Left port.

Make sure that the red connector plugs into the red Audio Out Right port and the white connector plugs into the white Audio Out Left port.

Press the "Source" or "Input" button on your TV or remote control to scroll through the options. Stop once you reach "S-Video."

Community Q&A

Does the antenna go to the TV or DVR? Community Answer It will typically go to the DVR first and then out to your TV.

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I connected my DVR and TV using a component cable as shown in Method 3, and there's picture but no sound. How do I fix this?

Community Answer

The component cable only transmits images and replaces to single (yellow) composite video. You still need the red and white audio cables (or digital (orange) RCA cable) or fiber optic cable.

What does an HDMI cable look like? Community Answer

A written description won't be nearly as useful as a quick Google search. One tip, though, is that many HDMI cables actually have the words "HDMI" imprinted on them.

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