Is it better to use a coaxal cable or RCA jacks to hook up a VCR? I have a cable box, a DVD player and an X-Box hooked up through a converter box (old fashionedly called an A-B box) from Radio Shack but when I added the VCR I had to change the coaxal cable from going directly into the TV to going directly into the VCR and then from the VCR into the TV and got a whiter and less vivid picture. I have it now coming out of the VCR into the TV with a coaxal cable and wondering if a RCA plug would make a difference or if anyone knew of a better way to get the sharper image back.
That would allow you to plug all of your stuff using RCA cables into the reciever and then have one RCA feed from the reciever into your TV. A switch on the reciever will allow you to choose your input.
The reciever should be fairly inexpensive unless you could use component, S-Video, DVI, or HDMI into your TV.
Linda, there should be no difference in the picture quality with your present hookup, especially when the power is off on the VCR. With the VCR's power off, the signal is supposed to pass through the VCR unchanged.
If this is not the case, then I would check the condition and the connection of the new coax cable you have used between the VCR and the TV.
There will definitely be a picture difference between using the RF output and the line outputs. The RF will only give you mono audio from the VCR too. If the TV doesn't have enough line inputs, get a video switcher. You can buy them at WalMart or Radio Shack.