Will your VCR still work after the Digital TV Switchover?

Dozens of viewers are asking me about the digital converter boxes we now need to watch over the air TV.

And one of the top questions I'm hearing is whether you will still be able to record shows onto a VCR. Will you have to throw yours away?

We visited one man who set up his digital converter box, Jack Meyers. In this high def, digital world, Jack prefers his low def analog TV set up. No Tivo in his basement.

So Jack bought a digital converter box and rabbit ears antenna at Radio Shack... and figured out how to make it all work with his old VCR.

How your VCR can Work

Jack first ran a cable from the rabbit ears into the converter box. But before plugging the converter box into his trusty old Magnavox TV -- the standard way of setting up a converter box -- Jack instead ran the cable into his trusty old VCR.

"The output of your antenna goes to the input of your converter box, " he explains. "Next the output of the converter box goes to the input of the VCR."

The Simplest Explanation

To recap what Jack did...

--Antenna to converter box
--Converter box to VCR
--VCR to TV
--Now he can still tape his favorite shows.

Two potential problems

Jack did find two catches: One, you can record only the channel on the converter box, which means you can't watch one show and record another at the same time.

And two, you must take the converter box out of "power saving mode" ...or it may shut off automatically before your show is recorded. Then you will get a tapeful of static.

Sure, if you're used to cable and Tivo, all this may sound like driving an old Model T. But to many TV viewers, VCR's remain their comfort level. And it's comforting to know that you'll still be able to use yours in the digital age.

So don't waste your money. I'm John Matarese.