How to set up VCR with cable, have wide screen TV, cable box and VCR, only cable is hooked to TV at moment, want to add the VCR

WELL IT SEEMS U HAVE TWO PROBLEMS :
1ST YOUR rF SIGNAL IS NOT GETTING THRU , THIS IS A ROUND CABLE WITH A SCREW ON END TO IT , THIS ONE MUST 1ST COME INTO YOUR HOME AND GO TO CABLE BOX , THEN LEAVE OUT OF CABLE BOX AND ENTER VCR THEN LEAVE OUT OF VCR AND GO TO RF INPUT OF TV ( HAS TO BE HOOKED THIS WAY WONT WORK ANY OTHER WAY) SET OUTPUT OF VCR TO CHANEL 3 SET OUTPUT OF CABLE BOX TO CHANNEL 3 SET TUNER OF VCR TO CHANEL 3 , AND LAST SET INPUT OF TV TO rf CABLE ,CHANEL 3 , NOW YOU CHANGE CHANELS ON CABLE BOX only
2ND YOUR DVD PLAYER HAS NO RF OUTPUT SO YOU NEED TO CONNECT BY ONE OF THESE MEANS (HDMI, RGB, COMPOSITE) ALL THESE REQUIRE A DIFFERENT CABLE YOU DECIDE , THERE HOOK UP IS PRETTY MUCH ONE WAY SO I WONT ELABORATE ON EACH METHOD , BUT TV NEEDS TO BE SET TO CORESPONDING INPUT TYPE YOU DECIDED ON

If I understand your request right, You do not have cable or satellite box.
You can not record from your TV. You use the TV as a monitor from the dvd/vcr combo box. What the box receives is what shows on the TV. So you will have to have a digital convertor hooked to the (antenna in) dvd/vcr combo box, (antenna out to the tv antenna in) Depending on the antenna you are using that is on the other end of your cable-in coax connection this will hook to your antenna in on the digital convertor box. If your cable is hooked up and operating correctly and directly to the tv that is digital ready you probabbly have a good picture. When the vhf/uhf signal was transmitted you could go from the dvd/vcr to the tv with no problem. But now that the signal is digital and the tv is set for digital the dvd/vcr will not pass a digital signal to the tv. Best suggestion, you have to get a digital dvd/vcr receiver. If you have more question please contact me.

Mike

Make sure your VCR is on channel 3 or try channel 4. Also, make sure your VCR is set to VIDEO or VCR and not TV. 
A better way to do this is to connect the cable box to the VCR using the composite cable (yellow/red/white) cable. Then, connecting the cable box to your TV with component cable (red/greenblue) cables. This will only work if your TV has component in. If not, then connect the VCR out composite (yellow/red/white) to the TV. Or use the coax cable from the cable box labeled TV/VCR right to your TV. Make sure your VCR is set on LINE1 or LINE.

check out this diagram, paying close attention to the audio video cable hookups.

assume the cable tv box represents the converter box

you are going to come out of the converter box audio and video outputs into the new magnavox dvd/vcr combo audio and video inputs.

Then out of the new magnavox dvd/vcr combo outputs to the inputs on the tv if it has such inputs. The TV will have to operate on the video input 1 or 2 if the tv has such a thing, use the remote for the tv to adjust the input signal to line in 1 or 2 depending on what it has.

If the tv has no coaxial input or audio video inputs then you might have to use an adapter, you can get these from radio shack.

You say it will not record from the tv, but in all actuality the dvd vcr combo is getting the signal from the converter box not the tv, do you understand what I mean here?

So the dvd vcr combo gets input from the converter box so you will have to set it to view signal from the line input you have plugged in from the converter box. line 1 or 2 or whatever the input is.

the tv will have to be set on the line input to view the signal from the dvd vcr combo.

That is as easy as I can put it. Study the diagram closely. You will see what I mean.

I have the same problem with my Emerson VCR. When the ADD button is flashing, just press the menu button to exit the menu. It will add. That's the only thing I know to do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Just hook your antenna or whatever wire you have currently connected to the TV to the input on the new recorder, and you'll be to record anything you can watch now.

Depends how you have connected to the TV.

You will need to set your TV to the relevant socket you have connected the DVD/VCR into.

S-Video, Component , composite etc

These will be EXT 1 , EXT 2 or AV 1, AV 2 etc.

there a a bunch of different ways. 1) if you don't have a cable box hooked up to this tv,plug the main cable wire into the vcr input then the vcr outout to the tv.2) if you do have a cable box, plug the main cable into the cable box input, then the output to the vcr input, then the vcr output to the tv. put both the tv & vcr on channel 3 for this connection. [ you must have the vcr on channel 3 to record from the cable box!] 3) if you have aux line/video or source inputs on the back of your tv,you can hook up rca cables [ red, white,& yellow ] from the rca outputs on the vcr to the tv inputs.
hope this helps
wg

I have a cable box and a Samsung DVD-V5500 player. How do I hook up the 3-part cable to the back of the player?

yes, you need to use an Audio/Video cable (red, white, yellow) to hook to the TV. I've never seen a VCR that doesn't have coax connectors for the antenna input and TV ouput, but maybe the new ones are starting to leave that out. Normally, you run the antenna or cable coax into the VCR's input, then run another coax from the VCR output to the TV's input (or use an A/V cable)