I have a HD Toshiba regza LCD with a Samsung HD DVD/vcr Recorder combo plus a SD Directv Tivo plus an RCA receiver. All this is hooked up now with standard AV cables. My tivo receiver has one S-Video connection on it, the DVD has HD,Component, and S video connections and the receiver has s video or component for all but no HDMI. I would like help in obtaining the best picture I can with the SD satellite receiver. I think I could connect the DVD with the HD cables directly but then I would not be able to burn DVD's off my Tivo unit. I have been reading on this site for hours and think I am even more confused than I started out. I would truly apprecitae any help in clarifying all this.. Thanks.
Without exact model numbers, it would be hard to give specific hookup instructions. However, here is a pretty good way to approach it:
Your DVD recorder will have multiple inputs AND outputs. It is possible to connect your DVD player via component or HDMI to the TV and still plug in your SD box via another means. Prioritize your best quality connection to the display, and use standard AV cables to the recorder (your TiVo should have a second output for regular AV signals).
So:
HD-DVD to TV via component or HDMI (if you use component, you could switch through the receiver, but without a second device that uses component there's no immediate benefit in doing so).
TiVo S-video to TV/receiver (if you use video switching on the receiver)
TiVo A/V to DVD recorder input