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How to connect your DVD player to your TV

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Author: film view
Date: Mar 15, 2010 - 2:43:25 PM

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When it comes to hooking your DVD player to your TV there are normally a number of options supplied by the player. If you look on the back of the player you will normally see a group of connections that are made up of 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 white socket – these are your “composite” connections and represent 1 video connection (yellow) and 2 stereo audio connections (left – white, right – red).

 

You should also expect to see another group of connections made up of 1 red, 1 blue and 1 green socket. These are for “component” connections and are all 3 are video connections. Each one represents the 1 of the 3 colours that make up video colour - red, green and blue. In this case each connection sends a colour signal to the TV. That being the case, this means 3 times as much data is being sent to the TV than the single video cable represented by the yellow connection. Naturally this results in better picture quality. When using the component connections you need more cables as you will need 3 to connect the video image and 2 more to connect the stereo audio.

 

Most the time the DVD player will come with the composite/audio cables included. That will be one cable with red ends, one with white ends and one with yellow ends. For simplicity it is easiest to match colour cable to colour socket on both TV and DVD player, but in reality it does not matter what colour cable is plugged in where provided that each cable end is plugged in to a matching colour socket. i.e you can plug the yellow headed cable in to the red socket of the DVD player, provided that the other end of the yellow cable goes in to the red socket of the TV. This means that if you have spare cables floating around the house, you can use them in any of the sockets and upgrade your viewing to “component” and increase your picture quality.

 

If there is only one set of red/white sockets for audio on your DVD player, then these are the only ones to use for sound. If there are 2 pairs of red/white sockets, then 1 will be situated with the yellow video connection and should be used only when using the yellow “composite” socket, the other pair should be the pair you use if you are using the “component” (red, green, blue) connections.

 

Some players will also come with a 3^rd connection that is called SCART. This appears as a grid like set of slots surrounded by an (almost) square rim. SCART is similar to component in that it only sends the video signal in high quality. The picture quality of this connection will be similar to that of the component signal, however, you will still need the red and white headed cables to be able to connect the sound.

 

In some of the newer players, you will also find a thin rectangular video connection called HDMI. This connection is for transmitting the signal digitally to the TV. Like component and SCART, it only transmits the picture signal and the sound will still need to be carried to the TV via the red and white headed cables. The advantage of HDMI is that there is no need for the DVD player to change the digital signal of the DVD disc back to an older style analog signal which all the previously mentioned type of connections transmit. The upside of this will result in better picture quality, however, only the new flat screen plasma and LCD TVs can read this signal. If you are sending the DVD signal to an older “tube” TV then, the older TV won’t even have the HDMI connection built in, so don’t waste any money going out and buying and HDMI cable. In this case it is recommended to use the component or SCART connections for best picture quality.

 

Tim Ahern

Filmview Services Pty Ltd

http://www.filmview.com.au

View all articles by film view

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