Just bought a TV: Vizio 37" LCD-LED

[Warhorse]

OK, Folks. Thanks for all the input. Although I didn't get an answer to the original question on the 60 herz hum phenomenon, I'll respond to your set of questions.

BTW, apologies if I managed to hijack this thread. It just seemed pertinent to me.

1. There is no HDMI connection possible between the Direct TV box and the DVD/VHS unit. No HDMI output on the Direct TV box and no HDMI input on the DVD/VHS unit, only component and S-Video input conectors.

2. I wanted a record capability on both DVD and VHS from the TV channels, as well as from a camcorder, and you cannot (yet) get a blu-ray record capability. There is an upconvert capability on this DVD/VHS unit and it DOES connect to the TV with an HDMI cable.  

3. The instructions on the DVD/VHS unit ONLY show a component cable conection between an "external tuner" and the DVD/VHS unit. NO MENTION is made of the S-Video cable at all, other than shown on the display of the back panel as being there.  

4. This begs the question of "What is an S-Video cable and what data does it transfer?" I can find no info on the #$%^&* thing.    

5. The bottom line is that everything now works properly. I just don't understand why, especially why ADDING the S-Video cable  to the 3-cable component conection solved the problem.  


Warhorse

[zxcvbob]

Is it possible you got "component" and "composite" mixed up?  red/blue/green cables (which are not separate color signals, btw) or red/white/yellow cables?  Or inputs/outputs mixed-up on the DirectTV box?  Sounds to me like you got most of it right but one cable end is plugged into the wrong jack.  (but I don't know that much about it cuz I just got into this stuff)

[Warhorse]

Is it possible you got "component" and "composite" mixed up?  red/blue/green cables (which are not separate color signals, btw) or red/white/yellow cables?  Or inputs/outputs mixed-up on the DirectTV box?  Sounds to me like you got most of it right but one cable end is plugged into the wrong jack.  (but I don't know that much about it cuz I just got into this stuff)

No chance of mixup. There are only the 3 input and 3 output connectors on the Direct TV box (red/white/yellow). The other outputs are S-Video and Coax. That's it! They are hooked to corresponding input conectors on the DVD/VHS unit. Once again, I only eliminated the hum and got picture when I ADDED the S-Video cable. This makes no sense to me but it DOES work! Perhaps I should give a call to Magnavox, the DVD/VHS unit manufacturer, if only to satisfy my curiosity. [If it works, don't fix it!]


Warhorse

[Harold Tuttle]

S-Video sends luminance data on a separate pin out

its moar better than a component signal on RCA jacks

[CNYCacher]

S-Video sends luminance data on a separate pin out

its moar better than a component signal on RCA jacks

Did you mean component?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video
Or composite? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_video

[Brad Johnson]

No chance of mixup. There are only the 3 input and 3 output connectors on the Direct TV box (red/white/yellow). The other outputs are S-Video and Coax. That's it! They are hooked to corresponding input conectors on the DVD/VHS unit. Once again, I only eliminated the hum and got picture when I ADDED the S-Video cable. This makes no sense to me but it DOES work! Perhaps I should give a call to Magnavox, the DVD/VHS unit manufacturer, if only to satisfy my curiosity. [If it works, don't fix it!]


Warhorse

The RCA connecters on the back of the DirecTV box are all output, or should be based on my DirecTV box.  The only input is coax (the antenna style screw-on connector).

If you want to record from the TV, use the composite A/V outputs from the TV back to the VCR.

Which model Maganavox and Visio do you have?

Brad

[Warhorse]

The RCA connecters on the back of the DirecTV box are all output, or should be based on my DirecTV box.  The only input is coax (the antenna style screw-on connector).

If you want to record from the TV, use the composite A/V outputs from the TV back to the VCR.

Which model Maganavox and Visio do you have?

Brad

Brad

I stand corrected. You are right that all the connectors on the Direct TV box are outputs. I mis-spoke. 

The Visio is a model E370VL and the Magnavox is a ZV427MG9 A. I doubt that has any significance in the present discussion.

I understand what you are saying about connecting from the TV to the DVD/VCR but there is another factor I haven't mentioned.  My wife is a total mechanical moron. I have to keep it as simple as possible or she will screw it up and blame ME. Therefore I need to connect the units as stated so she doesn't have to change any inputs. This way, the TV operates normally with the Direct TV remote and all that is necessary to play a DVD or VHS tape is to put the DVD or VHS tape into the unit, select which one she wants to use and press "play" to make the damned thing work. Press "STOP" and it immediately reverts to TV. I don't think that it is possible to make it any simpler.

Trying to get her to learn anything else is like arguing with a determined liberal on gun issues. As far as I am concerned, my favorite control is the "OFF" button! I leave the room (and sometimes the house) when she is watching her cr*p TV shows. [Have you ever had "The View" inflicted on you?]   

As I said before, "If it works, don't fix it!"

Warhorse

[Brad Johnson]

I downloaded the rear panel view of both your units.  I know why you were getting the hum.  You were connecting to the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT.  That's for receivers with a digital audio decoder which your TV doesn't have.

Also, your combo DVD/VCR player is about to cause you a huge headache.  You think your wife would hate learning to use the INPUT button?  Wait until she has to figure out the SOURCE button on the DVD/VCR.  Combo units are notoriously a PITA to use for the technically challenged.

Here's how it should be hooked up to (hopefully) accomplish what you want...

First, put away the s-video cable.  You won't need it.

DirecTV box to DVD/VCR - Run from the Video and Audio R/L OUT on the DirecTV box (either 1 or 2, doesn't matter) to the Video and Audio R/L IN on the DVD/VCR.  Should be easy as the connections on both ends should be color coded, Yellow for video, White for audio L, and Red for audio R.

DVD/VCR to the TV - Run the cables from the Video and Audio R/L OUT under the DVD/VCR side of the Magnavox's connections (the right side, the same side as the INPUT connections) to the Video and Audio R/L inputs labeled AV (GOOD) on the TV.

The above setup should allow you to do exactly what you proposed... being able to watch a DVD by simply putting it in the machine, then returning to DirecTV by simply ejecting the disk and turning the DVD/VCR off.  (Hopefully, presuming the DVD/VCR will throughput the DirecTV signal when it's turned off.)

Now, if you want to set it up so can watch a DVD and want to get the absolute best possible picture, but still be able to switch it back to the above operation so your wife can use it, make this secondary hook up as well...

From the DVD/VCR run leads from the DVD side of the connections (the left side) using the COMPONENT VIDEO and AUDIO R/L ouputs.  Connect them to the TV using the COMPONENT (BETTER) jacks.  Take special care to make sure you get cables from the Y, Pb, and Pr connections matched.  They can't be interchanged or Really Funky Things happen.  I use a little trick with the 3-way video cables available most everywhere.  They will likely have a yellow, red, and white boots on the cable.  You can save confusion by attaching the yellow connector to Y, the red connector to Pr ("r" for red), and the white connector to Pb (it's the only cable left and has to go somewhere!).  It's an easy way to keep yourself from being confused.  The AUDIO R/L jacks are pretty obvious.  Now you can deftly switch over to the COMPONENT input on the TV when you put in a DVD, but switch it back to AV and leave it there for ease of use by Mrs Warhorse.

One final note, if you have DirecTV's standard def service, the picture will be broadcast in standard (4:3) aspect ratio.  That means it will be pillar-boxed on the screen (black bars on either side of the screen to take up the extra room that occurs when you put a square picture on a rectangular TV).  For an extra fifteen a month you can get DirecTV's HD service with the integrated DVR.  It's WAAAAYYYYY better.  I recently made the upgrade when I got my flat screen and the difference is stunning.

Brad

[Harold Tuttle]

I once hooked my dvd player into my TV via component, composite & S

then i played a DVD and changed the input on the tv to look at the various source methods

they looked different, but to my eyes nothing was OMG better


HDMI is interesting because the audio & video are on that one bus connector




on a digital TV the resolution of a VHS 640x480 signal might look crappier then on an old analog Tube TV

comcast SD video sub sets on my 40 inch LCD tv into a letterboxed & curtained view thats 20 percent smaller than the potential

on my samsung I can zoom it bigger, but I gather I need an HD comcast feed to see "full screen" data

[Brad Johnson]

HDMI is good, but only as good as the upconversion circuit in the player.  Some are okay, some aren't.  In all honesty most of in these kind of combo units are pretty crappy.  A quickie add-on that's long on marketing potential and short on performance.

Brad

[Warhorse]

Brad:

Thanks for your efforts. I actually do have the Direct TV box conected to the DVD/VCR unit as you suggested except that I also have the S-Video cable connected. Will try disconnecting the S-Video cable and see if the hum comes back. If not, will let you know. That's the part that was driving me nuts, the hum.

The DVD/VCR unit is connected to the TV with a hdmi cable and that works just fine with the TV signal and the DVD or VHS tape output. I do get full screen left to right with a small black bar top and bottom. There is no "stretching" either.

As I said earlier, the TV normally goes directly through the DVD/VCR unit unless a tape or DVD is inserted AND playing. If the tape or DVD is stopped, the system reverts to displaying the TV signal on the TV. NOTE: the combo unit MUST be turned on for the TV signal to pass through it. I presume that this is because the hdmi cable connection is used. I may experiment with the composit/audio cable connection to the TV from the combo unit to see if the TV signal passes through to the TV when the combo unit is turned off.

For now, the configuration works in a maner that the frau actually understands, so I think I will leave well enough alone, other than for experimenting purposes.

It may take some time for me to get her away from the #$%^& TV long enough to experiment. Will post again in a couple of days when/if I actually have something to report that makes sense.

I truly hate that noise generator so have very little incentive to even try for maximum quality. As is, it's a huge improvement over the old configuration with the antique CRT TV.


Warhorse

[Brad Johnson]

The HDMI upconversion is likely causing the hum problem due to problems with audio signal integration to the HDMI upconverter on the composite side.  Ditch the HDMI cable.  It's useless anyway because you're not running HD.  Use the composite outputs like I outlined above.  It might actually give you a better picture because you're not running your nice clean video signal through what is likely a second-rate upconversion circuit.

Brad

[sanglant]

i don't know about vcrs, but the newer bluray players have this thing there calling HDMI-CEC when you turn on the bluray player, it turns on you're receiver(if you have one) and you're TV. and sets everything to the right inputs. then when you turn off the tv it turns off the bluray player. or the bluray player will turn off(or back to your tv/cable signal) it's kinda fun to watch. my receiver remote has buttons at the top that read my tv, my movie, and my music. that turn on everything you need on for what you hit. but if you hit the wrong button, you've missed 5 minutes of the show you were watching.

oh, if you can part with enough money. (i haven't been able to bring myself to yet. ) there are remotes that will do the same thing without replacing all your equipment.

One-click activity buttons*

No more complicated lists of what to turn on or which button to select. Once you’re set up, you just select what you want to do—such as “Watch a DVD”—and your Harmony does the rest.

oh, the samsung tv/samsung bluray player/onkyo receiver setup works like it's supposed to. but i'm having a little trouble getting it to go back to the motorola cable box.

and having the streaming setup built-in to the tv is really cool.

edit: added quote.

[Warhorse]

OK, folks.  Evidently I did do something stupid in my first try connection between Direct TV box and combo DVD/VHS recorder/player. I removed the S-Video cable and the normal composit (Yeah, I know, NOT "component") cable connections did NOT produce the hum I originally had a problem with. The only thing I can figure is that I somehow managed to plug the yellow video cable into the wrong conector on the DVD/VCR unit. I still have no idea what I did wrong but when I pulled that end of the cables and re-conected to the combo unit, there was no hum. 

[It's not those things that you don't know that will come up and bite you. It's those things of which you are absolutely certain that simply aren't so.] 

I have not (yet) tried connecting the composit cables between the combo unit and the TV to see if the TV still gets a signal with the combo unit OFF. I may not bother as everything works exactly the way I want it to now. Der frau actually claims that she understands how the setup works. (Yeah. Right!  That's good as I cannot make the arrangement any simpler to operate.)

Perhaps I can actually stay away from the CR*P she insists on watching without her bawling for help and crabbing about it every 30 seconds. [Have you ever had "The View" or "The Real Housewives of ?" or similar noise inflicted on you? These are even worse than the loud, obnoxious commercials that blast out every 5 minutes that, for some reason, she won't mute. OK. End of my crabbing about that.]   

This will probably be my last post on this subject. Frankly, I want nothing more to do with this annoying thing. I would far rather go off shooting if the weather would only start to cooperate a little. 


Warhorse

[Brad Johnson]

This will probably be my last post on this subject. Frankly, I want nothing more to do with this annoying thing.

Warhorse

*snicker*

If you get really bored you can try to walk my mother, who has trouble finding the "ENTER" key, through downloading photos onto her computer.  By phone.

Brad

[RocketMan]

Hey Brad!  Can you help me download some photos to my computer?  I'm having problems, and for the life of me, I cannot find the [Any] key.  Where the heck is it?   

[Brad Johnson]

Back slowly away from the computer...

Brad

[sanglant]

[Warhorse]

Great round, guys. Don't know if we solved anything but it does seem that we had a lot of fun trying. 

Now sit back and enjoy the show. 

Thanks for the help.

Now signing off this thread for good.


Warhorse

[TommyGunn]

OK, folks.  Evidently I did do something stupid in my first try connection between Direct TV box and combo DVD/VHS recorder/player.  .........  This will probably be my last post on this subject. Frankly, I want nothing more to do with this annoying thing. I would far rather go off shooting if the weather would only start to cooperate a little. 


Warhorse

Warhorse, have you by any chance considered reading the instructions?


(just razzin' you a bit.)