Annoying DVD player question

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I haven't been able to find a straightforward answer to this question elsewhere on the net, so here it goes.

My TV (actually a TV/VCR combo) is ten, maybe twelve years old. It only has one audio input jack and one video input jack (as well as ones for cable VHS antenna). I want a DVD player. Can I hook up a DVD player to this thing, or do I have to buy a whole new TV set?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I just got a nice little late gift for my birthday, and I'd like to get a copy of the Brakhage DVD box set...supposedly you can few each movie frame by frame on the DVD set.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

you can either try to get a converter that will turn the DVD output into a cable input and run it through the antenna, or you can plug the DVD audio outputs into a stereo or satellite speaker system.
Otherwise you'll be losing a channel of audio and that's annoying.

― Millar (Millar), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 01:37 (twenty-two years ago)

If the jacks on your TV are RCA type (typical in audio systems), you should be able to get a cable with RCA plugs on each end and go from the composite output of the DVD to the TV input. The stereo audio outputs of the DVD can be combined with a Y cable adapter into one and then connected to the TV's audio input. This will probably be all you need to use it, the more extravagant connections give better picture quality (and stereo sound), but this will still be better than a VCR signal.

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I went through this a while back. I have a TV/VCR combo and was able to hook up the DVD through the 2 audio and video jacks.

― Mary (Mary), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 04:49 (twenty-two years ago)

you can even get a converter if you only have a coaxial in

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 04:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Even if you don't immediately have/get a RCA Y-signal splitter, you can still just use one of the RCA audio jacks and get audio signal that is fine. Standard practice is to always use the white (left) one, as it is the default cable for mono signal as well.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you have a VCR? Because if your VCR has the proper inputs, you can just run the DVD through the VCR until you get a new TV. If it's a 10-12 yr-old TV, you're not going to miss the sound fidelity that is lost, anyway.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Not neccessarily; sometimes copy protect overrides that workaround.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Really? I don't see how. I did for a long time. The VRC just acts as an adapter. You plug the audio and video "ins" into the VCR, and connect VCR to TV with the usual crap antennae connection. Where's the stop?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:22 (twenty-two years ago)

When you run a DVD through a VCR the copy-protected ones will cause unpleasant artifacts on the picture. When I did that the picture would brighten and then go dim regularly.

X-post.

― nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Mine wouldn't tape a DVD, but it would send it to the TV without issue. Very interesting.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard a lot about copy protection like this, but I've been working in a multimedia lab using AV equipment of all sorts for five years, not to mention being the go-to guy for most of my friends on hooking equipment up, and I've never seen a copy protect function that actually is 100%. For one, your DVD player technically can't tell what happens to RCA signal once it's left the player. Usually, though, people can't get the DVD signal b/c they haven't set their channels properly on the TV and/or VCR.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:25 (twenty-two years ago)

And I guess that varies from player to player and TV to TV, but if people tell me they see a dimming/brightening picture, I assume it's not the TV/VCR settings. TVs and VCRs don't usually do that.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:32 (twenty-two years ago)

DVD player of course can't tell what VCR's are doing with their signals, but they can put out a signal that's difficult for VCRs to understand, but easy for a modern television to.

Shit, Daddino, I'm sorry. One way or another, sooner or later, you're going to have to buy a new TV.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I've done it and had "copy protect" flash on the screen; but I have a pretty new VCR.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 05:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Shit, Daddino, I'm sorry. One way or another, sooner or later, you're going to have to buy a new TV.

Hmm. What I have is a 13" combo TV/VCR, and it appears that the ones just like it being manufactured today still only have the two audio and video inputs, regardless of brand.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 10:24 (twenty-two years ago)

possible macrovision issues here.

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

In any case, I'm going to concentrate right now on getting a DVD-ROM drive for the computer.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 10:34 (twenty-two years ago)

When I did that the picture would brighten and then go dim regularly.

Ahhh HAAA!!!! certain things have just become much clearer

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

It sounds like all you need is one RCA cable like this:

http://www.grand-tek.com/pics/p26-2b.jpg

and one that is just a single line. These are pretty cheap and common (heh, heh, just like me).
Connect the single line cable from the composite video output of your DVD to the video input of the TV, and the dual cable from the audio outputs to the audio inputs of the TV. You won't need the apapter (called an RF adapter, btw) as mentioned above. That is only needed for really old TVs that have only antenna connections.

― nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

You can just use the double if the connectors will reach.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:03 (twenty-two years ago)

You shouldn't use the cable above - those are stereo RCA audio cables. The video RCA is yellow and is, if I remember correctly, slightly different. You'll essentially get a 3-to-3 RCA and only use the yellow and the white.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:14 (twenty-two years ago)

All RCA cables are created equal, I believe.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

They're just colour-coded for convenience.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

dude the brakhage dvd set rules!! i got it a few weeks ago

― geeta (geeta), Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

In theory you're right - you can interchange them. However, the shielding and impedence is slightly different on the video cable. It's not that you can't - it's just that video signal acts differently. On some "pro" RCA cables, the video RCA is noticably bigger, although this is not always the case with consumer ones. Do it how you want, but I highly recommend following the colors.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 31 July 2003 06:09 (twenty-two years ago)

It sounds like Daddino has a stereo TV, so he won't need the Y adapter, or using white only, or setting the DVD to mono (if that's even possible). If you're buying a cable, get a 3-line like GS recommended. But you can try it my way with audio cables you might have laying around the house.

― nickn (nickn), Thursday, 31 July 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Later TV-out chips had built-in Macrovision protection, and allowed you to connect the card to a TV, but the picture will be distorted if connected through your VCR (eg. if you TV does not have composite/S-Video inputs).

However, poorly implemented Macrovision schemes can see DVDs being prevented from being played even when you don't have a TV-out device

http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/articles/macrovision.html

― J (Jay), Thursday, 31 July 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

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