Pink video from component cable

Derek Faber · 04-20-2008, 06:26 PM

I just bought a fairly cheap component cable and hooked it up yet the screen is all pink. I've never had a componant cable before and I was wondering if anyone knew why this would happen? Is it the cable or something else? I also have have a cheapo dvd player(not for long though)if that means anything.

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JohnRice · 04-20-2008, 06:31 PM

I expect the "Pink" is actually Magenta, which is probably due to the green cable being bad or the green output not working correctly on the DVD player.

Derek Faber · 04-20-2008, 07:02 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll return the cable tomorrow and get a new one and see if it works. If not I'll wait for my new player to get here.

Joseph DeMartino · 04-20-2008, 09:05 PM

Actually the most likely cause of this kind of a problem is a loose connection or misconnected cables. You refer to "a" component cable, but I assume you mean three cables (red, green, and blue) which happen to be bundled together the way cheap A/V cables often have the red & white analog audio and yellow analog video cables bundled. Disconnect all six ends of the cable and then reconnect them checking twice to make sure that you have connected red to red, green to green and blue to blue, that all cables are seated properly and finally that you have connected to the correct red input and output on both ends. (You'd be surprised how often someone plugs one end of a component cable into a red RCA analog audio input or output on one device or the other.) An incorrectly or incompletely connected cable is the most like cause of the problem you're describing, followed by a bad, crimped or damaged cable. An actual problem with the input or output jacks on the devices is way down the list as these are more robust, more thoroughly tested and less exposed to movement and ordinary wear and tear than the cables themselves.

If you actually only bought a single component cable and that's what's running from your DVD player to your TV - well, I think we've found the problem.

Regards,

Joe

Derek Faber · 04-20-2008, 09:33 PM

Yep, I triple checked and still pink. All colours nestled nicely in the their beds(ports). It was bundled like the regular red, white, and yellow wires. So I'm gonna guess something is defective. So I'll try again with a new wire.

JohnRice · 04-20-2008, 10:01 PM

You can try swapping the connections. Connect both ends to the same wrong connection, such as red to blue, blue to yellow, green to red. If the color cast changes, it is the cable. If it doesn't, it is the player or TV, most likely.

Derek Faber · 04-21-2008, 09:34 PM

I tried another cable and still pink. Hmm, guess I'll wait for my new dvd player to arrive and see what happens.
Thanks for the info anyways.

Stephen Tu · 04-22-2008, 01:57 AM

Which model DVD player, & which model TV? Occasionally one or the other has a setup menu option that has to be set correctly for component video to work.

Al.Anderson · 04-22-2008, 06:12 AM

Re-emphsizing what Stephen said - sometimes the DVD player has to be set to "component" or "high end"; if not the picture will look either pink or blue.

Quote:

It was bundled like the regular red, white, and yellow wires.

I know you said "like"; but just to be on the safe side, you do realize you should be using a red/blue/green cable - right?

GlennH · 04-22-2008, 11:46 AM

I just recently bought a 9-foot component cable (bundle of 3 cables) from monoprice.com to connect my Comcast cable box to the TV (the previous 6-foot cable was too short after reconfiguring a new rack and moving the cable box). I have started noticing vertical pink (magenta) bands on B&W movies on TCM. B&W DVDs don't show this (different cable), so I know it isn't the TV. You can't see it on programs in color, but I also didn't seem to notice it on some B&W material on another channel (which is pretty hard to find). I'm pretty sure the cable connections are solid, but I'll have to double check that and do some cable swapping and testing to determine if I have a bad cable.

Derek Faber · 04-22-2008, 08:09 PM

Yep the cable is red, blue, and green.

I looked at the dvd player menu and didn't see an option for it. I'll try again.

troy evans · 04-22-2008, 08:24 PM

Another possibility is your tv doesn't accept progressive signals like 480p, 720p, etc. If you have the dvd player set to 480p or higher try setting it to 480i, just to see what happens. If the problem goes away, you have your answer.

GlennH · 04-23-2008, 11:34 AM

Just to follow up my post, I confirmed that the red cable is the culprit. When I pull it out of the back of the cable box the pink bands go away. When I just touch the cable to the terminal it gets worse (darker red), when I put it all the way in the bands are much lighter, but still noticeable in B&W programs. I get no similar blue tint doing the same with the blue wire. And of course, pulling the green loses the whole picture since that's what carries the luma.