Help!! Audio but no video (1 Viewer)

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

I bought a new H/K AVR 520 and am having a problem getting video feed in any thing but Video 3 mode. There are 3 video/audio inputs on the back panel and 1 video/audio input on the front. The instruction book said to hook my Satellite reciever to the Video/audio 3 input jacks. and to hook my TV to the Monitor output jacks. I'm using an S-video cable for the connection between the satellite receiver and the AVR and again between the AVR and the TV.

When I tried to hook up my VCR to any of the other video/audio imputs using RC cable, I'd get audio but no video. Same with my son's game cube, audio but no video.

I've tried all the imputs including the Video 3 imput which worked fine for the satellite receiver when using the s-cable. It didn't work using the RC jack.

It's driving me nuts

Am I overlooking anything? I'm used to the old stereo hookups but I didn't think you had to be Einstein to hook up cables to this new fangled technology.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Gary

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · Dec 15, 2003

Gary,

I feel your pain – this home theater stuff is needlessly complicated, even with something simple like you have. They can send a man to the moon, but they can’t make a “plug and play” HT system – go figure.

Your problem is that apparently you can’t “mix and match” S-video and composite video (the kind from the yellow RCA jacks) with this receiver. You won’t get any video from the VCR or the kid’s video game unless they have S-video connections as well.

So you’ll have to do one of two things: Get a VCR and came console with S-video connections, or else ditch the S-video and go composite all the way. Since from what you write only one of the three sources has S-video, I’d go with the latter.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Allan Jayne · Dec 15, 2003

How many video inputs does your TV have?

If there is only one yellow video jack, one S-video jack, and one choice on the remote for AV or video or camera, then the TV has only one input. You may not have both jacks plugged at the same time (usually).

When you have someting like the satellite box connected by S-video and also something like the VCR connected by composite video (the RCA cable) to your AV receiver, you must have both kinds of cables going to the TV and you must6 manually choose the matching input on your TV with at least two video inputs.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

Wayne,

Why would they make a system that won't allow you to use both the RCA and the S-video. It doesn't make sense to me. The cables are only avenues for the signals to travel through. I'll try and use RCA cables only, to test this therory, being I don't have a VCR with S-video hookups.

Thanks,

Gary

Allan Jayne · Dec 15, 2003

Cheapness.

The A/V receiver will let you use both composite and S-video sources, with both composite and S=video cables at the receiver outputs.

Your TV might not and lots of others still out there on store shelves don't.

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

Allan,

My TV has two video inputs. Video 1 is either S-Cable or RCA and Video 2 is RCA only.

I think my problem is with the receiver. There are two Video outputs options for the receiver to the TV/Monitor either S-cable or a yellow RCA jack.

The reason I bought the AVR receiver was to hook all my components to the Receiver and have only one line to the TV from said receiver. I believe that's how it's supposed to work. Otherwise you'd need to have a video and audio hookup on your TV for your DVD, VCR, Satellite, and Game Cube. Or you'd have to change the cables around every time you changed sources.

That doesn't make sense to me.

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

I get a video signal to the TV through the receiver from my satellite dish using S-video. I can hook up the VCR to the TV using the RCA cable at the same time and switch between Satellite and VCR with the push of a button. They both work. It's when I try to hook the VCR to the receiver I'm not getting any video signal. I get the audio signal.

Jason GT · Dec 15, 2003

Harman receivers (well the ones I'm familiar with) don't convert between different video types. That means if you put S-Vid in, you must have S-vid out to get that satellite signal. If you put Composite (RCA) in, you must also have a composite out.

You may need another RCA cable running from AVR to TV. Depending on how your TV is set up, and how the Harman receiver switches signals, you *may* be able to run both RCA and S-vid from the receiver to Video 1 on your TV.

Else you may have no choice other than going S-vid out from AVr to Video 1 and RCA out from AVR to Video2 on your TV.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · Dec 15, 2003

Why would they make a system that won't allow you to use both the RCA and the S-video. It doesn't make sense to me. The cables are only avenues for the signals to travel through.

Not necessarily, Gary. That’s true with audio signals but not video. S-video, for instance, separated the video signal into two components, one for light the other for (I think) color. Many late-model DVD players have s-called component video sends, which divide the video signal into three components, red, green and blue.

These video signals are not compatible with each other. Some receivers can do an internal conversion, however, but if yours was one of those you obviously wouldn’t be having this problem.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Click to expand...

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

Jason,

Man that bites. So, I if that's the case, if I use the Component Video inputs on the receiver from a DVD player I'll need to buy a TV that also has Component video inputs just to hook to the receiver and view DVD's?

That really stinks.

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

Do I look any smarter to you guys.

I've learned more about audio/video in the last 30min than I did in the last 20+ years.

And here I thought I had done my homework :frowning:

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

So my next question then is......if I use both types of cables to send the video signal to Video 1 input, Will they interfer with each other?

That also means I just saved a few bucka on the Component video cables for the new DVD player I bought for Christmas. I'll get by with S-cable.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · Dec 15, 2003

Gary,

Just use composite (yellow RCA) video connections for everything and all your problems will go away. Then you can connect everything to the receiver, and one cable from there to the TV, like you said you ultimately wanted to do.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

GaryLZ · Dec 15, 2003

Thanks for the input. I got everything to work. I need to get a different video cable though. I'm using an old gold end cable from my 25yr old stereo system. The picture isn't quite as good as with the S-cable

Thanks again for all your help. I'm no longer frustrated. I'm now well informed.

Bob McElfresh · Dec 15, 2003

Gary: try to standardize on SVideo, not composite (single RCA cable)

For the VCR, Radio Shack sells a $20 part that is a "Composite to SVideo Converter". It will take the VCR video signal and convert it to SVideo.

No, the quality is not great, but if you are like the rest of us - videos are infrequent.

Your GameCube should have a cable/option to provide SVideo.

Home Theater magazine did a test on all 3 video connection types. With a 50" Reference RPTV they determined:

Composite- baseline quality
SVideo - 20% better than Composite
Component (3 RCA cables) - 25% better than Composite

So you get a rather large/noticible jump in quality with a good source and SVideo connections.

Jason GT · Dec 15, 2003

Gary,

regarding your question about component into receiver -

The short answer is yes.

However, even if you did have a receiver that converted component to S-vid or composite video, sending component from DVD to your AVR would be a pointless exercise (see Bob's last post).

The crux of the matter is that not all video connections are identical, and once you (down)convert component to S-Vid or composite, you lose video quality.

Basically, if you want component quality you need to go component the whole way through. You don't gain anything by converting component (from your DVD player) to Svid and sending Svid (only) to your TV.

If you want to enjoy Component quality you must have a component in on your TV. No way to avoid that.

Jason_A · Dec 16, 2003

Most TV assign inputs in this way. DVI, Component, Svideo, Rca. It sounds weird that any receiver would have a video out selector and block signals. Any receiver with a video out will let video come through no matter what connection.

I think he has his wires messed in the back. Each Video1,2,3 has two sets of connections in and out. It is possible that he put the audio out cables on to the out but connected the video to in. Hence audio but not video.

You put everything to the receiver and you use the monitor out on the receiver to the TV either S-video or RCA yellow.

Also you can use one of the video/audio outs of Video1,2, or 3 to have TV audio for those late night viewings.

You have to select each video connection on the receiver before using the Vcr, Game system, etc.

Hope this helps Gary

Jason

Ed Moxley · Dec 18, 2003

Forget the receiver for video.........
You should ALWAYS hook video straight to tv, except when it's not possible. Only use the the receiver for the audio. You said you have more than one input on the tv. Use the S-video from satellite to tv input (1), and the rca jacks from the vcr to tv input (2) and run their audio into their respective inputs on receiver.

If you have two sources that are S-video, and tv only has one input, then you have to use the receiver for video. Otherwise......DON'T.
Good luck!

BTW..........
Your dvd player will also have S-video, I'm sure. Then you can run sat and dvd player video thru receiver to video 1 input on tv, and keep vcr in video 2. Should still work fine!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · Dec 19, 2003

Forget the receiver for video.........
You should ALWAYS hook video straight to tv, except when it's not possible. Only use the the receiver for the audio.

Many people, myself included, don’t care to do this because it needlessly complicates things – i.e., you have to make both audio and video selections every time you change a source component.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Click to expand...

Ed Moxley · Dec 19, 2003

You still have to choose video1 or 2, depending on the input you use, and choose the audio source. So, what's different and confusing?

When you go to receiver first, you have to use twice the cables. One going in and one coming out. Straight to tv...... 1 cable. Saves about $8. Although, when he hooks up new dvd, he'll have to go thru receiver for sat and dvd, since he has only one input for S-video on tv...........

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