No video on DVD - HELP! (1 Viewer)

Prior to adding a new component I decided to make sure all my existing components were working properly. My VCR had not been hooked up (since a recent move) so I went ahead and hooked it up to the VCR inputs on my Pioneer VSX-D711 receiver. I now have my CD player, TV (using DirecTV satelite receiver), FM tuner, wireless internet radio (on AUX), and the VCR all working properly. BUT, my DVD player will now only provide audio - no video. It worked fine before I started this process.

I've worked on this for too many hours to admit. I've purchased a new S-video cable (in case the other video inputs were 'broken'); I've swapped cables, trying a set that I know work; I've swapped DVD players; I've hooked up the DVD using the working VCR cable arrangement; I've gone through the reciever set-up trying all manner of possible settings. Nothing has worked. I get audio but no video.

I've tried searching the archives but am not finding anything that addresses this problem

Can anyone help? My Netflix subscription is going to get expensive if I am unable to watch DVD's any time soon.

How is your DVD player connected to your television?

Is it connected to your television?
Are you selecting the appropriate input on your TV?

My TV has only a coax connection available. So, the DirecTV receiver is connected by coax from its 'out to TV' to the 'Ant in' on the VCR. Then, by coax, from the VCR 'RF out' to an RCA RCF converter. Coax goes from the converter to the TV. Does that help?

I don't see a DVD player in what you described at all? Where/how is your DVD player hooked up to your TV then?

Also, when you say your TV has only coax connection available, that is ambiguous, do you mean an F-type coax connection, or an RCA Composite video input (yellow RCA plug)?

Thanks for sticking with me on this, Chris.

The DVD is connected, right now, by optical cable from the DVD (Optical out) to the Pioneer receiver (assignable 1 Optical in); and by S-video from the DVD (video out) to the Pioneer receiver (DVD/LD video in). Audio is working fine, no video.

The TV's coax is the F-type. It's an older TV.

Ok, so you have S-video from your DVD player to your receiver. Is there any video out from your receiver to your TV? If not, then obviously that's why you don't have any picture...

How do I introduce the DVD video signal, then, to the TV?

As mentioned, there is only the coax connection ('in from ant') on the back of the TV. It is currently being used as follows:

1) RF coax cable out from the DirecTV satelite receiver into the VCR
2) RF coax cable out from the VCR into an RCA RCF converter
3a) RF coax cable out from the RCA RCF converter into the TV AND
3b) audio/video cables from the RCA RCF converter into the Pioneer receiver: the audio (red and white) cables going to the 'REC CDR/Tape/MD OUT' and the video (yellow) into the 'Monitor OUT'

The DVD was working before I started this mess but now I can't remember how it was set up, video-wise. The audio for the DVD 'was' connected using digital optical AND digital audio coax, but I read that you only need one or the other, not both. So, now I'm just using the digital audio optical cable.

Where oh where to I route the DVD's video? I'm so confused at this point. Any hints would be so very much appreciated!

Where to route the DVD is difficult, because as you state, you have no video inputs on your television. You only have the F-type coax input that goes to your TVs tuner. (must be quite an old TV!)

You may have had your DVD player connected to your VCR and used that to pass the video on to your TV via the coax. If that's possible, I would go that route, I would expect you could probably use your VCR to do that.

So for instance, depending on what kinds of inputs your VCR has (probably composite input, and maybe also S-video) you would run the output from the DVD player to that input on the VCR. Then using the VCR, you may be able to select the video input to the VCR and that should be output via the coax of the VCR to the TV on say channel 3/4 as if you were playing a VHS tape for instance. You may or may not run into macrovision problems doing this though.

Thanks, Chris. I'll try your suggestion later today (when I get a minute) and cross my fingers that the VCR has that 'switching' capability.

In the meantime, what exactly is the function of the RCA RCF converter that currently is connected between the VCR and the Pioneer home theater receiver?

I would have thought that the 'monitor out' cable (from the Pioneer receiver to the TV via the RCA RCF converter) would be providing video to the TV for *any* device connected to the Pioneer receiver. But, apparently it is only seeing the satelite signal and the VCR signal. Can I connect the converter in some other manner to accomplish what I'm trying to do?

Sure appreciate your advise, Chris. I recieved a private message from Steve (thanks, hmthr!) suggesting I purchase a Basic Modulator and connect it just before the coax enters the TV. What do you think of this suggestion?

I actually don't know what you mean by RCF, I am not familiar with that term. It is not, that I am aware of, a valid term. Do you mean f-type connector? (the screw-type coax connector). As such, I'm not really sure what's happening there...

I must have missed above that you had a monitor out from the receiver to the TV, and this confuses me actually. I had not interpreted that you had any video output from the receiver to the TV.

From what I read above, I understood that you had a cable box going through the VCR all with f-type coax to the F-type coax input on the TV. And that your DVD player went s-video to the receiver and that was it, that there were no video outputs from the receiver anywhere else. Is that correct or can you clarify exactly what you have going where?

Christya, might i ask why you're hooking dvd video through your pioneer receiver ? It sounds to me like the easier way would be to just connect it to the RF converter via composite(just the yellow) plugs, or s-video if the converter has it. As it stands now, it seems like you're going to lose a lot of video quality anyway with all that passing through of the signal. You also might want to think about investing in a new TV with at least composite inputs and get rid of the converter all together.

I would connect the dvd player to the converter which outputs to the tv via an F-type coax connection and your audio output from the converter to your pioneer receiver.

Simple Solution to your DVD Problems... Get a Basic Modulator... usually $20-$30.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/GE-RF...oductDetail.do

this is the last device to be connected before the signal enters the TV Via the Coax.

When you turn you DVD Player on the modulator overrides the channel 3 or 4 (whichever you are using) and sends the DVD Picture and Audio to the TV.

You will at that point be able to watch the DVD on your tv and have the ability to listen to the DVD either on the TV speakers ( Which is connected to the modulator with the yellow(video) Red&white(audio). or listen through your stereo via the Digital Optical that you already have connected.

Ok, I'm back on this DVD problem after a brief respite (called "work"!)

Chris, my hookup is as follows (note that what I had been calling the "RCA RCF converter" is actually an "RCA CRF900 Auto Switching RF Modulator" - my bad)

1) RF coax cable out from the DirecTV satelite receiver ("out to TV") into the VCR ("in from ANT")
2) RF coax cable out from the VCR ("RF out") into the RCA RF modulator ("ant in")
3a) RF coax cable out from the RCA RF modulator ("to TV") into the TV -and-
3b) audio/video cables from the RCA RF modulator into the Pioneer receiver (the red and white audio cables going to the "REC CDR/Tape/MD OUT" and the yellow video cable into the "Monitor OUT")

Does that explanation help?

Ok, thank you for clarifying the modulator issue.

So basically what you have is antenna coax from the satellite receiver looping through the VCR, then through the modulator to the TV which only has an antenna input.

The modulator then allows you to connect sources with regular video outputs to your TV and allows you to watch those on channel 3/4, correct?

It sounds like you have S-video going from the DVD player to the receiver, and then composite video (yellow RCA plug) going from the receiver monitor out to the modulator. Unless your receiver can convert between s-video and composite, this won't work.

What I suggest first to avoid confusion is to take the receiver out of this loop, and take the video output from the DVD player directly to the RF modulator. I do not know what kinds of inputs this modulator has, you may need to use composite video out from your DVD player. Test as needed to make sure that you are getting DVD working via this method to your TV. (edit: I was finally able to find a picture of the rear of this modulator, it appears to have just one composite video input. It doesn't take s-video, so you could just run composite out from the DVD player to the modulator, that should work.)

As for routing the video through the receiver, that's generally not necessary unless you are switching multiple video sources through it, then it can be useful. It doesn't sound like that's the case now, so you can just run the video output from the DVD player directly to the RF modulator if you wish.

Hope that helps you get things straightened out! Let us know...

Well, Chris, if I understand what you said: I've connected the yellow audio/visual cable from the RCA RF modulator to the DVD player (yellow to yellow). The only other cable coming from the DVD is the optical cable from the DVD to the Pioneer receiver. I now still have a functioning TV when the Pioneer reciver is set to TV/SAT (not sure why, since I had to disconnect the "monitor out" cable in order to have a yellow cable connection available from the modulator to the DVD), and I still have DVD audio when the Pioneer receiver is set to DVD...

...but NO DVD VIDEO. Grrr...this is SO frustrating!

I wish there was someone in the area I could call to just come do it for me. But, this is rural NW Montana. If I don't figure it out, no one will.

Your help through this forum is so greatly appreciated!!!!!

Also Connect the Red and White Audio to the Modulator from the DVD. Some Modulators will not pass the video until they see the Audio signal also. They actually detect the audio signal to active the modulator to override the cable signal.

Thanks for the idea, Steve. However, still no video.

Well, you got me stumped! Is the modulator plugged in and all?

I finally gave up this morning, Chris, and looked in the phone book for some home theater help. I was able to get a guy out here (amazing!) who did everything we had tried (through your advice), as well as trying component cabling, and then went "doh!"

Turns out your suggestion, Chris, about hooking up the DVD through the VCR was the way to go. When I tried it before, I had some option setting wrong, I guess. This time, he hooked it up correctly and it works fine.

Since the Pioneer receiver is getting signal through the modulator, it is unable to 'dumb down' the component DVD signal when hooking up the DVD directly to the reciever. Instead, the DVD signal needs to go through the VCR to the receiver, through the modulator - keeping all signals at the same 'dumbness' level.

As was mentioned on this forum several times, the REAL solution is for me to save my pennies and just spring for a new TV - like one made in THIS century.

Thanks to you, and Steve, for your patient help. It was very very much appreciated!!!

Glad you were able to get things figured out! At least you can enjoy DVD source in the meantime!

But really, you do need to upgrade your tv. Sounds like you have some old steam-powered model or something!