DVD picture problem (1 Viewer)

[Tucker H]

Long time reader, first time poster... now on to the question (if this is the wrong forum for this please move)

I've recently done some upgrading to my home theater setup. I previously had an old prologic receiver but just bought an Onkyo SR600. So far I'm happy with it, but I'm having one problem. When watching a DVD, I have a horizontal line that scrolls down the screen continuously.

Here are the connections:

DVD Player(Pioneer DV-C503)
Video - S-video cable direct to TV (older Hitachi 27")
Audio - Digital Coax to SR-600

Digital Cable
A/V Composite cables to Video 2 on SR600

VCR
A/V Composite cables to Video 1 in/out on SR600

XBOX
A/V Composite cables to Video 3 on SR600

Composite Video from SR600 Monitor Out to TV

With this setup the horizontal line moves down the screen during DVD playback. If I unplug the video composite cable from the back of the TV the line goes away and the picture is fine. What I don't understand is that I had pretty much the same setup on my old receiver (except cable signal wasn't running through receiver). I had both a composite cable and S-Video cable going into the back of the TV with no picture problems while watching DVDs. What would be causing this? Receiver? Cable? DVD Player?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Neil Joseph]

This is strange although I would be the first to recommend foing away with the composite video connection. If you are using s-video you really don't need it.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Weird. It sounds to me you've got some sort of RF interference from someplace or some kind of "bleed" from the signal on the composite connection. I would say try testing the connections on the TV by running different sources through that composite and see if you get the same problem. Perhaps you can narrow down where the problem is located (ie: cable box, Onkyo, or the TV itself)

 

[Tucker H]

Thanks for the responses.

I'd love to get rid of the composite connections but unfortunately my cable box and VCR do not have S-Video. So without composite I wouldn't be able to run them through the receiver, correct?

Anyway, I think I've found it. The problem appears to lie in the Onkyo itself. I ended up putting the Onkyo SR600 and my old Onkyo (can't remember the model number) prologic receiver next to each other on the floor. All I did was plug them in. No speakers or other components connected to either of them. The DVD player was connected straight to the TV with S-Video. No sound was hooked up.

While a DVD was playing, I moved a video composite cable that was connected to the video in on the TV back and forth between the monitor out on the Onkyo SR600 and my older Onkyo. When the cable was connected into the older Onkyo, no line scrolling down the screen. When it was connected to the Onkyo SR600 the line appeared. I then left the cable in the Onkyo SR600 and turned the power on and off. Sure enough, if the power was off, no line, when I switched it back on, it reappeared.

Well, it looks like it's going back. Luckily I'm still within my 30 days at CC. I'll probably post in the Receiver forum to see if any current SR600 owners have experienced this.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Although this is a problem seemingly caused by the Receiver (given the experiment)-- the TV itself is also an accessory in the crime. The TV should not allow any interference from the Composite input when watching the svideo input. Granted the receiver is supplying some sort of signal which is causing a problem-- but I find it odd that the TV allows the crosstalk to happen.

Just a thought- you might have the problem with future receivers- even different brands.

-vince

 

[Tucker H]

I never thought of the TV being the culprit also. If this is so I am confused as to why I would see this problem with the Onkyo SR600 but not with my older receiver. Is there something a DD/DTS receiver would output that an older Prologic receiver would not?

Before I do anything I will go ahead and do the same test on a different TV. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Tucker,

Again-- I think it is the combination of the two (the TV and the Receiver)---- but I wanted to be clear that while the receiver appears to be doing something funky, the TV is allowing the crosstalk... so it's possible a future product might cause the same issue.

-V

 

[Tucker H]

Looks like you were right. I took my receiver and DVD player over to my parents house to test it. They have a much newer TV than me. No picture problems at all.

So my next question would be, is this something I should be concerned about? I'm not worried about it now but should I be concerned when I upgrade the TV that the problem could still be there. Or do I just chalk this up as my TV is old, and something might have happened to it along the way that is allowing the crosstalk to occur?

BTW, I appreciate the advice. Without thinking about the TV, I'm sure by now I would have either exchanged the receiver, or returned and bought a different brand and probably have been pulling out my hair trying to figure out why it still wasn't working.

 

[Selden Ball]

Tucker,

One way to get around the interference between the composite and s-video input is to convert all of your video signals to s-video and switch them through the receiver.

Inexpensive composite-to-s-video converters are available at places like Radio Shack and Best Buy. They typically cost less than $20 apiece, sometimes as little as $5. They look like small connector adaptors and just have some filters in them. They don't produce the best quality image, but that usually doesn't matter for low speed time-shifted video taping.

Another option would be to upgrade to an S-VHS VCR and run your cable TV signal through it, but that'd be quite a bit more expensive.

I hope this helps a little.

 

[Tucker H]

That might be something I'll look into. Like you said, the conversion would only be for the VCR and cable so I wouldn't be as concerned about the picture. I don't watch much TV and don't rent videotapes anymore.

I'll probably stay away from S-VHS for now since I plan on getting a new TV in the near future.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Try this: with the problem visible, disconnect the CATV coax from your equipment. The CATV coax is often the source of 60 hz noise into your system.

 

[dave_brogli]

I had the same problem with my ps2. I got a horizontal line flowing and it pissed me off!! Come to find out that it was all form my cabletv cable. There was a metal bracket touching the end outside and it was giving interference everywhere.. make sense? I hope so. I bet thats your problem try and unplug the cabletv chord and i bet that will work...(or atleast I hope so or I look dumb