Have a ? for Home Audio guys

[bstnsportsfan]

Hey guys, My Dell has a DVD player and when I bought it I upgraded for a better graphics card and also for the TV out card. Now I want to hook the computer up to the TV but all I have is a Cable In on my TV, no audio or S input lines. I recently hooked up my VCR to my TV, that was easy went right in through the cable. Now is there a way I can hook up my computer to either my TV or the VCR which is connected to the TV?

Or would it be easier to just go buy a TV with an S-input? Christmas, 2nd semester of school and my brother's wedding is coming up, so I prefer not to have to go buy a new TV right now. I will eventually buy a 24" Flat screen JVC(?) I saw at Brandmart, I think it was $275.

Thanks guys!

[de Witt]

You probably should go with a reciever, this would make things a lot easier for you. However, this is not always necessary.

What sort of inputs/outputs do you have on your VCR? This is what I think you need:

S-Video or RCA (Red,White,Yellow plugs) output from your computer.

S Video or RCA input on your VCR.

RCA output on your VCR.

RCA input on your TV.

All modern TVs made in the 90s generally have the RCA jacks. VCRs, however, do not always have S-Video...infact a S-Video input might not really exist...then we might have to figure something else out for you

Also, one other thing. S-Video cord is EXPENSIVE as HELL! It will cost over $100 for S-Video cords, I will bet on it. RCA is cheaper, but S-Video is the highest quality next to going fiber optic.

[bstnsportsfan]

Thank you de Witt for repsonding. Looking at my VCR it does not have an S-video, it does have RCA (red, white and yellow) input & output. My TV is about 10 years old and just has a cable input. I think I am just going to buy a new TV after Xmas. It will be much easier and the picture will be better. I can pick up a 24"-27" flatscreen and DVD player for about $400 or less. I will probably go Sony or JVC (i know Sony is better) for tv and Sony for Dvd player.

To bad Plasma screen TVs don't plumet in price

[MEnthusiast]

Buying a new tv is probably your best bet.

what will happen is youll see the cost of basic dvd players ($75) and pick one up and not be relyant on your computer for dvd playback.

to answer your question- you can get devices to modulate the video and audio signals from your computer into your vcr- but the output from your computer is macrovision encoded so you will get a pulsating image on your tv, unless its connected directly to your tv. Im sure the costs of those parts would turn out to be around $50. trust me on this one- enjoy your dell as a computer and get a standalone dvd player. they are very inexpensive. btw- all you need is s-video.

[bstnsportsfan]

Thank you MEnthusiast. One final question, can I hook up a DVD to my TV that only has cable input? I know I need to buy a new TV eventually, but can I just get off with a dvd player on my current tv? I hate Tapes, its too old fashion

Thanks again.

[MEnthusiast]

when you say cable input- you mean the coaxial cable that uses an "F-type" connector ( prong in the middle and the screw on part on the outside). the answer is- yes, but youll have to find someone making a dvd player with this kind of output. I am sure someone does. None come to mind.

as you go through the buying process for your next tv and dvd player you will findout there are several connection standards. here is a quick introduction:

1. RF (coaxial). this combines the entire video signal and audio signal. its convieient, but thats it. it produces the lowest quality audio results. remember, the more stuff mixed into the signal- the more stuff needed to extract things.

2. composite. this is the yellow RCA style connector you see on some tvs and vcrs. it carries only video. so youve taken the burden of carrying the audio away. the resulting video needs to be filtered to get a picture. this is acceptable for VHS but not recommended for DVD- unless you have to. Same for RF.

3. S-Video. It doesnt stand for super video. it stands for seperate video. the connector looks almost like a pre-USB computer keyboard cable (round with 4 pins inside) It eliminates the need for one level of filters- and therefore has a much more pleasing result. out of all the video connections for tvs made before HDTV, this one has the biggest "bang for the buck". the difference in picture quality between s-video vs. RF or composite is huge.

4. component. people often confuse this with composite. they are opposites. composite mixes the whole video signal into 1 wire. component breaks it out to 3 wires. 3 wires are more of a pain to install than 1, but they eliminate nearly all the filters needed to get an image. component is better than s-video, but if you are using a smaller tv (32" or less) you shouldnt have to worry.

5. Wideband component. this looks the same as regular component, but it can carry "progressive scan" and hdtv images. this will have a big improvement over regular component, but its not so much one format over the other, but rather the fact that the source (hdtv receiver or progressive scan dvd player) is better.

6. RGB+HV. this is the best analog connection you can get, but its very uncommon in consumer gear, and not worth your trouble in tracking down.

7. DVI. Digital visual interface. Its being used on some new high end and HDTV gear.

8. HDMI. I forget what it stands for but its basically the same thing as DVI except it can carry copy protection information. right now the format for that is called HDCP.

[Synergy]

Originally posted by bstnsportsfan
Hey guys, My Dell has a DVD player and when I bought it I upgraded for a better graphics card and also for the TV out card. Now I want to hook the computer up to the TV but all I have is a Cable In on my TV, no audio or S input lines. I recently hooked up my VCR to my TV, that was easy went right in through the cable. Now is there a way I can hook up my computer to either my TV or the VCR which is connected to the TV?

I'm taking from your response that your computer has an S-video output. You need an adapter to take that S-vid signal and convert it to composite (yellow RCA). My IBM Thinkpad came with one, but if your computer didn't, you can pick one up... but it could be kinda expensive. You take the RCA signal, hook it to your VCR, put your VCR on line 1 or whatever the input is, and put your TV on ch 3 or 4 or whatever you use to watch VCR.

Or would it be easier to just go buy a TV with an S-input? Christmas, 2nd semester of school and my brother's wedding is coming up, so I prefer not to have to go buy a new TV right now. I will eventually buy a 24" Flat screen JVC(?) I saw at Brandmart, I think it was $275.

Thanks guys!

Like you said earlier, the Sony is better.

Someone mentioned something about a DVD with a RF (coax) output. The newest models of Sony DVD/VCR combos let you watch the DVD through the RF output. Could be pretty close in price to buying the aforementioned converter, so could be worth looking into.