In: Root » Arts and entertainment » Movies and TV » Hooking Up Your HDTV
Setting up your HDTV does not have to be a complicated process. In fact, you should be able to test and use your HDTV with minimal setup if you wish - it’s only when you start adding DVD players and home-theater systems that the connections get a little spaghetti-like. In this article, we help you open up the box and get the HDTV out (But of course you really don’t believe that. Oh well. Call Pat - he’ll come right on over! Kidding.). Okay, so what we really help you do is understand the overall layout of your HDTV system, and to understand where the parts fit. We start small and simple, with just an over the air connection, and work up to your most intense and complex HDTV home-theater operation. Making Connections Unless your HDTV has a built-in DVD player or VCR, you need to make some connections to actually use it - the video signal must come from somewhere. There’s probably a cluster of input and output jacks (jack panel) on your HDTV. How you use these jacks is determined by the devices you connect to your HDTV. Jack panels Depending on the cabinet design, there may be jacks on the front, at the side, or on the back of your set. Input jacks Input jacks only receive broadcast signals and programs from your audio/video devices so you can watch them on your HDTV. You’ll probably see most or all of the following audio/video input jacks on your HDTV: - ANT-IN: Two or more ports for • NTSC analog and ATSC off-air signals These ports only work for ATSC if you’ve got an HDTV with built-in HDTV (or ATSC) tuner. • Analog and digital cable-TV signals These ports only work for digital cable if you’ve got a DCR (digital-cable-ready) HDTV (see Article 8). - DVI-D/HDCP IN: A digital-video input, usually teamed with two R/L inputs for audio DVI-D/HDCP ports can’t plug into cables that are connected to a PC’s (similar) DVI-I connection. - Video In: Usually these are in sets with • Composite and S-Video video inputs • Standard audio inputs Usually these are connected to composite or S-Videoequipped video systems like VCRs. Your HDTV may require you to tell it whether you’re connecting to the composite video or S-Video jack. (Check your owner’s manual.) - Component Video In: Component video plus standard audio inputs for accepting signals from component video systems such as DVD players - PC inputs: Usually divided into • PC Audio Input: These audio jacks connect to the audio output ports on your PC. • PC Video Input: These video jacks connect to the video output port on your PC. Output jacks Output jacks send signals from your HDTV to your audio/video devices so you can - Record, listen to, or distribute the programs - Control other devices You’ll probably see most or all of the following audio/video output jacks on your HDTV: - IR Out: An Infrared port for sending IR signals to control your attached devices - Audio/video outputs: Usually an HDTV has two kinds of audio/video outputs that do a range of tasks: • REC Out: A “record out” connection for recording what you see on your HDTV to an analog VCR. • A/V Out: Regular composite video and standard audio outputs for connecting such devices as a VCR for editing and dubbing. Usually this output is bridged directly to an input; whatever is connected to the input jack goes to this output. These audio/video outputs usually have a couple of limitations: • They output a downconverted video signal, not HDTV. • You can’t adjust the audio volume with the TV remote. - Audio Only: HDTVs usually have a couple of outputs for sending audio to other devices, such as amplifiers, receivers, and decoders: • Digital Audio Out: A digital audio connection (usually an optical “Toslink” connector) for connecting external Dolby Digital-enabled amplifiers, receivers, decoders, or other home-theater systems that receive optical audio. • Variable Audio Out: These are standard audio ports for connecting an analog amplifier with external speakers. Variable audio allows you to adjust the volume of your external sound system with your TV remote. Many TVs have an on/off switch that governs how the onboard speakers are used. You may be able to switch your speakers so either - The internal speakers carry all the normal audio signals. - The TV’s audio goes directly to the A/V receiver, and either • The TV’s speakers can be the A/V receiver’s center speakers for surround sound. • The TV’s speakers are entirely off. Bi-directional jacks Bi-directional jacks both send and receive data. A couple of these jacks are common on HDTVs. Two types exist: - FireWire/IEEE 1394: These ports are for connecting devices for compressed video and audio signals. HDTVs with IEEE-1394 FireWire ports don’t always operate with all the other devices that include such connections. For instance, usually you can’t hook up a 1394-outfitted Mini DV camcorder to a TV. Check your manual closely about what can be connected to this port. - RS-232 Jack: This is a serial-connection port that can be used with your PC for data transfer (like firmware upgrades), and which can also be used with some automation systems. |
legal disclaimer
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Web-articles is a free articles resource.
Suggestion: If you need fresh, daily updated content for your website, feel free to use our service. Click here for more information.
related articles
Most HDTVs have a fairly large number on inputs on the back (and usually some on the front too!) that can accept connections from antennas, cable TV feeds, cable set-top boxes, satellite receivers, DVD players, DVRs and more. Having all of these connectors is a good thing, but it can occasionally cause a bit of trouble. So once you connect one of your source devices to your HDTV, you may run into a situation where you start up your HDTV and expect a picture, and get . . . well . . . nothing. Don’t panic....
Sometimes the stars align and everything just works. For example, you may tune in to an HDTV broadcast of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (which is broadcast as a 1080i signal) with your Samsung CRT HDTV (which displays HDTV signals in a 1080i mode). Well, lucky you the input resolution (the 1080i TV program) and the display resolution (your 1080i CRT TV) match. All is well in the world, and good TV is watched. But what if you had a Sony Grand Wega LCD rear-projection TV? Those ...
3. HDTV Channels
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re kind of obsessed. See, we like to just sit and look at A/V equipment even when it’s turned off. We just love looking at turned-off HDTVs, especially the backs where all the many ports and connectors are located. Normal people, like you, probably want to actually look at an HDTV program, not an inert HDTV. OK, so we can’t fault you there. A couple of years ago, however, we would have shaken our heads sadly and told you there were none to be fo...
4. HDTV tuners
The biggest problem with HDTV tuners (whether they’re in your TV, or external) has traditionally been an economic one. They are (or at least were) darned expensive. Even a year or two ago, it was common to see HDTV tuners that cost $1,000 or more (this effectively explains why so many HDTVs were sold as HDTV-ready: Not everyone with an HDTV uses the OTA tuner, so why drive the cost of an already-expensive HDTV through the roof?). The good news is that prices have come down. Way down. As we ...
5. The Cable Guy
Most Americans get their TV (NTSC or ATSC) from their local cable company something on the order of two-thirds of all households subscribe to cable-TV services. Cable companies (generally referred to as MSOs or multiple-system operators, as most cable companies own and operate cable systems in dozens or hundreds of different cities) have been extremely aggressive over the past ten years, rolling out new services like digital cable, cable modems, voice services (cable telephony), and...
6. Direct Broadcast Satellite
Rocket Science Well, okay, rockets did have something to do with putting all those communication satellites up there. But that’s pretty much where the science ends and the good news begins. Satellite service providers are not only a great alternative to cable for regular TV programming, they are also a primo source for HDTV. The satellite companies were among the first to offer HDTV using HDTV as a serious competitive advantage to counteract cable companies’ digi...
7. Internet and HDTV with one dish
It may be the industry’s best-kept secret, but it’s possible to get both high-speed Internet (via DIRECWAY) and DIRECTV’s HDTV service from a single installed dish. The dual dish comes with three connecting cables: - A cable to the HDTV satellite receiver. - Input and output cables for Internet service. The input and output cables connect into a high-speed modem, which then connects into the computer. You can share DIRECWAY Internet serv...
8. Getting Into DVRs
Getting Into DVRs Besides HDTV itself, we think that the rise of the DVR (Digital Video Recorder — some folks call them PVRs, or Personal Video Recorders, too) is the single biggest thing to happen to TV in our lifetimes. Yeah, we know that sounds like an exaggeration, but trust us — using a DVR is almost a life-changing experience. Once you start using a DVR, you’ll never (never ever) think about TV the same way again! In this article, we give you a good do...
9. VHS VCRs
Taping Time In our collective rush to sift through the $5 DVD bins at Wal- Mart, it’s easy to overlook the good ol’ VCR that sits precariously atop many of our TV sets at home. DVDs are cooler, packed with more data, and they’re . . . well . . . digital. But almost all of us have a lot of investment in the VCR — ranging from the scores of VHS files purchased over the years, to the recorded broadcast and home movies that make up our VHS collections. It may not be a big inve...