TV/Audio-Visual help needed !

[mrerick]

The "Yellow" wire carries "composite analog video" in Standard Definition. All the video signal including all colors and luminance are combined on the one wire, but with some compromise of quality.

The "White/Red" wires carry left and right channels of analog audio.

It will all look better using the digital connections if they are available from your cable box.

The Red/Green/Blue input is for analog component video, and can work in high definition.

Your set may double use the "green / Composite" input for composite and component analog video, depending upon the input setting of the TV - either "AV" or "Component" from the list...

If both TV sets and the cable TV box are connected to a cable TV connection, they should all be able to receive the non-encrypted channels (premium but not pay per view). Just make sure that you've used the menu in each TV set to set the tuner to "cable" rather than "antenna" and then re-scan channels. "Cable" scans a broader range of frequencies that are sent down the cable system's cable. There is a narrower band of frequencies used over the air with antennas.

On most cable boxes, you can connect more than one output from the cable box to more than one television. This would allow the cable box to control both.

You can get some very long HDMI cables from Ebay very inexpensively... Search "HDMI cable 50ft".

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by mrerick

The "Yellow" wire carries "composite analog video" in Standard Definition.
The "White/Red" wires carry left and right channels of analog audio.

The Red/Green/Blue input is for analog component video, and can work in high definition.

If both TV sets and the cable TV box are connected to a cable TV connection, they should all be able to receive the non-encrypted channels (premium but not pay per view).

Marc -

Thanks for your reply! Using a Y-splitter after the converter box and to the two TVs, I can get simultaneous channels throughout the channel list (coax cable & coax Y-splitter). But the signal is seriously degraded (lots of pixelization). The upside is that I can control channel selection on both at the same time via the single converter box remote.

According to my TV set instructions, I should be able to slave a second set (or PC or VCR or DVD player) via the three-colored cable bundle. I just have no idea which port to connect the yellow cable to on the 'master' TV. There's too many ports and none are coded yellow.

I don't know enough about TVs to know if I can fry some component by hooking it up wrong, and that's one piece of knowledge I'll gladly stay oblivious to.

Right now, I have one TV receiving the converter box signal and the other receiving the basic signal.

A second converter box might be a cheap solution (only about $7 month) but then I'd either have two remotes to control them, or if it is possible, one remote controlling two stacked converter boxes. And a rats nest of cables.

It probably shouldn't be all that hard to slave the second TV to the first. I simply don't have the background to identify the leads/ports and the manual is not written for the average user (i.e., bored housewives).

[sheepherder]

I dug through all my old A/V equipment and found an unused RatShack® "Cable TV Amplifier" [part # 1502505, $39] described as 'amplifies a single RF signal'. I had tried it several years ago but it wasn't needed then (I used a Hauppauge WinTV PCI card & supplied cables to connect the TV signal to my PC). I had forgotten I had it, but...It works! I am amazed!

I have the cable from the street going into the converter box and the output from the box into the amplifier. The output from that into a coax Y-splitter that goes to each TV. Even at minimum gain from the amplifier, I get an excellent signal to each TV. And I can control both TVs simultaneously from the converter remote.

I checked it by unplugging the amplifier. Yuck!

I also connected PC speakers to each TV via the 3.5mm headset ports so I could get independent sound to each TV. Works great!

I am now a happy couch potato!

[sheepherder]

Thanks for your help, Marc!

Even though your comments didn't directly affect the solution, they prompted me to explore an avenue I hadn't initially considered.

Whoda thunk Luger collectors would be TV/PC geeks!