High-definition television (HDTV) has opened up a whole new world of viewing for video lovers. HD provides much more detail than older, analog TV systems, making it possible to enjoy theatre-quality video and audio at home. Delivering such outstanding quality requires a special cable, like the all-digital HDMI.
While HDMI is generally easy to use, every now and again you may not get the results you were expecting. Here are a few quick troubleshooting tips if things aren't quite working out.
When there's no picture
If you're not getting a picture, there are a few quick things you can do to potentially fix your problem.
For starters, there could be a problem with the channel you're trying to watch. Try changing to another channel, and preferably one you'd normally receive.
It's also possible that you have one of the necessary components turned off or connected improperly. Trace your cables and make sure they're all going where they should. That tangle of cables may seem confusing at first, but be patient and follow one at a time.
You may need to actually connect your analog cables (such as component, S-Video or composite) to get the HDMI link set up. This is because most home theatre equipment default to analog connection settings. Once you're connected with the analog cables, plug in the HDMI cables and switch the video and audio settings to HDMI on both the source and your TV.
Many home theatre receivers now perform video switching, so you can connect all your video sources to your receiver, and have a single HDMI cable to your TV. Some models, however, may not properly pass along the digital copy protection signals, resulting in your TV's inability to play the video content. To circumvent this, plug the problematic source's HDMI cable directly into your TV, and select the appropriate input source on your TV's remote.
Your HDMI cable may also not work properly if it's connected to your equipment out of sequence. Try connecting the cable to the source first and then your TV.
If you're not getting a proper signal from your DVD player, your TV's resolution may not match the DVD player's resolution. Most DVD players have 480p as a default resolution, so you'll need to change this to match your TV. Look for a button or menu option labelled "720p", "1080i", "HDMI select", or something similar. You may need to press it a few times to get the right resolution for your TV.
Getting the sound working
If you're not able to hear any sound, check to make sure your audio receiver is turned on, set to the correct channel, and the volume is up. Having mute selected will also kill the sound (regardless of volume setting), so be sure to check for that, too. Finally, be sure your speakers are connected and selected.
It's also possible that your TV is not compatible with some of the compressed multi-channel audio formats HDMI carries (specifically Dolby Digital, DTS, or MPEG). To correct this, you should be able to set your TV's digital audio to PCM. This is an analog conversion setting. You may also need to turn on your TV's PCM down-sampling setting. Check your owner's manual for help with this.
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