Q&A for How to Hook Up a DVD Player

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Why is my DVD player in black and white?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

There are several possibilities here. One is that you’ve not connected the cables properly; check that the cables match the color coded jacks they’ve been attached two. The second possibility is that there is a fault with the chroma signal due to either the connections or chipset having a fault. The third possibility is that the color saturation on your display has been turned down to black and white by mistake––unusual but worth checking. Or, finally, you may have inserted a black and white DVD, somewhat common with older TV shows and movies that you expected to be in color or colorized but were not.

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Question

How do you hook up a DVD player to a smart TV?

wikiHow Staff Editor
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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

You’ll need to hook up the DVD player to a smart TV using either an HDMI, composite, component or S-Video cable. The instructions accompanying your new smart TV should make it clear which is the correct cable and will also explain how to place the cables into the sockets of both devices. Once connected, you need to select the proper source or “input” on your TV to be able to view the DVD player for use. Detailed instructions for one type of smart TV, a Samsung TV, can be found here: How to Connect a DVD Player to Samsung TV .

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Question

Can I plug yellow into green?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

In some of the newer TVs, there isn’t a standard White, Red, Yellow socket sequence; rather it may be White, Red, Green. The thing to try here is to see if the Green socket is either labeled Video (above or below), or has a yellow line around the green. Either of these indicates that it is okay to use the Green socket for the Yellow component. Test the connection by switching on both the TV and DVD player; you might need to cycle through the TV input channels via your remote to fine tune the color.

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Question

How do you connect component cables?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The five cords should be plugged into the corresponding color sockets on the DVD player; to decide where to put the two red plugs, lay the cable flat and line all prongs up to show the order of Green, Blue, Red (video), White, Red (audio), then place them into the sockets in that order. The other side of the cable prongs should be plugged into the TV sockets, following the color matches. Check they fit well, then turn on the TV and DVD player to check the connection. This is a really basic "nutshell" overview, the article above provides clear details with images for you to follow carefully.

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Question

Why is there video but no sound when I hook up the HDMI cable?

Community Answer

One frequent issue is that that the sound output isn't specified correctly. For instance, if you attach a TV set to a laptop via HDMI, you have to tell the laptop that you want it to send the sound to the TV through the HDMI and not through the laptop's built-in speakers as you normally would. You can do that using the control panel of your computer's operating system.

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Question

I have tried connecting my DVD to my HDTV, but I get only sound. What am I doing wrong?

Community Answer

Did you connect everything using the right color cable? If there are two of the same colors, try both, one at a time.

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Question

I have a 3-prong DVD player, but there are no extra prong connectors on the TV to plug them in. What should I do?

Community Answer

Assuming the three prongs are the red, white and yellow RCA cables and the TV has a HDMI connection, then you'll need a RCA input converter. The DVD player will connect to the converter, and you'll need an HDMI cable to connect the converter to the TV. The converter will probably cost $15-25.

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Question

There is no yellow plug hole on my TV. Where do I plug the yellow cord?

Community Answer

The yellow plug is only an extra. You're not supposed to plug that one in unless the white one is not working.

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Question

Does the TV need to be on a certain channel to hook up a DVD player?

Community Answer

If you are just hooking up the DVD player, no it doesn't. If you are going to watch a movie on the DVD player, then yes.

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Question

HDMI cable used works well for picture but there is no sound - how do I fix this? The volume is up and not on mute.

Community Answer

There might be a problem with either the input, or the cable itself. Try a different HDMI cable. If this does not work, then it might be your TV or DVD player. Another option is to use a digital optic cable or a red and white cable. Your TV will most likely have multiple sound inputs. If you want better sound quality, use the digital optic, because red and white is only two channel.

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Question

I followed the directions and still have no connection. What could the problem be?

Community Answer

Your TV platform might not be compatible with the DVD player. Return it, or ask someone at an electronics store to help you; be sure to have the model of your TV written down as well.

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Question

Why is there no sound using a Hemingway cable?

Community Answer

This is probable due to being different cords than the one you've used previously. You also may not even know what to do with them if you never even seen them before. Follow the directions in the user manual it came with.

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Question

Why is the movie not showing in color?

Community Answer

Maybe there is something wrong with the cords. Have you checked the color on the TV monitor in case it was turned down somehow? Or, maybe it's a black and white film.

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Question

I have picture but no sound, and it is not muted. What do I do?

Community Answer

Make sure the sound cable is in all the way, secured and that there are no cuts or broken wires in the cable. You can use electrical tape to hold it in place. Also check ALL of your TV and DVD player settings for volume settings and check them for incorrect configuration.

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Question

Can a DVD player play without a satellite dish?

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Community Answer

You do not need a satellite dish to play DVDs. You only need a satellite dish to watch TV.

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Question

How do I get audio through my sound bar?

Community Answer

The sound bar should have come with an optical cable. The cable is the size of a USB cable and probably around three feet long. Connect one end to the sound bar and the other end to the "optical in" port on the back of the TV. Otherwise, the red and white parts of RCA cables should work (if both have RCA ports).

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Question

How do I hook up a DVD player if it doesn't have yellow or white connectors, only white and red? My TV has yellow, red and white.

Community Answer

The red and white connections are for audio (red for right audio, white for left); the yellow is for video. If your DVD player doesn't have a port for composite video, you'll have to either use HDMI or, if your TV doesn't have an HDMI port, purchase an RCA-to-HDMI adapter to connect it to the TV.

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Question

Does a TV need to be hooked up to cable or satellite to work with a DVD player?

Community Answer

No, your DVD player will work independently of cable or satellite. Simply hook it to a source on your TV and select the proper input source on the remote.

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