DVD Player gets lousy picture, but cable box works fine with same connection? He

[jstereo]

Hi all.

My Toshiba DVD player (SD5700) connected directly via component video to my Toshiba 57HX81TV displays an extremely choppy picture. I get no picture using composite or S-video. When I connect the DVD to another TV via S-video it works fine (the other TV has no component inputs). My cable box (Scientific Atlantic HD8300) directly connected to the Toshiba TV via component video has no issues. I'm not sure what the problem is? Thanks for any advice.

[Mr Peabody]

I'm not familiar with that model. I'm assuming it's "Progressive Scan", did you go into the DVD players menu and set it Progressive Scan? If it plays alright through the other video outs it has to be something with the component out and I'd bet you just need to change a setting. It may be that your unit will only do Progressive Scan from the component.

[edtyct]

Here's a couple of thoughts: If you have the DVD player set to output progressive scan, composite and S-video connections may not work, because they are incapable of progressive video. As to the problem through component, since the cable box works through what I guess is a second component input on the TV, the issue would not seem to be located deep in the heart of the TV's electronics but centered around the particular component input that you use for the DVD player--either the cables or the input itself. Have you tried the DVD player through the input used by the cable box, and/or swapped the cables? If you get better results with either of these scenarios, you'll know what's wrong.

If you haven't been using the DVD player's progressive scan capability, then we get into the territory that Mr P has already discussed. I don't know exactly what "extremely choppy" means, but a movie shown on a large progressive display without 2:3 pulldown engaged, either via the player or the TV, will certainly be worthy of the term "choppy." I can't tell what your TV is from your identification (check the model number); I assume that it's an RP CRT, in which case a film sent as nonprogressive 480i and shown on the TV as such might still qualify as choppy (because of the interlacing) or otherwise impaired, but not in the same way that a poorly deinterlaced movie on a progressive (digital) TV would.

In short, if the first paragraph doesn't solve the problem, we need more info about the DVD player and the TV.

[jstereo]

Thanks guys.
Prior to your replys, I tried the VCR too via S-video to the TV and get the same choppy picture. The picture, by the way, is equivilant to a scambled cable channel. I also tried the DVD player connected to the same component inputs as the cable box and get the same result. There is a switch on the back of the DVD player entitled I/P and it is switched to 'P' progressive. I'm baffled.

[edtyct]

Is this an old DVD player that just started acting up with these settings, or are you using it for the first time? What is the default setting for 480 on the cable box and on the TV, 480i or 480p? Try switching the from P to I on the back of the player. Now what do you see with S-video and component?