I am Losing My Mind!?!?!?

[jocko_nc]

This one defies logic and reason...

ok. I have been twisting wires, hooking things up, and troubleshooting since I was five years old, but I have no explanation for what I saw last night.

Don't know what might have happened... Don't know who might have played around with any settings... The other night the wife tried to put a DVD on, but was unable to get any picture. Sound, but no picture. The screen is a black-out, a la the television is not getting a signal. Input is one of the colorstream HD's on the television, one assigned to DVD the other to DirecTV.

Switch the inputs. DirecTV works fine in all modes (480-1080) on both video inputs. DVD works on neither, sound only. Switch cables, same thing. DirecTV works fine in all modes (480-1080) on both video inputs. DVD works on neither, sound only. Switch DVD players: Same. DirecTV works fine in all modes (480-1080) on both video inputs. The new DVD works on neither.

It seems my television doesn't like DVD signals all of a sudden, even though they come in on the same wires and inputs as satellite. I find nothing physically wrong with the TV and cannot find any setting that has been messed up. It is as though the software has been corrupted, that it thinks it is doing the right thing by displaying a black screen. ???. I would expect this kind of thing with a PC...

How might a TV tell the difference between a DVD and a satellite signal? That would be a crucial clue to figuring out what is going on here.

My last attempt will be to run through my AVR and do all switching there. Maybe the TV will recognize that signal. Since I moved, I have not hooked up all the 5.1 stuff, we have been listening to music.

jocko

[edtyct]

It might be helpful to know which model/type of Toshiba TV you have and which DVD model/type players, with which features enabled. Other than that, the only quick and easy thing that occurs to me is to check where you've been connecting the "Y"--as in "YPbPr"--luminance cable on the DVD players.

[jocko_nc]

I had the cables right. Regardless, the same setup was working a couple of weeks ago.

SD-K710-U DVD
52HM84 TV
DirecTV H20

I guess the question that I cannot answer: Is there a difference between the signal coming from the satellite and that from the DVD? How can the TV tell the difference? Why might one work and not the other?

What is the native resolution of the DVD? Perhaps my TV is having issues with just that output. I do not get a start-up screen from the DVD's. I do not get a setup screen from the DVD's. Nothing but black. I know both units are working from the sound as I hit buttons.

jocko

[edtyct]

Haven't you given a model number for your remote control rather than your DVD player? After the signals come out of the gate--the DVD player and the satellite receiver as decoded by MPEG--they are video signals pure and simple. DVDs are 480i (interlaced) native. If you're player is capable of deinterlacing DVDs to a progressive stream, and you send them this way, the DVD will arrive at the TV as 480p. I'm assuming that you don't have an upscaling DVD player (which would require DVI or HDMI to scale DVD 480 to either 720p or 1080i). If you're running your DVD player as progressive, try interlaced instead, or vice versa. Is anything new in your system that would have meant changing a menu setting? Please confirm DVD player model.

[jocko_nc]

I'll look into it.

The satellite receiver has a indicator of the signal being output. "Cable" channels are 480i. HD is either 720p or 1080i, depending upon the channel. All work, the TV self-adjusts to the signal present. That is how I have it set up. I don't recall seeing 480p from satellite, however. If that is what the DVD is sending to the TV, I guess it is possible that the TV suddenly cannot read it. ???.

Setting up the DVD is kind of tough w/o being able to see the screen.

I am going to try to get a 480p source and see if the TV will display it. I will also check S-video and composite, just to make sure a signal is there.

Toshiba DVD is an SD4490. I do not recall the other one, it is several years old. I guess that makes it a progressive, 480p.

[edtyct]

The Toshiba SD-4990 requires you to select the component output and progressive scan manually in the video menu. If you don't select component, you may get a black screen. You don't have to select progressive output to get a picture.

[Dusty Chalk]

It sounds like you're only testing high-def. Any way you can check the composite or something else, just to rule out a DVD player that suddenly stopped working? Happens...

[jocko_nc]

DVD that stops working... That is why I broke one out of the box new. It was supposed to be a stocking stuffer. Neither works.

The H20 DirecTV has a selector button next to the resolution indicator. I can run through various outputs: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i. All four work on BOTH HD inputs on the TV. In each case, the NATIVE setting on the TV finds the correct resolution and displays it for a couple of seconds. The output changes, the TV recognizes it. Everything works like it should.

For some reason, all of a sudden my TV doesn't like DVD players on component video. ???.

Very, very, VERY strange.

jocko

[edtyct]

I'll just run through scenarios as they occur to me. Assuming that nothing yet explains the problem, component video from the DVD player won't work if HDMI is active. I don't suppose we're lucky enough for that to be the cause either, but is there any chance that HDMI is blocking component? By the way, I wouldn't think that the problem involves resolution per se. DVD players don't output odd formats.

[jocko_nc]

That's a good one. However, I think HDMI is a different input on that television. Neither DVD player has HDMI.

Dangit.

I haven't tried composite or S-video yet. I have a suspicion it will work.

Thanks,

jocko

[edtyct]

I can't help thinking that a switch somewhere is flipped or needs to be flipped. None of it makes sense. You've tried the DVD player via component without the satellite receiver connected to the other component input, right? The component inputs/outputs don't have a menu item on the TV/DVD player that could be blocking? No enhanced black settings that could be on the fritz? Grrrr.

[jocko_nc]

Amazing. I finally got my new furniture back from painting and re-routed some connections. I am now using the AVR for switching video sources. (New house, I haven't completed all the 5.1 surround stuff yet.) The DVD works fine through the AVR. ??????. All I can figure is that for some reason the television all-of-a-sudden didn't like the output coming from Toshiba DVD players.

Crazy stuff.

jocko

[Daedilus]

Sorry for the late reply, just saw it today.. did you check to make sure both DVD's had progressive scan turned on? sometimes it's as simple as a hard switch on the back of the unit that can be easily bumped during handling. ~~ and the one new out of the box wouldnt have had it enguaged by default...