It's just a DD player right now

June 25, 2009 3:41 PM

Our DVD player's video output keeps going out. It's not the cable. What to do?

It's a refurbished Philips DVD player plugged directly into our Vizio LCD tv. The audio goes straight to the stereo and works fine; the TV works fine from the digital antenna. Last time the video output stopped working it was mysteriously resurrected, but we don't know why.

We've already tried switching the cable out and it didn't make a difference.

Again, we've tried switching the cable out and it didn't help.

Can you think of anything else we can do to fix it OR to narrow down what the problem is?

Or should we just send it back to Overstock.com?

posted by chesty_a_arthur to Technology (3 answers total)

Okay, you've tried switching the cable out. You've made that clear. What you haven't made clear is this: have you switched that cable to a different input on the television and/or a different output on the DVD player (assuming either unit has multiple input/outputs, which many, but not all, do?)

Also, are you using an HDMI connection? If so, skip down to the last paragraph.

1. Try a new cable (you have done this)
2. Try a new input on the television (if it has multiple inputs), or plug something else into that input (if it only has the one input)
3. Try a new output on the DVD player (if it has one)

Based on the results from 2 or 3, it should be pretty clear whether the TV or the DVD player is the problem.
posted by davejay at 4:09 PM on June 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Whoops, forgot the last paragraph! Duh.

Regarding HDMI connections: they are actually a negotiated, encrypted connection, and so more prone to oddball connectivity issues. I have a lovely Sony Blu-Ray player and television, and sometimes the audio drops; if I pause and restart the disc, the audio starts back up. It only happens on the HDMI cable, for whatever reason. If you're using HDMI, try switching to composite or component and see if that helps.
posted by davejay at 4:10 PM on June 25, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks, Davejay. We've tried all the permutations of outputs (should have been more specific about what "it's not the cable" meant) and no dice, but once we returned it to its original position and, um, let it sit overnight, it resurrected itself. We'll try component next time. The HDMI information above is very helpful, thanks.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:11 AM on June 26, 2009