How to get TV to show a color picture
June 15, 2010 5:45 AM Subscribe
We bought an used Insignia TV and hooked it up to our comcast cable box. Unfortunately, we can get a picture but it is only in black and white. I've taken the cables in the back and moved them around and the only result I can get is in one of the inputs there is a small amount of color that shows on the screen that correlates to sound vibrations. I've used the remote to turn up the color and it has no effect. What can I do to fix this?
Response by poster: I don't have access to a camera so I'll have to do it with just description.
There is a green cable, white cable, and a red cable.
The top row is Yellow Green Red. The Green cable is plugged into the green socket.
Next row down is White Blue White. The white cable is in the last white socket.
Last row is Red Red Red and the red cable is in the middle red socket.
The last row says something about S-cable. I don't know what that means.
What other information can I provide?
posted by josher71 at 6:16 AM on June 15, 2010
There is a green cable, white cable, and a red cable.
The top row is Yellow Green Red. The Green cable is plugged into the green socket.
Next row down is White Blue White. The white cable is in the last white socket.
Last row is Red Red Red and the red cable is in the middle red socket.
The last row says something about S-cable. I don't know what that means.
What other information can I provide?
posted by josher71 at 6:16 AM on June 15, 2010
This is still a bit confusingly described, but to hook up component video, you should have plugs in the three middle sockets - Green, Blue, Red. If you are using Just a regular video cable and the sound, it should probably be plugged into the three left sockets - Yellow, White, Red. Yellow is video, and White and Red are sound.
posted by ecab at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
posted by ecab at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
Try using only the left-most column of inputs on the TV. The green cable from the cable box should go to the yellow input, red to red, and while to white.
posted by aparrish at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
posted by aparrish at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
Best answer: The sockets must have some kind of labels, what are they?
Instead of rows, look at the sockets as columns. Use the middle column of Green, Blue, Red. Assign your white cable to "Blue", and plug the cables into the middle column. Do the same on the comcast cable box.
That should take care of the video, but you will need more cables to connect the sound, probably a red-white pair. Radio Shack will have what your need.
posted by TDIpod at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
Instead of rows, look at the sockets as columns. Use the middle column of Green, Blue, Red. Assign your white cable to "Blue", and plug the cables into the middle column. Do the same on the comcast cable box.
That should take care of the video, but you will need more cables to connect the sound, probably a red-white pair. Radio Shack will have what your need.
posted by TDIpod at 6:23 AM on June 15, 2010
Since you've got sound causing color that means you've got at least one of the audio cables hooked up to a video input. From your description it sounds like you've just randomly connected cables as well. Usually all the sockets in a row or column will be associated with one input. The first column (yellow, white, red) is almost certainly the composite video input with left and right audio inputs (white and red). The second column (green, blue, red) is component video. The last column (red, white, red) is probably the audio inputs shared by component and S-video.
I'm surprised you have a single green cable. That should be in a bundle with red and blue for component video. So what you've done is hooked up something to the green component input, probably your right audio channel to the red component input, and the left audio to an audio input.
Does your cable box support component out?
posted by 6550 at 6:29 AM on June 15, 2010
I'm surprised you have a single green cable. That should be in a bundle with red and blue for component video. So what you've done is hooked up something to the green component input, probably your right audio channel to the red component input, and the left audio to an audio input.
Does your cable box support component out?
posted by 6550 at 6:29 AM on June 15, 2010
(On preview, I don't have much else to offer, but whatever, this took a while to type out!)
I think you've got some wrong cables somewhere. Component video is three connections - green,blue, and red, and doesn't involve audio. There's also Composite video which is Yellow. Then there's composite (I think?) audio which is red and white.
If you think of the inputs in columns, it looks like you have:
Column 1:
Yellow
White
Red
Column 2:
Green
Blue
Red
Column 3:
Red
White
Red
Column 1 is composite video (yellow) and audio (white/red).
Column 2 is component video.
Column 3 sounds like S-video (a larger socket with multiple pins) and the associated audio.
So, you only want things plugged into the middle column if you've got all three, green/blue/red, plugged into both your TV and Comcast box. If you don't use all three, you'll get a black/white picture. If you do use component video, you'll need to also run white/red audio cables between the TV and box.
posted by Tu13es at 6:30 AM on June 15, 2010
I think you've got some wrong cables somewhere. Component video is three connections - green,blue, and red, and doesn't involve audio. There's also Composite video which is Yellow. Then there's composite (I think?) audio which is red and white.
If you think of the inputs in columns, it looks like you have:
Column 1:
Yellow
White
Red
Column 2:
Green
Blue
Red
Column 3:
Red
White
Red
Column 1 is composite video (yellow) and audio (white/red).
Column 2 is component video.
Column 3 sounds like S-video (a larger socket with multiple pins) and the associated audio.
So, you only want things plugged into the middle column if you've got all three, green/blue/red, plugged into both your TV and Comcast box. If you don't use all three, you'll get a black/white picture. If you do use component video, you'll need to also run white/red audio cables between the TV and box.
posted by Tu13es at 6:30 AM on June 15, 2010
You can find the owners manual online here; it should have diagrams to help you hook things up.
posted by TedW at 6:44 AM on June 15, 2010
posted by TedW at 6:44 AM on June 15, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you everyone!!! I love AskMe. Now...to watch the Ivory Coast v. Portugal in glorious color.
posted by josher71 at 6:54 AM on June 15, 2010
posted by josher71 at 6:54 AM on June 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
To help you troubleshoot more, we need more information. Socket colors? A picture, perhaps?
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 5:47 AM on June 15, 2010