hi there,
I am trying to watch movies on my projector from my laptop but when I connect the 3.5mm jack to my laptop I get a loud static hissing sound.
my setup for watching movies goes like this
I connect my laptop to my projector and use the 3.5mm headphone jack on the laptop to 2 rca inputs on my receiver (Yamaha YHT-280)
I'm thinking that maybe its because I'm using a 20ft 3.5mm to 2rcas cable for that?
when I just put my laptop on my tv that is close to the receiver and use the same but shorter cable for audio it sounds fine.
could it be just a cheap long audio cable im using? it seems pretty flimsy but I dont know much about quality cables and that stuff.

thanks for any help.

If the laptop is plugged into ac, try unplugging it and using just the battery to see if the problem is a ground loop.

thanks for replying.
I tried what you suggested but no change at all.

could I have the wiring wrong on the back of the receiver for this to happen?

It sounds like the problem is the 20' cable, because you say that it worked fine with the shorter one.

any idea where I can find a good quality 20' 3.5mm to 2 RCA cable from?

Most laptops have rather poor output sections for audio. Consider a USB D/A. There are both stereo and 5.1 channel versions out there under $100.

Most laptops have rather poor output sections for audio. Consider a USB D/A. There are both stereo and 5.1 channel versions out there under $100.


Pardon me, but what is USB D/A?:(
Also, a couple of days ago someone commented about your signature, and of course, I don't get it. Can you explain? It's driving me crazy trying to figure it out every time I see it. Thanks:)

Try using the shorter cable (the one that sounds OK into your TV) to drive the AVR. If the video doesn't reach--fine--just trying to see if the laptop and the AVR are happy with each other. If it sounds good, try to connect the video as well to make sure there's no interaction there. If it still sounds good, you appear to need a better 20' cable.

any idea where I can find a good quality 20' 3.5mm to 2 RCA cable from?

Your region has something to do with it.

In the USA good places to look for cable include Monoprice.com and Amazon.com.

The problem isn't so much about quality, its about getting one that isn't broken.