I like Apple TV, but I don't like having to turn on my slow-starting LCD TV to navigate and play music, not to mention the extra wattage suckage.

I have a 7" LCD sitting around collecting dust and thought it would be handy to have it nearby my TV and dedicated to navigating Apple TV.

Problem: only has RCA input. Apple TV has Component and HDMI outs.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to EASILY make this work?

Thanks

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to EASILY make this work?
No. :(

OK.
Can anyone propose a Less-than-Easy Solution?

This link might shed some light on the difficulty that lies ahead...

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-284800.html

I found this, but you can almost buy some cheap LCD monitor for that price...

http://www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html

I like Apple TV, but I don't like having to turn on my slow-starting LCD TV to navigate and play music, not to mention the extra wattage suckage.

I have a 7" LCD sitting around collecting dust and thought it would be handy to have it nearby my TV and dedicated to navigating Apple TV.

Problem: only has RCA input. Apple TV has Component and HDMI outs.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to EASILY make this work?

Thanks
You might try connecting the green component video output to the "RCA" composite input on your LCD. This gives a black and white picture for some combinations of equipment.

For example, I made that connection from my Samsung 260 HD tuner to my non-HD TV so I could see the on-screen menus, etc., that are not made available via S-video or composite vide on the Samsung tuner. I switched the TV input between composite video to read menus and channel info, albeit in black and white, and component video in to watch TV programs in color.

You can get (DVI) LCDs for super, super cheap. Just get the cheapest one you can find, and forget trying to use adapters and chuck the 7" paperweight.

This link might shed some light on the difficulty that lies ahead...

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-284800.html

I found this, but you can almost buy some cheap LCD monitor for that price...

http://www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html

that is a lot cheaper than the only one I found:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/1361.htm

You might try connecting the green component video output to the "RCA" composite input on your LCD. This gives a black and white picture for some combinations of equipment.


according to this, your idea should work:

http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/Linux_on_Apple_TV#Hardware_Support

I don't quite understand the "chinch" part. I may give it a shot tonight and see what happens.

according to this, your idea should work:

http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/Linux_on_Apple_TV#Hardware_Support

I don't quite understand the "chinch" part. I may give it a shot tonight and see what happens.
"Cinch" ("Chinch"is a misspelled attempt) connectors are the same as "RCA" connectors that are commonly used for audio, composite video and component video.

So, any typical video cable with yellow RCA/Cinch plugs can be used to make the connection from the Apple TV green component video output to the display device composite video input (yellow RCA/Cinch). Unless there is some special circuitry or a driver in the Apple TV, the resulting display would be black and white, not color. So if B&W is okay for your needs, you should be fine.

Let us know how it goes.

Cinch reference:
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/eprebel/SoundAndVision/Engineering/Cinch.html

Another issue you might run into is resolution. If you are currently hooked up to your TV at 720p or 1080i, just moving the sync connector to a composite input won't work, you'll need to switch the output to 480i on Apple TV.

This can be done by invoking BSR (Black Screen Recover) by holding down the menu and '+' buttons together for approximately 5 seconds.

Kevin

"Cinch" ("Chinch"is a misspelled attempt) connectors are the same as "RCA" connectors that are commonly used for audio, composite video and component video.

So, any typical video cable with yellow RCA/Cinch plugs can be used to make the connection from the Apple TV green component video output to the display device composite video input (yellow RCA/Cinch). Unless there is some special circuitry or a driver in the Apple TV, the resulting display would be black and white, not color. So if B&W is okay for your needs, you should be fine.

Let us know how it goes.

Cinch reference:
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/eprebel/SoundAndVision/Engineering/Cinch.html

learn something new everyday...

thanks!