[Dan Filice]

Every once in awhile I plug my iPod or iPad into a TV using a mini-to-L/R RCA cord. On the TV I use one of the composite inputs just to listen to music or audio books. Two of my TVs work just fine when only connecting the Red/White RCA audio plugs, but my Panny Plasma requires that I plug an RCA into Video-In too and it requires that this video plug have some sort of signal (a stand-alone RCA plug won't work), otherwise the L/R audio inputs won't work on the TV input. What's different in the TV connections where audio-only will work on some TVs but not on others? Seems silly that a TV would require a Video input to be connected before it allowed the audio connections to work for a specific Input.

 

[Steve S]

With all the cheap and less power hungry alternatives for I-pod audio via analog connection? It's not like flat panel tvs have such great speakers. Firing up a plasma tv just to listen to an I-pod over it's speakers? Seriously?

 

[Dan Filice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve S Firing up a plasma tv just to listen to an I-pod over it's speakers? Seriously?

You are absolutely correct. Once I was in a position where it was convenient to plug the iPod into an LCD, which worked great, then I became curious whether my other TVs would do it. Some did, some didn't. This past weekend I wanted to play a song for my sister-in-law, and the most convenient connection was my iPod into her Panny Plasma. The audio didin't work, as described. She just moved so she didn't have any other method of connecting my iPod.

 

[Steve S]

^^in that case, sorry for the rant.

 

[rschleicher]

I think this is a case where "smart" TVs are outsmarting themselves. The TV's now have signal-detection circuitry, so if an input is selected and no signal is detected, they will time-out and revert back to the previous input. All part of being "idiot proof". But they look at the presence of a video signal (at least in some brands), and so the presence of audio-only isn't considered.


The TVs that let you do this audio-only arrangement are either "dumb" TVs that don't automatically switch away from a supposedly-idle input, or else they are so smart that they also look for an audio signal. My guess is the former....


Microsoft does the same sorts of things. In their zeal for making things idiot-proof, they also prevent people from doing things that they fully intend to do.

 

[gregzoll]

To use the ipod on a stereo or TV, the colors for the cord are as follows? Yellow RCA plug is White, Red RCA plug is Yellow, White RCA plug is Red.

 

[GEP]

Actually California Energy Commission created a new ruling that if the TV is not receiving a signal on the input for 15 minutes, the TV needs to turn off automatically. Sorry but the rest of the country gets this feature by default. Most TVs can only detect a video signal so will not work if there is an audio signals. A few older TVs had a video mute circuit that would display a blue screen if there was no video signal and that circuit would also mute the audio circuits as well. A few of the newer TVs are designed to detect audio only signals and still work but it is not universal.