# DVDs Playing in Black and White?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 10, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925 "2008-01-10T01:18:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/1 "2008-01-10T01:18:17Z")

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Sometimes my DVDs just start playing in B&W. Even before a DVD is put in–so I know it’s the player, not the individual DVD. Usually it’ll go back to normal on its own in a while, but I can’t really control it. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/2 "2008-01-10T01:29:02Z")

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Are you using an S-Video cable (round plug with four pins inside arranged in a trapezoidal configuration) to connect the DVD player to the TV, by any chance? These carry the chrominance (color) signal separately from the luminance (brightness) signal; if the one of the pins or wires which carry the chrominance signal is loose and making intermittent contact, this might would be the result.

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/3 "2008-01-10T01:30:52Z")

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I’m…not sure. What’s an S-Video cable?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/4 "2008-01-10T01:35:02Z")

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[S-Video cable](http://www.datapro.net/images/1165.jpg).

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**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/5 "2008-01-11T01:36:21Z")

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I have one of those cheap $30 DVD players that does that occasionally. When it happens, the default wallpaper screen comes up in black and white and if I play a DVD, it’s in black & white. It’s got nothing to do with the cable connections (RCA connections).

I always just turn it off and then back on and it’s ok.

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/6 "2008-01-11T03:07:26Z")

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Turning mine off and on didn’t work, but when I wait a while, usually it just comes back to normal–as it did last night. It’s a very decent DVD player so I’m not sure why it would do that.

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**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvds-playing-in-black-and-white/432925/7 "2008-01-11T17:09:40Z")

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Are you watching _The Wizard of Oz_?