Electronics Question

Factual Questions
1

Ok. I have a Playstation and DVD player both connected to my TV video inputs (there are two inputs, but only one video setting, I can only have one of them on). I also have the second output of the DVD player connected to the External input of my stereo.

Here’s a diagram of my setup.


                     -------------
-------   -------    |    DVD    |   --------
| PSX |   | TV  |    -------------   |      |
-------   -------     |Out1 |Out2    |Stereo|
   |_______|   |______|     |________|      |
      Video1   Video2            Ext.--------

When I turn on the playstation, the sound plays through the stereo. Obviously it somehow passes through the TV and DVD player to get to the stereo. I use the Y,R,W cables (RCA??) for all the connections (leaving the yellow unconnected for DVD to Stereo connection). Why does this happen? Is it bad for the equipment involved to have other signals pass through them like that?

2

If you got a PS2, you wouldn’t have to worry about the DVD player. You would just have to worry about semi-lackluster games.

Anyway, I wouldn’t be too worried about your equipment. I wouldn’t think that any of the products would blow the others out, since each runs at about the same power.

3

Something doesn’t quite make sense here.

Here’s your flow:

PS AUDIO OUT (red/white) – TV
PS VIDEO OUT (yellow) – TV

right now, the only place your PS audio should be coming out is through your TV’s built-in speakers.
Then:

DVD VIDEO1 OUT (yellow) – TV
DVD AUDIO1 OUT (red/white) – TV? this isn’t clear from your post

DVD VIDEO2 OUT (yellow) – nothing
DVD AUDIO2 OUT (red/white) – STEREO

As near as I can tell, you have no connection between your playstation and your stereo. It’s theoretically impossible that sound comes out there.

Is your TV’s audio output also hooked up to the stereo? (i.e., do shows coming off the airwaves/cable play through your stereo speakers?) If so, then that’s where the sound is getting through.

Also, am I correct in assuming that you have DVD AUDIO1 OUT hooked up to your TV? This doesn’t seem necessary; just unplug those wires and use your stereo exclusively (that’s what I do).

4

You’re right toadspittle, there is no connection between the PSX and the Stereo, yet the sound does come out on the stereo. The TV sound does not come out through the stereo.

This might make it a bit clearer:

PS-A/V OUT (Yellow/Red/White) -> TV A/V Input 1

DVD-A/V OUT1 (Yellow/Red/White) -> TV A/V Input 2
DVD-VIDEO OUT2 (Yellow) -> Not Connected to Anything
DVD-AUDIO OUT2 (Red/White) -> Stereo External Input

TV-AUDIO OUT (Red/White) -> Not connected to anything

The reason I think this works (after thinking a little more) is because the TV only has 1 video mode (channel). I can only turn on either the PSX or the DVD, but not both, otherwise the picture gets all screwy. So that would mean that somewhere inside the TV the two inputs must cross each other to go to the same channel. Same thing inside the DVD, since both outputs come from the same internal source, the two outputs must cross each other inside. Thus there is a path through the TV and through the DVD player to the Stereo.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I can listen to both things on the stereo. I was concerned that the DVD player might be ruined by having the playstation stuff flow through it like that. I thought that an output jack was output ONLY, and that anything incoming would be blocked. Apparently this is not the case and I was looking to confirm this as well.

Weird.

RoboTR: I hear the DVD playback on PS/2 sucks or has lots of problems. Plus I got the DVD almost a year ago.

5

Oh well, it was just a suggestion. I’ve haven’t even seen a PS2 in real life yet.

But now that you’ve more clearly presented your problem, I can assure you even more that you don’t have much to worry about. I have a VCR, N64 and SNES all hooked to one TV. At times I’ve made mistakes and have made some bad crosses (like SNES and VCR), but no damage has ever occurred to the TV or systems because of it.

6

It sounds like what is going on is that the two TV inputs are just wired together, and the two DVD outputs are also just wired together, so the TV and DVD just act to splice the cables together.

7

I paid $10 at Circuit City for a PSX2 s-video cable, wow! Its a lot better than a/v…

Did you check you tv menu sound selections? I don’t know about your tv but mine has tons of menu selections, Id look there in case you are set to simulated stereo or whatever it may have.