How to use my DVD Player with Ignite

[chdiamo1]

Hello, this is my second day with Ignite TV and internet. Questions: How do I play a DVD using my DVD player, which is not smart and not connected to the internet and doesn't have a HDMI outlet, ditto for my VCR. The sound on my TV is awful. Before Ignite, I played the sound through my stereo (Technics SA-EX-140) using my NextBox. My stereo has no HDMI. So, I bought an HDMI to RCA adapter, but that doesn't work either. I have a second HDMI outlet on the Samsung 240HD 1080p TV, but when I plug the HDMI to RCA converter into the second HDMI outlet on my TV, the TV gets confused and ask me a question, which I forget now. If anyone has the answer to any of my questions-or all-that would be very much appreciated. 

Tons of thanks in advance.

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[57 · Accepted solution]

Here are my comments and questions. 

1. The fact that you switched to Ignite, should really have no effect on your DVD player or your VCR.

2. For the DVD player you connect it to the TV as you had before using component video (red/green/blue) or composite video (Yellow)? and connect the analogue audio cables (Red/white) from the DVD player to the stereo (using perhaps the CD input) and switching the stereo to that input.  This assumes that the DVD player has composite or component video outputs and the TV has the same inputs.  Please provide exact make and model of DVD player if you can't get it working as described above.

3. For the VCR you would do the same thing - connect the VCR to the TV using the composite video output and connect the analogue audio cables to the stereo using the VCR input and switch the stereo to that input.

4. The above assumes that you have the appropriate inputs on the TV.  If you had it working before, then it should work now.  I could not find your make/model TV.  Is it the Samsung SynchMaster T240HD?  If it is, how did you have things connected before because this doesn't appear to have enough inputs for the DVD player and the VCR.  I don't see a composite video input in the specs, although specs can be wrong.

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/samsung-syncmaster-t240hd-review/

5. The second HDMI port on the TV is an INput, not an OUTput.  You cannot do what you attempted to do.

6. I assume you've already connected the IgniteTV box to the TV via HDMI.  If you wish to hear the audio for the IgniteTV box in your stereo, You would need to get a powered HDMI splitter and then connect one output of that splitter to your TV and and the other output of the splitter to your stereo using the HDMI to RCA converter you have.  Unfortunately, this sort of equipment often doesn't work, is convoluted and clumsy.

7.  Your stereo is about 20 years old. New equipment that mostly uses HDMI doesn't work well with equipment that old.   You may wish to consider getting a new AVR (Audio Video Receiver) and perhaps a new larger TV.

[chdiamo1]

Before Ignite, the back of the Cisco NextBox PVR had two RCA sockets for audio. I attached my Technics SA-EX-140 to those sockets. The Ignite box doesn't have any such sockets. Yes, I think an upgrade to a newer 4K tv would probably take care of the poor sound. I will probably just put up with the poor sound quality until the tv itself finally dies, as other than poor sound I'm happy with the tv. Do you know if a soundbar can be connected to the T240HD via the second HDMI jack on tv?

[57]

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@chdiamo1 wrote: 
1. Cisco NextBox PVR had two RCA sockets for audio. I attached my Technics SA-EX-140 to those sockets

2. Do you know if a soundbar can be connected to the T240HD via the second HDMI jack on tv?

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1. You mean you had the NextBox connected to the stereo receiver...the audio flows from the NextBox to the stereo receiver, not the other way around.

2. I assume you want to get sound from the TV to the sound bar.  I don't think that's possible. As I stated earlier, the TV's HDMI ports are INputs, not OUTputs.  Some TVs have HDMI-ARC, where the ARC stands for Audio Return Channel.  When I watched the CNET video in the TV link I provided earlier, I saw no indication of HDMI-ARC.  It's difficult to confirm if your TV has ARC, but based on the specs and video I saw, it does not.  You have to check your operating manual...

3. I assume you can connect the DVD and/or VCR to the stereo receiver for audio as before using the red/white RCA (analogue audio) cables, as I indicated in my previous post.  At least then you'd have good audio for those devices.  When I looked at the analogue video connections on the TV, there was only a component video connection (red, green, blue), not a composite video (yellow), which would probably work for the DVD player but not a VCR.  What are the make/model numbers of these two devices.  Do you really care if they work properly?

4. You might be able to find a sound bar that connects to the TV via HDMI and have the IgniteTV box connected to the sound bar (via HDMI) for better quality audio.  The sound bar would need an HDMI input for video and audio and an HDMI output to the TV.  You may even find a sound bar that could accept the audio and video feeds from the DVD player, but most sound bars are pretty limited in their connectivity. If you search for a sound bar yourself and then provide us with the make and model number, we could look at the specs to see its capabilities.  Let us know what it is you're trying to do and which devices you wish to connect.  Provide make/model number of those devices if applicable.

5. It may be better to get a new audio video receiver with speakers (sometimes called Home Theater in a box (HTIB).  You would need a space for those extra speakers and wires.