DVD players are a staple in any home entertainment system today, and players can be purchased for less than the price of a nice dinner. Hooking up a player to your TV will give you access to countless hours of home entertainment pleasure, and with this guide the process will be a breeze.

Note: This guide will work just as well for most other player devices such as, Bluray, Streaming Box, etc

Step 1 – Make sure the player turns on

Before connecting the player to your tv make sure it  turns on when you press the “power” button. Usually a light will come on when the DVD player turns on correctly.

Step 2 – Choose the type of cable you want to use

There are three main ways to connect a DVD player to your TV, and each needs a different cable to work. Your DVD player usually comes with only RCA cable, so you will likely need to purchase the other if you wish to use it. Look into your owner’s manuals or check the TV and DVD Player yourself to see what connections you can use. The three most common are.

HDMI: The best connection for high definition image, HDMI (high definition media interface) resembles a USB cord. HDMI connections are the highest quality and you only need one cord for both the audio and video transfer.

RCA / Composite: This the most basic connection for DVDs, however also the worst quality. There are three prongs at either end– red, yellow, and white — and they match up to corresponding colored inputs on both the TV and DVD player.

RGB / Component: Sporting better quality than RCA cables but less than HDMI, component cables are a set of five colored prongs attaching to five matching inputs on both the TV and the DVD player, very simple to RCA just with more connections.

Expert Hint, if you don’t have a component cable you can use 2 RCA cables and it will do the same job

Step 2 – Place the DVD player in your ideal location

Once you have chosen the connection type you want you would like to use, make sure you put the DVD player close enough to the TV, being sure to leave enough room to get your hand to the back of the unit to connect the cables to the back.
note: Do not stack multiple devices on top of one another — they can quickly heat up when in use and damage the unit. 

Different connection methods

HDMI Connection 1 – Plug one end of the cable into the HDMI plug on the TV

A HDMI connection only requires one cable that carries both audio and video signal, and it does not matter which end goes where. But if the cable is pulled too tightly, or one of the connections is loose, you may not get a good signal.

Make sure to remember or note down which HDMI plug you use, this will become handy later in…

Expert hint: All HDMI cables work roughly the same so a $6 cable will work just as well as a $100 cable.

HDMI Connection 2 – Feed the cable through to connect to your DVD player

Look for the HDMI Out label and insert the cable securely into the plug, you may need to pull the DVD player out temporarily to see the back of it.

RCA Connection 1 – Plug one end of the cable into the RCA plugs on the TV

The plugs are colour coded to match the cable (Red, White, and Yellow).  The Red and White sockets (Audio) may be separated from the Yellow one (Video).

Note: The plugs are usually grouped together, and should be marked out as to which 3 belong together.

RCA Connection 2 – Plug one end of the cable into the RCA plugs on the DVD Player

Like the TV the plugs will be colour coded to match the cable and grouped into output group.

Also please ensure the cable is connected nice a tightly with the colours matching (you’d be surprised how many times this is a cause of an issue)

RGB Connection 1 – Plug one end of the cable into the RGB plugs on the TV

The plugs are colour coded to match the cable (Green, Blue, Red, White, Red) and are typically grouped and labeled. The Green, Blue, and Red plugs (Video) are usually separated from the Red and White pair (Audio), so be sure all five cords are plugged in. They are typically numbered to indicate which Input you select on the TV.

You might be thinking the component cable has two Red plugs, which can be confusing. To ensure you choose the correct red cord lay the cable out flat so that all of the prongs line up. The order of colors should be Green, Blue, Red (video), White, Red (audio).

Note: Some component cables only have the Green, Blue, and Red video plugs. You will need a separate Red and White plug audio cable in order to hear your DVDs, like the one found in the A/V section above.

RGB Connection 2 – Plug one end of the cable into the RGB plugs on the DVD Player

Like the TV these will be colour coded to match the cable and be grouped.

Step 3 – Turn on the TV and DVD player

Put a DVD in so that you can test both the picture and the audio.

Step 4 – Select the right video source

The source button allows you to switch where your TV gets the video and sound information. The source label selected with the remote should match up with the plugs label on the back of the TV.

If there is not a label or you don’t know what input to use, leave the DVD player on and test each input for 5-10 seconds to see where the video appears

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting 1 – Make sure cables are plugged in correctly

If you are only getting video or only getting audio, or you aren’t getting any signal at all, your cable/s may be plugged in incorrectly.

Troubleshooting 2 – Make sure you’re on the right source channel

DVD players will display on one of the Input or Auxiliary channels. They will not show up on Channel 3 or 4 like some older VCR’s.

Some TVs will label the Input channels based on the type of input, such as “HDMI”, “AV”, and “COMPONENT.” Refer back to Method one if you have a question about which input type you are using.

Troubleshooting 3 – Make sure your cables are working correctly

Sometimes, old cables can become frayed and the plugs can start coming loose. This can lead to a poor or nonworking connection. Try a new cable to see if your problem can be fixed.