Connecting a TV, cable box, and VCR/DVD

[jmarsico]

Hey, everyone. I've scoured the Internet for the proper place to ask my question, but I've had little luck. But this forum seems to have a ton of very knowledgeable folks, so I pray that some of that expertise will translate to this issue. Hopefully you'll forgive the fact that it may be a little irrelevant.

In short: I just got a TV from a friend, and I can't get the sound to work. I know that the TV itself isn't defective; rather, I just can't get the proper connections for both picture and sound. I have the TV itself, a cable box, and a VCR/DVD, and I can get picture on the screen from both the cable box and from the VCR/DVD, but no sound in either case. No amount of trial-and-error or intensive study of the manuals has solved the problem.

I've attached photos of the panels of each device, in the hopes that someone could guide me on how to properly connect everything. I don't know the first thing about any of this, so I would be enormously grateful if someone could give me some guidance.

[usually_quiet]

You probably already tried this, but just to eliminate the obvious... Did you press the mute button to make sure the sound was not muted by accident? Another problem a relative of mine had was SAP audio was turned on instead of the primary audio channel.

[jmarsico]

You probably already tried this, but just to eliminate the obvious... Did you press the mute button to make sure the sound was not muted by accident? Another problem a relative of mine had was SAP audio was turned on instead of the primary audio channel.

I was so sure that the TV's settings were the problem that I went out and bought a remote, since the original was lost a long time ago. (I needed a remote for it anyway, but it wasn't really that urgent otherwise.) I messed with the audio settings for like a half hour and tried every possible option, but nothing worked. Thanks for the idea, though.

[edDV]

I suspect the TV settings as well since this is the common part of the problem.

Do you have another way to play audio from the DVD player or cable box? If you can show audio is present for those devices on export, attention turns to the TV.

[jmarsico]

I suspect the TV settings as well since this is the common part of the problem.

Do you have another way to play audio from the DVD player or cable box? If you can show audio is present for those devices on export, attention turns to the TV.

I hooked up this TV just yesterday - the TV I was using previously had no trouble getting picture and sound from both the cable box and the VCR/DVD player. So I know it's the TV itself that's causing the issue, rather than either of those two devices.

[jmarsico]

I've been thinking about it a bit, and I remember that the last place the TV was used, the owners - my friends at college, incidentally - had it hooked up to a surround-sound system. So, is it plausible that the TV's speakers themselves might be busted, but that I'll be able to get sound if I connect external speakers to it? (I know that I could just try it out and see what happens, but I don't have any spare speakers lying around, and I'd have to hunt some down from a friend. I don't want to go through the trouble if there's no chance it will work.)

[wulf109]

Do you get sound if you watch TV??

[jmarsico]

Do you get sound if you watch TV??

No sound at all, regardless of whether I'm watching just normal TV via the cable box, or a DVD, or whatever.

[edDV]

Do you get sound if you watch TV??

No sound at all, regardless of whether I'm watching just normal TV via the cable box, or a DVD, or whatever.

Check the manual and menus for a Speakers OFF setting.

Many people turn the TV speakers off when using an external audio system.

[cowboyup910]

Try one connection first to at least check that the audio (speakers) work.

Start off with the TV and Cable Box. Connect the coaxial cable "out" from the box to your TV VHF/UHF. Set channel on TV to 3.

You should have video and sound. If still no sound, make sure TV is not mute, and with the controller for the box make sure that's not on mute.

If still no sound, you have a problem.

[jmarsico]

Try one connection first to at least check that the audio (speakers) work.

Start off with the TV and Cable Box. Connect the coaxial cable "out" from the box to your TV VHF/UHF. Set channel on TV to 3.

You should have video and sound. If still no sound, make sure TV is not mute, and with the controller for the box make sure that's not on mute.

If still no sound, you have a problem.

Uh oh. Looks like I have a problem. I restarted all the connections from scratch and hooked up just two wires: the coaxial cable into the cable box, and then another coaxial from the cable box to the TV. The result is as before: picture, but no sound. Fiddling extensively with the TV settings did not resolve the problem.

I figure, then, that the TV's speakers are busted. Would I be able to get sound if I connect external speakers - i.e., a surround sound system - to it? Like I said earlier, I could just borrow some from a friend to test it, but it's not worth the hassle if that plan is unlikely to work.

[jmarsico]

I dug up an ancient radio + speakers out of the basement and hooked them up - and, shockingly, they work perfectly with the TV. The only issue is that I can't control the volume with the remote, but rather must walk over to the radio and use the knob. But I guess I can deal with the inconvenience.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.