Your DVD player may include or require purchasing an HDMI cable; alternatively, TV sets with this capability must also support it.
Most modern TVs come with HDMI connections; if yours does not, a HDMI-to-RCA adapter may be necessary. Plug the two ends of your cable into their respective sockets on both DVD player and TV – these should be color coded for easy identification of compatible sockets.
How to Connect a Sony DVD Player to a TV
HDMI
If your DVD player is relatively new, it may include an HDMI cable for connecting directly to your television set. Otherwise, composite RCA (low quality) or component video cables must be used instead.
Be sure to connect the video cables to their respective input sockets on your TV – these should be color-coded and organized into groups such as AV Input 1 or 2.
Plug one end of your cable into one of the matching RCA output sockets on your television set, usually labelled as Yellow (Video), Red and White (Audio), or separate sockets for Yellow (Video), Red, and White (Audio) output. Pressing the source button or using your remote control’s source selection feature, match up input jacks used by cable to jacks you used when powering on equipment and test connection by inserting disc.
Component
If your DVD player lacks HDMI video outputs but still features RCA input connections, component cables may be the answer. Component cables feature five colored prongs that connect directly with sockets on both your television set and DVD player.
Component cables differ from their three-prong AV cable counterparts by featuring Green, Blue and Red video plugs as well as White and Red audio RCA plugs – it is important to use the correct colors so as not to get video only or no sound output at all.
Connect the RCA to 3 RCA adapters available at most radio shacks for $5-$10 to each end of the component video cable, before connecting one end (Green, Blue and Red RCA plugs) directly to your television set.
Composite
Some older DVD players support composite output, an analog video signal divided into three separate signals – green, blue, and red – transmitted using yellow-white RCA cables. You will require an additional red-white audio cable in order to send audio data over to your television set.
Connect the RCA cables (yellow plug for video, white and red for audio) to the DVD
player input sockets, followed by connecting their other end to input sockets on your television set – usually color coded and organized into Input groups on your television screen.
Note: It’s essential to use the appropriate type of cable; otherwise, poor picture and audio quality could result. HDMI cables offer superior picture and audio quality and should be preferred when connecting a DVD player to a television set.
Scart
Even if your DVD player only has a Scart connection, you can still connect it to your television. Simply connect a component video cable featuring green, blue and red RCA plugs directly to your player before connecting its other end into an input socket on the television set.
If your television doesn’t support Scart inputs, a component to HDMI converter can provide high-quality video transmission. These devices convert analog video signals to digital form for optimal results.
Once the cables have been connected, power on both the DVD player and TV before using your television remote to select an input channel on which to watch movies on a large screen.
Audio
If your DVD player features HDMI connections, connecting it to a television using an HDMI cable will give the highest-quality video possible. Component and composite cables offer lower video quality.
Connect one end of an HDMI cable to the back of a DVD player and the other end into an available input port on your television, usually color-coded and organized into Input groups on its rear panel.
When connecting audio using an optical audio cable, ensure the red and white plugs match on each end of the cable before plugging it into your television’s audio output sockets.