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Apple TV connected to Non-HD with component?

T

tylertech

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2008
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0
NC
I'm planning on picking up an Apple TV, and I realize that it doesn't work with the standard 'yellow-white-red' composite. I do have a TV that has component video inputs, red-blue-green, in my room, but I want the Apple TV in my family room.

What I am confused by is the TV in my family room. The manual (and the back of the TV) claims that the "Component Video Inputs" are Pr-Pb-Y/Video, however the colors are Red-Blue-Yellow, instead of green. Is this just a different color, and will take a regular component cable, like the one here, or is this TV not have the right type of component inputs?

Thanks
 
I think you are getting confused between composite and component. Composite has yellow (for video) and red and white (for audio) pins, where as component is red, green and blue pins which only carry video.

To be honest, if you are thinking about an Apple TV, you might be best investing in a new TV from the money you'd spend on the Apple TV, and then get an Apple TV at a later stage.

It is really optimised for widescreen HD tele's.
 
Without seeing your TV first hand I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty confident in saying that you shouldn't have a problem hooking up your AppleTV to that TV via component.

I have two new HDTV's and they're very similar to what you describe. They both have their own individual composite hookups, but their first component input can act as a second composite hookup if the yellow input is plugged into the green on the back of the TV.

However, I'll also agree with a previous poster who says you may be better off investing the money you'll spend on the AppleTV now with a new TV (seeing as you can get a nice sized one for cheap) and then getting an AppleTV a little bit down the road. But if you just can't wait, you might as well get your AppleTV and enjoy it. :D
 
tylertech said:
I'm planning on picking up an Apple TV, and I realize that it doesn't work with the standard 'yellow-white-red' composite. I do have a TV that has component video inputs, red-blue-green, in my room, but I want the Apple TV in my family room.

What I am confused by is the TV in my family room. The manual (and the back of the TV) claims that the "Component Video Inputs" are Pr-Pb-Y/Video, however the colors are Red-Blue-Yellow, instead of green. Is this just a different color, and will take a regular component cable, like the one here, or is this TV not have the right type of component inputs?

Thanks
Click to expand...


It's been a while since I researched this and since I'm not a TV repairman, I might get some of this wrong, but... There's a few ways to get the video signal to the TV. Let's forget about the red and white (or sometimes black) connectors. These are for audio. The red-blue-green wires are for transmiting the seperate video signals. Old school monitors sometimes had a five wire system, three for color, two for synch (one vertical the other horizontal, RGBHV). I think that's what's in a VGA connector.

Most modern component is seperates not colors but has one monochrome image and then color on the other wires with having an overlapped synch signal on one wire. "Composite" tries to jam all three on one wire, which is generally colored yellow.

So what's yours? I think you have component hookups, and one of the connectors doubles as a possible composite connection. The yellow indicates that it could serve as the entire composite signal, or the color/synch line of a three wire component connection. Trouble is, I don't think the RGB from the first paragraph is compatible with AppleTV, so if that's what you have you might have trouble. If you have (or can borrow) one, you might try hooking a DVD player with component video up to it.
 
tylertech said:
I'm planning on picking up an Apple TV, and I realize that it doesn't work with the standard 'yellow-white-red' composite. I do have a TV that has component video inputs, red-blue-green, in my room, but I want the Apple TV in my family room.

What I am confused by is the TV in my family room. The manual (and the back of the TV) claims that the "Component Video Inputs" are Pr-Pb-Y/Video, however the colors are Red-Blue-Yellow, instead of green. Is this just a different color, and will take a regular component cable, like the one here, or is this TV not have the right type of component inputs?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Your family room tv sounds fine to me. I think the r-b-Y in Pr-Pb-Y stands for Red - Blue - Yellow. Older stuff used RGB, but component is RGY, they are not the same.

I connected someone's older non-HD plasma to Apple TV using component, and his screen shows much more of an HD-like image than I would have imagined. The TV says it's component, so it must be. And it sounds like it too! So I reckon you should get the cable and all will be well. Good luck and post back to let us know!
 
Even if your TV, which sounds like 4:3 aspect ratio, can accept component video inputs, the Apple TV will only output 16:9 so video on your TV will look squished (taller and thinner)
 
Dejavu said:
Even if your TV, which sounds like 4:3 aspect ratio, can accept component video inputs, the Apple TV will only output 16:9 so video on your TV will look squished (taller and thinner)
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Many 4:3 TVs with component inputs have a 16:9 mode, which squeezes the picture vertically. If the TV has this mode, the images would look fine.
 
This is more confusing than I thought... my TVs not insanely old, but not new.

Kilamite said:
I think you are getting confused between composite and component. Composite has yellow (for video) and red and white (for audio) pins, where as component is red, green and blue pins which only carry video.
Click to expand...

I know the main difference between composite and component.

What is confusing is that even though the back of my TV says that it's component video inputs are Pr-Pb-Y/Video (red-blue-yellow), and Y/Video is part of the Component Video Input. I was wondering if this will work with the green cable, or if I even need the green cable.
The Red and White are obviously their own thing with the sound.

Here is a picture of the back of the TV (not a lot of options). You can see it say Component Video to the left, and it has the red and blue Pr-Pb inputs. However, the Y/Video is in the same section and can act as Composite too. Can this also be used for a component hook up?
(I also have an S-Video input hidden in there, if anyone thinks that would be easier.)
 
tylertech said:
TYou can see it say Component Video to the left, and it has the red and blue Pr-Pb inputs. However, the Y/Video is in the same section and can act as Composite too. Can this also be used for a component hook up?
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell from your picture, but it looks like you're correct. For some reason, your TV manufacturer decided to combine composite yellow and component green into one input.

Very odd. Try it out!
 
jaw04005 said:
It's hard to tell from your picture, but it looks like you're correct. For some reason, your TV manufacturer decided to combine composite yellow and component green into one input.

Very odd. Try it out!
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I'll probably pick one up this weekend and get back with you guys.

Thanks again!
 
tylertech said:
Panasonic, CT-27L8S (one of those lesser known model tvs)
Click to expand...
I tried to see if I could find a manual for your set, but couldn't. I randomly picked one that wasn't too far off and it seemed to have similar connections. I found the following (which may or may not apply to your set):

VIDEO 1 input is a dual-purpose input. It is primarily intended for connection with 480i devices such as a DVD player using the Y PB PR component video jacks and Audio L & R jacks. However, it can also be connected to conventional composite video sources such as a VCR, using only the Y/Video jack and Audio L & R jacks. The on-screen label will display Component or Video 1 depending on which source is connected.

If your set is similar, the AppleTV might work. However, I noticed that this lists 480i only. I think the manual for the AppleTV doesn't list 480i, only 480p. That doesn't mean it won't work, just that I'm not sure it will. Also, the manual I looked at did not appear to have any kind of 16:9 mode, so you might run into the problem already mentioned of everything appearing too thin. This may not be a problem, depending on how you're planning on using it (ie for music only).
 
mchalebk said:
I tried to see if I could find a manual for your set, but couldn't. I randomly picked one that wasn't too far off and it seemed to have similar connections. I found the following (which may or may not apply to your set):

VIDEO 1 input is a dual-purpose input. It is primarily intended for connection with 480i devices such as a DVD player using the Y PB PR component video jacks and Audio L & R jacks. However, it can also be connected to conventional composite video sources such as a VCR, using only the Y/Video jack and Audio L & R jacks. The on-screen label will display Component or Video 1 depending on which source is connected.

If your set is similar, the AppleTV might work. However, I noticed that this lists 480i only. I think the manual for the AppleTV doesn't list 480i, only 480p. That doesn't mean it won't work, just that I'm not sure it will. Also, the manual I looked at did not appear to have any kind of 16:9 mode, so you might run into the problem already mentioned of everything appearing too thin. This may not be a problem, depending on how you're planning on using it (ie for music only).
Click to expand...

Thanks that all makes sense- I'll definently report back with my results, I'll just have to experiment!
 
As long as you have a RGB out (component), and it looks like you do (it says it far left), you can add an aTV to the system. Just be aware, the aTV thinks that the TV is a widescreen TV, so it will look a little squished on TV. Also, TV or Movies that are not widescreen (like older movies that come up on a wide screen with black bars on the left and right), look really squished.

I have mine set up in a 27" Sony Wega. It works and looks pretty good... but not great.

BRAD
 
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