I wanted my new DVD player to use the same flat screen that I use for my PC. (I don't have a TV, and I didn't want to get one just to watch DVDs.) Below is how I connected my iView-102DV to share the existing analog computer monitor. Because it was connected this way, setup (configuration) of the DVD player was a little trickier than usual.
Although these setup directions strive to be generic, the steps were of course performed on a specific DVD player. The DVD player I used was an iView-102DV (also called an IView 102). (This particular DVD player happens to be "region free", but that didn't affect either the monitor sharing or the setup. Besides being "region free", the completed setup can play PAL as well as NTSC format DVDs, so I can easily watch European DVDs too.)
Here's an overview picture of what I wanted:
To reach my goal, I purchased:
Then I connected them like this:
The DVD Player needs to be capable of "progressive" scan. Typically computers (and computer monitors) use "progressive" scan while TV uses "interlaced" scan. Sending one kind of signal to a monitor that expects the other probably won't hurt anything ...but it won't be readable either. While conversion between interlaced scan and progressive scan is not terribly complicated, it generally involves some sort of memory that can "buffer" an entire frame, and so can't be done just with passive cables.
The DVD Player should be capable of analog "component" output. In the context of DVDs, component output means three cables, typically named Y/Pr/Pb (or sometimes Y/U/V). (There are other possibilities for "component" video, even including some that are digital rather than analog [Y/Cb/Cr means digital], but such things hardly ever exist in the DVD context.)
The DVD Player needs to be capable of analog output of a DVD at its original resolution. This is probably called either 480p or 576p, depending on whether the format is NTSC or PAL.
Preferably the DVD Player will read both NTSC and PAL DVD formats, and also be able to switch its output format between NTSC and PAL. This makes it much easier to produce a working configuration in all cases, and makes it much easier to play a variety of DVDs from different parts of the world.
Do not be swayed by mentions of upconverting, 1080p resolution, digital output, or HDMI or DVI connectors. In fact, avoid units that concentrate on these common uses so much that they can't play a DVD in the old funky format you need. Digital outputs and very high resolutions probably mean there will be some form of copy protection (HDCP is a copy protection scheme). Copy protection may make the desired connections difficult or even impossible.
I selected the iView-102DV.
DVD component video is often color-coded red, blue, and green, giving the mis-impression it's an RGB signal. Any cable with three components -including an RGB cable- will work just fine for component video. (Don't coil up the excess cable though, as coiling invites interference.)
Also don't worry that you aren't getting the highest resolution or the cleanest signal possible. At the size of a typical PC monitor (17", 19", 21", etc.) and with its VGA connection, what leaves the DVD Player as an analog component video 480p/576p signal will produce excellent video quality. Efforts to "make it better" on a PC monitor won't produce visible improvements (and may not even work at all).
Although devices to convert a video signal from VGA to Component Video are readily available, they are not what you want or need. You want to convert in the other direction (Component→VGA, not VGA→Component). Although it might not at first seem like a big deal, in fact the direction of the conversion is critically important - it's almost a certainty that a converter won't work in the reverse direction.
Devices to convert a video signal from Component Video to VGA are commonly used in the context of video games. They allow a video game console and a computer to use the same flat screen. Many gamers find this very convenient. Fortunately for us, because of the video game use, demand is high enough that ready-made devices do exist. You should be able to find a suitable device without much trouble, although you may need to search in the context of video games.
As ready-made devices are available, you don't need to hack something together with chips and solder.
Conversion of component video to VGA requires some subtractions to reconstruct the red, green, and blue signals, and extraction of the horizontal and vertical sync signals from the Y cable to the separate VGA circuits. Doing these things requires some active components, which require a little bit of power.
I selected a device called a VGA-2000.
As the ready-made conversion devices are most often used in a video game context, they typically provide some way to piggyback a little bit of power from the video game console. Often this is simply a USB cable that plugs into a USB socket on the video game console. But in our context there is no video game console and we have to provide the power some other way.
Sometimes there is a usable USB socket on the computer. But often a free USB socket either doesn't exist or isn't convenient to use. In this case you'll need a separate USB power adapter that plugs into the wall mains and provides a USB socket. Such devices are often labelled "iPod charger".
Beware when buying the device though. First, prices vary dramatically. It's easy to spend $20 or $30, but with just a little searching you can probably find a device for well under $5. And second, devices you find on the Internet often won't work in your country and you can only tell by looking very carefully at a picture. Often devices are either intended for "travel" or for use in some other country. For example a device may have an Australian mains plug, which of course won't work in North America.
I purchased my device from GoDaddy. eBay is another good source.
If a consumer electronics unit with lots of functionality advertises itself as "small" or "compact" and doesn't have a fan, it's probably subject to overheating if not treated just right. The iView-102DV is no exception. For continued correct operation, don't put anything on top of it, don't obstruct the bottom or sides, and if you put it in a cabinet, arrange airflow through the whole cabinet. (Don't even put something that seems innocuous like a keyboard on top of the DVD player, as even though it doesn't generate hardly any heat of its own. it blocks airflow and thermally insulates.)
The switch-adapter I chose switches only the video, not the audio. (This is pretty typical with ready-made video game adapters.) To switch the audio, I have to unplug the headphones from one place and plug them in to a different place.
Many DVD players have a headphone jack, but this one does not. All it provides are stereo (left and right) audio line outputs intended to connect to a preamp or amplifier input. As is typical, the audio line outputs have enough energy to drive modest headphones anyway. It takes a couple different adapter cables in series to convert from the pair of RCA phono jacks to the single 1/8" mini phone jack my headphones expect.
This DVD player provides a volume control for the audio signal, so I can adjust the headphone volume using the DVD player remote control. If the DVD player provided only the line outputs and always at maximum level, I would have needed to insert an inline volume control into the cabling.
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