Question for Sylvia: Splitting AV output

video,

a TV

s each)

Can I chip in here? Yes it will work, but perhaps not perfectly. It will depend on the performance of the equipment. The Video portion of the AV signal is

1Vp-p across 75 ohms. Put two devices on that and you will see 0.5Vp-p across 37 ohms. The weaker signal may cause sync problems (less likely with modern equipment) and poorer brightness. The audio may similarly be lower, but you can turn the volume up to compensate. AV switch boxes are available cheaply, to prevent these signal losses.

Certainly.

Thanks. I thought it was probably a bit dodgy. I assume that a switch box (would splitter be a better description?) would require its own power supply, with transformer. I was hoping to avoid that.

video,

each)

Brad has summerised the issues, and I agree with him, except as far as the audio is concerned. In my experience, audio inputs have a relatively high impedance, and I would not expect the same problem.

Beware of creating ground loops.

Sylvia.

Probably better to ditch it altogether. For example, I don't want to have to adjust brightness between the split source and other sources. It all sounds too dodgy.

(would

th

A switch box and a splitter are not the same thing. A switch box selects a different input or output, one at a time. A passive splitter will reduce the output. An active splitter contains an amplifier, so full output, but requires a power source.

I misunderstood then. I thought you were suggesting a "switch" that would solve the signal-loss problem while maintaining the two simultaneous connections. A passive switch was my first thought and what I'll probably go with, but parallel connections would be better for my purpose so I thought I'd ask.

(would

I bought a cheap plasticy switch on eBay so The World's Finest Grandson can connect his Wii when he visits without having to climb behind the furniture. Seems to work without any problems.

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As Brad and Sylvia have said, you'll have issues with the video signal - not enough to prevent you from seeing it on both outputs, but more than enough to drag the video quality into the mud (remember making copies of copies of VHS tapes, and how good the resulting recording was?).

If you have $47 to spare, grab this; it'll do the job properly for both audio and video, and has four outputs rather than just two;

If you want to save a bit of money and have a 12V power supply of reasonable grunt laying around (1A output should suffice), this one does just the video for $14;

Audio isn't a problem unless you're wanting genuinely high fidelity (which I suspect you're not); as Sylvia points out, most amplifiers have a comparatively high input impedance (generally several tens of kiloohms or higher), so there won't be any noticable signal degradation.

--
Bob Milutinovic 
Cognicom

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Very interesting topic. I have done exactly as the original poster has done and not noticed any loss of quality. But then again, I could never see what people were going on about HD tv because I could never really see the difference unless it was on a very large TV set. I would have thought that high def tv would mean we'd buy smaller TV's and sit closer to them, not buy bigger sets, Nobody seems to get that.

Some equipment has an automatic gain control on the video input, which would obviate most of the adverse effects. But it's not part of the spec, so trying it in a particular instance is the only way to know whether it'll work.

Sylvia.

As an audiophile I do want hi-fi sound on one of the inputs (I have the option of directing its audio to a stereo amplifier and high-quality speakers for those movies/shows that are worthwhile having hi-fi sound). One of the reasons for my connection complications is that I prefer the convenience of the plain TV sound to watch the news or Biggest Loser, but it's not good enough for Raiders of the Lost Ark. (There are other issues too, such as whether I need a source to go to recording equpment.)

Thanks for your suggestions. I hoped to avoid another powered device, but I'll consider it along with a plain switch.

video,

each)

it's an analogue signal therefore there will be some loss of quality. You won't blow anything up that wasn't already broken.

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I always suspected you were one. My 6th sense is rarely wrong. Stay away from primary schools you sicko.

In that case you will need good quality audio leads. However no 'true' audiophile would want anything less than digital audio I would suggest.

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rgds, 

Pete 
------- 
"If Julia is the answer, then what was the stupid question!"

True audiophiles recognise that digital is a quantised approximation to the true waveform, and that only analogue media are up to the task of faithful reproduction.

Sylvia.

That's true of course for dedicated audio systems for music reproduction. However, when it comes to Audio/Video systems (surround sound 5.1, 6.1, 7.1) for watching movies there's no comparison in sound quality, if only for the fact that analogue audio is only stereo.

--
rgds, 

Pete 
------- 
"If Julia is the answer, then what was the stupid question!"

True idiots you mean, those that actually have a clue (perhaps not such a big percentage admittedly) know that after adding dither and a reconstruction filter, there is no quantitisation remaining, only a FAR more accurate signal than can be obtained by ANY analog recording method available.

Trevor.

Of course, but you should never smarten up a chump.

Audiophiles in the UK used to cite the BBC's Radio 3 (a classical music channel) FM service as the gold standard for analogue purity, blissfully unaware that the BBC was using digital technology to get the signal from its studios to the transmitters.

Sylvia.

Nope, not for any modern digital audio system that isn't broken.

I'd still prefer two HiFi channels to 7.1 low fi channels. Fortunately both can easily be HiFi, even if they often aren't.

Trevor.