Connecting cables to a flat screen TV can often be a tedious task. Someone looking at the tangle of wires might just get confused not knowing where a cable goes.
Here are some steps that will make the task easier and save you time.
Steps
Step 1. First bring the equipment on site
Make sure you have all the components close at hand when you start connecting the cables to the flat screen TV.
Step 2. Mount the LCD or Plasma TV to the wall
Place the AV receiver, cable box, music player and game console on furniture or put them on shelves.
Step 3. Have a power outlet installed for each component, or use a power strip equipped with surge protectors
Step 4. Start plugging all cables into their respective sockets and wires into power strips or power outlets
The logical order of the connection procedure is as follows:
Step 5. Connect the antenna cable to the cable box:
the cable box will have two sockets usually labeled “Cable In” and “TV Out”. Attach the cable jack to the socket marked “Cable In”.
Step 6. Connect the cable box to the DVD or VCR player:
connect the other cables from the “TV Out” socket to the DVD player or VCR.
Step 7. Connect DVD Player / VCR to TV:
then connect the DVD player (via the OUT socket) to the HDMI or coaxial connection of the TV group.
Step 8. Connect TV to AV Receiver:
connect the AV cables from the display to the receiver into their respective sockets.
Step 9. Connect the receiver to the speakers:
in case you have additional speakers, the receiver can be connected to the speakers using extra cables.
Step 10. Finally, make sure all connections are secure before turning on the power
Advice
- Remember to mark everything with a label describing where the cable is connected using the “In” and “Out” methodology. This way, you won't be panic in case you have to remove the connections and then reconnect them for a picture freeze on the TV screen.
- Use high quality cables for better picture and sound. If your TV supports HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) standards, you can get compatible cables and tools like a Blu-Ray DVD player, set-top box, PlayStation, and a high-definition picture receiver.
- Match the color of the cable with that of the socket.
- Label the connections.
- Usually the audio and video cables are of different colors, so it is easier to understand where each cable goes.
- For recording enthusiasts, a digital video recorder offers the best option as you can program it to automatically record your favorite shows. The digital video recorder also connects to the home network, allowing users to access broadband features, such as transferring data from the video recorder to the PC and for “video on demand” services.
- You can also dock your PC to the rig, as long as it supports HDMI standards or if your flat screen TV has a VGA port. You can also use an adapter to make PC, HDMI or DVI (Digital Visual Interface) compatible, along with upgrading your PC's video card to support the interface.
Warnings
- Remember to connect the AV cables to the TV screen before installation as it is difficult to access the back of the screen once it is on the wall.
- Ideally, each component should have its own power outlet. This way the entire system will not depend on a single switch.
