You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Help please. I want to be able to listen to a dvd using headphones. Currently have a soundbar with sub and instructions mention using an optical cable for connecting to an external device. Are headphones an external device? There is an empty 'aux in' socket together with 'usb' and 'hdmi out'.
Ancient wireless headphones with separate power base that has 2 input sockets for connecting to hifi but there is also another one for input marked 'b'. Unfortunately don't have instructions for this.
Any ideas whether this would work please? Or would I be better off buying new bluetooth headphones?
Thanks!
Find some wired headphones and plug directly into the TV?
BT isn't going to help you in this instance.
Ancient wireless headphones with separate power base that has 2 input sockets
Or buy a 3.5mm - RCA cable and connect this to the TV
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8KO2/ref=asc_df_B01D5H8KO2/
Thanks and, yes, that may be easier.
Edit: sorry, just seen the rest of your post. I've probably got some of those lying around so will have a look.
Are headphones an external device?
Not in this context I don't think.
A photo of those "input sockets" would be useful. Are they RCA jacks like the ones in the Amazon link above?
Hi Cougar. Here's a pic of the input sockets from the power base. On the far right is the one that has the plug then there is one white and one red. These two were used with the hifi. The one on the far left is different to the one that has the plug.
I've been trying unsuccessfully to locate my bag of cables, so annoying.
So 3.5mm and phono (RCA) by the looks of it - basically both ends of the Amazon cable.
Do you have spare phono outputs on the back of the DVD player? Phono <-> phono would be trivial, cut the sound bar out of the equation.
Like these:
Exactly that cable, yes.
On the back of the dvd player is an 'optical digital audio out' socket Cougar. Then there's a LAN. Just the two sockets.
That would seem unlikely. How's it connect to your TV (and sound bar) if the only sockets are audio and network?
Sorry for the confusion. One goes to the hdmi on the telly and the other has the plug. Nothing goes from the soundbar to the dvd player, all done via the telly.
Right. So you have:
DVD player <-> HDMI <-> TV.
TV <-> what? <-> sound bar. HDMI ARC? Optical?
And there is nothing else on the DVD other than those three connections (and power), no SCART block or anything?
What's on the TV? Can you photo that?
TV digital audio out (optical) > soundbar digital audio in (optical)
TV hdmi > dvd hdmi out
Soundbar power > ac/dc power adapter and own power supply
Sub has bluetooth and its own power supply
Also use Chromecast in telly hdmi. No ARC (old telly)
DVD is actually blu-ray 3D and socket used is hdmi out plus power socket. Two empty sockets namely LAN and optical digital audio out.
Thanks very much for your help Cougar.
Perfect.
What’s on the TV? Can you photo that?
Two empty sockets namely LAN and optical digital audio out.
I'm guessing not or you'd have mentioned it, but no SCART block either?
Sorry, struggling with pics but will persevere. No SCART block and no mention of it in the manual. Telly's around 12 years old, headphones at least double that!
Does this help?
Just to add that there are some 'AV in' controls on the side namely s-video, video, audio L, audio R, headphones.
Cougar why are you trying to complicate this?
As I said, get a cheap 3.5mm to twin RCA cable - RCA ends into you headphone base thing and the other end into the TV.
Simple.
I've no idea why you'd want to connect the cable to the dvd rather than the TV?
Yes. Second pair of phonos down to the left of the HDMI cable there, to the phono connections on the headset base, using the cable you linked. Job jobbed.
Cougar why are you trying to complicate this?
As I said, get a cheap 3.5mm to twin RCA cable – RCA ends into you headphone base thing and the other end into the TV.
Because up until five minutes ago, whatever was on the TV was an unknown quantity and one cannot provide a solution unless one understands the question. You've assumed that the TV has RCA outputs, we didn't know that.
Going phono <-> phono is a better solution than going phono <-> 3.5mm as it's what it was designed to do, the line levels will be correct. Switching it to a 3.5mm jack over a passive cable could mean that the volume is all over the shop, you're potentially driving speakers at line level depending how clever that base station is.
Just to add that there are some ‘AV in’ controls on the side namely s-video, video, audio L, audio R, headphones.
Replying to your edit: a stereo 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to the 'headphones' jack should also work, then. This could be a better solution still, as plugging in a headphone cable will likely mute the TV volume.
This could be a better solution still, as plugging in a headphone cable will likely mute the TV volume.
You're welcome.
I'm pretty sure every TV made this century has a headphone socket so it was safe to assume it was there.
it was safe to assume
And that's where our approaches differ.
’m pretty sure every TV made this century has a headphone socket so it was safe to assume it was there.
My TV doesn't have a headphone socket, I expect a lot of newer TVs don't.