Chapter 1

86 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About DVD
player up to a separate stereo system, connect a coax cable from the
left audio output of the player to the audio input of the modulator. (If you
have a stereo modulator, connect another cable for the right audio
channel.)
Then connect a coax antenna cable from the modulator to the TV.
You may need a 300-ohm to 75-ohm adapter (to switch between a
two-wire antenna connection and a threaded coax connection). Tune
the TV to channel 3 or 4 (or channel 36 in Germany and some other
European countries) and set the switch on the modulator or the back
of the player to match. If you also want to hook up a VCR, connect an
antenna cable from the output of the VCR to the antenna input of the
modulator.
WARNING: If you connect your DVD player to a VCR and then to
your TV (or to a combination TV/VCR), you will probably have problems
with discs that enable the player’s Macrovision circuit. (See
“Will I Have Problems Connecting My VCR Between My TV and My
DVD Player?”)
Also, some video projectors don’t recognize the 4.43 NTSC signal
from NTSC discs in PAL players (see “Is DVD-Video a Worldwide Standard?
Does It Work with NTSC, PAL, and SECAM?” in Chapter 1).
They see the 60 Hz scanning frequency and switch to NSTC, even
though the color subcarrier is in PAL format.
NOTE: Most DVD players support widescreen signaling, which
tells a widescreen display what the aspect ratio is so that it can
automatically adjust. One standard (International Telecommunication
Union-Radio Communication Sector [ITU-R] BT.1119, used
mostly in Europe) includes information in a video scanline. Another
standard, for Y/C connectors, adds a 5V DC signal to the chroma
line to designate a widescreen signal. Unfortunately, some switchers
and amps throw away the DC component instead of passing it
on to the TV.
For more information on conversions between formats, see the amazing
Notes on Video Conversion from the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ at
www.repairfaq.org/sam/vodconv.htm.