Cable Connection Rules
- The FreeAgent Theater and all TV/stereo components should be powered down when connecting cables.
- Do not connect both composite and component video cables at the same time.
- Digital Audio cable (orange) must be matched to orange and Red/White to L/R channel audio connections.
- S-Video cables only support up to 480p with no audio.
- Composite (yellow, red, white RCA) only support up to 480i.
- Component red green blue supports all modes, (720i, 720p, 1080i), no audio.
- Do not use yellow, white, red, AV cable to connect to green, red, blue, (HD video) connections.
Note: 1080p requires an HDMI connection which is not available on the FreeAgent Theater.
Symptoms of incorrect cabling
- No picture, no audio, distorted screen, or color is off.
- If colors are mismatched on your component cable, if your television screen is black, or if you see strange color effects on the entire screen.
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If the resolution is set to 'high' on your television, it may not display at all or it may show a distorted picture. Press the reset button on the back of the FreeAgent Theater to switch between NTSC 480i and PAL 576i.
(Pressing reset always defaults to lowest SD interlace resolution.) - If you are running your cables through a surround receiver, eliminate the receiver and connect directly to the TV with the audio and video cables.
Check Your TV Settings
- In most cases, newer televisions automatically detect devices that are connected to their inputs, so there is no need to adjust your TV’s input settings. However, you will need to verify the settings when problems occur. Make sure the TV is set to the proper input channel, component, composite, etc.
- If no picture, try resetting the resolution to SD interlace on the input where the theater is connected to the back of the TV.
- For troubleshooting, try using the same cables and input channel of a working device such as a DVD player.
- If connected to a surround receiver and then to a TV, they must both be on the correct input channels. When troubleshooting picture issues, eliminate the receiver and connect directly to the TV.
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Some TV’s may share component and HDMI input and output lines.
If input 1 on your TV has an component and HDMI assignment, any devices connected to the HDMI port may override any component signals on input, so you need to separate your HDMI and component inputs. Move your component cables to input 2 on the TV. This same circumstance also applies to home theater systems that are being run through a surround receiver.
