RGB Cable Won't Work With TV
By Eoghan McCloskey
RGB or component cables offer HD-quality picture and sound at a smaller price tag than other HD connections, such as HDMI cables. RGB cables break the picture into red, green and blue cables and break the audio signal into red and white cables; therefore, the process of connecting and using RGB cables is similar to using RCA (yellow, red, and white) cables. If you find that your RGB cables are not sending a signal to your TV, take a few simple troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.
Tune the TV to the correct component input by using the input selection control. If you have your RGB cables plugged into component 1 and the TV is set on the video 2 input, for instance, you will not see any picture or sound, even though everything may be plugged in correctly. Locate the input selection button on the TV's remote or on the TV itself; it will probably be labeled "input," "source," "TV/video" or something similar. Press it until the TV is set to the component input into which you have the RGB cables plugged and check for a picture.
Re-seat component cables on the TV by unplugging each cord and plugging it back in, one by one. Take a moment to make sure the color of the cord matches the color of the port into which it is being plugged. Check the TV again for a picture.
Plug the RGB cables into a different component input if your TV has more than one. This is a useful way of testing whether the problem lies with a single component input on the TV. After plugging in the RGB cables to the second component input, make sure to tune the TV to that component input using the input selection control. If you see a picture at this point, there may be a problem with the component input into which the RGB cables were originally plugged.
Swap the RGB cables with another set to test for bad cables. If you eliminate the single component input as causing the issue, it is now necessary to test with another set of RGB cables. Plug them in using the same procedure as above, and test for a picture and sound.
Writer Bio
Eoghan McCloskey is a technical support representative and part-time musician who holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and political science from Texas State University. While at Texas State, McCloskey worked as a writing tutor at the Texas State Writing Center, proofreading and editing everything from freshman book reports to graduate theses.