How to Set Up a High Definition Box
High definition (HD) television breathes new life into anyone's home entertainment life. With improved picture quality, watching shows and movies in HD puts you right into the action. Simply purchasing an HDTV, however, will not make all television high definition. Cable and satellite providers offer premium HD channels to maximize the usefulness of your new HDTV. To enjoy these new channels, the provider includes a new set-top-box. Setting up and using the new equipment is easy, and you may even save your hard-earned money by doing it yourself and avoiding expensive installation fees.
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Instructions
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Initial Set-Up
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Locate the signal source for your cable/satellite feed. A coaxial terminal protruding from a wall-plate typically indicates the source location. Position your television, cable box and other devices near the source.
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Screw down one end of a coaxial cable to the terminal on the wall. Make certain that the cable is screwed on tight and square.
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Connect the other end of the coax cable to the RF input on the back of the HD set-top box. The input will be labeled "cbl in," "cable in," "RF in," "sat in" or another variation. Screw the cable down tight.
Using an HDMI Cable
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Plug an HDMI cable into the HDMI input located on the back of the cable/satellite box. HDMI cables are designed to fit in only one direction. If the cable does not insert smoothly, match the cable to the input and try again. Never force the cable.
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Insert the other end of the HDMI cable into an HDMI input on the back of the television. The inputs will be labeled "HDMI 1," "HDMI 2," "HDMI 3" and so on.
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Turn on the television and cable/satellite box and select the correct input on the television using the remote control. For example; if you plugged the HDMI cable into the "HDMI 1" input on the television, press the "input" or "source" button on the remote until the "HDMI 1" is selected.
Using Component Cables
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Locate the component out terminals on the back of the cable/satellite box and insert the component cable. Component cables are color-coded red, blue and green. Match the colors on the cable to the inputs on the cable/satellite box.
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Insert the audio cable into the audio outputs. Some component cables have the audio cables attached that are color-coded red and white. If your component cables do not include audio, use a separate RCA cable to connect.
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Insert the component cables into a component input on the back of the television. They will be labeled "Component 1," "Component 2," etc. Also, plug in the audio cables. The inputs on the television will be grouped together to ensure the audio is connected to the correct input selection.
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Tips & Warnings
It may be easy to confuse the red video cable with the red audio cable when using component. If you experience problems, recheck your wiring.
References
- Photo Credit Plasma panel image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com
