Using HDMI & Composite AV

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live & Live Plus
1

Hi

I’m looking at buying a WD TV Live and need to know the following. Is it possible to connect the HDMI and Compsoite AV cable. I have a new Plasma which will accept the HDMI for video BUT I want to also run the Red/White from Composite Av cable to an older Marantz Amp that doesn’t have optical. I just need to check that plugging both the HDMI and compsoite will output the required signals to both cables.

Thanks in advance

Rob

2

Welcome to the forums, Rob.

Yes, you can connect both the audio outs from component as well as HDMI to your set – the video can only be output to one device at a time, but the audio will work on both.

3

mkelley wrote:

…the video can only be output to one device at a time…

not entirely true…  The Live/+ do support simultaneous Component / Composite / HDMI output.

4

yes it depends upon the WD media player type. If you are using WD TV live then mkelley is correct. But if you have live plus then TonyPh12345 is right. thanks

5

Unless later firmware changed something, a few months ago I had had my Live plugged in via COMPOSITE to a portable TV and via HDMI to another TV and saw video on both.   

6

I can confirm that with the latest version WD TV live component goes off as soon as you plug a HDMI in or vice versa! thanks

7

Right, that’s what I thought.

8

Guys, I really don’t know what ya’ll are doing, but I just tested it…  ALL THREE OUTPUTS WORK SIMULTANEOUSLY.

I plugged the COMPOSITE into a portable LCD.

I plugged COMPONENT into my AVR which is connected to the Plasma.

I plugged HDMI into my AVR.

As you can see in the picture, both the LCD and the PLASMA have the same image.

When I selected the component input, the image was there, and stayed on the LCD.

When I selected the HDMI input, the image was there, and stayed on the LCD.

I never changed the mode on the WDTV Live, which is running 1.03.42(Beta)

Now, since I don’t have THREE TVs in close proximity to test in, I guess it’s possible the WDTV is disabling the output when I switch the AVR to a component input, and vice versa…

9

As the original post only asked about ‘HDMI & Composite AV’ I think we can say quite definitely and with photographic proof that you can use HDMI and composite at the same time.

10

The ‘angle’ at left corner looks awesome!

Thanks

11

I do believe that when HDMI is switched in the video signal drops – that’s the only way you could accurately test (to have at least another TV hooked up at the same time).

I *could* test this out but as you said, the original poster was only concerned about sound (and I actually answered that right away so all the rest is kind of extraneous, most likely confusing to him, stuff).