[jeffrt]

I mean, does it only send an HD digital signal?
or will it transmit non-HD signals?
Now that I'm thinking about it, is it digital only? I'm guessing that's the simple answer.

BAckground:
I connected it from my DirectTV DVR to a Sharp Aquos LCD TV. I do not currently subscribe to HD, so the signal is not an HD one. I use an S-VHS and RCA audio cables to send video and audio, respectively.

When I also connected the HDMI cable, I got nothing. The TV would not even allow me to select the input to which I had connected the cable. Neither the DVR nor the TV has a switch or anything on their menus that I can see to tell either one that there is an HDMI cable connected.

The S-VHS and RCA cables remain connected. ( saw nothign that would say only one type of cable could be connected, so I assume all outputs remain "live".

Thanks,

Jeff

[Don_S]

Hello Jeff,  I am not an expert but since it seems like it will be a quiet day here and you probably want to get your system working, I will take a stab.

Yes, the HDMI will transfer non-HD signals. And yes, you can have multiple cables attached.
I have a 46" Sharp Aquos connected to my Panasonic DVR (not hi-def) via an HDMI cable.  It works just fine for both video and audio.

The DVR has a menu item where the user has to enable the HDMI output (select "on") and set some parameters.  Search (again) the onscreen menu and the printed manual.  You may have missed something since the connection should work.

It has been a while since I set my system up but I think the Sharp automatically recognized the input and then let me turn off (in the menu) all unused inputs so I do not have to toggle through them each time.  When I press the input selection button on the remote only the two choices I have connected show up. 

I just turned on my Sharp and checked. In the Sharp setup menu there is a feature called "input skip".  When selected it gives options for which HDMI input you want to use and which you want to skip.  Check that. You may have it set to "skip" the input you want since you do not see that input when you hit the input select button.

So in summation:  The HDMI cable should work just fine.  You either have to make set up changes to the Sharp or DVR or you have a bad cable or output/input.  If you have other HDMI inputs and outputs try swapping.  My guess is it is merely a setup issue.

Good luck,  Don

[jeffrt]

Thanks a ton, Don. (just got back from the Xmas trip to relatives).

I'll check out the DVR menu again, as well as the Sharp's menu.

Just got the cable brand ne from monoprice.com but it could be faulty. Bad thing is I have no other way to check it; this is my only HDMI set up.

Later ...
10 minutes later.

Don, you were correct. However it was the Sharp TV that had the INPUT set to skip inputs #4, 5 & 6. I had connected the HDMI to input #4.
This skipping is odd because I know I never did it. I just randomly selected Inputs 1, 2 and 3 whenI first got the TV last year. No one else touches the TV.My wife never watches it as she has 2 of her own.
In any case, among the 7, 397 menu options on the TV I found the "INPUT Skip" selection.

Picture is nicer, better, more color saturated (slightly on the Hoolywood side of natural; gotta fix that.) with the HDMI cable. Sound thru the TV's speakers sucks. I'll leave the sound going thru my bookshelf speakers.

Thanks again!

Jeff