Most TVs these days are equipped with an audio/video input on the front. These extra jacks are really handy for hooking up something quickly to the TV set like game systems, cameras, and camcorders. Usually, these devices are not a permanent fixture in your home theater system.

When you plug a device into the front input jacks, the image doesn't automatically appear. You need to tell the television what jack it's supposed to read the signal from. TVs have all sorts of plug-ins these days, and they all have a specific designation that goes with them. Most of the time, there is a label above or below the jacks that tell you it's designation. For this example, the input is called Video 2.

Switching the Input

Telling the TV which one of the plug-ins to display the picture and sound from is commonly called "switching the input." To do this, you'll need to locate the button that cycles through all of these different plug-ins. On some TVs there is a button right on the front of the set, sometimes you're forced to use the remote control. Often, you can do it both ways.

Unfortuantely, there is no standard label for this button from TV to TV. However, there are a few popular labels most manufacturers use. The most common labels are TV/VIDEO (usually found on Sony TVs), and INPUT (Many other brands).

Once you locate the button that cycles through the various plug-ins, stop on the one that's labeled VIDEO 2 (or whatever one you're looking for). Once you're there, turn on your device and you should be in business.

Troubleshooting / What to do if you can't find the input

Many TVs have advanced menu systems that can do all sorts of neat functions. A lot of them have the option of disabling plug-ins that are not being used. If you cannot find the input you're looking for, it might have been disabled in the menu.

Another thing to look out for is input labeling. As we learned above, all plug-ins on a TV have designations like INPUT 1 or VIDEO 2. However, in the menu of some TVs you can change the on-screen label of the input. That way when you switch to VIDEO 1 (for example), the TV says DVD on screen instead of VIDEO 1. It is always possible that if the input is not disabled, it is labeled as something else. CAM is a very common on screen label for front plug-ins. You can also change these on-screen labels in the TV's menu.

Permanent Connections

The front convenience jacks are great for making a quick connection to the display. However, anything that is going to be permanently connected should be connected to the back of the TV. If all of the rear plugs on your TV are in use, it is okay to leave things connected to the front. The only drawback is that it can be a little unsightly to see wires dangling from the front of your set.

Once you get in the hang of using the front jacks, it can make it really easy to quickly add and remove devices from your TV as needed. That's why they call them convenience jacks. If you've got a TV that has them, use them to your advantage.