Since I'm not sure exactly which portable DVD player you have, I can't be super-specific. However, most portable DVD players use similar connection methods.

The yellow video connection is for exactly what you would think, composite video. In some cases, I've seen portable players use a 4 conductor 1/8" connector (headphone size with three stripes) to red, white, yellow A/V connections. Other players output video only through this jack, and rely on you to use a 1/8" to red and white RCA jack cable on the headphone output for sound. Orange connections are typically for coaxial digital audio (a connection for a surround system), which can be used with a 1/8" to mono RCA jack. 

If you could provide the brand and model of the player, I could probably be more specific. Although this may be all you need to get it hooked up.

The manual for your product indicates that the A/V connection cable should be supplied. If not, you'll need to purchase a few cables from your local Radio Shack, or brick-and-mortor or online electronics retailer. You could also purchase a replacement from COBY, the contact information is located at the bottom of this post.

On your particular player, you have seperate 3.5mm jacks (also known as 1/8") for composite video and audio. You'll need a 3.5mm to RCA mono cable for video, and a 3.5mm to stereo RCA for audio. Since your player offers a seperate audio output, you won't have to use the headphone jack to get sound. 

If your TV only offers 1 white audio input, this means that your television only offers mono sound. To ensure you get all audio information from the player, you'll also need to pick up a 2 female to 1 male RCA cable. 

The a/v cables will look like this:

You may have difficulty finding a mono cable (one RCA end) but you can also use a stereo cable and just leave one of the RCA ends unused.

The Y cable looks like this:

You'll need to get the Y cable from Radio Shack or other similar store, but you may want to consider contacting COBY and purchasing a replacement hookup cable for your player. It'll save you the headache of carrying around seperate cables for each, and may even be cheaper than buying two new cables.

You can contact COBY at the following numbers: 

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 11:00pm EST @ Tel: 718-416-3197 or 800-681-2629
            Monday - Friday, 6:30pm to 11:00pm EST @ Tel: 800-727-3592
            Saturday - Sunday, 9:00am to 5:30pm EST @ Tel: 800-727-3592

Of course you can post again! There's no limit to how many questions you can ask or how many articles you can read. Remember that you can also try to help other community members that have a question or problem, or just engage in some friendly gadget conversation. There's lots of great folks to meet here.

Also, don't forget to tell your friends about TechLore! 

Ron T said: I can't figure out where I start to ask a question, so I'll use this discussion.  Re-direct me if this is a problem.  Before I buy a portable dvd, I want t know if I can also use it as a tv monitor on my nightstand.  Do any of th dvd's have a jack where I can plug in my house tv cable, and then have a tuner to change chanels?  What info do I look for on the unit so I know it's compatible?  Any recommendations on units?  Preferably a small unit where the screen swivels. Tx, Ron

Hi Ron T,

I'd be happy to give you some advice. In the future, you can always start your own discussion by clicking the green "Start a Discussion" link on the right side of the page under the box with your display name and avatar. You have the default now, but you can add your own picture that will represent you in the forums if you click the edit profile link in that area. 

Portable DVD players don't typically have TV tuners, so they're not usually the best option for small TVs on a nightstand. Some models will have AV inputs, where you can plug in an external device like a VCR or Cable box (that does have a tuner), allowing you to view TV on the display. You need to look carefully at the different models to find one. The bad part is you'll need that external device connected to your player.

For the most convenince, I'd look at a small LCD television with built in DVD player. They're usually made at 15 and 19 inches, so they're a little bigger, but will do the job. 

I have a Mac Book Pro. I had only an AOL address. I dropped that when I started having problems down loading anything. Now I have the updated version of AOL, but in the meantime I opened an account with hot mail also. Now my mail address my doesn't recognize either E addresses. I can't send nor receive mail nor send pictures from the mail applications. Can you help? Thanks, Johanna

Hi Ron,

I am trying to connect my coby portable DVd player Tf dvd 7005 to my sony triniton tv....
I am trying to use the cable used for my canon powershot camera to tv ....
I am able to get the sound/audio from the dvd player transfered to tv but no luck with
picture...
My camera cable works well when i try to connect the camera to tv i get audio as well as video....
Do i need to get any special cable to connect my coby player to TV?
I checked with Coby services...I already have all the cables included in my package...i am not missing any cable....

Can you not shut the lid?

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My Sylvania portable DVD player only has one jack that uses a 3.5 mm plug and is marked AVout. It also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. How do I hook it to my TV?