Three posts to the “Hate” category in a row… I’m on a roll! The latest cause for hate: My wonderful new receiver.
I love my JVC devices, and I researched pretty carefully before I bought this receiver. I chose it because it is a modern, high-quality receiver with video switching capabilities built in, and lots of different kinds of cable inputs and outputs.
However, what they don’t tell you anywhere on amazon, or anywhere on JVC’s website, or anywhere in the product manual is that it can only work with one type of connection at a time.
So if all of your devices are composite video (the yellow RCA-style plug) or if all of your devices are S-video (the plug that looks like a PS2 mouse plug), then you’re golden. However, if you have some devices that use each connection (I have my computer, DVD player and X-box on S-video, but my VCR is composite) then it won’t work.
The man with poor english skills at JVC just very patiently explained to me that he suggested only using one type of cable to solve my problem (which is that the video was coming out black and white from
…
*sigh*
I had to walk away from writing this post because I was getting too irritated.
The short version is that my new receiver doesn’t do everything it claims to do, and now I have to decide whether that’s bad enough for me to return it or if I should just live with it (I managed to keep everything working by plugging the VCR right into the TV, and bypassing the receiver entirely).
I'm a 30-year-old 
That sucks. Return it right away. There are all kinds of receivers that do that stuff correctly, especially if you’re willing to spend $300 (which is about right for a receiver, I think).
I heartily recommed the Onkyo TX-SR501. That’s what I have, and I’m quite happy with it. It has one component output cable that goes to the TV, and I plug all manner of S-Video, composite, and component inputs into it, some with different types of audio (RCA vs. digital). It has support for all the standard sound types, all the way up to 6.1 Dolby Digital. Wish I had a DVD player that could output a 6.1 signal.
I got mine at Fries in a package set with a set of speakers. It may have been a little less expensive online, but I got to ask questions and look at the back.
But yeah. You shouldn’t have to put up with that. Return it.
March 11th, 2004 at 6:08 pm
this is your fourth hate post in a row, actually.
March 11th, 2004 at 7:15 pm
I know that feeling.
We have a much simpler setup, but I had to fiddle around with the tv, vcr, playstation, and tv antenna for months until I finally found a workable solution where both tv and vcr got decent reception, and the playstation signal was clear enough to use . . . this was only achieved by buying some extra cords.
And none of them are plugged into the most logical places.
March 11th, 2004 at 7:49 pm