Humming sound from TV from media center laptop??

When I run the media center laptop through the tv...I do so with the sound too, but I get a hell of a humm from the TV speakers!! The way it is told to be setup...I plug this splitter chord into the headphones jack of the laptop then it splits into the right and left AV connectors which go into the back of the TV into the "Video 1" connectors!! The computer is on a TV tray directly behind the TV...could that be the issue, maybe too close to the TV?? But then again the chord is only 4feet long so it's not like you could put it on the other side of the room!!

Any thoughts??

BTW...It is an HP Pavillion Media Center Laptop, w/Media Center 2005 on it.

Roger

 

From the description, it sounds like a "Ground Loop" hum.

 

And that means....

I'm the first one to admit...I don't know squat about audio jargon...is there a relatively easy/cheap fix, or we talking about reinventing the wheel here!!??

Roger

 

A ground loop hum is when you have a bad ground, and get what you are getting. Usually it can be as simple as a bad cable, sometimes it can be harder to fix.

 

Soooo...could it be related to the wall outlet having a bad ground...and/or should I count on replacing the splitter audio chord that I JUST bought from Radio Shack!!??

Roger

 

What I want to know is why are you looping the sound back to the TV (reread your orig. post)? You do not need to loop back to the TV.

If you are wanting to play the MPC laptop on the TV, you only need to run sound from it to the TV, not back again. That is probably why you are getting the loop hum, because you have increased the impediance of the TV by doing so.

If you are wanting to broadcast programming off of your CATV digital box, you need to feed an input into the MPC laptop, and you can watch what is on the TV.

 

Let me see if this is a little more un-confusing.

I don't have a set top cable/satellite box. So for utilizing the laptop as the media center...I set it up just like the instructions said!! Which are as follows....

The cable from the wall to the decoder/reciever box, whatever you mant to call it (came with the laptop) then from there to the laptop via usb!! Technically that is all you need to utilize the the media center...unless you want to watch it on the TV as opposed to the laptop...then you use the S video cable for display (which is a no brainer), and the audio cable from the headphone jack of the laptop to the left and right AV in on the TV!! If I don't do the audio cable then I have to listen to the laptop and watch it on the TV...and (which I'm sure I really don't need to say) but the sound on my tv is MUCH better than on the laptop!!

Needless to say...I'm still confused as to what you're saying?? From what I'm reading in your last post...I'm guessing that I should route the audio to the TV in a different manner?? Incase you are misunderstanding what I'm saying (sometimes I do not type in a clear language) I'm not going to the TV then to the computer, then back to the laptop...like I said before...I hooked it up exactly as instructed, which I explained above!!

Thanks for hanging with me on this!! Sorry if I tend to be unclear/confusing at times!!

Roger

 

What model is your Laptop??

Since you are going from the Laptop to the TV, it can be a sound issue. Since the headphone output is not a Line-Out audio, but is a Sound output, you can get hum due to the fact that you are overdriving the Audio-IN of the TV.

Does the Laptop have a Line-Out jack on it? You may end up having to get a Soundblaster Audiology PCMCIA card to output to the PCM input on your stereo if you have one, or even the Line-Out on it to the Line-In on the TV.

Routing Audio from a laptop to a Line-IN can cause the hum, due to overdriving the Line-In on the TV, which it is not made to do.

 

Ok...now I think we're getting somewhere!!

No there is no line out for audio on the laptop...just the headphone jack itself!! Which if that was the case...I most definately would have used that instead...but like I said before...that is even the way that HP themselves say to do it (throught the headphone jack)!! Wonder if maybe that is a bug or something that they haven't worked out yet...or even if they know it!! Hmmmmm...I'll have to research that tomorrow!! Let me know, though, if you come up with something else!!

I just was hoping that it wasn't the TV...considering that it is an $800.00 Sony Wega TV that is only a year old!! And I sure as hell hope it isn't the laptop...it's only 2 months old!!!!

BTW...it is an HP Pavillion zd8215us...here is the link the exact thing I bought at Best Buy....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat64400050005&id=1117177857975

I'm probably going to turn in shortly so might be tomorrow before I get back
!!

Thanks again...and TTYL
Roger

 

The Tuner has a Line-Out on it, use it instead of the Headphone jack.

 

This is the tuner that shipped with your notebook (Adaptec Dual Tuner): http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/product/proddetail.html?sess=no&language=English+US&prodkey=AVC-3610&cat=%2fTechnology%2fVideo%2fTV,+Radio,+and+Video+for+your+PCYour gonna have to go with the Soundblaster card, due to this thing does not have Audio-Out (what a crock).