How to Connect Your iPod or iPhone to a TV or Video Input

You can connect your color-display iPod or iPhone to a TV or video device. This includes any television, video projector, or video recorder or player that offers standard RCA audio connections (for the audio portion) and standard Component AV or Composite AV connections or an S-video connection (for the picture portion).

You can use the Composite AV Cable ($49), available from the Apple Store, to connect your iPod, iPhone, or Universal Dock using the 30-pin dock connector to your TV, home theater receiver, or stereo receiver via the composite video (yellow) and analog audio (red/white) connections.

You can also use a standard composite (RCA) cable with a three-ring mini 1/8-inch connector on one end and composite video (yellow) and analog audio (red/white) connectors on the other end to connect to a TV or video receiver, as long as you redirect the red connector to the yellow connection on the TV or video receiver. It turns out that the iPod sends its video signal out of the headphone connection through the red connector (which is typically used for one of the stereo audio signals), rather than using the standard yellow connector. Connect the cable to the headphone connection on the iPod, and then connect the red connector to the TV’s yellow connection, the yellow connector to the TV's white connection, and the white connector to the TV's red connection.

For even better picture quality, use a television or video monitor that supports S-video, and use your iPod or iPhone with a cable or dock that includes S-video connections. The $60 Monster iTV Link, available in the Apple Store, offers S-video and includes a built-in mini USB charging port to enable connection of a mini-USB cable (not included) to keep your iPod charged up at the same time. The $30 PocketDock AV from SendStation offers both S-video and composite video connectors and draws audio and video from your iPod or iPhone via the dock connector, and also provides a USB connector for charging your iPod or iPhone.

For the best picture quality, use a television or video receiver or monitor that uses Component AV connections. Apple’s Component AV Cable set ($49), available from the Apple Store, connects to your iPod, iPhone, or Universal Dock via the 30-pin dock connector and to your TV, home theater receiver, or stereo receiver via the component (Y, Pb, and Pr) video and red/white analog audio connections.

If you don’t see a picture on your television, check that your television is set to the correct input source — composite video (RCA), component (Y, Pb, and Pr), or S-video (if you use an S-video cable). You can also use other types of video equipment. For example, a video recorder that accepts composite (RCA) or S-video input can record the video, and a video projector can display it on a large screen.

A fifth-generation color-display iPod or an iPod Photo is supplied with an iPod AV Cable, which is a special cable that you can plug in to the headphone/line-out connection of the device. The cable offers RCA video (yellow) and stereo audio (red and white) connectors as well as an S-video connector to plug in to your television or video equipment and play slide shows. This isn’t the Composite AV or Component AV cable — it’s a special cable that doesn’t work with current iPod models or the iPhone.