Customer has a NEC PX-50VP1A, commercial HD plasma, around 5 years old? I verified there are no user settings to change RGB to component in. Am using a Moto hd cable box. Tried DVI input but display is not hdcp compliant & cbl box popped up window that said so & display went blank after that. NEC tech support said I could adjust voltages or something in service menu & faxed 2 pages from an OE service manual I think. Am not quite sure how to get in to service mode to make those changes & am also concerned about doing so anyway. The guy was a newbie & kept putting me on hold & coming back with info but was frustrating just trying to get him to understand what I was trying to accomplish. I'm a bit surprised that they would just give out service info so easily. As I understand it you can get yourself in trouble in a hurry if your not qualified to be making changes in there. He did specify that I could always reset to factory defaults if I didn't like the results! Bottom line, NEC says I can change input RGB1 to YPbPr somehow. I am going to call again tomorrow & try & get a tech guy that can more effectively help me but seemed like a good question for the boards. The good thing out of this is that the customer just got frustrated & said, "This is a good excuse to buy a new 60" plasma for the game room. I'll tell my wife it's obsolete & when you figure it out we'll put it in my office at work." Yeah! I like this guy more & more. I kept trying to assure him that I would have a solution & he just smiled & said he does not need much of an excuse to buy new toys! Thanks for any & all input. Erik

In case anybody says it, I did search the threads for quite a while before posting! Thanks!

Is the input on the NEC 3 RCAs or 15pin VGA? I have an older Sony that has an alike problem but can just get in the setup menu and change the input. If it is a VGA (analog rgb) then Key Digital has a box that will do the conversion for you at about $100 I would look into the service menu option since it is bound to be an obvious set up change!

If all else fails you purchase form Key Digital and I am sure lots of other sources component to VGA adaptors. Like AVDesign above, I have always been able to set the display up to accept either RGBHV or YUV ( Y, Pb,Pr ). Some older sets were really computer monitors and needed a video card like the commercial Pioneers to display video. I have no knowledge of the NRCs. The few that I have done have worked out of the box. I would be less concerned about screwing up settings in the service menu as long as you could restore facotry defaults. Any damage you do can be fixed by going back to the default settings.

Alan

[Link: magenta-research.com]

Here are some boxes that will probabaly help you with what need....very cool stuff and a great replacement for some other not so reliable brands.

Thanks! Yeah, I've run into this a few times before also & was always able to toggle one of the rgbhv inputs to ypbpr in user menu, but not this time. NEC said the inputs are definately rgbvh only. It was late in the afternoon yesterday by the time nec sent the fax. I'll call them this morning & try & clear things up & report back. If I'm unsuccessful then you guys have provided some great alternatives! Thanks, Erik

So, it looks like we either use s-vid or use a component vid to vga/rbgvh adapter like you guys suggested. It turns out that new kid in "tech support" was looking at the wrong service manual. The plasma only has a native res of 853x480 any way so there we go. Looks like I'll just have to set this guy up with a new 60" anyway, darn! You guys have any recomendations? From reading through some threads looks like pioneer, nec, & pana make most everything. What about Marantz? Or commercial panel versus consumer?

I also vote for the Key Digital piece. Have used it a few times and have yet to have an issue with it. Have not needed one in some time but set the switches and they worked.