Q: I have a second-generation iPod touch and bought a genuine Apple Composite AV Cable. My plan was to watch video stored on my iPod on a TV away from home. I’ve tried it on several TVs and it doesn’t do anything besides charging my iPod—there is no sound and no video. I went into video settings on the iPod and selected NTSC and turned Widescreen off.
Is this the wrong cable for my iPod? I am using iOS 4.1.
– Mary
A: The proper Apple Composite AV Cable should definitely work with any iPod touch regardless of the model or generation, and this is one of these things that generally works without any specific configuration being required. Normally when playing back content from the iPod touch through an AV cable you should see a static version of the video’s artwork or thumbnail on the screen similar to the way in which a music album appears.
If the video simply plays back on the iPod touch in the same way that it does when the cable is not connected this means that the iPod is failing to detect the cable at all and therefore not even trying to send the video to your TV.
In this case, make sure the cable is securely connected to the Dock Connector. Note that if you’re using a case you may need to take the iPod touch out of the case to ensure that it’s connecting properly, as the AV cables use a larger Dock Connector plug base than the normal USB sync cable. If the cable is securely connected but still not being detected by the iPod touch then it is possible that the cable is defective and you should take it back for a replacement.
If the iPod touch is displaying the playback screen rather than the video then the iPod touch is detecting the cable properly, but for whatever reason the video is not being displayed on the TV.