iPhone AV cable

[iphonics]

so i bought this item on ebay.... its a AV for the iphone/ipod video/ipod touch
but i plug it in and i get about 30sec of video on the big screen, then it shuts off and shows a pop up on the phone/ipod saying this accessory is not made for iphone/ipod..... weird thing is that it works for alittle while and it says on the box compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Video, and ipod Touch! anyone else have any experiance with this accessory???

[andyblila]

so i bought this item on ebay.... its a AV for the iphone/ipod video/ipod touch
but i plug it in and i get about 30sec of video on the big screen, then it shuts off and shows a pop up on the phone/ipod saying this accessory is not made for iphone/ipod..... weird thing is that it works for alittle while and it says on the box compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Video, and ipod Touch! anyone else have any experiance with this accessory???

Which iPhone are you using. Some accessories for the 1st gen don't work with the 3G. :eek:

[iphonics]

Which iPhone are you using. Some accessories for the 1st gen don't work with the 3G. :eek:

im using the 3G.... thing is it does work.... but only for 30sec or so!

BUT ...... ive also tried it with my ipod Touch... and it does the exact same... works for only 30sec and it shuts off.! Stupid eGay!!

[andyblila]

im using the 3G.... thing is it does work.... but only for 30sec or so!

BUT ...... ive also tried it with my ipod Touch... and it does the exact same... works for only 30sec and it shuts off.! Stupid eGay!!

Wow, that is strange then????:confused:

[cookiemoose]

Wow, that is strange then????:confused:

The AV out cable for the iPhone uses a proprietary chip, so you can only use theirs with an iPhone.

Unfortunately the ones on eBay don't work.

[TEG]

It looks to be a knockoff. The official Apple Ones have an integrated decoder chip for the Movie Rentals, smooth aluminum cylinders around the RCA jacks, and an integrated USB cable. Save yourself the hassle, and buy a real one.

TEG

[cookiemoose]

The official Apple Ones have an integrated decoder chip for the Movie Rentals
TEG

It's not just for rentals. It's for all iPhone output.

[TEG]

It's not just for rentals. It's for all iPhone output.

I know, but they added the chip to appease the Studios, who thought without that extra DRM people would rent then copy videos. That is why the Rentals only work on current Generation iPods and the iPhones.

TEG

[dgalvan123]

I know, but they added the chip to appease the Studios, who thought without that extra DRM people would rent then copy videos. That is why the Rentals only work on current Generation iPods and the iPhones.

TEG

I understand that apple probably had to do this to appease the studios. . . but it still doesn't make much sense. IE: I don't see why doing this appeases the studios. Anyone who intends to rent and then copy the movie from iPhone output probably realizes they can save more than $50 by doing that illegal practice, and so probably has no problem buying the apple cable for $50, and then copying the rented movies.

Of course, I say that, but here I sit without an AV cable only because I'm unwilling to spend $50 on it.

If apple has to put a chip in their cables to appease the studios. . . well, whatever. But it really peeves me off that they are selling these $10 cables for $50 each. Ridiculous.

To the original poster, I fell for the same trap you did. Bought an AV cable on eBay that claimed to work with the iPhone 3G (it was poor wording on the description, actually; it said it worked with "both iphones and the ipod touch", which I took to mean it worked with both the iphone and the iphone 3G, but when I complained after the fact the seller simply said "it doesn't work with the 3G". The language was ambiguous enough that I can't get a return, and I'm not going to fight over it for the $15 I spent on the cable ($8 of which was shipping anyway).)

Same problem: video would work for a few minutes at most, and then crap out. I have scoured ebay and the web, and have found no cables other than the apple-branded ones that work properly. And I've found a thread or two on the Apple forums where people are saying they get the same problems with the Apple-brand Composite cable. (The Component seems to have no problems.)

[cookiemoose]

I understand that apple probably had to do this to appease the studios. . . but it still doesn't make much sense. IE: I don't see why doing this appeases the studios. Anyone who intends to rent and then copy the movie from iPhone output probably realizes they can save more than $50 by doing that illegal practice, and so probably has no problem buying the apple cable for $50, and then copying the rented movies.

Of course, I say that, but here I sit without an AV cable only because I'm unwilling to spend $50 on it.

If apple has to put a chip in their cables to appease the studios. . . well, whatever. But it really peeves me off that they are selling these $10 cables for $50 each. Ridiculous.

To the original poster, I fell for the same trap you did. Bought an AV cable on eBay that claimed to work with the iPhone 3G (it was poor wording on the description, actually; it said it worked with "both iphones and the ipod touch", which I took to mean it worked with both the iphone and the iphone 3G, but when I complained after the fact the seller simply said "it doesn't work with the 3G". The language was ambiguous enough that I can't get a return, and I'm not going to fight over it for the $15 I spent on the cable ($8 of which was shipping anyway).)

Same problem: video would work for a few minutes at most, and then crap out. I have scoured ebay and the web, and have found no cables other than the apple-branded ones that work properly. And I've found a thread or two on the Apple forums where people are saying they get the same problems with the Apple-brand Composite cable. (The Component seems to have no problems.)

It won't work on the first gen iPhone, therefore their description is misleading. Report it to eBay, get your $15 bucks back. It stops them doing it to other people who aren't the wiser.

Edit: It wasn't done for the studios [if this was the case they wound demand no cable or revenue sharing], the above poster is mistaken. Essentially putting a proprietary chip in the cable give Apple a monopoly on the AV out function, ergo can sell $50 AV cables.

[TEG]

I understand that apple probably had to do this to appease the studios. . . but it still doesn't make much sense. IE: I don't see why doing this appeases the studios. Anyone who intends to rent and then copy the movie from iPhone output probably realizes they can save more than $50 by doing that illegal practice, and so probably has no problem buying the apple cable for $50, and then copying the rented movies.

Of course, I say that, but here I sit without an AV cable only because I'm unwilling to spend $50 on it.

If apple has to put a chip in their cables to appease the studios. . . well, whatever. But it really peeves me off that they are selling these $10 cables for $50 each. Ridiculous.

To the original poster, I fell for the same trap you did. Bought an AV cable on eBay that claimed to work with the iPhone 3G (it was poor wording on the description, actually; it said it worked with "both iphones and the ipod touch", which I took to mean it worked with both the iphone and the iphone 3G, but when I complained after the fact the seller simply said "it doesn't work with the 3G". The language was ambiguous enough that I can't get a return, and I'm not going to fight over it for the $15 I spent on the cable ($8 of which was shipping anyway).)


You misunderstand what the Apple AV Cable does. It has a chip in it that adds Macrovision to the signal. The Macrovision signal is the same signal sent out from DVD players. It prevents you from being able to use a VCR or DVD Recorder to record the video, without locking out TVs or Projectors.

3rd party cables and docks are available for both the iPhone and the iPods, this is because they all added the Macrovision chip to their accessories, making them compatible. Apple did not add "a proprietary chip in the cable..." giving "...Apple a monopoly on the AV out function." It that was true, then even the ViewSonic Screens with the iPod Dock wouldn't be able to play video from the iPhone, but they can.

And the Cables are $25, but the add a power brick which is another $25.

Also, I've seen some sites claiming that if you can get around the lockout by connecting the iPhone to a dock and connecting the AV cable to back.

TEG

[cookiemoose]

You misunderstand what the Apple AV Cable does. It has a chip in it that adds Macrovision to the signal. The Macrovision signal is the same signal sent out from DVD players. It prevents you from being able to use a VCR or DVD Recorder to record the video, without locking out TVs or Projectors.

3rd party cables and docks are available for both the iPhone and the iPods, this is because they all added the Macrovision chip to their accessories, making them compatible. Apple did not add "a proprietary chip in the cable..." giving "...Apple a monopoly on the AV out function." It that was true, then even the ViewSonic Screens with the iPod Dock wouldn't be able to play video from the iPhone, but they can.

And the Cables are $25, but the add a power brick which is another $25.

Also, I've seen some sites claiming that if you can get around the lockout by connecting the iPhone to a dock and connecting the AV cable to back.

TEG

I'm not suggesting that it communicates with the TV, the iPhone and the chip in the cable must authenticate correctly for an output signal.

Macrovision? Na. Where is your source?

Even iLounge agrees with me here:

Apple is using lock-out chips to control third-party video accessory development and effectively preventing older, less expensive accessories from competing against Apple products.

[hyteckit]

I have the same cable. Works great in version 1.1.4 of the iPhone OS. Once I upgraded to the iPhone 2.0 OS, I got the error you mentioned. After 30 secs, it complains that it's not make for the iPhone and ask me if I wanted to turn airplane mode on.

[dgalvan123]

Hey all, I've been following this product on deal extreme, which originally appeared to be a dud, but there are numerous reports on the site from buyers now claiming it works fine with the latest iPhone firmware on the 3G iphone, whereas the previous version of the product did not. I recommend you check it out!

$10 + free shipping AV COMPOSITE cable that appears to be working fine!
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14395

Someone there posted a video of it working (it was on a jailbroken iPhone 3G), and several other people posted that the cable works fine with their iPhone 3G's (they don't mention if their phones are jailbroken or not, but I would bet that they aren't all).

Here are some posts by buyers who say it now works!
http://www.dealextreme.com/forums/Default.dx/sku.14395~threadid.163580

I think I'm going to order one!

[SCOSCHE]

Scosche has the showTIME (IPAV) Audio Video cable available for $39.99. We work closely with Apple to ensure our products work correctly with the iPod and iPhone.

[URL="http://www.scosche.com/products/productID/1622"]

The first 2 people to email me with the subject header "it's showTIME" will receive a free sample. dougb@scosche.com

[Dr. Cabrera]

Scosche has the showTIME (IPAV) Audio Video cable available for $39.99. We work closely with Apple to ensure our products work correctly with the iPod and iPhone.

[URL="http://www.scosche.com/products/productID/1622"]

The first 2 people to email me with the subject header "it's showTIME" will receive a free sample. dougb@scosche.com



Just got this cable ... OMG it worked with not only my Living room LCD , but it also worked with my 7" LCD thats in my car ( something the apple cable was unable to do)

ill try to take some pics when i get the time

[fireboyz]

Does the socsche cable work with the 2.1 upgrade?

[SCOSCHE]

Yes this cable was tested with the new software and it works flawlessly. Check out the video review on buymeaniPhone.com (http://www.buymeaniphone.com/?p=966)

[dgalvan123]

Hey all, I've been following this product on deal extreme, which originally appeared to be a dud, but there are numerous reports on the site from buyers now claiming it works fine with the latest iPhone firmware on the 3G iphone, whereas the previous version of the product did not. I recommend you check it out!

$10 + free shipping AV COMPOSITE cable that appears to be working fine!
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14395

Someone there posted a video of it working (it was on a jailbroken iPhone 3G), and several other people posted that the cable works fine with their iPhone 3G's (they don't mention if their phones are jailbroken or not, but I would bet that they aren't all).

Here are some posts by buyers who say it now works!
http://www.dealextreme.com/forums/Default.dx/sku.14395~threadid.163580

I think I'm going to order one!

P.S.: I ordered and received this cable:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14395

It works perfectly. No "not made to work with iphone" message. No cutting out after 30 seconds. Just works. For $9.22 shipped.

Only drawback is you can't charge the iphone at the same time you are outputting to a TV. But since I mainly use this to show slideshows at relative's houses, it's not an issue for me. (power is readily available.)

[edrex]

dgalvan123, are you using the 2.1 firmware? I got the same cable from DealXtreme and it has not worked for me. I've also read others that the cable worked for them before 2.1 but not after.

[thebigone]

I can confirm that the Scosche Showtime cable (http://www.scosche.com/products/productID/1622) does *not* work on 2.1 firmware 8-( It works fine on 2.0.2 and previous (tried on 1.1.4 and 2.0.2, at least, and it worked on both of those).

I find it really annoying that Apple keeps actively trying to break third party cables, even ones like Scosche which (presumably, since it is showing the 'Works with iPod" and "Made for iPhone") are authentic member's of Apple's development program. I really like their hardware, but if they keep pulling stunts like this, I won't be buying any more of it.

Cheers

[fireboyz]

OMG Im VERY UPSET, I bought the cable online last night from scosche. I swear apple is seriously loosing a fan. This ipod touch was my first apple purchase and I was looking forward to more but now I don't know. I find this treatment to be insane, thanks very much for your reply thebigone.

[thebigone]

@fireboyz

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news 8-( Regardless, give it a shot when you get the cable, and perhaps contact the manufacturer if it doesn't work - if this is happening across the board, Scosche should really be chewing out Apple! Or hopefully, maybe you will be lucky (or perhaps I just got a dud cable).

Also, my iPod had been jailbroken at the time I tested with 2.1, so maybe that process had broken something.

Let us know when you get it, it would be nice to get a few more points in this data set of what works.

Cheers

[fireboyz]

Oh I will definitely let you know, I tried to cancel it but it was already in the shipping phase so I will have to get it before I am able to return it. I sincerely doubt there is anything wrong with the cable though, Apple is just being difficult.

[thebigone]

FYI, I tried 'upgrading' to 2.1 again, just to make sure I am not spreading false information, and sure enough, even without jailbreaking it, the cable does not work again.

I'm going to take it back 8-(

Cheers

[SCOSCHE]

thebigone,

I have personally tested the showTIME cable on my iPhone 3G which is running 2.1 firmware. Please contact our tech support staff @ (800) 363-4490 x 3. You may have received a dud or your settings may be wrong on the device. Try playing the video first then plugging in the cable. It should take you back to the video selection screen, once you reselect the video it should play through the display that is connected to the cable.

If for some reason the cable is a dud Scosche would be happy to warranty it.

[thebigone]

Thanks for the reply; when I get home tonight I will try to plug the cable in while playing video, etc.

I have sent an email to tech support, and will see what they have to say. I definitely hope that it is just something in the settings, although given the definite lack of configuration options in the recent firmware revisions, I am not too hopeful. 8-(

FYI, this is an iPod touch (1G); I don't think that the firmware between that and iPhone are too different, but there may be some bug in the iPod one which breaks it, which is not present in the iPhone. As I mentioned earlier, the cable works beautifully in 2.0.2 and 1.1.4, so I am pretty confident that it's not a hardware issue on either the iPod or the cable itself.

(Oh, and for the record, I don't feel that this is Scosche's fault at all. The cable itself is very nice, with excellent construction quality, etc. It is Apple that I am annoyed with, for constantly trying to break third party accessories.)

Cheers

[dgalvan123]

dgalvan123, are you using the 2.1 firmware? I got the same cable from DealXtreme and it has not worked for me. I've also read others that the cable worked for them before 2.1 but not after.

Uh oh. No, I've only tested my cable before the 2.1 firmware upgrade. I haven't tested it since then. But I have also now seen the comments on the dealextreme website from people saying the cable no longer works after the 2.1 upgrade.

Bummer.

[thebigone]

I have posted a bug to Apple indicating that the firmware 2.1 breaks the showTIME cable. The bug text is below. If anyone else experiences similar problems (with any third party AV cable which apparently has the authentication chip, and worked with a previous firmware), I would recommend submitting more bug reports - perhaps this is just a mistake on their part, and they are not aware of it.

You can submit a bug report to Apple via https://bugreport.apple.com (you require a free developer account with Apple).

Cheers

<bug report>
Summary:
As of firmware 2.1, the Scosche showTIME AV cable (http://www.scosche.com/products/productID/1622) no longer works. Previous to this (I personally verified on 2.0.2 and 1.1.4), video would output to the TV just fine.

Steps to Reproduce:
1) On firmware 2.0.2, plugin an Schoshe showTIME AV cable, and play a video. The output would appear on a connected TV. The video does not appear on the iPod - just shows the first frame, paused.
2) Upgrade firmware to 2.1, and try to play the video again. This time the video plays on the iPod, and does not send a signal to the TV.

Expected Results:
When using an official third party product (this cable comes with the 'Made for iPod' and 'Works with iPhone' stickers, so they must be part of the Apple third party dev program), the video output to TV should work, regardless of firmware version.

Actual Results:
The TV signal is not turned on when connected to a Scosche showTIME A/V cable in Firmware 2.1

Regression:
This works in all firmwares which I have tested previous to 2.1 (I personally tested 2.0.2 and 1.1.4).

Notes:
After upgrading to 2.1 and seeing that the cable does not work, I reverted to 2.0.2 and 1.1.4 again, to make sure that the problem was not hardware related (on either the cable or the iPod). The cable still worked under both of the older firmwares, and broke again when I did a new vanilla install of 2.1. As of today, I have not found any workaround which results in successful display of the TV signal via the cable.
</bug report>

[SCOSCHE]

This morning we updated aGen 1 iPod touch with 2.1 firmware to tried and duplicate the issue. We tested both the Scosche showTIME cable and the Apple cable (both of the cables worked flawlessly). The only thing I can think of is that Apple may have already made a change to the 2.1 firmware in iTunes, in which case I would recommend re-syncing your touch and trying again.

http://66.172.8.5/ipod.page.content/IPAV-RUMOR-92208.jpg

[thebigone]

Well, that is very interesting - I just tried again, and this time, things seem to work fine. Not sure what had changed between this time and last time; I had re-jailbroken (breaked? broked? ;-) the iPod, rebooted a few times, and done some syncs. Any of those actions (or others, which I may have forgotten) may have caused it. However, it looks like things are going to be working just fine.

A comment on those comments indicating that playback stops after a few minutes: try changing the "Lock iPod after X minutes" setting to "Never" - that seems to have done it for me.

Thank you *very* much for your persistence in helping me solve this issue!

Cheers

[Cyroceon]

These are the reasons I will either a) not buy a cable or b) buy the Apple cable because I don't want to take the chance of throwing the money away.

[thebigone]

Well, for what it is worth, I have seen reports of the official Apple cable failing after the 2.1 firmware upgrade. Personally, I feel morally better about buying a third party cable, rather than support Apple in playing these games, even if it means that I spend more time fixing issues like this. Of course, that is just my opinion, and many will disagree, but take that as you will. 8-)

Regardless, I wish you the best in whatever approach you choose.

Cheers

[jchampl]

Well, for what it is worth, I have seen reports of the official Apple cable failing after the 2.1 firmware upgrade. Personally, I feel morally better about buying a third party cable, rather than support Apple in playing these games, even if it means that I spend more time fixing issues like this. Of course, that is just my opinion, and many will disagree, but take that as you will. 8-)

Regardless, I wish you the best in whatever approach you choose.

Cheers

where are these reports, i have never seen any. The apple cable works flawlessly as long as its a real apple cable.

[thebigone]

where are these reports, i have never seen any. The apple cable works flawlessly as long as its a real apple cable.

See for instance http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=566862, in particuar http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6276280&postcount=19. I realize there may be other problems (bad cable, bad iPod, perhaps the guy is just outright lying to cause trouble </sarcasm> - who knows?), but that's one site where I saw it.

Anyway, I am sure that 99.99% of people don't have problems with the Apple cable. As mentioned previously, I am opposed to supporting Apple's anti-competitive practices, and thus trying other options; however, others may not care about that, and just want a reliable cable, regardless of the hyper-inflated price. In that case, get the Apple cable, I'm sure it will work fine for you.

Cheers

[Archos2iphone]

P.S.: I ordered and received this cable:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14395

It works perfectly. No "not made to work with iphone" message. No cutting out after 30 seconds. Just works. For $9.22 shipped.

Only drawback is you can't charge the iphone at the same time you are outputting to a TV. But since I mainly use this to show slideshows at relative's houses, it's not an issue for me. (power is readily available.)

Question: Are you using jailbroken firmware 2.0.2?

Does anyone know if these cables will work on jailbroken iphone 3G running on firmware 2.0.2. I been trying to find working cables for a month and a half now. I already brought a pair off ebay that didn't work. Thanks in advance!

[Dr. Cabrera]

Sometimes the AV cable will give you the " not supported message"

this could be due to dust, lint etc.

easiest solution is to unplug it and try again, it seems to remove the message whenever I have it.

[fireboyz]

Ok i got the Scosche cable in the mail today and it's doing the exact same thing that the cheap cable is doing and cutting off after a couple of minutes of playtime. I'm gonna return this cable and I'm not sure if I will be buying apple's official cable. I find their greed to be reprehensible and can't believe they would cut off all third party cables in a desperate attempt to get people to buy their own overpriced cable!!!!!!

[Dr. Cabrera]

before you return the cable

a) unplug it from you iPhone, do a hard reset of your iPhone ( power + home button for 10 seconds)

b) make sure there is no dust in your 20 pin connector or the cable

c) plug the cable back into your iPhone

see if this helps


the Scosche cable works equally as well as the iPhone AV cable

[thebigone]

@fireboyz

Try to set your "lock time" in general Preferences to 'Never'. Since the Scosche cable does not include power, the iPod shuts off after the lock time period. (At least, I am assuming that if you add power, it won't do that... I will be testing this once I get that $10 third party cable in the mail). This works for me, and I have watched entire movies using it.

Cheers

[fireboyz]

Nope still didn't work so I sent it back. I was at radio shack yesterday purchasing some things and I saw the official composite cable and I begrudgingly bought it and it worked. Apple did this purposely because my other 2 third party cables didn't work no matter what I tried. Now I have an extra usb power adapter that I don't need because I ironically bought a third party one from amazon.com for WAY cheaper than what apple would sell one for. Apple *****.....:mad:

[vrflyer]

Uh oh. No, I've only tested my cable before the 2.1 firmware upgrade. I haven't tested it since then. But I have also now seen the comments on the dealextreme website from people saying the cable no longer works after the 2.1 upgrade.

Bummer.

I just got back from vacation this week and received my "dealextreme" A/V cable in the mail. I can in-fact say it DOES NOT work with the 2.1 update.


Oh well, $10 mistake... :rolleyes:

[thebigone]

Doh! 8-( Mine should be coming any day. Hopefully the people on the Hackintosh forums can get a patch working.... http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17960

Cheers

[Dr. Cabrera]

I have made an updated thread about this


http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6583082