With so many devices and remotes, it can be hard to keep track of what everything is and how it works. Samsung TVs and the remotes that control them are no exception, all of the buttons, menus, and cryptic acronyms can be confusing to navigate and make sense of. Thankfully, it’s not as complicated as it appears to be.
Follow along in this article to learn how to change the input for your Samsung TV.
Why Are There Very Few Articles Online About This Subject?
The fact is that the Samsung TV input/source problem isn’t something people write about. In most cases, people find solutions wherever they can, carry out said solution, and then they forget all about it.
Ever played a game like X-Com where there’s a massive installation problem, but nobody online, not even the publishers, are offering solutions. So, you have to trawl the forums to find the one kind soul who’s uploaded a solution?
The Samsung TV problem is very similar. There are a few solutions out there, and your best bet is to search the online forums, try one solution, fail, try another, fail, and so on until you get it right. Luckily for you, this article features all the known solutions to the problems, including those relating to the recent 4K smart edition.
If there is now a lingering hope that either Samsung will stick to the most recent source/input method and stop changing it, or that they’ll make the source/input solution a little clearer in their future TV operating manuals.
How to Change the Source for Your Samsung TV
You have various inputs for your Samsung TV. When you use the Samsung TV menu, these are also known as sources. There’s a good chance that you have more than one input/source. For example, many people have a USB input, and many have HDMI ports. It’s also possible to select your video and audio inputs as different devices.
For example, let’s say that you have your PlayStation plugged into your HDMI and an external hard drive plugged into your USB. It’s actually possible to have the visual piped in from your PlayStation, while having the audio piped in from your external hard drive. This isn’t so uncommon either. For example, some people play console games while having their podcasts playing on their TV rather than having the video game audio playing.
Method 1 – The Source Button
Some Samsung TVs have a “Source” button at the top of the remote. In some cases, this is the only way a Samsung TV may change its source. In other cases, it may only be possible to access the source menu through either the source button, or by plugging something into the TV so that the source menu appears automatically.
Method 2 – Plug Something into Your TV While It Is on
This method is fairly self-explanatory. While your TV is switched on, you plug in your device into one of the input ports. In most cases, this will cause the input/source menu to appear on its own. In other cases, when you plug something into your TV, it will switch automatically to that source.
For example, if your games console is turned on, and you plug it into your TV, then your TV will probably switch right to that games console’s feed. In addition, if your games console was already plugged into the TV, and then you turned on your console, then the TV would automatically switch to the console’s feed. There are also times when you may turn on your console, then turn on your TV and the TV has already set itself up on your console’s feed.
Method 3 – Source Is Selectable via the Menu
In many cases, especially with modern TVs, you’re able to simply select the source via the regular menu.
- You start up the menu using your remote, or a combination of simultaneous button presses on your TV.
- Once the menu is up, you can scroll to and select Source.
- Next, a window will show you all the sources/inputs that your TV has right now and may even show you which connections are missing.
You may also label your inputs if you wish, which is just another way of renaming them. It’s only useful if you have two of something, such as you’re using the same two gaming consoles for whatever reason. In most cases, there’s a menu for labeling/renaming your inputs. For example, with the Samsung Q7, you have to select the input and press up.
Change the Input on Your Samsung Q7 Qled UHD 4k Smart TV
- Grab your remote and hit the Home key. Doing this will bring up a menu bar that usually runs along the bottom of the screen.
- On the menu, scroll over to Source and select it.
- From here, you’re able to select your input and rename these sources too, if you so desire. Simply select the input icon and press up, and this will bring up the edit option. You can edit your HDMI sources, but you can’t rename apps.
TV Sources and Their Meanings
TVs are capable of receiving many different types of digital formats from a variety of devices and cables. For this reason, the Source/Input menu can be lengthy. We won’t go into complete detail, only enough to help you choose your Source.
- HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and is the standard for modern video/audio. The various numbers next to them on the Source menu, such as HDMI1, HDMI2, etc., refer to a specific HDMI port on the back or side of the TV. These are usually labeled clearly on the TV.
- USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. Many TVs have USB ports that allow you to plug flash drives, etc., into them.
- RCA stands for Radio Corporation of America, the company that designed it, and is used for audio, composite video, and component video connections, such as a DVD player
- AV or Composite Video is an older analog video connection. Often used for older DVD players, retro gaming equipment, etc.
Conclusion
Dealing with certain Samsung TVs to change the Source can be a hassle. Thankfully, it seems as if Samsung TVs are becoming more standardized in regard to changing the Source/Input for them, hopefully it stays that way.
Did our suggested methods work, or have you found your own way to change the input on your Samsung TV? Let us know in the comments section below.
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8 thoughts on “How to Change the Input on a Samsung TV”
As for your question on the HDMI’s and the cable box… is your cable box hooked up with the 3 red, white and yellow cords? If so, this would likely be called “AV” on your source list.
However, many tvs nowadays don’t have the option for “AV” input. By that I mean, they don’t have holes on the back for the 3 red, white and yellow cords. In that case, you’d have to get an adapter that has the cords on one side, and an HDMI on the other. And this may cause your cable box source to be called either “HDMI” or “AV”. You’d have to see. Either way, you can rename them apparently according to this blog post. But I would shorten it from “Cable Box” to just “Cable”.
If you are unsure about what an HDMI port is, they have many uses besides being on the back of the tv. They are the ports that replaced the red, white and yellow cords over time. Generally speaking, laptops and projectors will also have at least 1 HDMI port for things.
Hope this helps.