Audio Systems: Headphone connection to receive TV sound, digital cablebox, phillips magnavox

Question
I have a Phillips Magnavox Model TP2781 C101 television which does not have an earphone jack.  I also have a set of RCA stereo headphones.  I am connected to Comcast via a digital cablebox. I have tried connecting my headphones through each of the audio output jacks in the rear of the TV, the cable box and my DVD player.  All I receive is static.  Can you suggest a solution?

Answer
Dear Kathy,

Headphones require a separate output amplifier, and unless there is one in the unit you wish to access, then you won't be able to use headphones. The telltale sign of this is a headphone outlet, either using 1/8" mini-jack or 1/4" phono jack connections, somewhere on the unit. Plugging a headphone jack into anything else will yield you nothing but static.

The solution is to run your signal, either the input before it gets to the TV or the TV's audio output (if the signal is strong enough) through an audio/video (A/V) receiver with a headphone jack. You would access the sound at the receiver's headphone jack.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin