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Selecting Inputs on a TV
The method to select TV inputs is different for new TVs than for older TVs and each brand of TV may have several different ways to select inputs.
TV remote control navigation

On newer TVs,
you usually press the HOME button or MENU button or INPUT button on the TV remote control and navigate to the on-screen
source inputs and press the OK/SELECT
button on the remote control to switch to a source input.
On TVs of the 2020 and beyond era, running proprietary software, the procedure is different depending on the TV manufacturer.
On the newer TVs, you can setup a "Power-ON Recent Device" so that when the TV turns on, it automatically selects the input you want.
Steps to Set Default HDMI Input on LG TV
Press and hold the Gear (Settings) button on your remote for a few seconds to open the full settings menu.
Go to General > System > Additional Settings > Home Settings.
Select Power On Screen and change it from "Home" to Recent Input.
If you see the Home Auto Launch or Home Dashboard Auto Launch option on that same menu, turn it OFF.
Set the Input: Turn on your connected device (e.g., cable box, console, TV streaming stick) and use the TV remote to select that HDMI port.
From now on, whenever you turn the TV on, it will go directly to that last used HDMI screen.
Select inputs on LG TV (2025 WebOS)
There are a few different ways to select inputs.
Method 1
Devices such as HDMI inputs like a TV streaming stick or Bluray player must be connected to the TV and powered on to be recognized by the TV as a
input. Then press the Input Select button on the TV remote control. For the LG TV, the input select button looks like a cable connector.

The available inputs will be displayed on the TV screen. Navigate right or left using the TV remote and select the input you want.
Method 2
Press the "Home" button on the TV remote. Navigate to the "Home Hub" icon and select. The Home Hub icon looks like a house with a circle
around it.

The Home Hub screen will display on the TV

Navigate up/down/left/right to the input you want and select.
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LG TV Select Inputs - 2025

LG TV Inputs select button on the TV remote control
Press the inputs select button on the LG TV remote and a pop-up should appear on the TV screen allowing you to move to the available inputs to select
your choice.

You could also select the "Home Hub" app and move to select inputs on that screen.
Method 3
If the LG TV is connected to internet, you can enable Voice Control and hold the microphone button and say commands such as "HDMI 2" or
"Switch to Input (name)" or "What can I say" to get a list of commands.
LOST TV REMOTE
For a lost LG TV remote: You can use the LG TV Button (Joystick/Power Button) for limited control:
Locate the Button: Usually directly under the "LG" logo at the bottom center, or behind the TV on the right or left side.
To Power On the TV: Press the button once.
Open Menu: While Powered On, press the button once to bring up the on-screen menu.

Navigate Menu: Short presses toggle through menu options (Power, Input Select, Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down).
Select an Option: Long press (hold) the button for 3–5 seconds after moving to item to select the current menu option.
Change Inputs: Short press to reach the input select icon, then long press to select it. Keep tapping to cycle through inputs, and wait for it to select.
To Power Off the TV, move to the Power icon and press the button once.
LG TV - Use your Phone as a Remote Control
Be sure your Wi-Fi is enabled
on the phone, on your network router and on the TV.
Go to the Play Store online and search for
"lg tv swift apps"

Download the App from the Play Store to phone
Run the app on the phone
The app will search for your LG TV.
Tap on your TV name to connect.
Accept the connection on the TV.
Start using the phone app as a remote control for the TV

This app will allow the LG TV "magic remote" functionality to work on a 2025 LG TV which did not come with the magic remote control.
SAMSUNG TV Select Inputs
Samsung remotes have a HOME button or a SMART HUB button which will bring up the SMART HUB on the TV screen.


The lower left portion of the TV screen shows your options such as SETTINGS or input SOURCES which you can select.
Select SOURCE and use the arrow buttons on the remote to move to your input selection such as HDMI 1.
Press the select button on remote control.

Methods for Selecting Input on 2020 era Samsung TVs:
Remote Control Method (Smart Remote or Standard Remote):
Press the "Home" button on the remote control.
Use the directional pad to scroll left to "Source" or "Connected Devices".
Move over (highlight) to the device you want.
Select the desired HDMI or USB input.

Samsung TV 2026 input sources select

Samsung TV Smart Remote Control
Direct Source Menu (Quick Method):
Press and hold (Long Press) the Settings/Menu button on your remote for about 3 seconds
to bring up the input menu directly.
Without a Remote/Lost Remote:
Locate the central button on the TV (underneath the Samsung logo or on the back or right, under the screen).
Press once to open the menu, then click it repeatedly to highlight "Source," then hold it down to switch inputs.
TCL TV Select Inputs

Press the inputs select button on the TCL TV remote to bring up the available inputs on the TV screen. This button is a
rectangle with an arrow pointing to the right.
VIZIO TV Select Inputs
Press the "INPUT" button on the TV remote control to bring up on the TV screen, a menu of inputs to select. Scroll to the input and press
OK/Select button on the remote. Vizio TVs also may have a button on the TV itself, on the bottom for Power On/Off and selecting inputs.
SONY TV Select Inputs
Older Sony TVs used the "TV/Video" button on the remote control.
Modern Sony TVs use either the "INPUT" button or the rectangle with the arrow to select inputs using the TV remote control.


Also, you could press the HOME button, scroll down to SETTINGS and next select EXTERNAL INPUTS.
Do you have multiple input devices hooked up to your TV?
If you need to select a specific input component connected to your TV, you usually accomplish this using your remote control for the TV.
You may want to select the device connected to the HDMI input or the inputs your DVD player are connected to. By pushing the Input Select button, you go one by one thru each set of input jacks and you should see on your TV screen what each source device is outputting.
If you play your DVD player, push the select button on your remote again and again to change inputs and eventually you should see the DVD player's output.
Non-standard names
Every TV manufacturer will have different names for the same thing. One TV maker will label their inputs as DVD, VHS, while another will call them VIDEO 1 and VIDEO 2. Other designations are LINE 1 and LINE 2 or AUX 1, AUX 2, AUX 3 or L1, L2, L3. Some may even mix names like L1, L2, L3 and DV. The key point to remember is that by using your remote control you can cycle (or toggle) thru all your inputs until you find the one you want.
The button on your remote control will be labeled differently as well. One may call it "input select" or "SOURCE" while another will label the button as VIDEO. Read your owner's manual. The TV itself will usually have a button to accomplish the same thing as the remote.
REMOTE CONTROL "Input Select" button

Samsung TV remote SOURCE button used to select inputs.
MODERN TV
Selecting from multiple connections. TV today can have multiple source devices all connected to them such as
DVD recorder, VCR, Cable Box etc. but they all are connected to the TV input jacks. A modern HDTV today can easily have seven or more inputs.
Modern TVs, use an on-screen graphical interface which you control with the remote to select functions such as channels, video settings, audio settings and other options.

Press the MENU button, then use the arrow buttons to move up, down, left and right, select using the ENTER button (in the middle of the arrow buttons)
How do I select my DVD player input on my TV?
TV Audio Video Inputs on older TV sets consist of the TV antenna input and one or more RCA inputs. On newer TVs, you may only find several
HDMI inputs and the TV antenna input.
On older TVs you use the remote control to select/switch between the inputs or use the "TV/Video" button on the TV itself.

Older analog TVs only had one or two inputs which were selected by a button on the TV remote control such as the "TV/VIDEO" button which
switched between the TV RF coaxial input (antenna) and the RCA audio/video input.
TVs in the 2010 era used a button labeled INPUT or
SOURCE which would bring up on the TV screen, a menu of inputs which you could scroll up or down using the arrow buttons on the remote
and then press the OK/Select button on the remote to switch inputs.

SAMSUNG TV REMOTE CONTROL

Samsung TV (2010) Source Input select screen
For example, if your DVD player is connected to the HDMI 2 input port on the TV, scroll to the HDMI 2 selection and press OK/Select on the TV remote.
FUTURE SMART TV
Smart TV is internet capable and has more features and controls than ever before which can make for some confusion at first.
The navigation to specific functions is always changing with each model and make.
Depending on which TV you have, the remote can vary and the selection of inputs has to be learned.
• 100 Hookup
Diagrams
• Stereo Hookup
The most common cable hookup is a set of three
cables with RCA-type connectors (also called phono plugs) that are
colored red, white, and yellow. They plug into corresponding red,
white and yellow RCA connections on your TV, VCR, cable box or other
gear. The red and white cables carry stereo audio, while the yellow
cable?the composite video cable?carries video.
Composite
video: Since it separates the video from the audio, a composite
video signal looks slightly better than an RF one, but it still
carries the video signal's chrominance (color) and luminance
(black-and-white) information together into one cable and makes your
TV separate them. Not capable of carrying HDTV. |
 Composite video and 2-channel audio |
Component video:
Component
video splits the video signal even further into three parts,
carrying each part on its own cable. To explain exactly what parts
of the signal are carried on each cable gets a bit technical; just
know that the end result is a picture that can look much better than
that of S-video or composite video. Your TV's component video inputs
will consist of three RCA connections that are both colored and
labeled: green (Y), blue (Pb or Cb), and red (Pr or Cr). Component
video is often the highest-quality analog connection, and you should
use it if your TV has a component video input. Component video is
the only analog video-cable connection that can handle HDTV or
progressive-scan DVD signals. S-video and composite video don?t
carry progressive scan.
- Y is the luminance (brightness) signal.
- Pb and Pr each carry part of the picture?s chrominance (color)
information. Your TV uses these two chrominance signals to create
the red, green and blue colors that can be mixed together to
create any color on your display. (Sometimes, Pb is labeled B-Y
and Pr is labeled R-Y.)
Component video connections use three normal analog cables. If
you?re routing all of your video cables through a home theater
receiver, check your receiver?s specs before routing component video
connections through it. The receiver?s component video bandwidth
specification should be
- At least 10 MHz for progressive-scan DVD players
- At least 30 MHz for HDTV connections
Component video may be the only connection that allows a true
HDTV signal in your system if some, but not all, of your HDTV
components use the HDCP copy-protection
system. |
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HDMI
The
High Definition Multimedia Interface can carry both high-definition
video and high-resolution, multi-channel digital audio over one
cable. |

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