How does an automatic AV switch work?

Looking for an av adapter that allows me to use both Component & S-Video.?

• PLEASE bare with me because this process is a little hard to explain. I have a Playstation 2 and a TV that includes Component & S-Video. Problem is I have one of those TV's that aren't compatible with the PS2's 240p intelaced signal i.e. PS1 and certain PS2 games. I have Component AWA S-Video cables for my PS2. I can connect them and all, the problem is lead swapping. I get sick and tired of going through the back of my TV and changing cables plus it wears down the leads. I imagine solution to this problem lies in a type of AV Adapter/Converter. Sony used to sell them, they came with S-Video and a multi-out jack for Component or lower. Enables you to use the two connections. Too bad they're extinct and Sony no longer makes them. http://us.playstation.com/ps2/accessories/av-adaptor-with-s-video-out-connector-ps2.html But then I thought of a fix. What if there was a more universal Av Adapter plus Converter I could use. The thought is take a set of PS2 Component leads, connect them to an AV adapter/converter combo box... a type of box with two partitions, one of them can down convert COMPONENT-to-S-VIDEO, while the other one will serve as a Component-only passthrough. I essentially want it to down convert Component and output in S-Video while also holding another port which allows normal Component-to-Component connection. In lamens terms it would go something like this: Component Cable > AV BOX > Component Cable and S-Video Cable > TV. This way I can still play the games that do support progressive scan in Component Video while the other games that don't work, I can switch it to S-Video. Would such a device exist? If so please provide name and/or link.

• Answer:

  Not commercially. It is something you need to make yourself. The way the A/V ports on game consoles work is there is only three video outs, and depending on what cable is pluged in (usually detected with a sense terminal in the socket), it use the outputs for Y, Pr, PB and in the other, CVBS (composite), Y, C.