Solved! coby soundbar isn't speaking to the Vizio tv , our laptops, or it's own dvd player. Thanks for our help!

[DMonsman]

So glad I found you guys!! I have a Coby vcr/soundbar that is about a decade old. At some point it developed laryngitis (probably from someone dusting all those mysterious cables). Anyway it no longer speaks to the Vizio tv, our laptops or even to itself when it's playing dvd. Thanks for your help!

 

[americanaudiophile]

It is possible for connectors to corrode over a long period of time. Sometimes just unplugging & replugging the cable will help.
However if the built in DVD player seems to be working (usually there is a display that will indicate that) then I would say it's time to retire that soundbar.