I think you don't understand the process. Remember that I did not get to see the deleted stuff here... if one's panties are in a bunch and there's an issue of hot air, well, it for sure as hell ain't AIR.

So, it's been five weeks. Are we all calm now?

I also get miffed when someone says there's an easy fix and just leaves it at that.

If you really want to figure out how to replace that cable yourself, locate a Sony Service Center and order the part. You'll of course have to be lucky enough to be on the phone with someone helpful enough to search through their illustrations and parts lists to find the part number.

I was going to recommend that you contact a company that does out of warranty service, too, for advice from them. But if you really like this player, take it in for service. Realize that every minute they spend giving you advice is time they are not making money fixing, so at least throw paying for the repair into the mix. If you want to understand what's going on, tell the service person that you are curious about it and want to watch them fix it. While that will probably be considered weird, they might just go along with it.