OK, I recreated the laptop video out to television experiment.
The first video was connecting the RCA cable to house current. It was uneventful and promptly blew the 20A house breaker each time. So I started up the generator and was able to use unfused power.
Here is a frame by frame of the video of the outer (ground) conductor of the video cable melting under 120 volts at 7500 VA:
http://dattaway.org/whitewire.jpg
Closeup of melted RCA cable:
http://dattaway.org/whitewire2.jpg
Other side:
http://dattaway.org/whitewire3.jpg
It took about two seconds of short current to melt the wire and break the circuit. It flashed when it broke.
So what does that mean? It takes a lot of current from a 120 volt feed to blow the tiny stranded wires of a RCA video cable. I believe each one of the copper strands alone, seperated in air, should take 5 amps each. I counted 15 strands.
Could a capacitor do it as someone suggested? Well it could, but it would have to be instantaneous. I have some capacitors up to 8KV if you want to see more video and pictures.
I'd say his power supply had a minor meltdown inside, causing the AC to couple with the DC side. This allowed current to flow from the AC mains, through his laptop, and return through the television back into the wall. Televisions are designed with a neutral grounded chassis and this may have allowed a possibly defective power supply to complete a current loop.
-=Duane http://dattaway.org