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Subject: HDTV Audio Problems
Posted by: Great One
- [201155199] Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 00:17
So here are the key ingredients to my problem.
Cablevision (Scientific Atl) digital cable box (w/ HDMI cable cord)
1080p LCD Vizio TV
Sony Home Theater
I can't seem to get the TV to play through the surround sound/home theater speakers. I have put the cables in 10 different ways and still nothing (OUT from the TV, IN to the home theater). I did manage to get sound out of one side of the speakers by plugging in the red/white plugs from the home theater directly into the cable box. Even if I get that to work, its still not what I want because the PS2 isn't going to play in surround sound then.
The home theater (with DVD) plays perfectly with sound and all when playing a DVD, so its not a speaker being unplugged or something like that.
Is it because I am using the HDMI cord? Can I not get audio to seperate itself from the HDMI so that push it through my external speakers?
Anyone else had similar problems? |
| 1 | ChicagoTRS
ID: 249542719
Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 00:54
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I have solved Home Theatre problems with the help of people at this forum:
link
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| 2 | Great One
Sustainer
ID: 053272014
Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 08:59
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Thanks - I'll give it a shot.
A guy here at work said I may need a digital audio cable so I am looking into that.
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| 3 | Great One
Sustainer
ID: 053272014
Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 10:56
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came across this -
Good question. I would say, the best way to do things would be to use HDMI from cable box to receiver then HDMI from receiver to TV. However, I know that HDMI cables can be expensive. So HDMI from cable box to TV and digital audio cable (optical or coaxial) from cable box to receiver is another possibility. I would not use any other cables (such as red and white RCA ) since that would not give you surround sound digital audio.
First of all, I don't have HDMI on the reciever, and that isn't happening any time soon so thats out of the question lol...
Now thats indicating that i need a different type of cable than my red/white and it needs to run from cable box to my reciever. But the problem with that is still my PS2 will be lacking surround and kind of defeats the purpose of the Home Theater handling everything.
Perhaps I can run this digital audio cable from cable box --> TV --> reciever.
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| 4 | skinneej
Leader
ID: 040625911
Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 15:27
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While HDMI supports both audio and video, unless you are listening to audio through your TV or have a higher end receiver with HDMI video switching, you will still need to output your audio with a separate cable. You should be running a digital audio cable from your cable box directly to the receiver. This is the only way you will achieve 5.1 (or 6.1) sound. I assume this is how you have your DVD player connected to your receiver. If you are only using composite RCA cables (red/white) then you will only get stereo output. Your receiver should have multiple digital audio inputs to support your cable box, DVD player and your playstation. If it only has 1 or two, you will have to decide which source you want to have surround, or go thru the hassle of swapping cables and reassigning inputs if your receiver has that feature.
The optical audio cable is the most common and you can pick a good one up for less than $30 most places. Some components will have a digital coaxial cable as well, but all that I have seen have optical at a minimum. As with any A/V cable, you can pay as much as you want, but the results are hard to distinguish most of the time. Hope that helps.
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| 5 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Fri, Mar 23, 2007, 21:52
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Its the good.. the bad.. and the skinee...
After discussing with many people and researching this online I think you nailed it. I rearranged a couple things and red/white running from cable box to reciever is working.
The problem is a lack of inputs in this reciever, poorly planned on my part. There is no spot for an Optical Cable. So thats out the window. There is only ONE input so I do have to decide which is most important. I figured it wasn't a problem when I bought it cause everything inputted into the TV would just flow out through the one reciever input, but since it won't work with the HDMI, it blew that theory out of the water.
I have a little switchbox I used to use to switch between video inputs, I may be able to use that sitting on top of the reciever to switch whats going in. If that works out I'll be very happy. If not, well then I screwed up and am gonna be switching cables all the time lol...
Its not the end of the world, I can go without surround on TV, and the audio in the speaker attached to the Vizio TV is excellent!, so it won't be horrible.
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| 6 | Boxman
ID: 571114225
Sat, Mar 24, 2007, 07:12
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There is only ONE input so I do have to decide which is most important. I figured it wasn't a problem when I bought it cause everything inputted into the TV would just flow out through the one reciever input, but since it won't work with the HDMI, it blew that theory out of the water.
Ah don't let that stop you. :) Check out your local Radio Shack or Best Buy and look at a component switchbox. I ran out of space one time and I picked up a component switchbox that lets me plug in up to 8 items thru it.
There's even a little remote that came with it.
First of all, I don't have HDMI on the reciever, and that isn't happening any time soon so thats out of the question lol...
Your cable/satellite provider should be offering a box that has HDMI. Heck, if Comcast has a cable box with HDMI everybody probably does now. It didn't cost me extra either.
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| 7 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 052347519
Sat, Mar 24, 2007, 22:24
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GO - so you have the inputs to your audio receiver coming from the TV? I'm thinking it probably doesn't output through the RCA's if you're getting sound in from the HDMI. And like skineej said, you're not getting the best sound you can through RCA - this won't give dolby digital or dts. So, you may be able to use component for video - which would still be Hidef, and rca for audio in for that video input. Then take audio out from your tv to your receiver.
My tv is really just an HD monitor. No speakers, no tuner. So all sound goes through my receiver. You can probably get a receiver with optical inputs for ~$250 or so. But you should probably hold out for one with HDMI so you can take advantage of HD audio on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.
Make sure not to buy any of these cables (HDMI, optical, components, etc) from one of your local retailers - they hike the prices up 5X over what you can get them online. go to monoprice.com - I got an hdmi switcher there for like $20 and 3 hdmi cables for $20 total vs the $50 best buy wants for one.
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| 8 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Sun, Mar 25, 2007, 12:29
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Samsclub had HDMI cables (Belkin) for 18.99 which was pretty darn good I thought.
Certainly not at a Best Buy, thats for sure! lol...
Yeah, I'm gonna run the different inputs into a switchbox and then that switchbox input (red/white) and then the output from that into my home theater.
I can't really afford to buy another reciever anytime soon unfortunately.
The only other option is to unhook the HDMI cable, go with all the component cables into the TV and then basic red/white from the TV OUT and into the home theater which would clean everything up and consolidate it. But I'm losing the HD channels I guess.
Either way I gotta sacrifice something til I can get the reciever I really need.
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| 9 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 052347519
Sun, Mar 25, 2007, 14:18
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Component cables are also high def. These are the ones that have 3 cables for the video (colored red/blue/green). You shouldn't really notice a difference between HDMI and component. Then you can use your rca (red/white) cables for audio.
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| 10 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 18:33
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I am trying to figure some stuff out here before I buy a new home theater.
So my current home theater doesn't have Optical inputs or HDMI input which sucks. It DOES have the component (red/blue/green).
Can I go HDMI from CableBox-->HDTV.... and then component cables from HDTV-->Home Theater?
And if I do have to buy a new one... and I want HDMI input from my home theater, would I need an HDMI input in AND out then I guess? I'm picturing HDMI from CableBox-->HomeTheater, and then output from HomeTheater--->HDTV.
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| 11 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 052347519
Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 17:49
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Component cables are only for video (these are the red/blue/green cables). You'll probably want to take the HDMI to your HDTV, and then just the red/white audio from your cable box to your stereo receiver.
The above would give you stereo audio, but not digital (5.1). My cable box has both a digital coax out and optical - if your receiver has either of these, then you can get dolby digital.
HDMI actually passes both audio and video, so, if your TV has speakers, you should be able to get sound directly from tv. If you choose to upgrade your receiver, and get one with HDMI, you would take the HDMI from your cable box to your receiver, and then take an HDMI out from your receiver to your TV.
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| 12 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 22:58
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I just bought another unit - Best Buy's website tells me it has 2 HDMI Input and 1 HDMI output - SC-PT950 - I thought thats perfect - input video game and cable box - then output to TV. Problem solved.
I get home and there are not any HDMI input. I printed out the specs from the website and am returning tomorrow, but thats really annoying and I just wasted an entire night because of their incompetance and there isn't much I can do about it.
Probably going with Sony Bravia 5.1 from Circuit City now.
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| 13 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Sat, Sep 22, 2007, 12:09
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Heres the problem - and I do have a Vizio - so I wonder if its just specific to them.
TOSLINK out to Home Theater problem
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