At my wife's request, I got her a pretty nice home theatre system for a combined birthday/Christmas present. She's out of town until Sunday (birthday next week), and DHL delivered it today so I thought I'd get it all set up and surprise her with it when she gets home.

I have three similar questions. Two pertain to audio and one pertains to video.

Audio
1) The DVD player that came with the system will hook to the receiver/tuner using the red and black analog type chords OR using a digital coaxial chord. I assume that the digital coaxial chord has something to do with the Dolby Digital 6.1 surround sound, but I don't know that for sure. My question is, if I hook up BOTH the digital coaxial chord AND the red and black analog chords, will the receiver automatically use the one that provides the best sound, will it use both or will it always use the analog chords??

2) Similar question but for my Dish Network tuner. The DN tuner has the typical A/V chord which includes the black and red analog chords noted above. However, it also has an output for an optical digital chord that, according to the back of the tuner, has something to do with Dolby Digital. Same question, if I hook the audio up to the receiver with both types will it use the best one or will it always just juse the analog chords?

Video
3) Similar to above, but with video. The DVD player has component output (red, green, blue) AND the usual video output (yellow). It also has S Video, but my understanding is that the component video is better so I excluded that. If I hook up both the component video output and the regular video output, will it use the one that is best or will it always just use the regular video output?

In the past I have always just used the one that I knew to be the best (which would be the digital connections for the audio and the component connections for the video). However, on the diagram that came with the system it shows ALL of them being hooked up.

Basically, I want the best sound and picture I can get with this system, but the diagram seems to indicate that ALL of the available connections should be made. That seems redundant to me, but I thought maybe it served a purpose that I don't know about.

Thoughts??

 

When did we go from A/V Nerds to Gurus???

Anyway, Im not sure which will take over if both are connected, I would go with the digital coax if possible. Its pricy tho.

 

Nevermind...I just needed to read a little further in the manual.

If connected, the receiver will automatically give priority to the digital signal if it is available. That answers the audio questions.

I believe it treats video the same way.

 

Hoss, you are correct. It will use the best available.

 

Edit: i would rather have my post deleted than changed

 

My Bose system ROCKS

 

Bose is a little too rich for my blood. They do make some VERY nice systems though.

We went with the Sony HT6900DP. It's probably considered a middle of the road system, but it is suits us just fine. Got a pretty decent price on it too....$417 including shipping. It was $499 plus tax at Best Buy.

 

Hoss,

How do you get away with the combining of dates for gifts to the wife? I have anniversary, her b-day and x-mas all with in 40 days of each other and cant catch a break. By the time she pulls the b-day week trick and then x-mas week I am spent.

I love her anyways and just take it all in stride.

 

Go digital coax for sound.

The normal video line is a composite video line- normally yellow. S video is a step up and component video is new and basically the best availible, or at least it was last I checked =\ I'd use whichever your tv has. No use using component video if your display doesn't accept the signal. S-video is fine and will support all the resolution dvd has to offer.

 

Her idea. Besides, that's not the ONLY thing she's getting. That's just the BIG thing. Not only that, but calling it a "combined birthday / Christmas" present gives me an excuse to hook it up this weekend and take full advantage of it while she is out of town. Otherwise I would have had to wait until Christmas to enjoy my....errrrr.....HER new home theatre system.

 

Definitely going digital coax for sound...but also analog for the times when whatever I'm listening to may not have a digital signal.

The TV accepts component video, S video and normal video so I'll be using component video for the DVD player and then normal video for the Xbox and Dish Network (which do not have component video outputs).

 

Yes, the reciever will use the analog audio for normal watching, then if the Dolby Digital is present, it will use that.
I have my sat reciever hooked up the same way, and you can hear the A/V reciever switch between the analog audio and the DD audio when switching between channels that have the DD and those that don't.

Most TV's the S-Video will override the normal video (composite), if you plug them both in.

There shouldn't be a input with both composite and component though, they are usually set up as different inputs, Video 1 will be the normal (with Svideo along side the RCA video), Video 2 will be the component, and will usually have the Digital Audio connection along with it, if the TV has a DD decoder.


phox

 

Correct. On our TV Video 1 is composite (yellow), Video 2 is composite, Video 3 is composite (on the front of the TV) and then Video 4 is component (red, blue, green). It also has an S video connection back there somewhere but I've never used it so I don't pay much attention to it. Then I think it has a video out and a couple of sets of audio out....none of which ever get used. I think it has a coax connection or two back there as well. It's pretty well set up.

I've never noticed if the TV itself has a digital audio connection, but the new receiver does and that's what I'll be piping the digital signal into so that's all that matters.

Needless to say, I'll be busy snaking speaker wires down through the walls tonight.

 

I don't see a point in using the analog RCA connectors. The receiver and or DVD player will convert the analog sound on the digital coax. Only 1 cord necessary from DVD to receiver for sound and that's coax in your situation or optical.

Bill.

 

Right...for the DVD player. I was talking about my satellite tuner....where some channels are digital and others are not.

It's all hooked up and working well....for the most part anyway. For some reason the Xbox video is not getting to the TV. Haven't got figured that one out yet.