Home Theater DVD player without speakers (1 Viewer)

[RSPlayer]

I have a Phillips 5 in 1 Home Theater system that works fine for me, it plays DVDs in surround sound. The problem is; it has no audio input so I can not get surround sound when I stream Netflix to my TV or play a BlueRay that is hooked up to my TV. So the question is, can I buy a 5 in 1 DVD player, that would have audio input, but without the speakers? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Without a specific model number we can't be certain, but I am 99% sure that if that system does not have the capabilities that you need, you will need to replace the whole thing.

Budget all-in-one systems like what you describe are meant to be used as a single unit. You cannot take the speakers from the Phillips, for instance, and use them with another receiver/DVD player. Doing so will risk permanent damage to all components.

We get this a lot in this forum. If you have multiple sources (Cable/satellite/streaming, DVD/Blu-ray, game systems, etc.) and you want surround sound for all of them, your best bet is a receiver-based system with AVR (Audio/Video Receiver) and separate speakers. Systems like this provide plenty of inputs for multiple sources and are a centralized system for switching both audio and video.

Naturally, flexible and expandable systems like this cost more than the $100-200 bundled systems, but their flexibility means they last a lot longer.

If your budget allows, there are some refurbished AVR/Speaker systems available for ~$400 give or take. Members here can provide specific options. If that's beyond what you're willing to spend, I don't have any specific recommendations, other than there ARE some budget systems out there with 1 or 2 audio inputs - they may satisfy your needs now, but don't be surprised if you outgrow it before too long.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[RSPlayer]

Without a specific model number we can't be certain, but I am 99% sure that if that system does not have the capabilities that you need, you will need to replace the whole thing.

Budget all-in-one systems like what you describe are meant to be used as a single unit. You cannot take the speakers from the Phillips, for instance, and use them with another receiver/DVD player. Doing so will risk permanent damage to all components.

We get this a lot in this forum. If you have multiple sources (Cable/satellite/streaming, DVD/Blu-ray, game systems, etc.) and you want surround sound for all of them, your best bet is a receiver-based system with AVR (Audio/Video Receiver) and separate speakers. Systems like this provide plenty of inputs for multiple sources and are a centralized system for switching both audio and video.

Naturally, flexible and expandable systems like this cost more than the $100-200 bundled systems, but their flexibility means they last a lot longer.

If your budget allows, there are some refurbished AVR/Speaker systems available for ~$400 give or take. Members here can provide specific options. If that's beyond what you're willing to spend, I don't have any specific recommendations, other than there ARE some budget systems out there with 1 or 2 audio inputs - they may satisfy your needs now, but don't be surprised if you outgrow it before too long.

Welcome to the forum!

Jason,
Thanks for the quick and helpful response, it is about what I thought. One caveat that I did not mention, was that I live (and purchased) this system in Argentina about 7 years ago. As mentioned, now I want to have the cable TV and/or streaming services from Apple TV have surround sound, but without an audio IN on my system, that is of course impossible. I will be in the U.S. next month and will make my normal rounds to Best Buy and other electronics outlets and was just imagining if I could get another receiver/DVD player without speakers but WITH audio IN that would be much easier (for a number of reasons) to bring back with me to Argentina. Just one last point to clarify, also because the 5 speakers and subwoofer provide adequate sound for me and are already wired with cables in conduit in the walls, you are saying that even if I found a receiver/DVD player here those speakers may not work with it? That is of course different than what I understand to be (or at least has been for decades) the case with a stereo system. Basically any speakers work with any receiver/amp, right? Thanks again.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Jason,
Thanks for the quick and helpful response, it is about what I thought. One caveat that I did not mention, was that I live (and purchased) this system in Argentina about 7 years ago. As mentioned, now I want to have the cable TV and/or streaming services from Apple TV have surround sound, but without an audio IN on my system, that is of course impossible. I will be in the U.S. next month and will make my normal rounds to Best Buy and other electronics outlets and was just imagining if I could get another receiver/DVD player without speakers but WITH audio IN that would be much easier (for a number of reasons) to bring back with me to Argentina. Just one last point to clarify, also because the 5 speakers and subwoofer provide adequate sound for me and are already wired with cables in conduit in the walls, you are saying that even if I found a receiver/DVD player here those speakers may not work with it? That is of course different than what I understand to be (or at least has been for decades) the case with a stereo system. Basically any speakers work with any receiver/amp, right? Thanks again.

That's not always the case. The key issue with most all-in-one system speakers is the impedance (measured in ohms). Often times, the speakers that come pre-packaged with HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) systems are low impedance - 3 or 4 ohms. Low impedance means that there is less resistance to current flow - in other words, with low impedance speakers, the floodgates open and much more current is drawn from the amplifier.

If your receiver isn't designed to support low impedance speakers, the moment you crank up the volume, you risk doing serious damage to your receiver. If your receiver has protection built in, it will go into safe mode, but either way you can't really use low impedance speakers with just any receiver.

This is also why many lower-end HTiB systems use proprietary connectors for the speakers (rather than bare wire with binding posts/clip terminals) - it's to help prevent someone from using them with other gear.

Most "typical" speakers have a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Any receiver will work with 8 ohm speakers.

Of course, all of this may be moot if your current speakers are actually 8 ohm speakers - it's not beyond the realm of possibility, but based on our experience here, it's unlikely. The impedance is usually printed on the back of the speakers, or if you have the manual for the system, the specs should indicate what you're dealing with.