New Setup, Best Connections? (1 Viewer)

[Rick Pay]

Just received a new Panny pt47wx49 and Onkyo 600, needs some advice on connecting everything with my dvd player and directv. Is it better to use component video or S-Video for my setup? I'm kinda lost with how to hook my components up and need any kind of advice I can get. Thanks.

 

[Alf S]

Simple
Hook up DVD with Component, and for all the other "non-component input equipment" use S-Video or RCA whichever they may have.
There, wasn't that easy?
Alfer

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Alf is correct.

Hit one of the web sites for a custom component video cable and go direct from the DVD player to the TV.

Then I would suggest ALSO running SVideo from the DVD player and everything else through the receiver, then SVideo to the TV. (This assumes the Onkyo offers SVideo switching).

Leaving the TV set to see the SVideo feed makes the system simple to use. But when you sit down to watch a DVD, take the extra step to flip the TV to see the direct DVD feed for the better picture.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Rick,
The others have already got you started, but perhaps I can give some more detail.
What I like to stress to “Newbies” is “keep it simple.” The simplest thing is to run all audio and video signals to the receiver, and only one video feed to the TV. This way a single selection from the receiver’s remote gets you both sound and picture. Many people well-versed in home theater recommend sending video signals, especially from the DVD player, directly to the TV, but that’s an extra step you will have to remember – changing the input on both the receiver and the TV.
There are three types of connections in a home theater – audio, video and RF (aka “radio frequency” or “antenna” signals). I’ll take them for you one at a time.
Video comes in three varieties these days:

• Composite, which uses the yellow RCA jack you find on most components.
• S-video, which uses a specific connector different from other video connections.
• Component video, which uses three RCA cables and jacks, typically red, blue and green in color.

The thing to remember about video is that none of these formats are compatible with each other. You cannot “mix and match” them if you are sending all video signals to the receiver. For instance, if you connect the DVD player and satellite tuner to the receiver with S-video, and then connect composite video from the receiver to the TV, you will get no video to the TV. To “keep it simple” you will have to use the format that is common to all your equipment. Typically this means either S-video, or more commonly, regular composite video (i.e., the yellow RCA jacks).
Audio signals come in two subcategories, analog and digital. Analog audio is easy – just connect the red and white jacks from the various components to the red and white jacks on the receiver. This is all you need to do with the CD player and a VCR. Typically the white jacks designate the left signal, and red designates the right audio signal.
However, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio from the DVD player is a little trickier. To make things needlessly complicated, there are two types of digital connections: (fiber) optical and coaxial. The coaxial connection is yet another RCA jack, typically orange in color. Whichever you chose, coaxial or fiber optic, you have to have the same connections on both the DVD player and the receiver.
On the receiver you may have noticed that the inputs for audio and video are logically labeled – “VCR,” “CD,” “Satellite,” etc. You may have noticed the digital inputs are not: “Digital 1,” “Digital 2,” and so forth. So which one do you plug the DVD player into? Any one of them, actually. The trick is that you have to go into the receiver’s menu and tell it which digital input the DVD player is connected to. You will have to consult the receiver’s manual for this.
Further complicating matters, you will have to tell the DVD player to send a 5.1 digital signal to the receiver. You will have to do this from the DVD player’s menu. Again, you will have to find directions for this step the DVD player’s manual.
RF (radio frequency) signals are the third kind you will deal with in a home theater. Again, RF signals come from a variety of sources like TV antenna, feeds from the local cable company and/or satellite antennas. The RF signals from the antennas go to the appropriate tuner: TV, VCR, cable box, and satellite receiver.
There are two types of coaxial cables commonly for used home-theater-related RF signals, RG-59 and RG-6. RG-59 is suitable only for a TV antenna. It should not be used with cable TV or satellite feeds. Cable and satellite feeds require RG-6 exclusively. However, you can use RG-6 with TV antennas, so you can “keep it simple” by using RG-6 for all your home theater RF connections.
I don’t know if you get your local channels from your satellite or from a TV antenna, but if it is the latter, the “keep it simple” method would be to connect the TV antenna to the VCR, not the satellite. This would allow the VCR to become your TV tuner, and use the satellite receiver for (obviously) satellite programming.
Logically interfacing equipment with RF feeds into the system can be complicated. The “keep it simple” method, in my opinion, is not run any RF signals to the TV. The TV, cable, and satellite feeds go to their appropriate tuners only. The tuners connect to the receiver via the audio and video RCA jacks, and the receiver’s “[Video] Monitor Out” delivers the picture to the television via the TV’s video “Line In” jack. Thus the TV always stays in “Line In” mode and becomes merely a monitor for the picture, and the sound system is on anytime the TV is. As I mentioned, with this connection method a single selection from the receiver’s remote gets you both sound and picture - simple.
Many satellite and cable boxes these days have digital audio feeds. With these follow the directions given for DVD players, above.
Many people want to the ability to record their TV programming. Recording of local TV programs is easy; just set the VCR to the right channel. Recording satellite is a little trickier. Most sat receivers have two sets of audio and video outputs. One set is already going to the receiver, so send the second set to the VCR’s “Line In” jacks. Thus the VCR would be set to “Line In” for satellite recording.
Hope this gets you going, Rick. If you have any more questions I’m sure we can help you.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Rick Pay]

Wow, great response to my inquiry, learn something new everyday at this forum. I'll print out your very detailed and informative explanation Wayne, that was great. I'm sure I'll get the hang of this shortly. Thanks again everyone for helping me out, appreciate it very much!