Please Help, I'm Totally Lost!!!!! (1 Viewer)

[MattyC]

Over the past two weeks I finally took the plunge and completely upgraded the major components of my home theater system. After fiddling around last night for over 3 hours with all these cables, and units I realized just how uneducated, and lost I am in regards to Home Theater. My system now consists of the following items:

1)Denon 3803 Receiver
2)Pioneer DV-45A DVD player
3)Sony KV-36HS500 TV
4)Phillips Stand Alone CDR burner
5)Sony 5 disc CD player
6)Sony Playstation 2
7)Klipsch RF5 front speakers
8)Klipsch R7 Center, and Rears
9)Mitsubishi SVHS
10)Aiwa Tape deck
11)Phillips 4 Head Hifi VCR
12)ATT Digital Cable Box

Last night I went out to Tweeter and spent an OBSCENE amount of money on monster cables, and surge protectors. I was told for TV/Rec/DVD/Playstation connections to use component, and optical wires, and S cable for VHS. Also, I believe everything should be connected to the receiver.

As it stands now,for the TV I'm running component cables from the TV to the Receiver,and from the cable box to the VCR and back to the TV. For the DVD, it's optical, component, and some other cables for the rear, center, and sub channels to the Rec.

For the Playstation it's S video, and optical to the receiver, and from the VHS it's S video to the Receiver.

For the CDR burner, I'm just using an optical cable to the Receiver.

After all this I was able to get the DVD to work, and then it worked but w/out any sound. None of my other components work at the moment, and I'm convinced my connections are to blame. Furthermore, attempting to operate the Denon is quite daunting, but with the wrong connections impossible I'm sure.

Could someone point me in the right direction?, I'm wishing I never made this investment, and judging from my old equipment, that's a pretty sick statement

 

[JeremyFr]

Ok first off you need to fun all 3 video connections to your tv from your reciever i.e. you need to run component, s-video & composite. The reason for this is that the reciever does not upconvert the other video signals to component video so you need to have each native source cable running from the reciever to the T.V.

Second Call AT&T and ask for there HDTV Box provided they offer that in your area or there home theatre box if they provide that in your area they should konw what you're talking about. If they dont offer the HDTV they may still offer the Home theater box which still gives you S-Video out, and optical/coaxial out for Dolby Digital 5.1.

for the DVD you only need the optical and component connections get rid of the other cables.

leave the PS/2 hooked up with s-vid/optical

The tape deck should be connected to the tape 1 in/out on the back of the reciever using standard audio cables,

the phillips CD-R should be hooked to both an optical in and out on the reciever (as long as it has digi in/out) So for instance running optical 5 on the reciever to the digi in on the cdr and then running from the digi out to optical 3 or something and you'll have to make sure to assign the digi in/outs on the denon the apropriate input that you want it assigned to. (the beauty of owning denon)

hope thats a start I'll try to get something a little more definitive for ya and maybe throw a diagram together and put it up later.

 

[JeremyFr]

one more thing what type of connetions do the CDR and CD Player have??

 

[MattyC]

Hi Jeremy!

Thank you for replying

As far as I know my cable box is almost identical to yours, although there is no actual S Video output. Looks like it was labled, but was never actually installed into the box. With regards to the CD players, both have the optical output, but only the CDR has both the 4 digital and analog in/outputs. I purchased the CD player back in 1994, and the CDR in 2000. Thanks again. Looking forward to the diagram!

 

[JeremyFr]

Ok heres the digrams for you I did them with real pics of the back of the reciever and tried to make it simple for ya hope these help.

 

[JeremyFr]

btw yes I really do have too much free time on my hands! hehe hope this helps any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[Gary Silverman]

Jeremy, I don't even know if those connections are right..I assume they are.. but what a great format to show someone how to hook up their system. The manufacturers should do this as a service for their customers. Since they don't, you should really think about offering this this on a web site of your own. I'm really impressed!!!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

for the DVD you only need the optical and component connections get rid of the other cables.

He is right.

 

[JeremyFr]

Thanks Gary I've always been a hooker upper type of guy when I worked retail I had to setup all the displays becuase I was the only that knew how to do it right. Anyways I think I brought up in my first post that you will need to assign the optical inputs to the source on the reciever you want it on if not I apologize. And you never know Gary I may take up that idea of doing a website about that I just like to help others out I know sometimes things can be intimidating and we all know that instruction manuals might have well been written in greek. I looked at a PDF of the manual on the 3803 and said to myself "hell I'd be confused to" Anyways hope this all helps you out Matty.

one last thing.

Then look at the receiver setup menu for "Opt1" and make sure it can AUTO detect, or tell it to only accept Dolby Digital.

Wouldn't eliminate his capability to listen to DTS sound from the DVD?

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Wouldn't eliminate his capability to listen to DTS sound from the DVD?

Uhhhhh I think most DVD players lump signals into 2 catagories: PCM and DD/DTS/5.1. I could be wrong about this one.

 

[JeremyFr]

Uhhhhh I think most DVD players lump signals into 2 catagories: PCM and DD/DTS/5.1. I could be wrong about this one.

3 actually Dolby Digital, Bitstream, & PCM, most players have a DD/PCM mode that does not allow DTS playback, and then a Bitstream/PCM mode that allows all 3, you need to make sure that you're player is set to Bitstream. Also some players Panasonic I think if I remember right have a seperate setting or did at one point to allow DTS out.

 

[MattyC]

Jeremy and Bob, I want to thank you guys VERY much for all your help. The diagrams and tips made things MUCH easier!
Thanks again guys!

 

[Clyde Metz]

Fantastic job Jeremy. When one is uninformed as I am is just amasing what people like you know. I have had a simular problem and copied a previous post below.

I have played around with set up for a month now and still don’t think it’s right. Can any one help?
I have a Hitachi 53SDX20BB high definition TV, Magnavox MDV450 DVD player, and Kenwood VR6070 receiver and am hooked up to HD cable. The receiver has two component video inputs; one labeled DVD and the other labeled video 3. All the inputs for the receiver are: DVD/6CH, CD/DVD, PHONO, TUNER, VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2, VIDEO 3, MD/TAPE, AV AUX. The TV has two component inputs labeled 4 and 5.
The receiver has optical inputs labeled: Optical CD/DVD, Optical Video 3. The receiver also has two coaxial inputs labeled: Video 2, and DVD/6CH.
Now to connect. I connected the DVD to the Receiver’s Component DVD and the Optical from the DVD to the receiver Optical CD/DVD. So far so good. The receiver’s component Monitor Out is connected to the TV Component input 4 or 5 (I don’t think it matters.) The only component input left on the receiver is Video 3 which I connect to the cable box. Now a problem. The cable box does not have an optical out, only a coaxial out which I connect to the receiver Coaxial Video 2. So to get a picture I have to be on Video 3 and audio is on Video 2.
Please show me where I went wrong! Thanks.
PS I'm thinking a a/v switch might help (Audio Authority 1154)

 

[Ted Lee]

great post jeremy! that's such an awesome idea...

 

[Bob McElfresh]

So to get a picture I have to be on Video 3 and audio is on Video 2.

What sort of audio inputs are on the Kenwood for the "Video 3" device?

Check the Kenwood manual. Many receivers have 1 optical and 1 coaxial digital input. But they dont know ahead of time what device you want to have use them.

Somewhere in the setup menu on these devices allows you tell it to link/assign that coaxial input to Video3.

 

[Clyde Metz]

Bob
Video 3= optical digital
CD/DVD = optical digital
Monitor= optical digital
Video 2= Coaxil
DVD 6CH= coaxil
I did find "alternative remote mode key" which might be a way of assigning a component to a different input. I'll check. Thanks for the help