WTF NO RCA OUTPUTS ON NEW FLAT SCREEN!!!?? (1 Viewer)

My Dad, being of mature age and proportionately zero tech knowledge, just bought a Samsung LCD, 40", 1080p, yada yada don't know the model number but anyways IT DOESN'T HAVE A FREAKIN RCA AUDIO OUTPUT! Only has these wierd HDMI and 'optical audio' crap... I don't even know what these optical audio cords look like. For years now I've been trying to get my dad a simple way to control all his devices with one remote and not have to switch modes too much -- this is just abhorrently insufferable. Can anyone point me in the direction of a cheap solution? Thanks.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Do you mean "inputs", Joe? /img/vbsmilies/htf/confused.gif
What exactly is your question? What kind of help are you looking for?
And it would be a lot easier if we knew the model # and the rest of the equipment in your dad's set-up.
BTW, Welcome to the HTF, Joe!

 

[mattCR]

What are we needing analog audio out for? What is it connecting to? Realize, all audio over a digital signal is digital, not analog. Many (a great number) of sets do not have an analog output because they don't do the Digital to Analog conversion internally. So, they will output dolby digital (DD) or PCM, which can be handled over an optical cable to a receiver.

I'm not sure what cheap solution you are looking for. Is he needing to go to a receiver that he already has that doesn't have digital audio input? Or.. in other words, were is the analog audio outputs going to?

I think a lot of us could help if we know what the goal is. The idea of digital is to make it a lot more simple; a single data path for audio/video (HDMI). But if this doesn't work for you, it would help to know where it needs to go.

 

[Robert_J]

Get your dad a Harmony Remote. My mother-in-law picked up an 880 after using mine. It became second nature to use it in a matter of minutes.

 

[EmilioMills]

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[JoeCool6972]

Digital optical audio is a one wire ( actually no wires, it convewrts the signal into light) and is a simple way to hook up to a receiver/amplifier for external sound. It's how I hooked my Samsung plasma TV to my Yamaha receiver amp. It can also be called TOSLINK fiber optic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

You use the yellow/green at the bottom for video, the white and red for audio.

 

[Frank Ryerson]

One need for an RCA audio out is to hook up earphones for the deaf or partially deaf. I helped my friend get a flat screen which he can't just because the base for his earphones needs an RCA audio out. Do they make those bases with digital audio in? Doubt it. But I am guessing if he now added an amplifier with analog audio out and digital audio in, he would be able to use a flat screen. Does that seem right. Tough issue for him and for me trying to help him.

 

[shrams23]

I'm feeling Joe's frustration as well. I just bought a Dynex DX-40L261A12 Flatscreen and I'm trying to figure out some way to hook it up with my analog receiver. This has never been a problem before and I was able to do it on my roommate's Vizio flatscreen before he recently moved out.The only output on the panel of this Dynex is a orange RCA style digital output and a headphone jack which mutes the tv's speakers. The goal is to have both the tv's speakers and the speakers from my stereo working at the same time. I'm assuming I need a digital to analog converter, but I could use any guidance anyone can offer on this. If I link into the digital output will that mute the tv speakers as well? Grrrrrrrr!

 

[Jason Charlton]

Dan,

Why do you want to use the TV speakers AND your stereo speakers at the same time? The speakers in all TVs nowadays are complete crap, and you may introduce some sync issues with both sources going at the same time.

Generally, if you have taken the time and money to invest in a receiver and decent speakers, by all means, you should use them. Most of us on the forum prefer to use our receiver/speakers exclusively.

If you want the option to use only the TV speakers from time to time, then you can access the TV menu to mute/unmute the audio, but I strongly recommend you avoid using both sets of speakers at the same time.

As for your case, analog outs on purely digital TVs are going the way of the dinosaur. A search on Amazon for "digital to analog audio converter" yielded several results, but I don't have any firsthand experience with these devices.

If you've upgraded your display to a nice, HD flatscreen, perhaps you should consider upgrading your receiver in the not-too-distant future. A modern, digital receiver with HDMI support will vastly simplify the connection of all your devices.

 

[shrams23]

I actually like the way the speakers on this tv sound. Usually what I do is use the stereo speakers to cover the low end and the midrange and then use the tv for all the high end. In the past it's worked pretty well and the two balance out nicely. I ordered a DAC converter on amazon, I hope it works.
Yeah an upgrade could be nice, but I'd rather spend 25 bucks on a DAC than $300+ for a new receiver and all that comes with getting new audio components. Except for this issue, the unit I have serves me pretty well.
I'll post when I get the DAC and let you know if it works.

 

[betzw]

Dear Joe Seraphin,
I could not agree more with you. Below is what I posted on Amazon:
This review is from: Samsung PN51E550 51-Inch 1080p 600 Hz 3D Slim Plasma HDTV (Black) (Electronics)
Everything about this is just great, EXCEPT there is no analog audio out, and so I cannot use it with remote speakers. Here is the situation: we do not have cable, just ethernet and rabbit ears for network TV (NBC, CBS, etc.). The TV is in a pretty big room, and there is an inescapable echo that can make it difficult to understand some conversations (e.g., British TV). The quality of the sound is fine, it's just that we would like to have speakers closer to our chairs. The problem is that the only audio out jack on this TV is a digital optical out. No problem there, as I bought the cable and a D/A converter at RadioShack. To my amazement, I found that there is NO audio signal output from the network stations (even though their broadcasts are digital). Just silence. MTV and Youtube work just fine (that is, digital optical audio output, after passing through the D/A converter, plays fine on my speakers). What a pity - even a headphone jack on the TV would do just fine.So, back it goes.
Is there a solution?
Bill Betz

 

[AndyMcKinney]

some soundbars (like the Zvox that I have hooked up to my 60" Sharp E88UN television) only accept RCA inputs, necessitating a TV with RCA-out or some sort of adapter.
Also, some soundbars, for whatever reason, might work better with RCA as opposed to digital audio connector. I tested a Samsung soundbar with my 52" Sharp Quattron 830, and the results with RCA were far better than with optical (I ended up taking it back, though, because unlike the Zvox, you couldn't use your TV remote to control the sound--you had to use the soundbar's remote, which I found dumb).
If your Dad really needed a TV with RCA out, it would have been a good idea to look for this feature before purchase. Of course, if your dad is anything like mine (mid-60s and can only work the simplest of gadgets, in spite of being a life-long educator), I understand that perhaps he had no clue of what to look for and just bought on impulse, rather than asking your advice first.
If you ever end up shopping for a set for him again, many of the manufacturers have the user manuals online as PDF so you can usually see input/output diagrams, etc. It's part of what helped me to decide it was okay to buy a Quattron now (earlier models didn't have any normal RCA inputs--just a single "headphone jack" type that requires an adapter). Luckily, the newer models have two of the normal-type inputs. Maybe they got some feedback from customers...

 

[PaulGo]

This will work however the volume will be constant so the TV volume control will not change the RCA audio output.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=6884&seq=1&format=2

 

[Tomasz Mikutel]

I got the same problem, my aplifier has got only RCA inputs, and my samsung c750 has got optical output ;/ I use scart to RCA converter, like this one below: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scart-RGB-to-3x-RCA-Triple-SVHS-Composite-Phono-Adapter-/230615468827?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35b1c0cb1b not sure how much of sound quality I am loosing, but can`t come up with anything better in a good price.

 

[CBennett]

Yup, finding out with this new TV I pretty much HAVE to get a new Blu-ray player AND a new Receiver plain and simple,,,,nothing uses RCA anymore just those damn HDMI(nice but not nice when to do HT and DVD(since mine are OLD id say 7+ years) yo need to get something that will actually hook up to the new stuff..so i see at least $200 more in equipment($75 for the Dvd player 110-150 for a receiver..then actual HDMI cables lol)

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Yup, finding out with this new TV I pretty much HAVE to get a new Blu-ray player AND a new Receiver plain and simple,,,,nothing uses RCA anymore just those damn HDMI(nice but not nice when to do HT and DVD(since mine are OLD id say 7+ years) yo need to get something that will actually hook up to the new stuff..so i see at least $200 more in equipment($75 for the Dvd player 110-150 for a receiver..then actual HDMI cables lol)

Before I bought my HDTVs, I downloaded product manuals, etc. and researched exactly which TVs had exactly which inputs/outputs, so when I did my buying, I knew what connections I needed/wanted, and did my shopping based on that (and my other more esoteric needs of PAL/1080i/50 compatibility). Sometimes it pays to do your research first, then make a purchase. That said, unless you're wanting to hook up a VCR or an older Dish Network/Cable box or video game system, I don't understand what the problem is. If you're wanting to watch DVD, using RCA cables is really not a good way to go. You should be using Component (R/G/B/Y/W cables) or HDMi anyway. Using RCA or S-VHS is a step backwards and you won't be getting the best quality that you can get from your players. If your DVD player doesn't support either HDMI or Component, it must be really old, and could easily be replaced with a newer DVD player (not even Blu-Ray) really cheap. About $50 new, or $15-20 at any good pawn shop. As for a receiver, that's out of my wheelhouse.

 

[CBennett]

Before I bought my HDTVs, I downloaded product manuals, etc. and researched exactly which TVs had exactly which inputs/outputs, so when I did my buying, I knew what connections I needed/wanted, and did my shopping based on that (and my other more esoteric needs of PAL/1080i/50 compatibility). Sometimes it pays to do your research first, then make a purchase. That said, unless you're wanting to hook up a VCR or an older Dish Network/Cable box or video game system, I don't understand what the problem is. If you're wanting to watch DVD, using RCA cables is really not a good way to go. You should be using Component (R/G/B/Y/W cables) or HDMi anyway. Using RCA or S-VHS is a step backwards and you won't be getting the best quality that you can get from your players. If your DVD player doesn't support either HDMI or Component, it must be really old, and could easily be replaced with a newer DVD player (not even Blu-Ray) really cheap. About $50 new, or $15-20 at any good pawn shop. As for a receiver, that's out of my wheelhouse.

no, it supports component...ive been out of the game for a while and forgot the jargon I do NOT have anything that will accept HDMI right now I can use the old component stuff...but as was said prior its kinda backwards so I will just chalk up the extra $250 or so to get a new HDMI ready Receiver AND the 220 Blu-Ray player i mean its the difference in spending $2200 or $2500 on this years "home improvement" project. I figure with the new Reciever,Blu-Ray,and TV(and that darn "electric fireplace/entertainment deal the wife wanted) I will have around $2500 in them all guess thats not horrible and covers all my avenues(just have to buy some HDMI cables as I dont own any ) What id planned to do was just get the Blu-Ray and Receiver in steps..BUT till I remembered Accessories4less I wa planning of spending almost 2.5X on the Receiver(around $250-300) instead of $125 thats what made me think...for the extra $200 for a receiver and BR player cant go wrong I guess