New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Home Theater Connections Questions

post #1 of 5
12/28/07 at 11:09am
Thread Starter 
I have been using the following (connected via an HDMI cable) for a few months:

Sony KDS-50A2020 HDTV (50" 1080p rear projection)
Dish Network ViP622 HD DVR

Santa just brought me the following:

Onkyo HT-SR800 HTIB
Oppo DV-980H DVD Player

I am hoping you can provide me with suggestions as to how to connect everything. I would like to utilize whatever connections will give me the best audio/video possible. I understand that the Onkyo receiver (HT-R550) supports HDMI pass-through, however I am not crazy about needing the receiver to be on every time I want to watch TV...so my first question...is using your receiver for video/audio switching very handy/necessary? Also...when it comes to connecting the DVD player to the receiver should I use the analog 7.1-channel, coaxial digital, or optical digital connection? Also, do I need to connect the DVD player audio to the receiver and the TV, or just the receiver? On the same note, would I need to connect the DVR audio to the TV and the receiver? If I use an optical digital cable from my TV to the receiver (for listening to television programming), will that result in surround sound or just stereo sound? I have more questions but I don't want to scare you away with too many! Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Reply
post #2 of 5
12/28/07 at 3:08pm

Re: Home Theater Connections Questions

HDMI to TV for both video sources. Optical or Digital Coax for audio to the receiver from both video sources. Make sure Dolby Digital is turned on on both the video sources. optical on receiver will need to be assigned to appropriate inputs. All this will allow TV to have audio if you choose (through HDMI cables) and to have DD audio through the receiver. No need to run HDMI through receiver, does make life easier, but is usually better left for better receivers and/or more complex setups. Don't use the TV optical out unless the TV has HDMI 1.3a inputs on it and you're video sources have HDMI 1.3a (which they don't) or you're using a direct cable line (no cable box) to the TV. Three speakers in the front. Left. Center. Right. Left and right about height of TV about 3-4 ft from center of TV. Center above or below TV. Rears. perferably behind and to the left/right of main listening area. Point all speakers towards the center of the "listening area" which is basically the center of the room. Rears should be about a half foot or so above listening level. Anything else?
Reply
post #3 of 5
12/28/07 at 3:11pm

Re: Home Theater Connections Questions

.
Reply
post #4 of 5
12/29/07 at 7:53am
Thread Starter 

Re: Home Theater Connections Questions

Thanks Joe, that helps a lot. There are just a couple things that are still not clear to me.

Why would one use the analog 7.1-channel connection over the optical or digital coax connections?

Do the optical and digital coax connections provide identical sound quality?

Should I even bother setting up the two rear surround speakers for 7.1, or just use 5.1 (what I have read leads me to believe those two speakers are only utilized by HD/Blu-ray players and high end receivers)? Thanks again.
Reply
post #5 of 5
12/29/07 at 9:19am

Re: Home Theater Connections Questions

First. Some people would use the analog 7.1 (or 5.1) inputs because they prefer Analog audio to digital audio. It's a personal preference, but a lot people like to use it for Music. Whether or not there is an actual quality difference or which one is better... sometimes it comes down to preference. When it comes to an Analog cable or Digital Coax they have the possibility of being interfered with. More so with the Analog. All these cables are shielded coax. An Optical (toslink) cable cannot be interfered with, but has the disadvantage that it cannot be used in very long runs. Some people also do not like the connectors on an optical cable. If you're not careful you can scratch the tip or knock the cable out. You need to use good quality optical cables with good fittings so they fit in nicely. Glass optical cables are better than the polymer ones, but the polymer cables are catching up and are more widely sold (my distributor doesn't even carry any glass optical cables.)

As for the other two channels... Only if you have a large room. Without a movie encoded in 7.1 those two channels are near copies of the other two rear channels. The receiver does the work to try and give you a surround feel from the back four. SD dvds do not have 7.1 so you would have to step up to a HD DVD or BluRay. Where i'm not sure if there are any in 7.1 or not yet. They are going to 7.1, but it is not widely used enough now. Unless of course you have a large room, like i said earlier.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home