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TV Audio Out

post #1 of 16
7/9/09 at 7:24am
Thread Starter 
I have a Westinghouse HD TV, a Panasonic 5.1 with Dolby Prologic and a HD PVR. My problem is that the audio out (RCA jacks) from the TV is very weak and the Panasonic has to be at maximum to hear the TV sound. Can I run sound from the PVR to the Panasonic or do I need some sort of preamp/signal booster to increase the signal strength from the TV to the Panasonic?

Thanks

Cullen
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post #2 of 16
7/9/09 at 8:04am
The audio out jacks for the TV are almost certainly only for audio from the TV's internal tuner.  I'm surprised you're getting any sound at all.  You should be connecting the digital audio ouput from you PVR (either optical or digital coax) to the Panasonic.  That way you'll get full DD 5.1 from the channels that support it. 

Regards,

Joe
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post #3 of 16
7/9/09 at 8:39am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, explains alot. Excuse my ignorance but what type of jacks are "optical" and "digital coax"?
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post #4 of 16
7/9/09 at 8:49am
Quote:

 Excuse my ignorance but what type of jacks are "optical" and "digital coax"?
 


The manual for your PVR (is it a cable or satellite unit?  Would help if you could list the make and model) should indicate where the digital audio output(s) can be found and what it/they look like.  The digital coax (short for "coaxial cable") connection is s standard RCA-style jack.  It is designed for a 75 ohm coax cable - heavier than typical "RCA" audio cables.  The thicker cable sold as video cable works well.  Optical audio cables are fiber-optic bundles that treminate in tiny plastic connectors with what look like little light bulbs in them.  The actual jacks usually have black plastic plugs protecting them from dust (which can interefere with the optical light pulses which carry the digital sound data.)  You remove the plug right before connecting the cable. 

Determine what kind of conncetion options you have and which you want to use (your receiver may only have digital coax inputs, or only optical, or it may have both) and they buy the appropriate cable from www.bluejeans.cable or www.monoprice.com.  Don't overpay for some "premium" cable at a Big Box store.  (If you can't wait, buy a decent single "video" cable from Rat Shack or Best Buy, just don't pay more than $10 or $15 for it.) 

Regards,

Joe

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post #5 of 16
7/9/09 at 8:56am
Thread Starter 
I just checked and I have an optical out on the PVR but only RCA audio in on the Panasonic. How do I resolve this?
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post #6 of 16
7/9/09 at 9:25am
List the exact model #s of your Panasonic + PVR so we can give you the best option.

RCA jack audio comes in two varieties, analog (white/red stereo jacks), and digital (single jack usually orange).  Which are present on each equipment?

Optical can be converted to digital coax with a converter if necessary, but it may not be if you gives us the model #s and we can point you where to look.  If the Panasonic has no digital inputs, then you have to use the analog red/white, you'll still get surround but it won't be as good.
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post #7 of 16
7/9/09 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Thanks so much for the follow up. The PVR is a Scientific America Explorer 8300 HDC. The optical out is singleplug with an unusual shape, kind of a pentagon (with a gray plastic cap). It says digital optical out. The Input on the Pansonic (SC-PT650) is RCA red and white and is marked as Aux. In.

Thanks again for the help.

Cullen
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post #8 of 16
7/9/09 at 12:09pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, there is a second optical out. It's an RCA plug marked Digital audio out and is colored black. So to sum up I have an optical out and a digital audio out and only the red/white Aux. In Rca plugs. Ugh!

Again, thanks for the help.

Cullen
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post #9 of 16
7/9/09 at 12:35pm
The second out is the "digital coax" out, it's not optical.

Unfortunately it looks like your home theater has no digital inputs.  So you'll have to use red/white analog out from the DVR to the "aux in" red/white on the Panasonic.

In theory you should be able to connect through the TV as well, there's probably some fixed/variable setting or just volume to be adjusted, but if you aren't using the TV's internal tuner don't bother, just go straight from the DVR to the home theater.

Sometimes volume on the DVR also has to be adjusted, look for audio settings for "fixed/variable" (select fixed) if present in the menus.  If not there, sometimes you have to jack up the volume on the cable DVR remote (and make sure no "mute" setting on the DVR itself).
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post #10 of 16
7/9/09 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, better. Need to reset the PVR per you receommendation. But it's much beeter.

Thank,s

Cullen
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post #11 of 16
7/9/09 at 2:42pm
Quote:
 a Panasonic 5.1 with Dolby Prologic

Since it lacks any digital audio inputs, I'm afraid your Panasonic receiver is not a true "5.1" system, but just a Dolby Pro Logic matrixed surround system.  (In Dolby Digital or DTS, the channels are discrete, completely separated.  In a matrixed system like DPL all of the surround information is encoded in the two stereo channels, and then a processor in the receiver "steers" the majority of the sound to the desired speakers.  The rear surround speakers receive a single monaural channel and the front left, unlike the two or more channels in multichannel digital systems, and the front right, center and left speakers are not independent of one another.  You'll hear some sond FX and music in the center channel and some dialogue in the two front speakers in the DPL mix of a scene where only dialogue came from the center channel and only sound FX and score could be heard in the side speakers in a 5.1 or 7.1 channel mix of the same scene.) 

But hey, any surround sound is better than no surround sound, and now you know what your next updgrade should be. 

Regards,

Joe
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post #12 of 16
7/9/09 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino View Post


Since it lacks any digital audio inputs, I'm afraid your Panasonic receiver is not a true "5.1" system, but just a Dolby Pro Logic matrixed surround system. 

Nah, this model has Dolby digital and DTS for the DVD.  Just no way to get them for external sources, just Pro Logic II (at least better than Pro Logic I!) I don't think any Dolby Pro logic only "HTiB" ever existed; at least I can't remember any & they'd be like pre-1997 or thereabouts.

But certainly agree on the next upgrade.
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post #13 of 16
7/10/09 at 5:28am
Thread Starter 
Much thanks to Stephan and Joe. You guys nailed it. The sound is 100 times better running direct from the PVR with the correct fixed audio setting. The upgrade is unnecessary as this system was a freebie from a friend who just upgraded and was put in my mom's house because my mom is going deaf and she can now hear everything; though I do need to enhance the high range for her best listening enjoyment.

On a conceptual note for my home 5.1, which has all proper wiring but challenged by wall to wall carpeting, the positioning of the surround speakers is difficult. Are there any decent wireless capabilities for the surround speakers? Decent being the operative word here. Cause right now I have to really skew the volumes for the front/back speakers.

Thanks guys,

Cullen
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post #14 of 16
7/10/09 at 6:07am
There are wireless kits, but keep in mind that they are only partly wireless.  You remove the wires going from receiver to the back, but you add AC power to the rear wireless module & speaker wire between the speakers and the rear wireless module.
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post #15 of 16
7/10/09 at 6:32am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I figured that they would need a power source and that's okay. But are they any good? I hear that they tune in and tune out which would be a severe pain. Do you have a recommendation for a brand?

Thanks,

Cullen
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post #16 of 16
7/10/09 at 9:02am
Rocketfish is a popular one, get at Best Buy.  I use wired so haven't tried them, maybe someone else can chime in.  You'll have to test for yourself to see if you get interference in your home and if sound quality is OK to you.
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