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Home Theatre Help!! SO close yet soooo dumb.....

post #1 of 5
8/27/09 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
 i've been reviewing this forum for some time and it has helped me a lot but this time i need to ask a question as it is frustrating the heck out of me....

OK so all i want to do is to be able to listen to my theatre speakers instead of my tv ones for everything... Here is my setup. i apoligize for not having any model numbers but i am so tired and frustrated right now!

Sony LCD 40' Bravia with 2 HDMI inputs
Sony Home Theatre 5.1 
HD PVR cable box
Sony PS3

Now my tv only has 2 HDMI inputs yet i have the need for 3 so i bought an HDMI switch.... my theory was that if i plugged my theatre via HDMI into the tv the theatre would play whatever was on the tv but this is not the case.... i have my PVR and PS3 plugged into the HDMI switch as i obviously do not use them at the same time... So how can i get my theatre to be active with whatever is on the screen? I have it to the point i can listen to the radio from the theatre while i'm watching tv on the PVR so obviously it can be accessed while the HDMI switch is being used. I've attempted to change the tv settings to play thru theatre but it doesn't work....

i'm very frustrated!!! please any help would be very much appreciated :) well off to bed, hopefully it can be fixed tomorrow
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post #2 of 5
8/28/09 at 12:37am
This belongs in the "basics" section, this section is more about custom theater installations, perhaps a moderator can move it ...

Anyway, I assume you have a home theater in a box DVD/receiver combo (you should post the model #), and that you have its HDMI out plugged into the TV.  You have to realize that this is an OUTPUT, not an input, and there is no audio going back from the TV to the home theater.  HDMI is basically one-way for video & audio, from a source output to an input, the only thing that goes back is handshaking for encryption, showing what resolutions are supported, and sometimes some basic control features (power on, play, etc.).  The next generation of HDMI, 1.4, that won't get here before next year, may support audio going back from TV to receiver, but current 1.1-1.3 equipment doesn't.

So in order to get sound, you have to connect your source equipment to the home theater.  This depends on what sort of inputs it has.  If it has an optical input, you'd get an optical switch, plug the DVR + PS3 into that switch, then into the home theater.  If you're really lucky it has multiple digital inputs & you won't need a switch, but that's rare.

I would return the HDMI switch & just use component video for the cable PVR connection to the TV, there's no real advantage of using HDMI there, and you can save the cost of the switch.
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post #3 of 5
8/28/09 at 7:06am
As Stephen says, there's no real advantage to using HDMI from the cable box, cable is 720p/1080i and component handles that fine.  So, component from HD DVR cable box to the receiver then TV (or cable box direct to the TV), and optical or coax from the cable box to the receiver.  This will give you DD 5.1 for the channels that carry it, and PCM 2.0 for the rest.  Sell the HDMI switch and put it towards a Harmony remote, which will alleviate all the input switching you have to do.
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post #4 of 5
8/28/09 at 9:45am
Thread Starter 
 sorry about placing it into the wrong forum, my bad... but thanks for that great info!!! i did not know that about HDMI at all, that really helps. Now all my wires are being run thru a tube in behind my wall to make it look cleaner and i will admit it was a PITA so am i able to leave the cables the way they are now, but just add the optical switch into the reciever? or will i need to plug something else into the tv?? again thanks for the help, and yes Jeff i have been wanting a new remote for some time now, even bought a 880 off ebay but the supplier ran out 
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post #5 of 5
8/28/09 at 2:32pm
Yes of course you can just add an optical switch.
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