WTF NO RCA OUTPUTS ON NEW FLAT SCREEN!!!??

Do you mean "inputs", Joe? 

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! 

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.

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.

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

 

High-Definition Multimedia Interface or HDMI is also a simple one wire connection for hooking up your DVD, bluray, DVR, cable or satellite receiver, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

 

RCA or composite cable went out with picture tube TV. It's old technology like VHS. But there should be a jack for that on the new flat panel. Mine has one.

 

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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...

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