well, i finally have the receiver, DVD player, CD changer, and speakers. now what?!? (1 Viewer)

so i have all this stuff, and the instructions are a bit confusing. if i understand this right, all i need to buy is:

1 optical cable to go from the DVD player to the Receiver

1 optical cable to go from the CD Changer to the Receiver

5 sets of speaker cable to run the front, center, sub, and rear speakers to the Receiver

do i need anything else? will i even need to use the red, white, and yellow A/V cables that came with the DVD player and CD player? how do i hook the DVD player to the TV? anything i'm missing?

thanks

DVD to TV = Component or S-Video cable, your choice. Component is best, but you have to have top-shelf stuff to see the diff in real-world situations.

Can you hook yp the sub via a single RCA cable? You should be able to, unless you have some sort of HTIB.

If you have extra yellow "video" RCA's, you can use them as coax digital cables, rather than optical, if your equip supports that config.

You can use the red / white for the audio rather than either digital methods, but go digital if you can. Experiment if you wish, of course!

Good Luck!

ok - all i have is a 2-way red/white cable that came with the cd player and a 3-way red/white/yellow cable that came with the DVD player.

what should i do and buy?? explain it to me like i'm a 4-year-old!!

Mike, check out the Beginner's FAQ atop this page, edited by administrator emeritus Vince Maskeeper.

• optical or coax cable from DVD player's digital output to receiver's digital input

• red and white RCA audio cables from DVD player to corresponding inputs into TV (for whenever you would simply want to use the TV's speakers — you never know; leave the yellow video jack unconnected)

• component-video cables (those red-, blue-, and green-tipped ones you have to buy extra at some place that sells that sort of thing) directly from DVD player to corresponding inputs on back of TV (if said monitor doesn't have 'em, use an S-video cable; sometimes included with player, but more often than not something you have to buy extra from someplace that sells that sort of stuff)

• 16-gauge or heavier speaker cable (get five of these, in the appropriate length); connect the + and - strands at the appropriate binding post on back of receiver to back of each speaker (now, make sure the center channel output goes to the center-channel speaker, and do the same for each of the remaining units)

• get an RCA cable for connecting the subwoofer/LFE output on back of receiver to back of powered subwoofer)

Read all your owner's manuals. You can do that. Follow the instructions carefully. Adjust the receiver's set-up manual properly (set your front, center, and rear speakers to "small" and select the appropriate crossover frequency cut-off as well as the rear-speaker delay appropriately)

Now, Mike, I want you to read the FAQ I told you about earlier before asking any further questions.

ahh - perfect.

jack - despite the condescending attitude, your advice is exactly what i needed. thank you.

and i've gone through the owners manuals and instructions, but those things aren't exactly easy to get through when you don't even know what terms like crossover frequency and rear-speaker delay mean, or have the time to sift through an internet F.A.Q. for six hours. i work three jobs and am putting myself through school - so i apologize if i ask too many questions. i'm just trying to get quick answers and i'm not used to message boards that are run like this one.

still - everyone's been of great assistance, and i apprecaite it

Sorry, Mike, for seeming harsh; really didn't mean it that way. But follow my instructions and you'll be good to go. When you have specific questions (vis. crossover frequency, "large" and "small" settings, speaker levels and delay times, DVD player setup-menu options, etc.), go ahead and post those questions in the appropriate section (Receivers/Amps, Speakers, A/V Sources, etc.).

And you did say "talk to me like I'm a four-year old"!