What's the best way to wire my stuff? (1 Viewer)

Well we've spent a few dollars the last little while getting some new stuff, TV, Entertainment stand, Stereo etc, and now with all this upgraded stuff I'm not sure the best way to hook it all up now.

I have a Sony HTS-S360 Receiver, which has HDMI inputs, as well as a couple of optical, a coax digital, and some RCA's.
I also have a LG 50PQ10 TV, a Bell 9241 Satellite receiver and an XBox 360 with HDMI cable and audio adapter.

The Satellite has an optical out and HDMI out, as well as component out and RCA out for audio.

Should I use HDMI for to the stereo for audio? This also has the added bonus of acting like an HDMI switch since my TV has 2 HDMI ports, and the stereo has 3 HDMI in.

Picky as it is, I want to keep my equipment connected to the stuff that it's labelled for, like keeping SAT connected to the actual SAT labelled connections, meaning my options would be using HDMI or Optical for the satellite audio.

I also kind of want to keep my XBox connected directly to my TV and not run through my stereo, would RCA or Optical provide a good enough sound? And would using an Optical/Coax converter cause issues? I defintely want primo surround here so I can clearly hear where something is coming from.

I really need some advice here, I don't know which is going to provide the best sound for me or if any of it would even be noticeable.


Also how do you guys hide wires?? I've got my TV wires run in the wall, but all the power wires and stuff connecting the devices to each other is very noticeable and messy behind my entertainment stand, I would like to make it look much nicer if possible.

Should I use HDMI for to the stereo for audio? This also has the added bonus of acting like an HDMI switch since my TV has 2 HDMI ports, and the stereo has 3 HDMI in.

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It looks like the S360 supports audio over HDMI (not all HDMI receivers transfer audio) so I would use HDMI whenever possible.

I also kind of want to keep my XBox connected directly to my TV and not run through my stereo, would RCA or Optical provide a good enough sound?

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Optical would probably be the best way to go.

And would using an Optical/Coax converter cause issues?

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Not sure what this is or why you would need one but anytime you add another link in the chain there is possibility for more problems.

Also how do you guys hide wires?? I've got my TV wires run in the wall, but all the power wires and stuff connecting the devices to each other is very noticeable and messy behind my entertainment stand, I would like to make it look much nicer if possible.

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I mounted my surge protector (you need one if you haven't picked one up yet) to the wall behind my equipment stand about a foot off the floor. This helped to keep the wires out of sight. And try to keep the power wires away from the speaker and HDMI cables if at all possible to avoid any interference issues.

The optical to coax converter converts the optical signal to a digital coax signal so I can use the digital coax port on the back of the receiver(Video 2) Video 1 is just L/R RCA inputs.

I do have a surge protector, I picked up one of the purple Monster power bars, it's mounted just about 2' off the floor. Seems to be working well. The only power cable that is near an HDMI cable is the one for the TV which is run behind the wall in some wire loom with a bunch of other wires for the TV, including the two HDMI cables for the satellite and XBox.

So basically my best bet would be hooking up the satellite/Blu-Ray player(When we get one) to the stereo with through HDMI? I don't know too much about the receiver we bought, we got it at a pawn shop in mint shape for $165. Couldn't pass it up as it had the HDMI ports, and suited EVERY one of our needs plus, as far as inputs go and what it appeared to do sitting powered off.

I'm not sure how the satellite handles the audio being output through the HDMI port though. the few audio options there are say it only works with the digital output... I don't know if that includes the HDMI port though.

Is there anywhere I can get really short cables? For most of the stuff, my cables are way too long. XBox for instance, is right above my receiver, I literally only need 3" of optical cable to hook it up, or like 3" of digital coax.

What to do with slack?

Is this the receiver you bought? If so, the best way to connect a BluRay player is via HDMI. The receiver I linked to does not have an internal decoder for the new HD audio found on BluRay discs but if you buy a BR player that decodes the formats internally and sends them out the HDMI connection as PCM then the receiver can accept that signal and you would be able to hear the new formats. Shop for your BluRay player carefully.

I'm not sure how the satellite handles the audio being output through the HDMI port though. the few audio options there are say it only works with the digital output... I don't know if that includes the HDMI port though.

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I'm not sure what you're asking here but if you mean the satllite receiver then you probably have to go into it's setup menu and select HDMI as the audio output. All of your components should send audio out their HDMI ports.

Is there anywhere I can get really short cables? For most of the stuff, my cables are way too long. XBox for instance, is right above my receiver, I literally only need 3" of optical cable to hook it up, or like 3" of digital coax.

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MonoPrice.com is where I get most of my cables and wires. The shortest Optical cable they have is 1.5'. As for digital coax cable, it's the same spec (75 Ohm) as RG-6 cable so you could make one any size you want. When my cables are too long I just wind them in a circle and use a tie wrap, then tie wrap them all together and hide them behind the components (which I have a lot of). I'm sure there are fancy (expensive) cable managment things out there I just haven't looked for them yet.

BTW, did you get the speakers with that receiver as well? It looks like the speaker connections on the back of that receiver are not the normal ones, which isn't unusual for a htib system.

Yes that's the receiver we got. It's meant to work with Bravia stuff, So I could assume if I buy a Bravia BD player that decodes HD audio then it would work flawlessly with this AV receiver. But I see what you mean, I should make sure to buy a BD player that decodes the audio internally. I would have missed that before. This is likely the BD player we would buy, I believe this does the audio decoding you are talking about?? could you confirm that?

How do I know which BD players do this and would work for me?

As far as my satellite receiver, yes it sends audio out through HDMI, but it's menu options offer dolby digital/Linear PCM, dobly digital, or Linear PCM as options and states they affect the way the dolby digital output on the back of the receiver works.....so I don't know if those options affect the sound through HDMI or if they only apply to the optical output on the back of the receiver.

And yes I did get the speakers with it, and yes they are some kind of stupid Sony proprietary plugs. Luckily they aren't wired directly to the speakers, but instead use spring clips on the back of the speakers. As long as I don't lose the plugs I can pop the pins out, and replace the wires/pins in the clips. The pins inside the clips are readily available at a local electronics store near me.

Actually this might be the BD player we get but I still don't know if it would suit our needs?? It says it doesn't decode HDCD's, doesn't do WMA playback, and doesn't have surround sound decoding....so what does that mean?

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158BDPN460/Sony-BDP-N460.html?search=Sony+BDP-S360&ssi=0&tp=171&tab=features_and_specs

This is likely the BD player we would buy, I believe this does the audio decoding you are talking about?? could you confirm that?

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That one would work just fine.

How do I know which BD players do this and would work for me?

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Look for "Internal Decoder of Hi-Res formats" or something like that, and "multi-channel PCM output via HDMI" in the speacifications or features of the BR player. The 360 says it does both. Often times it's hard to figure out what these new players and receivers are capable of. Almost as if they don't want you to know .

As far as my satellite receiver, yes it sends audio out through HDMI, but it's menu options offer dolby digital/Linear PCM, dobly digital, or Linear PCM as options and states they affect the way the dolby digital output on the back of the receiver works.....so I don't know if those options affect the sound through HDMI or if they only apply to the optical output on the back of the receiver.

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I have my Dish Network receiver set to Dolby/PCM. I think you should too. I think it would effect HDMI audio output as well.

And yes I did get the speakers with it, and yes they are some kind of stupid Sony proprietary plugs.

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The speakers and sub woofer will be the real weak link in your system, as they are for any htib system. Those connections aren't as bad as some of the 'proprietary" connectors I've seen.

It says it doesn't decode HDCD's,

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HDCD was a little used recording procedure that was supposed to be a bit better than standard cd. Most equipment doesn't offer this feature and I wouldn't worry about it.

doesn't do WMA playback,

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I don't think that's a big deal either unless you plan on down-loading files from your computer but this isn't an area of expertise for me. If you're just looking for a BluRay player to play BR discs then I wouldn't worry about this either.

and doesn't have surround sound decoding....so what does that mean?

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First of all, that category is a Crutchfield one and I'm not sure what they're trying to say with it. On page 63 of the S360/manual it clearly states that 7.1 LPCM is output via HDMI so it should work. But you could always e-mail Sony's CSR or the retailer for confirmation.

I'm actually considering the BDP-N460 instead, cause it does YouTube streaming and what not.....basically I think it's the same player.

The speakers don't seem to bad, I was using a set of centrio floor standing speakers before, a little boxy and clunky, but sounded nice and did the trick. I can't really use them with this unit as the impedences are different. They had 8" woofers in the L/R speakers which did a pretty good job of handling bass.....actually very bass'y with my older Pioneer MX-770/CX770S.

Bass sounds pretty good so far with the Sony, so does other audio except for one or two things that have sounded tinny, but I think I need to figure out which "Sound Field" option is best for me.... That'll probably be a seperate thread here Once I get everything setup properly it should sound great. We will be replacing carpets, running wires a little more properly and painting, as well as mounting the speakers to the wall beside and above the TV, and moving the TV down a bit. Then I will REALLY be able to test the sound, once I can start pumping some music through it. I wish I could find my old audio tone CD I made for setting up my old HT system when we only had a crappy TV and an even worse HTIB system.

Here's a pic of my setup so far. We have LOTS to do still, but ran out of money for now Rent is due.

You can see my mess of wires here, Ideally what I want to clean up.
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The 18" light we will be putting behind the TV after it's moved. This will be wired in directly and mounted to the wall. This actually provides a really nice light for the room, and is great for viewing.