Getting TV to work with Surround system? (1 Viewer)

[mikeHende]

I have a TV iwth built-in VHS and DVD players and would like to hear the TV play with surround sound through my Home Theatre System but I was told that only DVD's and CD's will play through the Receiver and it's speakers with Surround sound, is this true or is there any way I can get to listen to the TV with surround sound?

 

[John S]

For real surround, it will take out board gear, and you will be using it and not the TV audio.

 

[mikeHende]

what "outboard gear" will I need please?

 

[John S]

An AVR or Pre/Pro with addional power amps, both of these solutions also need speakers. One for each channel. Typically for real surround, a subwoofer is also used in additon.

You need something to properly decode the surround information.


Some displays offer psuedo surround on their interneal audio system. But I have yet to find one, that offers the real DPLII, DTS, and DD decoding and output.

 

[John Garcia]

If you already have a receiver, all you should need to do is connect the TV to the receiver. If the TV doesn't have a digital (optical or coaxial) connection, then you will most likely be using stereo analog. With the stereo analog connection, you should be able to listen to TV via the receiver also.

A digital connection will give you multichannel (5.1,6.1) discrete surround from DVDs, and the stereo analog will allow you to use various DSPs to extract information for surround for Dolby Surround encoded material, and simulate surround for non-Dolby encoded material.

 

[mikeHende]

well, the TV plays through the Receiver but only on the 2 Fron Satelite speakers, it does not play through the Subwoofer or Rear speakers.

 

[mikeHende]

I can hear the TV through the Receiver but only on the front 2 satelite speakers, I was told by the company that I will only get the surround sound from either the buil-in DVD player or a music cd, I can't even get the FM/AM stations to play through all speakers.
I am wondering if I should get a separate AV Receiver, will this allow me to hear the TV on all speakers or with surround sound?

 

[John S]

As long as the source is stereo and has some surround information. It will provide surround.


Some stations will send mono only, not much you can do with it really.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Are you sure that your rear speakers are connected correctly? I think that John and John were assuming you were not able to get 5.1 sound from the tv, not that the problem was you were getting no sound at all.

How is your tv connected to the receiver? Are the connections the same for the dvd, vhs and tv? To get true 5.1 "surround sound" you need a digital connection. You will also only be able to get this through the dvd player, or possibly with occasional 5.1 programming on cable, satellite or HD broadcasts.

The other thing you can do (which is what I think you were trying)is your receiver can take a stereo 2 channel signal from the tv (most likely connected with red/white composite cables) and use its Digital Sound Processing to "create" simulated surround sound. Depending on your receiver, the experience is actually quite good. I don't know why it wouldn't work just as well with the tv part of your system as the dvd, but it's a start. For the latter to work, there is probably a dsp, or simulated surround, button on your receiver/remote to enable the processing.

 

[John S]

Check the output of the TV, and make sure it is set to output stereo perhaps???

I did mis-understand the question at hand by the way.

 

[John Garcia]

There wasn't quite enough info at first, so I misunderstood it as well.

What receiver, by the way? That may be useful too. When you say "receiver", you do mean a home theater receiver right?

 

[mikeHende]

The Video Out from the Audiologic DVD/Receiver is connected to the Video-in on the TV and the Audio OUt from the TV is connected to the Aux 1 on the DVD/Receiver. I bought an "Audiologic" Home Theatre system from Bestbuy, it the cheapest system that I have come across, Audiologic Techs tell me that I can only get surround sound from the built-in DVD player or from a music cd and not even from it's included AM/FM stations, all "external" devices also will not get the sourround sound. This is the reason why I am asking if I should get a separate AV Receiver, will this then allow me to get the surround sound from the TV?

 

[John S]

yes, a Full featured surround Audio Visual Reciever (AVR) will be able to do this as long as it is a stereo source / really surround sound.

You may need an entire system though. Look into an Onkyo 770 system on good performance and amazing value.

Best of luck with it.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Is this the system?Audiologic

The description says it has no DSP soundfields, so maybe it won't process a stereo signal into simulated surround. It does say it decodes Dolby Prologic, which I always thought meant converting a stereo signal to simulated surround, but I never paid much attention to it. As a $55 HT system, you probably should have tempered expectations, but might as well get the most out of it. You might try to be more precise when you are using the term "surround sound" when talking to the techs. The system does do true 5.1 dolby digital surround from the dvd. They may be telling you it can't do true 5.1 from another source, when all you really want is simulated surround, or dolby pro logic.

 

[John S]

It really does seem that system should give you Pro-Logic from 2 channel sources...

Check to make sure your TV is sending stereo. But I suppose anything is possible, so it indeed may not do it.

 

[mikeHende]

Yes, that is the system Charlie, I guess I don't have the "Terminology" downpacked guys so let me try this, when I say "surround sound", all I want is to have sound from all 6 speakers when I am using either my TV,DVD or VHS, I don't want to be limited to only the DVD/music cd's that come with the Audiologic Receiver.
John S, Charlie or anyone else, what "feature" should I look for in an AVR that will give me what I want mentioned above pelase?

 

[John S]

You need to get the system in Dolby Pro Logic, while inputting a stereo source, with surround encoded into it. True stereo will probably not have much if anything back there. Mono being sent will not really do anything but come across the front soundstage.

Keep in mind, your rear speakers will only really have sound, when surround content is actually being sent to them. So generally not 100% of the time on such sources, like when an airplain flys overhead on the screen, ect..ect..ect....

Beyond that, I am not sure.

 

[mikeHende]

I am going to purchase an AVR separately and then look around for a 5.1 speaker system, apart from the Receiver needing to have as you say

"Dolby Pro Logic, while inputting a stereo source, with surround encoded into it."

Also, I've been told this on another forum:

"a receiver that has digital coax inputs(for your dvd player in your tv) and L/R rca inputs(for your regular tv and vcr sound) at the very least."

Any thing else I should pay attention to whether Receiver or 5.1 speaker related please? Thanks.

 

[John S]

I'd want one with at least DLPII, DTS/DTS Neo:6, and DD 5.1, so that is my suggestion.

 

[mikeHende]

Just purchased a Sony 600w 5.1 system and hooked up everything to test and let me tell you, this system packs a hell of a lot of power and sound FANTASTIC. Would appreciate anyone's help on this matter though:
My living room is rectangular in shape, the room dimensions are 20'Lx10'Wx8'H and we kind of have the room separated in 2 parts, meaning we use half of it for the "TV Section" and the other half for pc's. The problem here is that since the room is rectangular we don't have much space from side to side walls so the couches are placed alongside the walls and this is a problem for placement of the "Rear" speakers.

According to the diagrams in speaker placements, the Rear speakers are supposed to be placed at "Ear' height on the left and right of the couch that's facing the TV, seeing that our Couches are alongside on the left and right walls, this can't be done, only option I see is to place the rear speakers "above" our heads and face them downwards or I could place the rear speakers to the back wall of the room high up close to the ceiling, the system definitely has enough power for this, does anyone think that this last option will be best?