In trying to open this thread, I did my usual right click, open in new window routine, but my mouse must be grumpy because I hit "save as." and then i did that about 4 more times in a row.
Anyway, sorry for ranting, but I know someone can relate!
I was just going to add what Ted said, if you just have mono out, you can get a y-adapter, so that you can get in through two speakers on your stereo. However, I too, would highly recommend you get a VCR and use that as your TV tuner and make sure it has stereo outputs. Way way better, and then you can apply PL processing to that as well.
If I recall, DTS neo 6 or CS or one of those similar processing methods I recall seeing a "mono" version to expand mono sources, or attempt to expand them. I have nothing mono that I've ever tried it on, but it might be something worth exploring if you are really stuck with mono, but really, use a VCR with stereo out, itll be worlds better.
In fact, I do this right now, and get the benfit of both stereo via my stereo in my TV room, and also the channels flip a lot faster on my VCR. It's a few extra buttons in switching between stereo and VCR control for volume and channels, but if you're slick with the remote youll get used to it.
So if I have a stereo VCR I can get stereo/surround sound out of my Home Theatre System even if I have a mono TV? Why a VCR? Isn't there some device that could do that that isn't a VCR? Why won't the receiver for the home theatre system do that?
remember that surround sound requires a stereo-signal. so, you need a vcr (or whatever) that has the ability to carry a stereo signal. obviously, your tv is out.
so the vcr will "tune in" to the tv station and "carry" the stereo signal to the receiver, which will then "decode" the stereo signal and "create" the surround-sound. boy, that was a lot of quote marks....
the receiver can only *decode* a surround sound signal. it doesn't create one.
here's a great article about surround sound. the article is specifically about dpl ii, but it sorta relates to what you're asking.
there's no cable connection or tv tuner on most receivers.
with a surround sound receiver, you'll be fine for surround sound with a dvd player. the only place you might have a problem is with your cable tv listening.
do you have a cable box? does it have L/R audio outs? if not, you may want to contact the cable company for one that's capable of at least a stereo connection, but even better, one that's capable of a digital connection.
otherwise, a stereo capable VCR, used as your cable tuner, would be the obvious choice, and would allow at least prologicII (etc.) listening to your cable broadcast.
Would like to interject, that *decode* is somewhat a misleading term, as that is usually used with decoding digital compression, or some kind of audio FORMAT. Stereo analog is not an audio format (as such that it needs to be "decoded").
And the second part is not true. Pro logic is designed to be mixed into stereo, then expanded into surround sound again at the playback end. However, there is nothing inherently different in the stereo source, you can apply Pro-logic (PLII, or any other similar matrix processing or DSP method) to *any* stereo source you want, regardless of whether it was mixed and intended to be played back via pro-logic or not.
And scott explained why using the VCR as a tuner instead of the TV is beneficial: because it is giving you a stereo output that your TV does not have. Same reason I use my VCR on my second system, because the TV just has mono output.
chris, i was stricly trying to explain it in laymans terms so that he could understand - that's why i used so many quotes. in that respect, i didn't think it appropriate to get into how pl is encodeed into stereo signals, etc. (that's why i included the link...)
i get what you mean, but i didn't even want to get into dsp or any other sound processing.
Ok, so just to make sure I have this right... Even if I have a mono TV, I will still have surround sound and stereo through my DVD player. If I have a digital cable box, I should still be able to have surround sound/stereo. Is this right? Thank you so much for all your help everyone!
It's right as long as you understand that your TV will not be a part of the audio "chain". The sound will go from the DVD player (or cable box) to a receiver to the surround system speakers. The TV will be used only for displaying the video.