Please, no laughs... (1 Viewer)

[zaxeiler]

Alright fellas,

I'm posting here because I would view this to be one of the foremost communities on home theater equipment. I've been a long time viewer of this site, reading reviews, etc. but have never posted. So here it is, my big problem.

I'm still a college student and have a very limited budget so as the title says, please no laughs. Either way, I recently purchased a Vizio 24" 1080p LCD TV. I've also gotten a new bluray player. So, I'm trying to construct a modest home theater, but don't have the money yet for a speaker set/amplifier, etc.


To improvise, I'm trying to use an old 5.1 computer speaker set that I had around. It's input was designed to use the three 3.5mm mini stereo jacks that ran from the sound card of a computer, to the back of the sub. However, now that I'm trying to connect it to the TV, there aren't 3 such outputs anymore, so I need a new solution. The site for the 5.1 set (Creative) suggests using a male rca (red and white) to male mini stereo to substitute. Three of these connections will make up for the three inputs I would be getting from a sound card. However, the back of my TV does not provide 6 rca outputs to compliment such a signal. It will provide 2 (1 signal) only.

Do you know of any way to connect my current 5.1 set and still retain surround sound signal? My other thought was to use the optical output on the back of my TV, but I have no idea how to go about connecting that to the sub.

Any help, or push in the right direction would be appreciated. I wish I could just afford a different set, but now, just trying to make due.

Here's a link to the TVs manual, that shows the back of the TV on page 12:
vizio.com/documents/downloads/hdtv/VX240M/263Manual.pdf
Here's a link to a 5.1 set animation that shows how it should be set up to a computer. Note, those inputs shown are the only inputs besides a typical line in (there are no optical inputs, or rca inputs):
www.creative.com/products/speakers/howto/

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

You can't use your TV as a pass-through or switching device for your audio system. The only audio output on your TV is the digital optical out, which will only carry 5.1 digital sound for broadcasts received by its own internal tuner via an antenna. It cannot pass digital signals from other audio sources. At best it will downconvert these signals to 2-channel stereo and at worst it won't pass any audio at all. In either case, it can't connect directly to your computer speaker system. Routing your Blu Ray player through the TV is a non-starter.

Your best solution might be to upgrade your computer sound card to one with a digital audio input or two. (Coax, optical or both, or maybe an HDMI input.) Then you can route the sound from your Blu Ray through it, and play it on those speakers.

Regards,

Joe

 

[zaxeiler]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino

You can't use your TV as a pass-through or switching device for your audio system. The only audio output on your TV is the digital optical out, which will only carry 5.1 digital sound for broadcasts received by its own internal tuner via an antenna. It cannot pass digital signals from other audio sources. At best it will downconvert these signals to 2-channel stereo and at worst it won't pass any audio at all. In either case, it can't connect directly to your computer speaker system. Routing your Blu Ray player through the TV is a non-starter.

Your best solution might be to upgrade your computer sound card to one with a digital audio input or two. (Coax, optical or both, or maybe an HDMI input.) Then you can route the sound from your Blu Ray through it, and play it on those speakers.

Regards,

Joe

Thanks for the reply.

According to the Vizio guide I have, It said the digital optical output will pass on the sound that is being inputted into the TV regardless of what input I'm on. So whether i'm watching cable TV, the xbox/playstation, or bluray player it'll output the sound. Whether it's 5.1 or just stereo quality, I'm not sure. However, the main question still exists.

I don't have a computer anymore with a good soundcard. That was just in reference to why I bought the 5.1 set in the first place, and to explain what type of inputs the system had. But is there, without a computer, any other way to connect the outputs that my TV provide to the input of this 5.1 set? Anyway to go optical output > 3 mini stereo (3.5mm) jacks?

Or are there any creative ideas?

All the help is appreciated,
Zac

 

[zaxeiler]

I should also have stated that any peripherals connected to the TV are though HDMI so all audio is being transmitted to the TV though that.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

But is there, without a computer, any other way to connect the outputs that my TV provide to the input of this 5.1 set? Anyway to go optical output > 3 mini stereo (3.5mm) jacks?

Sad to say, the short answer is "No". It isn't simply a matter of making physical connections. The optical output on your TV sends light down a piece of fiberglass. These light impulses have to be received by a digital to analog convertor that can read their digital code and turn that into an analog wave form, amplify it, and send it - in the form of an electrical signal - to speakers designed to play it. You can't just send light down a wire to an adapter and plug it into a mini-stereo jack that can only accept electrical energy.

Your speakers are a specialty item design to work with a computer. They are not intended to work with HT equipment. Nor is HT equipment designed to work with such speakers. Absent a PC to bridge the gap there is simply no way for you to use these speakers. No amount of creative thinking is going to make this work. You'd need something closer to magic. I wish I had better news, but that's where we are.

Regards,

Joe

 

[zaxeiler]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino



Sad to say, the short answer is "No". It isn't simply a matter of making physical connections. The optical output on your TV sends light down a piece of fiberglass. These light impulses have to be received by a digital to analog convertor that can read their digital code and turn that into an analog wave form, amplify it, and send it - in the form of an electrical signal - to speakers designed to play it. You can't just send light down a wire to an adapter and plug it into a mini-stereo jack that can only accept electrical energy.

Your speakers are a specialty item design to work with a computer. They are not intended to work with HT equipment. Nor is HT equipment designed to work with such speakers. Absent a PC to bridge the gap there is simply no way for you to use these speakers. No amount of creative thinking is going to make this work. You'd need something closer to magic. I wish I had better news, but that's where we are.

Regards,

Joe

"You'd need something closer to magic" Haha. Yes, sadly this is what I had figured from the start. Well Joseph, you've been a great help, thank you for all your input.

All the best,
Zac