Set-up help: Scientific Atlanta 3250HD, Sharp Aquos 1080i tv, PS3, JVC TH-C50C (1 Viewer)

[Talonstorm]

I have tried hooking this up a variety of ways and can't get it all to work correctly. I really need assistance in choosing the correct cables and figuring out which go where. Here is the info on the components:

Cable box - Scientific Atlanta 3250HD
The back has:
cable in and out
Y, Pb, Pr (component)
Audio - L & R (white and red)
Digital audio out (coax)
Audio out - L & R (white and red)
Video out - yellow
S-video out
digital optical audio out
1R
DVI
1394 (there are 2 of these)

JVC TH-C50c (home theatre)
The back has:
HDMI - monitor out
Optical digital in (DBS)
VCR In - s-video, video (yellow)
Aux In (VCR) - L & R (white and red)
Video out - s-video, video (yellow)
Video out (component) - y, Pb, Pr

PS3
The back has:
HDMI
Digital Optical audio
AV multi out
LAN

Sharp Aquos LC-42D62U
The back has:
Audio output - L & R (white and red)
Digital audio output (optical)
Antenna/Cable in
Input 1 terminals:
Y, Pb, Pr
Audio L & R (white and red)
video - yellow
Input 2 terminals:
same as input 1
Input 3 terminals:
S-video
video - yellow
audio - L & R (white and red)
Input 4 terminals:
HDMI
audio L & R (white and red)
Input 5 terminal:
HDMI

Any advice on how to hook everything together would be greatly appreciated. I just purchased the PS3 and I can get it to work if I hook up HDMI to the tv and digital optical audio to the home theatre. The problem with doing that is that I was using the one digital optical audio in spot on the home theatre for audio in from the cable box. That really didn't work well as I had to flip channels a bunch of times before I could get sound. I am so frustrated at this point. I have a few of every cable there is, I still can't get it right. Help please!!

Thanks,
Tina

PS - I tried to include all the info, let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

 

[Al.Anderson]

You're going about it right, your problem is that the receiver. You really need a new one. A decent receiver will let you route everything through it, which will minimize the need to get the component and the TV "in sync".

Since the TV doesn't have an optical in, I'd just route the PS3 to the TV with HDMI and leave the cable as you had it (optical to receiver and component to TV).

 

[Talonstorm]

OK. I hate to replace it because it is only a few years old, but the difficulties with the sound are enough to force my hand. I would really like to be able to have the ps3 on the surround sound anyway, especially when I use it to play bluray movies. Guess I made a bad choice with the JVC unit.

So, any recommendations on a new receiver? Should it be just a receiver and use the current speakers and sub (the JVC unit was a home theater in a box, so the speakers and sub came with it)? Is there a good unit without the dvd player that comes with speakers? I need something reasonably priced, under $500 would be good since I just bought the ps3 and accessories for that. I don't want to make another poor choice, so I could really use the advice! The stores tend to make everything look and sound great, nevermind being impossible to hook up!

Thanks again,
Tina