Set up (1 Viewer)

[DavidVC]

I just purchased a Sony Triniton and Sony Reciever with 5.1 surround(my first HT purchase). I have a dvd/vcr combination component, cable box and ps2 that I want to hook up. I have 2 questions:
1) I noticed a video out on my reciever to my tv. Should I run all my comonents video thru the receiver then to the TV or just the audio into the receiver and video to the tv?
2) My DVD/VCR component, if I want to use component video or S-Video, do I still have to run the composite for the VCR?
Thanks all,
David

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi David. Welcome to HTF!

It does make the system a lot easier to use if you standardize on 1 type of video connection and run it through the reciever.

This is because you reciever WILL NOT convert one type to another.

Does your reciever offer SVideo switching? If so, use these type of cables from every device to the reciever, and one SVideo cable from the reciever to the TV.

Note: That VCR only offers composite video output (single RCA jack). There is a $20 adaptor from Radio Shack or a $40 cable that converts this signal to SVideo for you.

Now - you can also run Component from the DVD player straight to the TV - but the video improvement can be somewhat small (and makes the use of the system a bit harder).

Start with the SVideo hookup and you should be fine.

 

[DavidVC]

I sat down last night and made a drawing for all possible connections....WOW it can get real messy huh!? I'm not sure if I have SVideo switching, if I do, I will go the route you explained. Thank you very much.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

David,

Some of the pros and cons of the various methods are mentioned in the FAQ AND PRIMER, link in my sig.

-Vince

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Nobody I know ever tries to hook everything up at once. It's always:

- Hook speakers up, test
- Hook TV up, test
- Hook VCR up, test
- Hook CATV box up, test
- Hook Sat reciever up, test
- Hook DVD player up, test

So make your diagrams follow these steps and it will be a lot simpler:

Make a power-point sketch of the back of your reciever
Copy the reciever sketch to a bunch of new slides.

On each new slide, draw 1 box to represent a external device (One slide for the DVD player, another for the VCR, another for the CATV box, television, etc.)

Just show the connections from reciever to one external device on each slide. The goal is to break the complexity down to the reciever and 1 other device. This is enough to get your mind around.

Hope this helps.