True New HT Enthusiast (1 Viewer)

[ChipC]

Hi all. I've read that there is no stupid question that can be posed in these forums, and I hope that's really the case.

Anyhow, I have a fairly nice TV and a selection of components to hook up to it, but I'm not certain of the best way to get everything hooked up (to the TV, to the Receiver, or maybe even to the PC...). Here's a basic breakdown of what I've got, equipment-wise:

TV - Sony KV-32HS500
Receiver - STR-K502P
VCR - Sony SLV-N750
DVD - Sony DVP-NS725P
CD - Sony CDP-CE275
Gaming - Xbox, Gamecube, Dreamcast, N64

In addition, I'm considering hooking up my PC to my receiver and using it as a bit of a HTPC. My trouble comes in though, in knowing how, on Earth, to hook everything up in order to get the finest results. For instance, I've currently got my Xbox and DVD player hooked up to the Opticals on the Receiver, but will I need to change that once I get the PC hooked up? How do I get PC (with SoundBlaster Live! 5.1) hooked up to the receiver anyway? On the receiver, it looks like there are all sorts of Video In/Out options, but should I really be running Video in or out of the receiver?

I'm sorry for such a beginner-level question, but I wouldn't be asking if I weren't so confused.

Anyhow, thanks in advance for the help all.

 

[John S]

The problem is, just as you have indicated, there is no set way that can be said to be best.

It takes experimentation to actually see what is best, and it will be a balance of PQ -vs- Ease of use.

I switch all my sources through my AVR these days, simple and I don't see any degradation in picture quality. (PQ)

All my sources these days except the VCR run digitally to the AVR as far as sound goes. The exceptions are my VCR (analog) and because many of the oldest Laserdiscs do not have digital sound I run analog there in addition to the digital audio connections.

I know this didn't really help you much. But it is the reality of connecting everything up.

Now one consistant approach to take, is the one that many feel that video wise is, it is best to have nothing in between the source and the display. This does have some merrit, and if you feel this way, you should try to connect every source directly to the display and just audio be it digital or analog only to the AVR.

Now also keep in mind quality of different video connections as well....

DVI/HDMI is generally considered best as it is all digital.
A step down is a connection that is still analog and looks just like a VGA computer connection.
A smallish step down from that is to use the 3 individual coax cable with RCA connectors known as Component Video.
The next step down is considered SVIDEO (NTSC only, no ed or hd)
The final step down is called composite, which is the entire video signal sent analog over one RCA style connection. (Also NTSC only no ed or hd)

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Chip,

This old post of mine should get you pointed in the right direction. It doesn’t cover the latest DVI video connections or the PC, but everything else should be useful.

Basic Home Theater Connections

Regarding the PC, if you have a 5.1 card there should be a digital output. If it’s a 1/8” mini jack, you’ll have to use a coaxial input on the receiver, and a 1/8” to RCA adapter. If you have to have optical for the receiver, there are converters available that will convert the PC’s output to optical.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt