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TV and Surround Sound (1 Viewer)

john waring

Agent
Joined
Oct 31, 2001
Messages
39
what do I need on my tv to have proper surround sound or does the tv have anything to do with the sound?
 

Ted Lee

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
8,390
you need a receiver to decode a surround sound signal.
pretty much any stereo tv will allow you to have surround sound if the tv station broadcasts in surround. i think shows like the simpsons, x-files, etc. broadcast in surround. you can always tell because they pop that little logo at the beginning of the show.
other than that, without a dd/dts receiver, you won't be able to have "true" surround.
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"The ship of death has a new captain." - nosferatu (1922)
 

Ken Seeber

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 5, 1999
Messages
787
OK, four issues to cover here:
1) John, welcome to the Forum. You'll find a lot of very helpful people around here.
2) Try to make your topic headers more detailed. Most people won't even click on a thread with a vague title like "tv".
3) Don't be surprised when a moderator moves this thread to the TV and Projectors area.
4) To answer you question, some TV sets can simulate surround sound, but my experience is that it's pretty lacking. For proper surround sound, you need a surround sound receiver, preferably one equipped with Dolby Digital and DTS so you can use it witha DVD player. Then, you'll also need the full complement of speakers: left, center and right front speakers, left and right rear speakers. This set-up will at least get you started.
For broadcast TV sound, you'll need to plug a satellite or cable box's stereo or digital audio outputs to the receiver, or you can use the audio outputs of a hi-fi VCR, using the VCR's built-in tuner for broadcast TV. Also, some TV sets may offer left and right stereo audio outputs that can be connected to the receiver.
 

Mike Voigt

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 30, 1997
Messages
799
Header changed to reflect the question a bit better.
BTW, yes, one can use the TV to decode some of the surround modes. Mine can certainly do that, and it is a few years old.
However, I have found that using the receiver and the HT speakers yields a much better result. The speakers in TVs tend to be fairly basic affairs, nowhere near the quality of what you'd normally use for a HT. Ditto for using the TV as a center - I did, and I am glad I got a dedicated center channel now. The soundfield was just incredibly uneven.
Frankly, I rarely if ever use the TV speakers...
Mike
[Edited last by Mike Voigt on November 11, 2001 at 05:13 AM]
 

PaulKH

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 3, 2001
Messages
413
I have a Pioneer Elite TV (not a low end TV) and have never used the speakers in it. Recently I tried them out as a alternative center channel (the TV has a special input to use them this way) but they sounded worse than my Acoustic Research center that sits on top of the TV.
If you want surround sound, your best bet is not to use the TV at all, and to send the sound from cable/VCR/DVD/etc. to a receiver and speakers connected to one.
 

Gary Kellerman

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 30, 1999
Messages
127
The quality of the surround sound from a tv station will not only be determined by your own equipment but the broadcast quality of the audio from the tv station. I find many stations whose channels are out of balance. This not only includes the terrestial stations one can pick up on a roof antenna or carried by cable, but the cable company that picks up stations via satellite that fail to maintain proper channel balance and audio output at their front end.
 

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