Using a 5.1 htiab with Blu Ray player? (1 Viewer)

[cam-89]

Hello everyone. I'm relatively new to the home theater world. About two years ago, I bought my very first "home theater in a box", a Philips HTS-3450. Philips HTS-3450 All Region Code Free DVD Home Theater System with built-in 3 way Converter.1000 watts total power Code Free for playback of all PAL/NTSC Region 1-6 DVD movies including RCE DVDs. No Multi-System TV or video converter required!This mo I'm very pleased with the quality of the surround sound that it puts out, and I've been using it ever since. However, I'm thinking about venturing into Blu Ray land. I have a nice Sharp 52-inch Aquos TV, and I know that Blu Ray would look amazing on it.

Now, here's my question. I really don't want to buy (nor can I afford) a brand new, 7.1 surround sound system just because I got a Blu Ray player. I'd like to still be able to use my Philips system. Would I be able to just run a digital coaxial cable from the BR player to the the digital out on the Philips unit to get traditional 5.1 surround? Is it really a necessity to get a 7.1 system?

 

[Ed Moxley]

Yes, that should work fine. Just make sure the player you get has a digital coax output.

People with rooms big enough to support 7.1, are mainly the ones using it. It's personal taste. If you're happy with 5.1, that's fine. Blu ray are the only movies with 7.1 soundtracks anyway, and only a few of those right now.