I wonder if someone can help me... i have a new 50 inch samsung series 4 PLASMA, a Playstation 3, an Onkyo tx-sa806 receiver and a 5.1 yamaha EF series set of speakers. I want to hook all this up to get the best picture and sound. Currently I have a hdmi cable running from the ps3 to the receiver and a hdmi cable from the receiver to the tv however the tv is not playing through the amp and hence the only sound i hear is through the tv speakers. I have the antenna co-axial going straight from the wall to the t.v antenna-in port. Where am i going wrong??? thanks in advance for your help.....
If you are not going to suscribe to cable or satellite you will need to connect your TV to your receiver using an optical cable (digital audio out on the back of your TV).
You should purchase the cable from a place like www.monoprice.com rather than any store I know of.
Inputs and outputs normally have to be assigned to "on" in the set up menu of a TV and a receiver. Take a look at your owner's manuals for instructions on how to access the correct portion of the menu for this task.
"Currently I have a hdmi cable running from the ps3 to the receiver and a hdmi cable from the receiver to the tv ... "
I'm guessing you mean to say you have a cable running from the outputs of the TV into the inputs of the receiver. If not, that's part of your problem.
Jan, I think you may of hit it on the head with your last statement.
DAN- It sounds like to me, that you have the PS3 going into an HDMI input, and then the tv coming out of the Onkyo's HDMI output. This will only give you sound through the receiver coming from the PS3. This is the correct way so far though. You need to get an audio cable coming from you cable box into the Onkyo. Either another HDMI cable running into another HDMI input on the Onkyo. Or a Optical/Coax from the Cable box to the Onkyo. Then Disable the tv speakers in the TV's menu. If you do not have a cable box, and just a straight coax running to your tv. Then run an audio cable from the TV audio out into the Receivers audio in. Cheers.
"If you are not going to suscribe to cable or satellite you will need to connect your TV to your receiver using an optical cable (digital audio out on the back of your TV). "
Does this mean that my sound will be compromised as i read somewhere that the optical cable will only provide 2 channel sound and I am obviously chasing 5.1?
"I'm guessing you mean to say you have a cable running from the outputs of the TV into the inputs of the receiver. If not, that's part of your problem."
Thanks, you are right however my tv doesn't have hdmi out, only hdmi in, hence i am running the hdmi from the out on the receiver to the in on the tv......
is it best then to run an optical cable out from the tv to the in on the receiver or simply use an audio cable from the audio out on the tv to the in on the receiver? which will give better 5.1 sound?
"If you do not have a cable box, and just a straight coax running to your tv. Then run an audio cable from the TV audio out into the Receivers audio in. "
do i also need to run a video out cable from the TV to the receiver?
"I'm guessing you mean to say you have a cable running from the outputs of the TV into the inputs of the receiver. If not, that's part of your problem."
"Thanks, you are right however my tv doesn't have hdmi out, only hdmi in, hence i am running the hdmi from the out on the receiver to the in on the tv......
is it best then to run an optical cable out from the tv to the in on the receiver or simply use an audio cable from the audio out on the tv to the in on the receiver? which will give better 5.1 sound?"
I guess I don't understand what signal you're trying to send from the receiver to the TV? The PS3? Which is connected via HDMI to the receiver and then from the receiver to the TV?
OK
Then what source are you switching to on the receiver when you want to hear the PS3? You need to have the input for the PS3 selected at the receiver and not the input for the TV. As I said, you'll normally have to switch inputs on or off to have coax/optical or HDMI recognized by the receiver and by the TV. This is accomplished most often in the set up menu of both the receiver and the TV.
When you listen to the TV it sounds like you have no satellite or cable box so you would have the antenna coax run correctly. To watch/listen to TV you would select the TV as your source on the receiver - whichever input you've chosen for the TV input is selected at the receiver. Again you'll probably have to tell the receiver to recognize the input for the TV.
Which cable is better for 5.1 sound? There's nothing that makes one particular cable better than another in most cases when it comes to multi-channel sound. The advantage of HDMI in most cases is in video and in the lack of a snake of audio cables you would have otherwise. Honestly, I doubt you'll notice any siginificant difference between optical and coax for your use.
Turn off the speakers within the TV and set the audio output to fixed rather than variable.
Unless you've engaged another circuit such as tape monitor while punching buttons this should get you sound through the receiver for both your PS3 and the TV.