I recently purchased one of those all-in-one home entertainment systems that provides you with DVD player, surround sound reciever, and surround sound speakers. I set it up and the surround sound with the DVD player works great.
However, I would like to send sound through the input jacks to allow me to have surround sound capabilities for my xbox and cable tv. This is where I ran into problems. My inputs are RCA jacks (the standard red-white-yellow plugs). When I plug into those jacks with either the xbox or cable TV line, I ONLY get sound out of 2 of my 5 speakers (left and right). I was under the impression that you cant carry surround sound on these RCA cables. Is that right?
If that is the case, what type of wires can carry surround sound? Digital audio?
My ultimate goal is to use these inputs to send surround sound into the reciever but Im starting to think that isnt possible with RCA jacks.
Any input at all would be very helpful! Thanks in advance!
Matt, those red/white jacks are strictly right/left analog audio. You can only simulate surround from them---provided your receiver has that capability. Coax (S/PDIF) or optical (Toslink) connections are the only ones that carry true digital surround sound.
Yes, you could buy a new receiver. You wouldn't need to spend a lot. There are some under $200 5.1 digital units available.
But then the question becomes what are you going to play DVDs on? If you use the receiver from the HTIB, does it have a digital output to feed the new receiver? I'm not experienced with the xbox, but if it has a digital audio output maybe you could use that.