I just purchased a Sony Dream System DAV-FX80 and a Sony 42" Projection LCD. I have a Scientific Atlantic Explorer 8300HD cable box. I have it so I'm using HDMI to watch DVD's. That looks and sounds great!! However for the cable I'm running a digitial optical cable from the cable box to the TV. Then I'm running RCA cables from the TV to the receiver. The picture is fine but the volume is very low. No where near the volume I have watching a DVD. What am I doing wrong?? I thought optical would give me the best sound and video? I was told my the cable provider to hook it up this way. Please help me out! What is the best way for the cable box?
Run the optical cord into your receiver input. You can run the RCA from the cable box into the TV input. For picture, you may want to use the S-video or component video outputs from your cable box to the tv if it has them. I had to call my provider to get a box with s-video and optical outputs (still waiting on high def in my area). Forget about mixing optical and RCA lines together for sound. Good luck.
I need help hooking up my home theater system. Here is what I have. I have a Sony tv, dvr,Vcr,dvd and a sony home theater reciver. I want to hook them all up to the reciver but have no clue. Wires everywhere!! What is the simplest way to do this. I was told that optical was the best way to go but I noticed that not all the components donot have the optical plug or the s video plug for that matter. There is an s video plug for the TV< DVD, VCR,dvr but not for the reciver. The reciver has an optical plug but only the dvd has the plug. the others do not. Please help. Hope i did not confuse
Quality goes in this order for sound: RCA=good, digital coax=better, optical (toslink)=best. For video: RCA=good, s-video=better, component video (red green blue)=best, DVI/HDMI=excellent. Hook your items up by using the above quality scale, if you do not have an input from that item, try the next one on the list. Word of advice regarding sony receivers as they ONLY have a digital coax input for DVD (no optical), you may wish to hook your DVD player into the receiver by using the optical cord as you suggested, just plug it into the TV/SAT in instead(it is optical). You can still use the digital coax sound input for your cable/satellite box if you have one. You can even customize the receiver to display the correct source on the front pannel even though you switched the sources around. You may send me an e-mail if you have any other questions. Sony owners manuals are terrible for a newbie to understand but I've mastered them over a great deal of time.