Hi. I have read many of the threads in this forum, but am still confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Components: Samsung 40 LCD model 4041 Cablevision hdtv box (explorer-4250HD) Philips DVP 5960 dvd player Sony Home theater system ( HT-DDW700)
Hook up so far:Sony Receiver Coaxial(dvd in) to DVD digital out. and dvd to tv via video cord.
Receiver audio in to tv audio out via red/white cables
All speakers hook up
Now the cable box. : cable from outside to cable box. Component cables ( B,G,R) from cable box to back of tv.
Here's the question (s):
1. do I need audio cables (red/white) from the cable box to the tv? 2. how does this set-up sound? Any suggestions on re-wiring or is it ok as is?
You need to run audio from your cable box to your receiver if you want to hear TV programs on your audio system. If you want to hear TV programs on your TV, you'll want to run audio from your cable box to your TV (component video does not carry audio). If you have a surround system, you'll want to use a digital (coax or optical) audio connection from your cable box to your receiver if you watch programs that feature Dolby Digital 5.1.
I'm not sure why you're running audio out from your TV to your receiver, unless you also have an off-air antenna connected directly to your TV.
I also have the 8300hd and would like to watch 7.1 tv on my new home theater(Onkyo 604 with a zone 2, which I could use my old receiver to power the whole house speakers) as well as listen to music through out the house AT THE SAME TIME, if thats possible with the same cable box. i now have 6 sets of speakers running off a separate receiver(Tecknics sa 200-Bgt 1966) and it works great with the speaker selector and a separate cable box. my question is how do i wire up the 8300 hd cable box to get that whole house music AND watch tv in the media room at the same time.,eliminating that separate cable box i use for music. thanks. ps. please see below info but it doesn't say you can do both at the same time.
Using Your Receiver's Second Zone For Music Listening Posted by Admin on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 05:59 pm: [ Submit News ] [ Reply ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Alan Lofft, (bio), Axiom Audio
Question. I want to listen to the digital music channels in my bedroom from my Scientific Atlantic Explorer HD 8300 High-def cable box (Time Warner) through Zone 2 of my Onkyo TX-SR603X A/V surround receiver, however Zone 2 on this receiver will not accept digital signals. I have tried connecting RCA analog cables from the HD cable box to the Onkyo with no success. Onkyo tech support said they could only suggest that the digital signal in the Scientific Atlantic cable box does not have digital-to-analog conversion capabilities. Scientific Atlantic confirmed this.
What are my options for listening to the music channels thru my Zone 2? Do I need a separate D/A converter? Thanks.
Answer. No you don't, and your Zone 2 simply routes analog, not digital, stereo signals to the remote speakers. I'm surprised at the bad advice given you by Onkyo and Scientific Atlanta, who should know their products better. The digital music-only channels supplied by Time-Warner are carried on a standard Dolby Digital feed, and your Onkyo A/V receiver will decode and play them in two-channel stereo. Furthermore, the Scientific Atlanta HD8300 cable box (I have one and I'm also on Time-Warner) routes the digital music channels to the left and right analog audio output jacks on the back panel of the cable box. (You may have to go into the HD 8300 cable box menu to activate the analog audio outputs.)
There are several possible hookups: Connect the coaxial digital audio output of the HD 8300 cable box to the digital audio input on your Onkyo receiver (you could use the optical digital output if you'd prefer, as the cable box has both optical and coaxial digital outputs). That will carry the Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream of HD broadcasts as well as the 2-channel Dolby Digital music channels to your Onkyo. Then whichever input you select on the Onkyo for zone 2 will feed the analog stereo signal to the Zone 2 speakers. You'll need to go into the Onkyo menu to activate the Zone 2 mode, but thereafter, you would just select the correct digital input on your Onkyo that corresponds to the cable box feed. Don't forget that you'd need to select the particular digital music channel you want to listen to using the HD8300 cable box remote control.
The other way you can do it is use the HD8300 cable box's stereo analog output jacks. You can connect those to any of your Onkyo's analog audio inputs, and just select those inputs and Zone 2 to route the signals to your patio, garage or bedroom speakers. Of course, you'd still need to put your TV on and use the cable box remote to select the digital music channel from the on-screen channel guide.
Do I understand correctly that you want to watch TV with your HD box on one TV while you listen to digital music channels (also from your cable box) at the same time?
I'd be surprised if your cable box allows you to listen to two different channels at the same time.
The newer DishNetwork receivers have outputs for both tuners that are active at the same time, but I haven't seen any other cable/satellite boxes that work this way.
i have the sa 8300 hd. it's 2 tuners in one. it plays picture in picture on my tv. so it gives out 2 separate signals at same time. i know i could listen to music and watch tv, but i wasn't sure how to do it at the same time,similar to pip. read reviewers statement below mine. thanks for responding.
Yes, I assumed it had two tuners, but when you're watching with PIP enabled, I assume you're only getting audio from one of the tuners.
Unless your cable box has separate audio out sections for each tuner, then I don't think you can accomplish what you're trying to do. Your cable box can probably only output audio for one tuner at a time. That's how most dual tuner receivers work.
nathan, thanks once again for reply. i have way too much time on my hands so i'll play around and see-. i sure would like to return that extra cable box that i use for music to save some cash but i don't want to give up the luxury of listening to music whenever/wherever i want and still watch tv in media room.thanks again, maybe i'll try to get that reviewer to follow up on his discussion about zone 2 being used at the same time with the same cable box?
}}I hope someone can help me. I have a Panasonic 52" Plasma TV, Direct TV DVR, and a DVD Player. I'm haveing one heck of a hard time hooking up my Pioneer Surround sound. Every place I go, they say "Read The Manual" but the manual isn't worth the paper it was printed on, it tells me nothing. Can someone give me some info on where I can get a "GOOD" diagram on how to hook my surround sound up? PLEEAASSEE
I don't know your equipment, but making some assumptions, here is how I'd hook up your equipment:
DVD player component out to one of your TV's inputs DVD player digital out to Pioneer receiver's DVD input (probably a coax RCA-type connection) DirecTV video out (S-video, component, whatever) to one of your TV's inputs DirecTV digital out (optical) to Pioneer receiver's TV/SAT in
You may need to adjust some settings on your Pioneer receiver, so it knows what the digital inputs are mapped to. All that is covered in your manual though.
The Pioneer products I've dealt with have had pretty good manuals. The manuals for your DirecTV box, DVD player, TV and receiver should have diagrams of this stuff.
Thanks a lot Nathan ...... That gives me something to start with ..... keep in mind, I'm just a Truck Driver ..... I easilly get very confused when it come to hooking uo video/audio equipment ....... "Thanks again"
. I have a Panasonic 52" Plasma TV, Direct TV DVR, and a DVD Player. I'm haveing one heck of a hard time hooking up my Pioneer Surround sound
. Every place I go, they say "Read The Manual" but the manual isn't worth the paper it was printed on, it tells me nothing
. Can someone give me some info on where I can get a "GOOD" diagram on how to hook my surround sound up? PLEEAASSEE