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New member Username: BsquaredPost Number: 1 Registered: Jan-08 | So my nightmare begins by going to Be$tBuy, before learning more about HD and home theater systems. I am very new to this forum, but it seems like just the place I need to be in order to learn more about my new hobby. I apologize if my post is ignorant or redundant. Here's the short of it and specifics are listed below. I went to Be$tBuy in order to buy an HD home theater system. I unfortunately bought a 50" HD 720p plasma, home theater DVD upconvert, harmon\kardon AVR, and I also got a HD digital cable box via Comcast. When the system was installed by Be$tBuy, they told me the AVR was not needed. Cool! I returned it and bought a BlueRay player which was a bad idea because now I think I need an AVR to hook everything up. I received HD DVD movies as gifts and found out I didn't have HD player. OK, I'll stop whining now.... What is my logical solution to connecting all these components with the best picture and sound? I really want to learn this before buying anything else. This is what I have: Panasonic 50" HD Plasma Model: TH-50PX75U Inputs: 2 HDMI, 2 analog audio, 1 composite video, 1 S-video, 2 audio and 1 component video Panasonic - 1000W 5.1-Channel XM-Ready Home Theater System/Upconvert DVD Model: SC-PT750 - this is acting as a AVR right now Sony - Blu-ray High-Definition Disc Player Model: BDP-S300 Comcast Digital HD Cablebox CURRENT CONNECTIONS from Be$tBuy: Plasma HDMI cable to DVD player Plasma HDMI cable to HD cable box RCA cables(red/yellow) from DVD player to cable box I am playing all audio via AUX. I have to switch HDMI and RCA cables to the BlueRay player to play BlueRay discs. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Help please.... |
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Silver Member Username: HuronIf theres no... Post Number: 386 Registered: Mar-07 | I was in bestbuy the other day helping a sales person sell that same tv only because we were exchanging info, every time I see someone buying something big there I allways want to tell them to do there resreach before making a large perchase, a lot of times you might find it cheaper or and upgrade for the same price online, not saying you got ripped sometime bestbuy is ok, just saying kind of what your saying, I know for myself the more i resreach most of the time I windup buying something other than what I thaugh I was and feel more confedent I made the right choice, buying a tv from bestbuy is one thing buying a reciever from there, no, if you want a reciever what is your budget, hold on you have the panasonic system, so that reciever wont work? read the manual, why wuold bestbuy say that you dont need a reciever? |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2094 Registered: Feb-04 | Brian, your predicament was caused in part by your lack of knowledge and research. But then, that's why people go to places like Best Buy to buy from an "expert", isn't it? Whoever let you walk out with this audio system should be given a week's suspension without pay. Of course, it is ultimately the store's system that encourages this sort of thing. They were all to happy to let you go with a bunch of boxes and a couple of overpriced HDMI cables. First the good news. That TV, while not Panasonic's top of the line, is still an excellent display. You certainly could have done worse, and I suspect you're pretty happy with it. However, this Panasonic HTIB is is very close to a rip-off. This much money ($370?) for a unit that has only one analog stereo input is ridiculous. Even the next model up in Panasonic's line has only one input. Assuming you don't want to spend more money, I would return this Panasonic HTIB and make a lateral move to the Samsung HT-TX72. (Go to Best Buy's site and search Samsung HT-TX72.) This HTIB has one digital optical input, two analog audio inputs -- and it even has one pass-through HDMI input. All this for $350, and I'll bet it sounds at least as good as the Panasonic. The one optical in on the Samsung will yield true digital surround from your Blu-ray and your cable box. You would need an optical switch to switch back and forth from the Blu-ray and the cable box for digital audio. The other thing here is that you have a superior DVD player in your Blu-ray. So why not use it not just for Blu-ray discs, but also for regular DVDs? That means you really don't have to use the HTIB's HDMI output. But if you insist on having DVD playback capability from the HTIB, you could use the two HDMI inputs on the TV for the HTIB and Blu-ray, and hookup the cable box's HDMI into the Samsung's HDMI input. You would have to select that input on the HTIB to get the cable box's signal into the TV, and you would still have to hookup the cable box's digital audio into the HTIB. |
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New member Username: BsquaredPost Number: 3 Registered: Jan-08 | Thank you Angelo and John S for your suggestions. Unfortunately, the Panasonic HTIB in unreturnable at this point. I realize that I made a mistake buying the HTIB, but my main purpose right now is to salvage what I did buy. Is there a way to connect all my components and use them efficiently? John, I stress again that I am a novice at most. I understand the HDMI from TV to HTIB and Blue-ray. How do I get the cable box involved without buying the Samsung? I've seen HDMI switchs that allow you to connect 3 or 4 HDMI cables. Is this something that would help me? |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2100 Registered: Feb-04 | Yes Brian, we can make do. First, you need an HDMI switcher. A three in/one out will do. You can feed all three of your HDMI sources into the switch box and feed ony one HDMI cable to the TV. Using a switcher for all your HDMI sources frees up an HDMI input on the TV for possible future expansion. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002 &p_id=3029&seq=1&format=2 Of course, you need one more HDMI cable (don't get too queasy when you see how realize how much Best Buy over-charged you for their HDMI cables). http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024007 &p_id=3871&seq=1&format=2 I highly recommend monoprice. I've ordered lots of cables from them and their quality and service is first-rate. I have not used their 3/1 HDMI switcher, but I am confident it will work. OK, that takes care of the video. What to do for the sound? Your only option is a simple analog stereo switcher that would feed the only input you have on your Panasonic HTIB. http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?products_id=9207 This 4 in/2 out composite audio/video is twice as much switching power you presently need, but again this box would offer more inputs for future use. You would run the cable box's red/white audio outputs into input one on the box. I would run the cable box's HDMI into input one on the HDMI switch. So "ONE" on both boxes means cable. Similarly, you would do the same with the Blu-ray, so that "TWO" would be the Blu-ray player. "THREE" on the HDMI switcher would be the HTIB, which will supply its own audio when you play a DVD/CD on it. Got it? The shame here is that you won't hear discrete digital 5.1 audio from your cable box and Blu-ray player. Hopefully, there's some kind of DSP (digital sound processing) available on the Panasonic HTIB that will simulate surround from the external stereo audio signals going in to it. |
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New member Username: BsquaredPost Number: 4 Registered: Jan-08 | First of all, thank you so much for your suggestions and explaining what I should/need to do. And you did it so that even I could understand with my handicap. Secondly, shouldn't it be illegal to mark-up the price of HDMI cables like that?!? I spent almost.....nevermind I don't want anyone to know. Now I know where to go in the future, so thank you again. Thirdly, please tell me if I am off my rocker. Is it possible to buy an AVR that will act as a HDMI and composite switch. I thought that HDMI cables carry video and audio. Will I still need to buy a switch because of my HDMI input limitations? I'm just trying to think of all available possibilities before I buy more hardware. Right now, I need to purchase an HDMI switch and a composite switch. I would rather spend a few more bucks and buy a good AVR (suggestions?) that will do the same thing. Thank you for having so much patience! B2 |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2108 Registered: Feb-04 | ...shouldn't it be illegal to mark-up the price of HDMI cables like that?!? The first rule of a free market is "whatever the market will bear." ...please tell me if I am off my rocker. Is it possible to buy an AVR that will act as a HDMI and composite switch. I thought that HDMI cables carry video and audio. Will I still need to buy a switch because of my HDMI input limitations? I don't know which HarmanKardon AVR you had originally, but even last year's bottom of the line is better than what you have now. Any HDMI equipped AVR will do the simple switching that the separate HDMI switcher I cite above does. In addition, it will have the digital audio inputs that could be used for surround sound from your cable box and Blu-ray, thus making a composite switcher unnecessary. Yes, HDMI carries video and audio. However, not all receivers are built to process those audio signals. Some receivers simply offer HDMI switching, without altering or using in any way the HDMI signal as it comes through the receiver. On these receivers a separate audio connection is necessary. Other receivers can handle some types of digital audio on HDMI and not others, while others have the horsepower to process all audio codecs (code - decode) available today. Most receiver manufacturers are playing catch-up with regard to these new higher quality audio bitstreams. (The new Onkyo receivers, from the 605 on up have the lead in the marketplace, but that will change soon.) It's up to the buyer how important great audio is, and how much he wants to pay for it. There are tons of modern AVRs out there at all price points. The first thing to do is decide how much money you want to spend on it. Of course, you could use the Panasonic's speakers with it, but eventually you'll want to upgrade. It would be a cryin' shame to get a serious AVR and not get some serious speakers as well. |
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New member Username: BsquaredPost Number: 5 Registered: Jan-08 | Thanks again John S for your advice. It looks like I'll be doing some AVR shopping over the next few weeks. I'll marked this thread as closed. Thanks, B2 |