Quick Question on HT Setup
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New member Username: NmercadoPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-08 | I'm really hoping someone can help me. I know that KISS is recommended, but also don't want to sacrifice performance. OK - enough rambling. Here's my problem. I just bought a yamaha RX-V463 which has 1080p-compatible HDMI (2 in/1 out) terminals, Klipsch Synergy F3 front speakers and a Klipsch Synergy center speaker (C-2, I think). I have a newer LG LCD TV (HDMI input) and newer LG DVD player (with HDMI out) and Foxtel iQ (not HD). I'm currently running all components to TV: DVD with HDMI cable, Foxtel iQ with co-ax (from SCART?) and then running an optical audio cable from TV to the Yamaha. Is this method sacrificing any performance? Would I be better off running everything direct to Yamaha and then to TV (even though I'll need to buy some new cables)? Any help would be appreciated - even if in quick yes/no answers! |
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Silver Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 312 Registered: Feb-08 | You are definitely losing performance using coax from your Foxtel iQ to carry the audio and video signals to your TV. Your system obviously works but ideally you would: Convert the Foxtel iQ's RGB to component video. From there hook component video and either digital coax or optical to the Yamaha. DVD to Yamaha, via HDMI. Yamaha to TV via HDMI and maybe component video would be needed as well. You would greatly improve both audio and video doing this but since this could get pretty expensive I would at least consider S-Video and optical (or digital coax would be cheaper) to hook between your Foxtel and TV. This would keep things very similar to the current setup (since the Yamaha does not switch S-Video) but make some big improvements in, especially, the audio portion. |
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Silver Member Username: MccambleyBREEZY POINT, NY USA Post Number: 507 Registered: Jun-05 | MY 2 cents. The Yamaha has 2 in 1 out HDMI but they are basically video switches and would be useful if you have more HDMI device then inputs on your TV. Send all video to the TV, HDMI from the DVD player and RGB out to a component break out wire for the Foxtel iQ box. Send all audio to the receiver using digital coaxial from the Foxtel iQ to the Yamaha and optical wire from the DVD to the Yamaha (the Yamaha only has one coaxial in). You must go into the set up menu for the DVD and the Foxtel iQ to turn on the digital bit stream. I am very surprised that you get any sound at all hooking up the TV to the Yamaha. Usually these optical out puts on the TV are only for the internal TV tuners and do not switch audio from one device to anther. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2306 Registered: Feb-04 | The best option on the Foxtel iQ box is S-video. There's no digital video output, no RGB output, and no component output on this box. So Neal I would run S-video directly from the iQ to the TV. I would also normally run the optical output from the iQ into the receiver, but if you are getting all audio from the TV's optical out then there's no reason to change that. http://www.foxtel.com.au/files/userguide_460CBL.pdf ....... see page 63 Even if the iQ had a component output, a breakout component®RGB cable almost certainly would not work because it is very unlikely that the TV's D-sub 15 pin RGB input could be configured to accept component video. |
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New member Username: NmercadoPost Number: 2 Registered: Jun-08 | Thanks guys. That's really helpful. I'm now running digital coax from FoxTel to receiver and optical from DVD to receiver. I had to have faith, though, because I couldn't tell the difference in sound when playing DVDs when wired through my TV with optical cable vs wired directly to receiver with optical cable. I tested each method using my Cars DVD (I played the opening THX sequence) about 5 times and cound't pick any increased performance when run direct vs through my TV. Could it me that since I am running only 3 speakers (R, L, C) that I'm not able to get full performance? |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2312 Registered: Feb-04 | "I'm now running digital coax from FoxTel to receiver and optical from DVD to receiver. I had to have faith, though, because I couldn't tell the difference in sound when playing DVDs when wired through my TV with optical cable vs wired directly to receiver with optical cable." Oh ye of little faith. (Just kidding  .) Let's get something straight here. With regard to the DVD player, the TV is sending the digital audio it is receiving on its HDMI input from the player back out to the receiver via its optical output. So, in this case, you shouldn't hear any difference in the audio when you are playing DVDs vs. a direct optical output into the receiver. I would still run optical direct into the receiver for the simple reason that if you wanted to play an ordinary CD on that DVD player you could hear it without having to power up the TV. The Foxtel box is another story. You were using either coax (RF) or SCART from the box into the TV --- your original post is not clear on this point. But either way, you are not sending audio into the TV in digital form. The TV is apparently converting simple analogue audio into digital and sending it out on its optical output. It has been my understanding that even the best of modern displays just don't do that, but that's the only explanation I can come up with here since your TV doesn't have any sort of digital audio input. Again, your best option on the Foxtel iQ hookup is to run S-video into the TV. This is the highest quality option available on the box for video. (If you upgrade to the HD box this will change.) For audio, you should run the Foxtel box's optical output into the Yamaha. If you want to hear the TV's internal speakers when using the Foxtel box, you also need to run standard R/L audio from the box's line outputs into the TV. |
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New member Username: NmercadoPost Number: 3 Registered: Jun-08 | Thanks John. Will get an S-video connection for FoxTel - you've convinced me! That's strange that I'm getting sound out of the optical output of the TV though for FoxTel. It sounds fine though. The only thing I can think of is that the TV has an in-built HD tuner - not sure if this makes a difference though. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2314 Registered: Feb-04 | Let me ask a couple of questions Neal. With your old hookup, are you changing channels on the iQ or are you actually changing channels on the TV itself? When viewing cable, does your receiver light up the Dolby Digital symbol indicator light on the left side of the Yamaha's front panel display when using the TV's optical output? If so, is this on all channels or some channels? Do you see the input channel indicator lights on the lower right of the Yamaha's display when using the TV's optical output? |
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