Is there a better way to connect?

[Bluethunder]

Greetings. Here is what I am working with:
Verizon FIOS DVR settop box by Motorola, HDMI out, component out, & audio out
Panasonic DVD-S54K player, HDMI out, Component out, audio out
Sony XBR4 46" LCD, 3 HDMI in, component in, etc.
Just bought a Yamaha HTR6160, 2 HDMI in, 1 HDMI out, etc.
I connected the Verizon FIOS set top directly to TV using its HDMI out; set top to receiver via audio out; DVD player to TV directly via HDMI; DVD to receiver via audio out. I don't want to have to turn on the receiver every time when we just want to watch TV in general. But the other night when I wanted to watch a HD movie off the Verizon set top, I turned on the receiver and tried to pipe the sound to the speakers, but the sound faded in and out. At times, we couldn't head the words because it was so faint. I suspected the speakers off the receiver may be out of phase with the TV speakers, so I turned the TV sound all the way down. Well, that didn't help. Any suggestions? Is there a better way to wire these things together? Am I losing anything in terms of quality by connecting them this way? Thanks in advance ...

 

[jfalk]

Why not just go from the settop box and the dvd player into the receiver? Just because you don't want to have the receiver on? Can't you simply program your remote to turn on the receiver whenever you turn on the television? My guess (and it's just a guess) is that you have to switch the TV sound off, not just turn it down.

 

[Bluethunder]

No, I don't want to always use the receiver when I watch TV. It make no sense to have all the speaker blasting for 6 o'clock news. So I only pipe the audio from the set top box to the receiver. Has anyone tried the HDMI spliter cable? I could split the HDMI from the set top to both the TV and the receiver so see if that improves the sound.