Need help with basic home A/V setup

[lh0628]

Hi all,

After days of reading through forums, I'm ready to ask some newbie questions about A/V setup. I'm all new to this game so be gentle Here comes:

TV: Samsung 40A450
Receiver: Nakamichi AV-8 (no HDMI ports)
Cable box: Motorola (no coaxial ports)
Laptop: Asus A8Js (3.5mm audio port and DVI/VGA video port)

Right now, my set-top box is using component cables, 3 of the plugs out to TV, and 2 of the plugs out to the receiver. I'm wondering, if I get a 3-plug component cable ( or HDMI), and an optical cable, and run A/V with these, would I get better quality than my current setup?

For the laptop, I know I can use DVI/VGA cable to connect to TV for video, but what should I use for audio? Is there such a thing like 3.5mm to coaxial, or 3.5mm to optical cable? Or can I only use 3.5mm to RCA audio?

Thank you

 

[Midcow2]

HDMI vs Component = mostly a tie

Hi all,

After days of reading through forums, I'm ready to ask some newbie questions about A/V setup. I'm all new to this game so be gentle Here comes:

TV: Samsung 40A450
Receiver: Nakamichi AV-8 (no HDMI ports)
Cable box: Motorola (no coaxial ports)
Laptop: Asus A8Js (3.5mm audio port and DVI/VGA video port)

Right now, my set-top box is using component cables, 3 of the plugs out to TV, and 2 of the plugs out to the receiver. I'm wondering, if I get a 3-plug component cable ( or HDMI), and an optical cable, and run A/V with these, would I get better quality than my current setup?

For the laptop, I know I can use DVI/VGA cable to connect to TV for video, but what should I use for audio? Is there such a thing like 3.5mm to coaxial, or 3.5mm to optical cable? Or can I only use 3.5mm to RCA audio?

Thank you

In most cases you will get the exact same PQ between component and HDMI.

Where you might see some difference is with an upconverting AVR that could add deep color and higher resolution to standard DVDs. Some AVrs will also upconvert the composite from your older VHS to HDMI.

Get a mini phono stereo jack to two RCA plugs and connect to AVR audio from your PC speaker port. red RCA=right white RCA=left.

Not familiar with 3.5mm term (assume you mean mini phono) connecting to optical or coax.

 

[bandphan]

your should be running a spdif cable in your current setup in your avr supports DD.

 

[lh0628]

Thank you.

What about component audio vs optical or coaxial audio?

My avr does support DD I think, but what did you mean by running spdif cable? From my laptop to the receiver? My laptop soundcard doesn't have a spdif output though.

 

[JerryLove]

What about component audio vs optical or coaxial audio?

I would recommend using the digital connection for three reasons.

1) It's the only way to get more than stereo sound (suroound sound)
2) The DAC in your receiver is, hopfully, better than the one in the cable box.
3) Less steps between the DAC and the speaker (one set of cables and interconnects that won't introduce problems).

 

[lh0628]

I see, thank you.

So should I buy a optical cable, and a 3-plug component cable? Or can I just buy a optical cable, and only use 3 video plugs of the 5-plug component cable (and just tape up the audio plugs)? Any disadvantage doing it the second way?

And a question about mini-jack to RCA for laptop to receiver audio. Is this how people usually connect their laptops to home theatre? How good/bad will it sound?

 

[lh0628]

And another speaker related question

The speakers I have (Polk M20) has a tweeter and a woofer in each enclosure. I'm wondering how does the receiver know how to send spereate signals to the tweeter and the woofer without crossovers?

Thank you.

 

[lh0628]

I keep reading stuff and questions just keeps popping up Can I:

For audio: get a male-to-male mini-jack cable, and connect from the laptop to the TV (TV has a mini-jack in for audio), and then connect the TV to the receiver with coaxial/optical/RCA cable? Would there be problems with audio conversions with different cables etc?

For video: just a male-to-male DVI cable from laptop to TV should do the trick right?

 

[sparky77]

ok, the reciever doesn't have to send a seperate signal to the two separate components of the speaker enclosure, the crossover within the enclosure divides the sound to the woofer and tweeter.

As for the connection from the laptop to the reciever, your laptops sound card MAY have an option to use the headphone output as an spdif (coaxial) ouput. When you open your sound controls if there's a checkbox for "digital only", you check that box, and use most likely the right channel fot he 3.5 to rca y cable connected to a coaxial input, and you should have a digital signal for the reciever to decode. I'm not gonna go into too much detail right away, but if you have further questions, I'm sure one of us can explain it with more detail.

 

[Midcow2]

very good recommendation

I would recommend using the digital connection for three reasons.

1) It's the only way to get more than stereo sound (suroound sound)
2) The DAC in your receiver is, hopfully, better than the one in the cable box.
3) Less steps between the DAC and the speaker (one set of cables and interconnects that won't introduce problems).

JerryLove makes a very good recommendation. If you PC has this capabilitiy by all means use it.

As with video, on audio is is usually best to go with the highest quality output available. Some PC cards do not have digital sound then a mini phon jack to two RCA pludgs would be used. If you have higher quality adio out put avaialble, e.g. optical, coax or digital, then use the higher quality output.

Good luck!