Newbie needs HT connection help!

[ceejaynj]

Newbie here…and I need some help! If I sound somewhat ignorant, it is because I am in the process of setting up my first “true” home theater. So go easy on me! Based on my budget, I have the following equipment:

- Sony STR-DE595 5.1 500W Surround Amp (digital & optical output)
- Magnavox DP170MW8B Upconvert DVD Player (coaxial Dolby Digital output)
- Sanyo VCR (still have lots of VHS)
- Teac CD-P1260 CD Player
- Infinity 100W fronts (2)
- JVC 100W center (1)
- Aiwa small surrounds (2)
- No subwoofer
- Non-HDTV (at the moment)
- Non-HD STB (at the moment)

I will be getting an HDTV and subsequent HD-STB sometime next year, but I have to use what I currently have. Let me say that I used to have all my video equipment connected directly to my TV, then the TV was connected to my bookshelf stereo. I just turned on the bookshelf stereo (aux channel) and instant “surround.” Very primitive and not true surround, I know. Gone is the bookshelf stereo and I now have a dedicated Sony 5.1 amp. I have searched the web, but there are so many connection options and opinions, that it has become overwhelming. Even my product manuals are not helping.

Simply put, here is what I am looking to get from my home theater setup:

First off, I do not want to use surround sound on a 24x7 basis…just for the occasional movie on DVD, VHS, or cable TV. I watch my TV with the sound coming only from the TV 90% of the time. I just want the ability to watch my TV “normally” (no surround), with the option to turn on my amp and watch “true” surround from my equipment when the mood hits (i.e. like I did with my old bookshelf stereo mentioned above). I have not found any connection setup to accomplish this on the web. Even the guy at Radio Shack said it was very uncommon and questioned why I would want it this way. Needless to say, he was no help. Is this something that is possible??? I know I can connect to my new amp in the same way as my old bookshelf stereo, but I do not think I will get “true” surround. I think I need to connect my equipment directly to my amp for A/V decoding.

Very sorry for the long post…but any connection help or recommendations based on the above would be VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

 

[j_garcia]

There should be no problem having that system work the way you want and this is how I have always had my systems setup. Use digital connections from the vairous devices. For those you want to also hear through the TV only, you will need to have the stereo analog connections from the device direct to the TV. That means, you will need to turn the TV down when using the AVR or you will get duplicate sound from the AVR and the TV and possibly "echo" as they may be slightly off in time due to processing.

When you upgrade, you might want to consider a newer AVR that has a HDMI bypass function, such as the current Yamahas (via HDMI). They allow you to have the AVR inline but it will still pass the signal through to the TV even when it isn't on.

 

[ceejaynj]

There should be no problem having that system work the way you want and this is how I have always had my systems setup. Use digital connections from the vairous devices. For those you want to also hear through the TV only, you will need to have the stereo analog connections from the device direct to the TV. That means, you will need to turn the TV down when using the AVR or you will get duplicate sound from the AVR and the TV and possibly "echo" as they may be slightly off in time due to processing.

When you upgrade, you might want to consider a newer AVR that has a HDMI bypass function, such as the current Yamahas (via HDMI). They allow you to have the AVR inline but it will still pass the signal through to the TV even when it isn't on.

Thanks very much for the info...much appreciated!

 

[ceejaynj]

So it soulds like I will need a lot of A/V ports on my TV.