Best way to pass audio from receiver to TV?

[funk-o-meter]

So, I've been wondering.....

When you use the RCA video or S-Video switching integrated into an AV receiver, and you come out to your TV using the "monitor out". How do the designers expect you to get audio to your "monitor" anyway? I know you'll obviously have a HT of some sort in the room or you wouldn't be using the AV receiver in the first place, but lots of people like to keep things as simple as possible for the less technically oriented among us and just use the TV alone. My roommate for example wants to turn on the TV and start watching. He doesn't have the patience to figure out he has to turn on several other components and switch them to the correct setting blah blah blah. Especially when you get a universal remote involved. Then it gets more complicated. It takes me 6 to 8 key strokes of the remote to watch TV. He want to turn on the TV, grab the remote and watch the Simpsons. So for him I've got the systems up so he can do that with no fuss. I connect the VCR audio outs on the receiver to the audio in's on the TV or "monitor" so the TV gets audio as well. It wasn't the intended function, but it works. All he has to remember is that the receiver has to be on and that he can use it to switch to DVD or VCR or whatever. And we wind up leaving the receiver on most of the time anyway.

Is there a better way to do this? Do the designers just expect you to never use your TV's speakers again? How strange.

Oh and one more pet peve....... It sucks that to use S-video ins and outs on most receivers, you have to use ONLY S-video in's and outs because the S-video's wont pass or accept signal from the RCA's. So you have to use ALL RCA or ALL S-video. And if one piece of gear doesn't have S-Video, then you can't use S-video at all without re-engineering the whole freggin' system. GGRRRRRR.

What gives?

 

[MDS]

First, if you want a HT system, you don't need to get the audio to the monitor. The monitor is just that - a video display device. You want all the audio to be reproduced by the receiver and your speakers. I don't know why you would connect the vcr to the receiver and then use its audio outs to the tv unless you are using the tuner in the vcr to tune in cable channels. If you are using a cable box for that purpose, just connect it to the receiver by itself and the vcr to a different input. The 'monitor out' of the receiver will get the video to the tv.

If you DO want to watch tv without the receiver, you just have to get the audio and video to the tv and the way you do that depends on where you get the signal. If you are using cable, just run the cable from the wall to the tv. The RF signal from the cable company includes both audio and video. If you use cable but have a cable box, run the cable from the wall to the cable box RF in and from the cable box RF out to the tv. The cable box is connected to the receiver with audio and video cables and the receiver connected to the tv with audio cables. You just have to switch the input on the tv to cable/antenna in instead of video1 or whatever the input is named to which you connected the cable from the 'monitor out' jack on the receiver.

Second, regarding the need to use all composite video or all s-video cables. This is only true of lower end receivers. Mid range and above often have the ability to transcode from composite or s-video to component (or at the least from composite to s-video). That allows you to mix and match video formats. If your receiver can't do that, then yes you have to make the input format match the output format.

Lastly, any universal remote worth a dime has macro capability and you can set it up to turn everything on, tune to right input, set surround modes, etc with one button press. I use an HTM MX-350. I press at most two buttons to turn everything on - if the remote is not on the main page I have to press main to get it there. Once its there, I press 'power' and everything comes on.

It just takes the right combination of equipment and a little know how to make operating your system the way you like absolutely painless. Just ask away if you have any further questions. Most of us have 'been there, done that' and are eager to help.

 

[Bob R]

What receiver do you have?

The RCA (yellow) and S-video connections are video only. You would also need to connect the L/R audio outputs on the receiver, to the TV and perhaps use "Input One" on the TV.

That, should give you what you want.

My Denon AVR lets me assign the video outputs to Composite or S-Video. At least I think it does. I don't use the S-Video side.

 

[newfmp3]

First, if you want a HT system, you don't need to get the audio to the monitor. The monitor is just that - a video display device. You want all the audio to be reproduced by the receiver and your speakers.

Simple, some of us don't want our 400 watt, 7.1 surround system on when others are trying to sleep in the house. Not to mention the poor power bill racing up while the woman is watching oprah.


I just use rca Y splitters from the vcr/dvd/sat etc so the sound is on the tv as well. Some tv's even have good enough speakers to use as a center channel for those saving to buy a real one. I don't like to use coax, or rf connections when I have s-video/component/rca that give a much better picture. Also, a simple $15 video selector from radio shack/CC/wally mart etc can solve a few problems as well.

 

[funk-o-meter]

What receiver do you have?



The RCA (yellow) and S-video connections are video only. You would also need to connect the L/R audio outputs on the receiver, to the TV and perhaps use "Input One" on the TV.

That, should give you what you want.



My Denon AVR lets me assign the video outputs to Composite or S-Video. At least I think it does. I don't use the S-Video side.

Its a Denon AVR 1602. And yea, thats what I'm doing, except there is no general "audio out" that I know of. That's what's puzzling. There's no provision to feed the audio to the TV. I've never had a receiver that had that sort of thing.

I'm using the VCR audio L&R out on my receiver to feed the TV because it passes whatever's playing through the receiver at the time. Maybe I should double check the manual on assigning video outs. But I'm pretty sure that dog doesn't know that trick. Not that big a deal though, as I've figured out that workaround.

Anybody know if those little S-video to RCA adapters work in reverse? These things...

Cause every thing I have has an S-video out except my old VCR thats still hanging around for occasional old concert films and rare movies. If I could use one of those little guys to get my VCR into the receiver via S-video, It would solve my problem.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I've never heard of a receiver not being able to utilize both composite and s-video inputs. Sounds more like your TV only has one 'video' input and the TV is over riding the video, not the receiver.

If the one and ONLY thing you want to make easy is viewing cable, then loop the cable connection that currently runs into your cable box, out of the cable box and into the TV directly. That way, when you turn the TV on and put the TV on channel 03 you will have modulated cable which can be controlled through the cable box directly. If you don't have any premium channels or you don't want the external box used at all, then split the cable before the cable box, and run the line directly into the TV. This will let your TV tune channels like the good ol' days. Cable ready TV and all that. Just plug the cable in, put it on FOX, and your roomies can watch the Simpsons to their hearts content without screwing with your A/V stuff.

Oh - and definitely get a Universal remote that doesn't suck. A Harmony remote = 1 button to turn on EVERYTHING for cable TV with one single press. That's how it should be.

 

[Resident Loser]

Those things...

...the adapters, are essentially "dumb" devices(?) All they do is make a transition from one type of cable to another type of cable...(in this case they also sum the chrominance and luminance). It's what goes on behind the connector, inside the piece of gear they are connected to, that determines what is an input, what is an output...so, yes they will work either way, they are not directional.

jimHJJ(...they do not turn an input to an output or vice-versa...nor will they create an s-video signal from your VCRs output, it's a bit more complicated than that...)

 

[MDS]

Simple, some of us don't want our 400 watt, 7.1 surround system on when others are trying to sleep in the house. Not to mention the poor power bill racing up while the woman is watching oprah.


I just use rca Y splitters from the vcr/dvd/sat etc so the sound is on the tv as well. Some tv's even have good enough speakers to use as a center channel for those saving to buy a real one. I don't like to use coax, or rf connections when I have s-video/component/rca that give a much better picture. Also, a simple $15 video selector from radio shack/CC/wally mart etc can solve a few problems as well.

Does your receiver not have a volume control? Just because it is capable of 400 wpc does not mean that it will be too loud when others are sleeping - it will be quiet if the volume control is set low and the sound will be much better at low volumes using the receiver than it will be using the cheap speakers of the tv.

Regardless I respect anyone's desire to use the tv only - to each his own. It's just that the reason given doesn't make any sense.

By the way, if the cable signal is analog, it doesn't matter one whit that you use composite/s-video/component outputs. You can't do better than the source. Analog cable signals are composite - using s-video outs requires the box to split the composite into Y/C components and likewise component requires it to split it into YPbPr.