Completing my home theater

[Grotius]

Hi folks,

This is my first post, but I did run a few searches to try to guide me, so forgive me if I'm asking questions you've heard before. Basically, I have an HDTV, DVD player, DVR, and comfy chairs; I need a receiver and speakers, perhaps better cabling, and eventually a better DVD player and DVR.

More specifically, this is what I have: Sony SXRD 60-inch KDS-60A2000 LCD rear-projection TV with two HDMI inputs, several red/yellow/white inputs, plus "HD-DVD" inputs up to 1080i; Sony DVP-NC675P progressive-scan 5-disc DVD player (no HDMI input, just red/yellow/white); cable box (Comcast) that is an HD converter and sports lots of ports (but no HDMI), including DVI-D, USB, 1194, and red/yellow/white A/V ports; and a TIVO box (non-HD). Right now I have red/yellow/white cables (er, what are those called?) connecting the TV to the DVD; coaxial from wall to cable box, then red/yellow/white cables from cable box to TIVO; then red/yellow/white from TIVO to TV. I have a square room, 18x18 feet maybe, wall to wall carpet, fully enclosed room with just one door, TV in one corner, comfy chairs on the two opposing walls.

One question I have: Is my current cabling setup as good as I can get? Is there any way to make use of the DVI-D port on the cable box? The DVD picture looks pretty great to me as is, but would it improve if I used the trio of inputs on the TV marked "HD-DVD"? I don't even know if my DVD player supports upscaling, or if it's a good idea to try, given that it already looks great to me with standard DVDs.

A second question is: am I OK with this entry-level progressive-scan DVD player until I settle on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? Eventually I do plan to buy an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player, but I figured I'd hold off til more titles are available and prices come down, and maybe get one with the PS3 when it ships later this year. So I'm happy to live with my current DVD set up for a few months, I think, unless I'm really missing out with what I've got. Am I?

A third question is: if I buy a receiver now, anticipating that I will later get Blu-Ray or a PS3 or HD-DVD, do I need a receiver with HDMI inputs? As near as I can tell, those start in the $600-800 range, whereas you can get non-HDMI stuff (e.g., Onkyo TX-SR603X) for much less. If I get HDMI now, will it be of any immediate use to me? I don't think I'm interested in a HTIB; I plan to buy components and upgrade things individually, like my DVD player.

Finally, I'm really confused about satellite speakers. Some people say bigger is better, but the smaller ones in my local Bose store (Bose Accoustimats, 6.1 speakers with two little cubes stacked on each other) sounded better to me. Also, putting satellites on stands would be easier than wall-mounting for me, but is this sonically a bad idea, given that one satellite would be right behind someone's head as they sit on a couch? If wall-mounting is problematic, should I consider ceiling-mounting (ugh, where to put the wires)? Or something like that Yamaha YSP-800, a single box that supposedly simulates surround sound?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

EDIT: I forgot to mention my audio budget. I'm willing to spend, say, $2500 or so.

 

[Matt34]

red/yellow/white interconnects are called component cables.

I'll let someone else handle question one.

#2 I think sticking with what you have now would be a good choice. Let the HD/BlueRay battle blow over.

#3 From what I've read I don't think HDMI isn't ready for the Prime Time due to the different ways companies implement it.

#4 First off, please stay away from Bose. Satellite speakers in general aren't going to give you a full sound(Highs/Mids/lows), just by the nature of there design. You can find plenty of 5.1 bookshelf systems in your price range that will blow you away.

I'd break down your purchasing cost to ~$700 for the receiver and the rest to the speakers. Here are some internet direct speaker companies to check out Ascendaudio.com, SV sound, AV123.com.

 

[jaxvon]

red/yellow/white interconnects are called component cables.

I'll let someone else handle question one.

#2 I think sticking with what you have now would be a good choice. Let the HD/BlueRay battle blow over.

#3 From what I've read I don't think HDMI isn't ready for the Prime Time due to the different ways companies implement it.

#4 First off, please stay away from Bose. Satellite speakers in general aren't going to give you a full sound(Highs/Mids/lows), just by the nature of there design. You can find plenty of 5.1 bookshelf systems in your price range that will blow you away.

I'd break down your purchasing cost to ~$700 for the receiver and the rest to the speakers. Here are some internet direct speaker companies to check out Ascendaudio.com, SV sound, AV123.com.

Whoa there. I just wanted to catch the error in #1. Red/yellow/White RCA cables are NOT component cables. They stereo audio/video. While they may be built out of the same stuff (and could probably be used as component video cables), they are intended use is for analog stereo audio and analog composite video. If the only available outputs on the DVD player are red, white, and yellow, then you are getting only stereo audio (no surround) and the second-to-worst video (only R/F is worse, as it's audio and video on one coax). Component video uses three cables for video only, colored red, green, and blue, often labled Y, Pb, Pr. The audio is totally separate.

Okay, I'll address question one. No, you are not using the most optimized cabling setup. I've checked out the specs on your equipment. The links are below:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=KYmxQOvAQEixvq7dhLq7S6TMHf5DcM1O3wI=?CategoryName=&ProductSKU=KDS60A2000&TabName=specs&var2=
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=172837

Going by the listed specs, your DVD player has component video outputs and digital audio output. Using these two outputs would be the preferred method of connection for that device. Your DVD player has two types of digital outputs, one optical and one coaxial.

Here's what the end of an optical cable (also called TOSLINK) looks like:

A digital coaxial cable is simply another 75-ohm RCA-terminated cable that can be used for analog audio, subwoofer cables, and video cables. The jack on the component (like your DVD-Player) is usually orange.

Here is an example of a digital audio I/O section of a receiver, in this case a Yamaha RX-V 2500:

There's no difference in sound between optical and coaxial. You should make the decision of what you use based on what will be available on the back of the receiver you purchase. I ended up using coaxial digital because I was already using all the optical inputs on my receiver.

As for the video, as I mentioned above, component video is the best you can do for your DVD-Player. Seeing how it is progressive scan, you will be outputting a 480p signal, something your TV can easily handle. If you need some high quality component video cables, I like the offerings from Knu Konceptz. Their cables are good quality and inexpensive. Oh, and they look great too.

Your cable box should also use some form of digital audio like those mentioned above. The best video output would be achieved using the DVI-D plug. This signal is easily converted to HDMI with either an adapter (not recommended) or a DVI-HDMI cable (much better idea).

Lastly, I do not know about the I/O on your Tivo. If it has component video (red, green, and blue ports labeled "Y Pb Pr"), those would be the best choice.

I do not have any real comments on the rest of the questions, aside from the receiver. I think the Pioneer 1016 would be a pretty good machine. Others may have a different opinion, but it's a lot like my receiver (The 1015tx, an older model), but with HDMI. It has a ton of features at a reasonable price.

 

[JVC]

red/yellow/white interconnects are called component cables.

Matt34..............jaxvon is right. I think the word you were looking for is "composite" cables.

 

[Matt34]

Matt34..............jaxvon is right. I think the word you were looking for is "composite" cables.

LOL

Good catch jaxvon!

 

[Grotius]

Thanks for the terrific replies, everyone. OK, I'll upgrade my cabling. By the way, I noticed that my TIVO unit does have an S-Video port. Would that be superior to the, um, composite cables I've connected it with for now?

More to the point: TIVO now sells a $799 HD-DVR that basically replaces your cable company's digital box. This new TIVO box features optical, digital, and DVMI ports, so you could connect the cable coaxial directly to the TIVO, then DVMI out to the TV. You have to get a "cable card" or two from your cable company instead of the HD converter box. Anyone tried that new TIVO box?

 

[jaxvon]

Yes, S-Video is better than composite. S-Video uses two coax cables instead of one (they're mini-coax).

I also want to reiterate that while you're doing your cabling upgrade, don't get sucked into the Monster Cable hype. Their cables are almost always a bad value (with the exception of some in-wall speaker cable, but only when it's purchased through the proper channels, like eBay). KnuKonceptz, as I mentioned, makes nice cables. Acoustic Research is another high value brand.

 

[Grotius]

Well, the only DVI-to-HDMI cable I could find locally was a Belkin cable, so I went with that. It certainly made a difference! Likewise, adding a component cable to my DVD setup also helped, though not as much. (Incidentally, I have indeed experienced the Monster hype in an earlier incarnation, when I did some digital-audio recording.)

The only problem I've had is connecting the optical port on the TV to the optical port on the DVD player. I've never used this sort of cable before, and I wasn't sure how to use it. One end fit easily into the TV. But the other is a mystery to me. There's a plug covering the DVD player's optical port. I assume I'm supposed to pull it out? I did, but I can't fit the other end of the optical cable in that port. Also, whereas one end of the cable looks clear, like a light bulb, the other end is sorta smudged with black. Other than that, the two ends of the optical cable look similar; not sure if they're supposed to be identical.

The optical connection is not a big deal for now because I have only the TV's built-in stereo speakers. For now, I just ran audio RCA cables from the DVD player to the stereo inputs on the TV. But it will be a bigger deal once I want to hook up the DVD player to an AV receiver for surround sound. Is there more than one type of optical cable? Did I do something wrong?

 

[jaxvon]

Grotius,

With your DVD-Player, I would also make sure that your player's output is set to "Progressive Scan" rather than "Interlaced".

Regarding the optical cable, both ends should appear to be clear. If one is black or smudged, I suspect that you either have a defective cable or that there is a cap covering the termination. Both ends of the cable should look identical.

If you look, you can see how both ends have a small clear part on the end. This should be the case with any optical cable (at least those for home audio components).

 

[rgriffin25]

With your DVD-Player, I would also make sure that your player's output is set to "Progressive Scan" rather than "Interlaced".

Actually, your TV will deinterlace the dvd players signal. So you might want to try both to see which one looks best with scenes that have a lot of movement. Sometimes the DVD player looks better other times the TV does a better job.

 

[AVRat]

The Optical connection on the TV is an output not an input so it won't work for the DVD player anyway.