Home Theater help

[lordofdavipers]

Hmm. It happens I 'think' on just wired only but don't hold me to that fact.

Could it also be that I'm in a medium room (my bedroom to be exact) and that the speakers are not as far apart as they should be or something?

Also, the ps3 nor 360 have terminals for RGA.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Sorry to miss the hunk of dialog ... but just a guess here. Do you have your picture cranked to "blaze" = high contrast and brightness? I've heard that buzzzz before on tube sets when the white level is blazing - not sure how it would effect a plasma... If so try lowering those video settings closer to "0". If not I second the motion of Adam - try connecting a game box (or another DVD player) to the receiver to see if the TV circuitry is at fault.

 

[Adam]

I seriously doubt that it has to do with the proximity of the wired speakers. I've never experienced anything like that buzz because of having speakers close together.

Just to follow up - does the buzz happen when you play the DVD(s) through the Panasonic unit? If so, then it's likely the Panasonic unit and not the connection from the TV.

 

[lordofdavipers]

Sorry for the delay in reply. It actually does the buzz on all -A/V rcvr, ps3 and 360.

And Im not sure about the white blaze thing or what not

 

[Phil Taylor]

Does it do it on all running each straight to the receiver or running all from the TV?

 

[Adam]

Sorry for the delay in reply. It actually does the buzz on all -A/V rcvr, ps3 and 360.

And Im not sure about the white blaze thing or what not

Sure sounds like it's the Panasonic main unit. That seems to be the only common factor to the buzz.

The white blaze that Phil and I were talking about would be a noise coming from the TV itself, but you said that this buzz is new since you got the surround sound system - so your buzz is not that.

 

[lordofdavipers]

Both the PS3/360 [hence called consoles] the consoles all are HDMI'ed into the back of the TV and so the audio feed i guess is coming from the RGA cable plugged from the TV tot he Rcvr. (The Rcvr also has HDMI plugged in)

A side question. Should I ditch the HDMI cable since the video capabilities are crap?

 

[Adam]

It actually does the buzz on all -A/V rcvr, ps3 and 360.

Sure sounds like it's the Panasonic main unit. That seems to be the only common factor to the buzz.

Both the PS3/360 [hence called consoles] the consoles all are HDMI'ed into the back of the TV and so the audio feed i guess is coming from the RGA cable plugged from the TV tot he Rcvr. (The Rcvr also has HDMI plugged in)

Okay, I might have jumped the gun. When you said that it does the buzz on the A/V receiver, I assumed that you meant that it happened when you played a DVD on the receiver. From your latest post, I'm not sure.

So - does the buzz happen when you play a DVD on the Panasonic unit itself? If so, then the buzz is because of the Panasonic unit.

 

[lordofdavipers]

My apology, Adam, for the incorrect information. The buzz happens from all 3 devices but it still could be the panasonic system b/c the buzz never happened before when i watched it on my tv with my consoles.

Again, please check my last question in the prior post about returning the hdmi cable.

 

[Adam]

No worries, Andrew! Just trying to narrow down the possible causes. I'm still unclear...so forgive me...on whether the buzz happens when you put a DVD into the Panasonic unit and play it from there. If that is the case, then the buzz is not being caused (or at least not only being caused) by the audio signal coming from the TV. You're right - it could be the Panasonic in either case, but it is definitely the Panasonic (not the TV audio signal) if you hear the buzz while playing a DVD in the Panasonic because that wouldn't use the audio signal from the TV.

If you aren't going to play DVDs in the Panasonic unit, then I can't think of any reason to keep the video connection (which is currently HDMI) between it and the TV. So, if you'll be watching DVDs on the PS3 or other, then you can ditch the HDMI cable between the Panasonic and the TV.

 

[lordofdavipers]

Good point. I'll try to clarify. The buzz happens when i play a dvd in the panasonic, AND the consoles.

 

[Adam]

Thanks for clarifying. I understand now.

Is the buzz bad enough that you would consider returning the Panasonic unit because of it?

 

[lordofdavipers]

No with pirates of hte caribbean it did it on the title menu only but after that i dont recal it doing it (if it did it was drowned out by the system)

 

[Phil Taylor]

But does it buzz if you run a cable from a console straight to the Panasonic receiver? Just trying to determine if the buzz is being caused by the TV's audio circuitry or the HTiB unit...

 

[lordofdavipers]

I cannot answer that question seeing as the Rcvr will not accept the input from either console -neither video nor audio.

I went in to the store after church and bought an optical cable.....but the system I have (950 model) doesn't have the optical port so I will have to return that. However, I asked the guy to check on the next highest model, the 1050, to see if he has it. If not, I'm considering returning this one and getting another one. There's already too many hassles with this one and that shouldn't happen. The rear speakers don't 'put out' as much as they should and all reviews I've read confirm and agree to that. The background loading screen on the DVD menu is BADLY pixilated and distored so I'm beginning to think it's the machine.


I don't have the $$$ to do a piece-by-piece setup like most ppl suggest so I have to resort to the HTIABox setup unless there's other methods that I'm unaware of.

Onkyo makes some nice systems with a few under $500. Onkyo offers the most bang per buck IMHO.

Do you suggest an Onkyo system? I'm a Samsung guy but their systems are either too outta my price range or don't have the features I need within my budget.

 

[Adam]

I went in to the store after church and bought an optical cable.....but the system I have (950 model) doesn't have the optical port so I will have to return that.

Andrew, I am so sorry! I didn't realize that the owners manual that I had downloaded was for multiple models. I was looking at the back panel diagram for the 1050 model. Again, sorry about that.

From what I can tell, what you need is a powered set of speakers. You are running your video straight to the TV from the PS3 and Xbox, and you can output an optical digital audio stream from the TV. You may want to consider getting a set of 5.1 PC speakers. They make some that are really pretty good. No reason to pay for a built-in DVD player if you aren't going to use it.

You could also look into the Onkyo HTIB set-ups, or even go with some less expensive separates. The Onkyo 505 receiver (last year's model) costs $190 at Amazon. It doesn't process audio through an HDMI connection, but it will pass the video. A decent sub can be had for not too much money - I don't know how good it sounds, but this Velodyne is on sale at circuitcity.com for $101. That leaves you with a little money to spend on speakers. There are deals on Polk speakers at frys.com every few weeks, and you can find some others that aren't too expensive (including five speaker sets). Just another thing that could be done for about the same money that you spent on your Panasonic.

EDIT: Man, I really feel like a tool for telling you that it had an optical input.

 

[lordofdavipers]

Do not down yourself it is my fault for not mentioning it was a multi-manual. I'm a bit skeptical of a non-HTIABox setup primarily because I'm naive at the whole surround sound/home theater stuff. By getting a HTIABox I know it has everything it should in it and I'd be unsure of what kinda and how many speakers can connect to the system. I'll definitely checkout hte Onkyo systems and see what results turn up. I'm still waiting on a call back from the guy from the store.

 

[Adam]

The Onkyo HT-S5100 is in your price range and is currently the #1 seller in home theater systems at Amazon. I'm sure that you can find it locally, and they should be willing to match the price from Amazon.

 

[lordofdavipers]

Ok so i took that piece of junk back to the store and got a Onkyo 7.1ch HT-SR800 Home theater system (and DV-CP704 DVD changer). LOTSSSS of wiring but not too bad. Now I need help with this system.

the onkyo has 2 hdmi input and 1 output

Here's how I've got it hooked up but I'm not getting the consoles to work right.

onkyo rcvr hdmi out -- hdmi 1 in hdtv
ps3 hdmi out -- hdmi in 2 @ onkyo rcvr
360 hdmi (in/out?) -- hdmi in 1 @ onkyo rcvr
onkyo dvd rcvr hdmi out -- hdmi 2 in hdtv

the single fiber optic connection on the tv goes to the opt1 on the onkyo rcvr
the onkyo rcvr optical port 2 goes to the dvd rcvr optical (output) port

i hope this info helps and that you'll continue to assist me. You've been a wonderful help!

 

[Phil Taylor]

What issues are you having with the consoles? I'm guessing audio? It sounds like you have them wired correctly for video except that the HDMI on that particular Onkyo unit is "pass-through" for video switching only (I know it seems weird but that's how it is) so you will have to connect coaxial or fiber audio to your receiver from your consoles in order to get sound.

BTW - I think you will like the audio performance of that unit better than the Panasonic...