Need a bit of Install help

[baggyman]

I have purchased a few items and now need a bit of help putting them all together. I would like to make the userability, is that a word, as easy as possible so anyone can turn on the tv or dvd player.

Pioneer elite vsx-80txv for my reciever
A 5 year old Sony xbr 36 inch tube (will be my next upgrade)
Paradigm studio 60's
Paradigm cc-570
SVS pb12-nsd/12 should be delivered on the 20th
Cheap-o DVD player that will be my dvd/cd player till i upgrade
STB cable/dvr

Now with all the connections i am beating myself in the head and feel like i should hire some 12 year old to hook it all up for me but i want to be able to understand it so that when i upgrade or move i can make the necessary connections myslef.

The speakers are easy.. seems to go from one set of posts to the reciever... easy as pie.

But that is about as far as i can get. DVD player i have component wires and the red/white audio wires.... I can see on the reciever where marked DVD there is only inputs for the audio and one yellow viedo in cable. How do you use the component cables, now there are 3 assignable component cable inputs but no corresponding audio inputs..... ugh

Same with my cable/dvr I would assume that i use the assignable component but how do i get in the sound?

Do i really need only one outsource from the reciever to my TV?
Will i be able to just watch TV without the "system" on but still be albe to have it on when i want?

I guess these are all quesitons i should have already have answered but as the typical guy i thought it was just engrained in my DNA to have a understanding of this.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[markw]

Answers in no particular order.

First, if you feed all sources (both video and audio) through the receiver, with only one output to the TV, you will have to use the receiver at all times. You can ignore the rest of this post

If you feed the video to the TV and the audio to the receiver, thereby using the TV to select the video source, you can most likely get by just using the source and the TV without needing the receiver.

To get 5.1 sound from your DVD player or STB, you will need to feed either a toslink (glass interconnect) or a digital coaxial cable (usually an orange jack) to the receiver. Those red/white jacks on the source should be fed to the corrosponding input on the TV to allow them to be used w/o the receiver being on. The sound will come out of the TV's speakers. The same applies to the cable/DVR STB.

In both above cases, when you want to use the receiver and big 5.1 system, simply turn the TV sound all the way down and control the sound via the receiver.

But, a lot depends on what inputs your TV has. You don't offer too much information on that and it's pretty important if you want more specific answers.

 

[MDS]

DVD player i have component wires and the red/white audio wires.... I can see on the reciever where marked DVD there is only inputs for the audio and one yellow viedo in cable. How do you use the component cables, now there are 3 assignable component cable inputs but no corresponding audio inputs..... ugh

You connect the component video cables from the dvd player to one of the receiver's component inputs and then go into the setup menu of the receiver and 'assign' that component input to the DVD input selector. You are telling the receiver 'when I press DVD, look for the video at component video 1' (or whichever one you used).

If the DVD player only has analog outputs (L/R white and red) then you connect them directly to same colored audio inputs under DVD on the back of the receiver. Ideally you would want to use a digital audio connection (either optical or coaxial - they are the same) if the DVD player supports it and you also have to assign those. So if you were to connect an optical cable from the dvd player to optical digital input 1 on the receiver, you go into the setup menu and assign optical 1 to DVD.

Same with my cable/dvr I would assume that i use the assignable component but how do i get in the sound?

Same as the dvd player; use digital audio if available.

Do i really need only one outsource from the reciever to my TV?
Will i be able to just watch TV without the "system" on but still be albe to have it on when i want?

Running all audio and video into the receiver with a single video connection to the TV is the most convenient as the receiver can do all the switching for you and you never have to change the TV video input.

No, you will not be able to watch TV without the receiver on; for that to work you must arrange for the audio and video to get to the TV. There are a few different ways it could be accomplished. The easiest would be to run the RF cable from the wall to the STB (you'd do that for the receiver case as well) and then run another cable from the 'cable out' of the STB into the cable/antenna input of the TV. You will have to change the input on the TV to 'antenna' or 'cable' (however it is labeled) to view the video and get the sound coming from the cable box.

 

[baggyman]

Thanks for the response. The TV has 4 sets of yellow,red,white inputs these have a s vid on 2 of them. An audio out and a monitor out along with 2 "HD/DVD" ins these are the component ins that the TV uses. There is also 2 coax one in and one out.

Not sure if that is much help hope so

 

[baggyman]

Thanks MDS I think that takes out some of the headache that i have been having i just checked and i have coaxal on both my dvd and dvr.. off to the store for more wires

 

[Nick250]

This link to the AudioHolics setup area may help fill in the blanks, if you have any, after reading Mark's post. It's a good read any way and I suggest a Newbie scan through it in any case.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/avhardware/audiovideosetup.php

Nick

 

[baggyman]

think i have it figured out but let me run this by you guys. Can i still have my dvd and my stb run to my tv and also my reciever, so that if i want to watch movies or regular tv without the big speakers i can, but then switch on my reciever for the speakers when needed. I really dont need to see thomas the tank engine 2332432 times a week in full theater mode if you get my drift.

Thanks for the tips and help

 

[Nick250]

think i have it figured out but let me run this by you guys. Can i still have my dvd and my stb run to my tv and also my reciever, so that if i want to watch movies or regular tv without the big speakers i can, but then switch on my reciever for the speakers when needed. I really dont need to see thomas the tank engine 2332432 times a week in full theater mode if you get my drift.

I agree completely and that is what I do. I don't want to fire up the whole system just to watch the news or Hogan's Hero's. FYI I do mute the TV speakers when the whole system is up because it sounds terrible with both on. I have a Harmony remote so I can switch back and forth from using the whole system and just the TV speakers with one push of a button.

Nick

 

[f0am]

think i have it figured out but let me run this by you guys. Can i still have my dvd and my stb run to my tv and also my reciever, so that if i want to watch movies or regular tv without the big speakers i can, but then switch on my reciever for the speakers when needed. I really dont need to see thomas the tank engine 2332432 times a week in full theater mode if you get my drift.

Thanks for the tips and help

See if there is a Audio out on your receiver, either Tape out or moniter out. Run those to your tv and you should be able to just simply mute or turn the receiver down and use the tv volume instead.

 

[baggyman]

Thanks a ton for the help guys... sub should be in tomarrow... need one more set of cables then i should be ready to tweak away. I found a spl meter at the local "shack" so ill be workin on that tomarrow

 

[f0am]

Thanks a ton for the help guys... sub should be in tomarrow... need one more set of cables then i should be ready to tweak away. I found a spl meter at the local "shack" so ill be workin on that tomarrow

Those are always fun... Its always nice to know that you are hearing exactly what you were meant to hear.

 

[markw]

With all due respect,

think i have it figured out but let me run this by you guys. Can i still have my dvd and my stb run to my tv and also my reciever, so that if i want to watch movies or regular tv without the big speakers i can, but then switch on my reciever for the speakers when needed. I really dont need to see thomas the tank engine 2332432 times a week in full theater mode if you get my drift.

Thanks for the tips and help

I think that's what I described. It's nice to see that the time I spent posting was so well absorbed.

 

[Nick250]

Thanks a ton for the help guys... sub should be in tomarrow... need one more set of cables then i should be ready to tweak away. I found a spl meter at the local "shack" so ill be workin on that tomarrow

You may get the sub dialed in right away, but usually they require time and patients to get right. Been there, done that and wanted to throw the sub out of the window. Fortunately the sub was too heavy to throw more than six inches.

Nick

 

[baggyman]

THANKS to EVERYONE that chimed in to help. I think i finally understand all the stinkin inputs/outputs and everything inbetween... well not everything about them all but enough to get going and get my buddies in trouble with thier system.

Worked last night 7p-7a couldnt sleep till i got it all hooked up. The stores here open at 10 so killed some time with trimming wires and the such. Got the last component cable that I needed and sped home. Everything is up and running now. Sub came in at about 3pm and it really does shake the house. Put in some music with big bass and scared my kids out of thier room in the other end of the house haha. On top of that the studios are clean sounding with my music. Sitting down to watch Nemo tonight with the kids and i actually cant wait.....

I have lots of tweakin to do and sub set up stuff... along with saving for my rear speakers... but it is all worth it.

Last quick question.... how can I watch regular TV with the HT speakers on? Like on superbowl or should i say the big game so i dont get in legal trouble....
With a few people in the house it would be nice to have the speakers on to make up for all the beer noise..

Thanks a ton guys

 

[baggyman]

been a long day figured it out.. duh

 

[f0am]

been a long day figured it out.. duh

Congrats on setting up your first A/V system. Its like riding a bike once you figure it out its pretty simple from there on. Unless you are like the rest of these guys with their crazy sets of 8 preamps and 13 equalizers.

Good to see it all worked out.

 

[baggyman]

Thanks again. Next i think is my surrounds then to tackle other zones, then the WORLD>..... oh got a bit carried away there