new system - first time setup

[ocdood]

Let me preface by saying that I got this system more for movies than audio but after listening to Stranglehold by Ted Nugent cranked up, I see how this can get addicting.

I just setup my new HT system and it sounds awesome but I get no picture on the TV except with the DVD player. I checked all the cables and they're all snug.

Components:

Sony 50" LCD
Onkyo TX-SR604
Sony DVP-NS75H

Cables connections:

Cable Box - DVI to HDMI cable to the AVR
Cable Box - Optical to the AVR
DVD Player - HDMI to the AVR
AVR - HDMI to the TV

What am I missing?

thanks

 

[MDS]

Did you assign the optical input on the receiver to cable box input on the receiver; ie if cable box is connected to Video1 you must assign the optical input to Video 1.

Does the cable box have any settings to govern its audio output? If it's set to output audio over HDMI, it might not also send audio out the optical output at the same time.

 

[ocdood]

Did you assign the optical input on the receiver to cable box input on the receiver; ie if cable box is connected to Video1 you must assign the optical input to Video 1.

I assigned the HDMI DVD to in1 and HDMI Video 1 to in2

Does the cable box have any settings to govern its audio output? If it's set to output audio over HDMI, it might not also send audio out the optical output at the same time.

The cable box has a DVI output and I used a DVI to HDMI connector.

 

[JonBaker99]

Try hooking your cable box directly to your TV. I'll bet your cable box probably doesn't support HDMI repeaters and your receiver will show up like a repeater.

 

[ocdood]

So disconnect both cables from the Cable Box to the TV and connect a component cable directly from the Cable Box to the TV?

thanks

 

[MDS]

I assigned the HDMI DVD to in1 and HDMI Video 1 to in2


The cable box has a DVI output and I used a DVI to HDMI connector.

DVI doesn't carry audio. You assigned the HDMI Video1 to in2 and that takes care of video, but if you are using an optical audio cable you need to assign that too.

 

[ocdood]

DVI doesn't carry audio. You assigned the HDMI Video1 to in2 and that takes care of video, but if you are using an optical audio cable you need to assign that too.

Hm, I don't see that in the manual.

 

[MDS]

Page 44. Note the caveat though: 'When HDMI IN 1 or 2 is assigned to an input selector in the “HDMI Video Setup” on page 45, the input selector
assignment on this page is automatically set to HDMI 1 or HDMI 2.'

Assigning Video 1 to HDMI 2 won't work for you because the cable box can't output audio over DVI. When you assign optical 1 to Video1, you'll get the audio from the cable box but will no longer get video. The only thing you can do is assign the audio to Video1 and connect the video directly to the TV.

 

[ocdood]

Page 44. Note the caveat though: 'When HDMI IN 1 or 2 is assigned to an input selector in the “HDMI Video Setup” on page 45, the input selector
assignment on this page is automatically set to HDMI 1 or HDMI 2.'

Assigning Video 1 to HDMI 2 won't work for you because the cable box can't output audio over DVI. When you assign optical 1 to Video1, you'll get the audio from the cable box but will no longer get video. The only thing you can do is assign the audio to Video1 and connect the video directly to the TV.

That's the best option?

 

[MDS]

That's the only option unless you can either:
a) Get a different cable box with HDMI outputs.
b) Return the 604 and and get the 674 that can transcode component video to HDMI (IF the cable box has component video in addition to DVI). Then you could use component video from the cable box to receiver and optical audio from cable box to receiver and the receiver can transcode component video to HDMI so you can still have a single HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV.

 

[superstar]

I have the 604 as well and I ended using: from Cable ->rca/component to AVR -> rca/component to TV

I haven't swapped it with a TOSLINK yet but I do notice the sound difference between the DVD movies (using HDMI) and regular tv.

 

[ocdood]

The only thing you can do is assign the audio to Video1 and connect the video directly to the TV.

I removed the DVI cable and now have:

component cable from the cable box to the TV
digital coaxial cable from the cable box to the TV (assigned video1: coaxial)

Everything seems to work fine now.

 

[MDS]

Ok, but now you have two connections to the TV - one HDMI for the DVD player (going thru receiver first) and one component for the cable box, right?
That's fine if you are ok with switching inputs on the TV.

Why don't you just ditch the HDMI and use component video cables for both dvd and cable box, with digital audio from both going to the receiver, and then component video to the TV. Then you get back the switching capability of the receiver.

 

[ocdood]

Ok, but now you have two connections to the TV - one HDMI for the DVD player (going thru receiver first) and one component for the cable box, right?
That's fine if you are ok with switching inputs on the TV.

Why don't you just ditch the HDMI and use component video cables for both dvd and cable box, with digital audio from both going to the receiver, and then component video to the TV. Then you get back the switching capability of the receiver.

What do you mean by switching inputs on the TV?
I just found out that my cable company has a new cable box with HDMI, will that fix the caveat?

 

[MDS]

If you had dvd->receiver->TV all via HDMI and then cable->receiver->TV via component, the HDMI and component would be connected to different inputs on the TV. So when you press DVD on the recevier you would also have to change the TV to the HDMI input; likewise when you press the input to which the cable box is connected on the receiver, you'd have to change the TV input to the component input.

You wouldn't have the problem if the receiver could transcode component to HDMI or if you had a cable box with HDMI. If you get the cable box with HDMI (and pray it outputs audio over HDMI and doesn't have a problem with the receiver being in the middle as a repeater) then you'd have the single HDMI to the TV and the receiver could switch everything for you.

 

[ocdood]

I will check with the cable company and get back to you on this one.

thanks

 

[ocdood]

Cable company hasn't gotten back to me yet.

Check out the .pdf file

 

[ocdood]

If you had dvd->receiver->TV all via HDMI and then cable->receiver->TV via component, the HDMI and component would be connected to different inputs on the TV. So when you press DVD on the recevier you would also have to change the TV to the HDMI input; likewise when you press the input to which the cable box is connected on the receiver, you'd have to change the TV input to the component input.

You wouldn't have the problem if the receiver could transcode component to HDMI or if you had a cable box with HDMI. If you get the cable box with HDMI (and pray it outputs audio over HDMI and doesn't have a problem with the receiver being in the middle as a repeater) then you'd have the single HDMI to the TV and the receiver could switch everything for you.

Would it work right to dump the HDMI cables and use component cables?

 

[MDS]

Yep, all component cables would simplify everything and retain the ability of one button switching from the receiver.

 

[ocdood]

Will I lose any picture quality or other options with component cables?

thanks