New System - Old TV questions

[MikefromNC]

Hi everyone --

I am purchasing a new receiver and DVD player (probably Denon), new speakers (probably Axiom) -- what kind of connections should I get if I am connecting them to my old Toshiba (not plasma or LCD -- not in the budget yet)?

Does it matter?

Sorry - I am a newy -- what kind of connections do I need?
receiver to DVD player and receiver to TV?

What about speaker wire?

Any helpful hints will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike.

 

[Adam]

Hi, Mike. The type of connections to make depend on what your TV can accomodate, what your DVD player can output, and what your receiver can handle.

In terms of video quality, here's a list from better to worse: component video, S-video, composite video. I've used S-video for years on my JVC TV because it doesn't have component video. You can route the video from the DVD player through the receiver or connect it directly to the TV - it depends on your preference. I route mine through my receiver so that I can switch the audio and video sources by just switching the input on my receiver.

For audio, you'll likely want to run a digital audio connection (either optical or coax) from the DVD player to the receiver. If you are using your TV for sound (and not a cable box or satellite receiver), then you're probably going to want to run analog audio (left/right RCA connections) from the TV to the receiver if the TV has those outputs. I doubt that your older TV has a digital audio output, but if it does, that would be the way to go.

That's just a start. Again, the specifics will depend on your system. We can give you more info and help if you let us know more about your system and its connections.

 

[MikefromNC]

Thanks and more info

Thanks Adam - that helps.

I will try to provide more info.

I do not have a sat connection or cable box -- just regular cable.

I plan to play the sound through the speakers and not the TV.

The TV is a 10-year old Toshiba -- I checked the back of it and it doesn't have many connections.

I plan to buy a new receiver and DVD player -- I will probably spend less than $1k on both of them. Denon just released some new receivers for $500 - $700 than will probably be enough for me and have more connections than I need.

What brands of connections?
I have heard bad things about Monster and good things about Blue Jeans and Impact Accoustics from reading this site.

 

[Adam]

My JVC is almost 15 years old, so your TV might have at least as many connections as mine has. Can you tell what type of video connections your TV has? One thing to note (although you might not care) is that a number of receivers this year do not have S-video connections.

For brand of connections, I've used a number of kinds. My suggestion is not to spend a lot of money on them. Monoprice.com is pretty popular around here. I received my first order from them last week. I ordered some optical cables for very little money, and they are well built and work fine. I also ordered some RCA interconnect cables that are also nice, although the connectors are a bit loose for my tastes (I got their normal line and not the premium line, although some say those are even looser).

 

[MikefromNC]

Thanks - I will check for S-Video

Thanks Adam -- I will double-check the back of the TV to see what kind of connections it has.

With the TV being older -- will spending anymmore on connections be worth it? or should I just get off the shelf stuff?

I know when I get a new TV -- then I figured I needed to upgraded the connections - but wasn't sure with an older TV.

THanks
Mike.

 

[Adam]

With the TV being older -- will spending anymmore on connections be worth it? or should I just get off the shelf stuff?

I don't believe that you need to spend a lot of money on connections for either a new or old TV. Monoprice.com has good cables for low prices. Others here really like Blue Jeans Cable and their less expensive site Tartan Cable.

 

[MDS]

Cable
If you don't have a cable box, you need to connect the cable from the wall to the TV. The TV now has both the audio and video from the cable system so if you want to use the receiver to amplify the audio and send it to your speakers, you need to connect analog audio cables from the TV's audio out to the receiver. Turn off the TV's internal speakers.

DVD
For the audio, you can use either analog cables or digital (optical or coax). Digital would be preferred so the receiver can do the decoding of Dolby Digital/DTS on the DVD. You don't need any audio connections to the TV but you do need to get the video to the TV. The choice for video is going to be composite or s-video.

I always buy Toshiba TVs (my current one is an LCD). The older CRT I had prior to the LCD had audio out and at least two audio/video inputs. I'm sure your TV will too.

 

[MikefromNC]

thanks

Thanks for the help.

Is it worth it to spend a few extra dollars on better analog cables -- or would the standard ones work with this setup?

I have never heard of monoprice - but I will check them out.

 

[PeterWhite]

Thanks for the help.

Is it worth it to spend a few extra dollars on better analog cables -- or would the standard ones work with this setup?

As long as your existing cables make secure connections, and aren't making noises, you can leave them alone. But if you get any noises at all when moving the cables, replace them. Tartan sells well made connector cables at low prices.

http://www.tartancable.com/

Tartan is Blue Jeans Cable's budget line.

Outside of politics, there is no better example of snake oil marketing than the audio cable business. You can spend money to get the best quality fabrication and materials; Blue Jeans Cable is a good example of a company making cables that are more expensive than what comes shipped with a cd player, but in that case you're paying for high quality materials and assembly. Then there are the snake oil types like Audioquest and Kimber, who make ridiculous claims about improved sound quality.

See the articles on the BJC site. http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/index.htm

And here's a great article by Roger Russell.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm