Please help with with cabling nightmare

[newarcher]

I bought a SONY HT-6900DP and received it last night. It comes with a receiver and with a DVD player. Their instructions SUCK. I could sit and write about how to accomplish nuclear fission and end up with a more understandable instructions. The 6900 comes with a separate receiver and DVD shuffler.

My question is how to hook it up and what cables I need for this.

As I understand it from the instructions, I need to do the following:

DVD to Receiver:
AUDIO--digital coaxial output from dvd to the DVD in coaxial input on the receiver (using the digital coaxial cable).
VIDEO--component output from the DVD player to the component video input (DVD) (using the RGB cable).

TIVO to Receiver:
[NOTE: my TIVO doesn't appear to have component connections, instead it has red, white, and yellow for each of the two satellite connections along with a single yellow connector]
AUDIO--Digital optical output from the TIVO to the digital optical video in. It is called video in despite being audio...confusing (using the digital optical cable).
VIDEO--It looks like I have to use a standard yellow video cord from the TIVO to the video 2 input on the receiver, correct? The receiver doesn't accept svideo and the tivo doesn't have component hook ups, I don't think.

From the receiver to the TV (video):
My TV only has a yellow and two red and two white (composite). So I will have to go from the monitor video out on the receiver to the video input on the tv using the yellow cable. No choices there.

From the TV to the receiver (audio):
I will just use a red and white cable to hook my red and white audio output from the tv to the video 2 audio in, correct? This should let me hear simulated surround sound through the receiver by selecting video 2.

This is all very aggrivating and SONY should be ashamed at how they wrote those instructions. Now that I wrote this down, it seems a little clearer but I want to make sure that I am not hitting any pitfalls as in Dolby won't work or needing 6 remotes to control all of this, etc.

Thanks from a newbie to these boards.
New

 

[sdy284]

here ya go
While your reciever does in fact have component inputs, you will not be able to output those signals through the composite monitor out. Thats why you have to use composite video all around if you want to utilize the video switching on your reciever. (and mainly becaue your TV only has composite inputs) As for the audio from your TV into your reciever...If you run the audio into the same input as your tivo (video 1 in the diagram) I'm not sure if your reciever will automatically recognize when there is or isn't a digital signal present. If it does, then it will automatically switch back and forth between the digial and analog inputs. Other wise you'd have to switch it manually (through the reciever menu) As an alternative, you can just run the TV audio into another input on your reciever, such as video 3. if you have any more questions...just let us know

 

[newarcher]

SDY284, and HOW! Thank you so very much.

So if I understand correctly...and I am a very dumb animal...I have to stick with the same video outputs and inputs throughout the system. I can't mix say a DVD with component and TIVO with composite. This is governed by two facts: 1) my tivo unit doesn't have component hookups and 2) my tv doesn't have component hook ups. If I were to replace both the tivo and the tv with component hooked units, I could then go with component all the way through.

So I will ultimately end up with very good sound via the digital optical and coax cabling I bought and good video limited by the composite cabling and connectors.

Therefore, I need the following cables:
Digital optical x1
Digital coaxial x1
Composite video cables x3 (yellow one)
Analog audio cable x1 (red and white)

I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate the help!

New

 

[sdy284]

SDY284, and HOW! Thank you so very much.

So if I understand correctly...and I am a very dumb animal...I have to stick with the same video outputs and inputs throughout the system. I can't mix say a DVD with component and TIVO with composite. This is governed by two facts: 1) my tivo unit doesn't have component hookups and 2) my tv doesn't have component hook ups. If I were to replace both the tivo and the tv with component hooked units, I could then go with component all the way through.

So I will ultimately end up with very good sound via the digital optical and coax cabling I bought and good video limited by the composite cabling and connectors.

Therefore, I need the following cables:
Digital optical x1
Digital coaxial x1
Composite video cables x3 (yellow one)
Analog audio cable x1 (red and white)

I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate the help!

New

correct, however, you might wanna pick up an extra analog audio cable

any program that isn't digital, wont spit out through the optical output on your tivo. And looking further, I wouldn't run your TV audio out into video one, i'd just go into video 3

 

[MDS]

You shouldn't need to run either audio or video from the tv to the receiver unless the tv has its own cable tuner and you want to watch cable that way instead of going through the tivo.

 

[newarcher]

SDY, thank you very much, I will get it done tonight!

MDS, the only reason that I was running audio from the TV to the receiver is the Receiver has a simulated surround sound for TV that requires a connection.

Thanks,
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[newarcher]

Okay, one last thing....SDY

I will run the TIVO into Video 1 using the composite connection and the analog connection for digital and non-digital formats. That would leave video 2 that I could then use for my TV hookups. I don't have a video 3 on this receiver.

Sound good?

I assume then to watch TV instead of a DVD, I would select video1, change the input on the tv from channel 3 to input, and then control the tivo unit as normal with the tivo control. Right?

Thanks,
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[sdy284]

You shouldn't need to run either audio or video from the tv to the receiver unless the tv has its own cable tuner and you want to watch cable that way instead of going through the tivo.

the reason why i had him do that...which in essence isn't necessary because if his tv only DOES have 1 composite set of inputs. Then it doesn't matter. I was thinking if he had a set of front inputs, so if he hooked up another device temporarily (xbox or something) then that would go through the stereo. But you're right...in reality he doesnt really need it, unless of course, he'll be using the TV tuner

 

[sdy284]

Okay, one last thing....SDY

I will run the TIVO into Video 1 using the composite connection and the analog connection for digital and non-digital formats. That would leave video 2 that I could then use for my TV hookups. I don't have a video 3 on this receiver.

Sound good?

I assume then to watch TV instead of a DVD, I would select video1, change the input on the tv from channel 3 to input, and then control the tivo unit as normal with the tivo control. Right?

Thanks,
New

yea that sounds right to me. you're prolly going to have to switch back and forth between the digital & analog inputs on your reciever (for video 1) unless it does it automatically for you.

 

[newarcher]

Muchos gracias....and now for my final question.

I bought Monster digital optical and coaxial figuring the sound should be top notch since it was SONY.

Given my limitations on the video side, should Radio Shack's gold series work for the video composite connections? And just to verify my thinking the composite cable is the yellow, single cable while the analog audio is the red and white dual cable.

Thanks,
New

 

[sdy284]

Muchos gracias....and now for my final question.

I bought Monster digital optical and coaxial figuring the sound should be top notch since it was SONY.

Given my limitations on the video side, should Radio Shack's gold series work for the video composite connections? And just to verify my thinking the composite cable is the yellow, single cable while the analog audio is the red and white dual cable.

Thanks,
New

Gold series will be fine & for that matter, you coulda saved some pennies & gotten gold series optical & coax. And yes, the composite cable is the yellow one

 

[sdy284]

Since you seem to be pretty new to the home theater game...
HERE is a good site for learning all the connections & their functions

 

[newarcher]

Thanks, SDY....I will file that site away.

Thanks for all of your help.

New