Please Review My Home Theater Wiring Diagram

[scasarano]

I've come up with a wiring diagram for my home theater which I am going to set up as soon as my new receiver arrives next week. Can you guys give it a look and let me know if I have everything set up the best it can be? I know, I know, the XBox is a crappy DVD player. But thats a different story. Here's the link:

http://www.geocities.com/scasarano/HomeTheater.pdf

 

[Takeereasy]

To be honest you do not have everything set up as well as it can be, but you haven't set up anything incorrectly either. You need to use component cables for the best image possible and in order to take advantage of progressive scan capabilities of your DVD/Xbox. If you can't get component cables then you are right by going S-video. I would connect the xbox, and cable box to the receiver using component cables, and then the reciever to the TV using component. If you don't have component cables, but you do have some spare composite cables lying around try switching them in and see if the picture quality improves. You will have to purchase the component cables for the xbox, but you can snag them on ebay pretty cheaply.

 

[scasarano]

I have component cables for the XBox but the receiver does not have Component upconversion. I thought b/c of this I needed to connect the Xbox to the receiver with the SVideo cable. Also, the cable box does not have component or SVideo outputs.

 

[dillweed]

Lack of Upconversion should not deter you from using component cables. Your best PQ results will be to feed your receiver component signal whenever possible (xbox, tivo) and run s-video into receiver for cable box, and vcr.

Don't buy monster cables unless they are 60% off MSRP

bluejeanscable.com has great cables but you can get some good shielded cables on ebay for pretty cheap.

 

[scasarano]

OK so if I connect the Xbox to the receiver w/ components, will the receiver be able to transmit the Xbox video to the TV through the Svideo (monitor out)? Or will I have to connect components from my Reciever to the TV Component In and use the TV remove to switch inputs?

 

[MDS]

OK so if I connect the Xbox to the receiver w/ components, will the receiver be able to transmit the Xbox video to the TV through the Svideo (monitor out)? Or will I have to connect components from my Reciever to the TV Component In and use the TV remove to switch inputs?

Which receiver did you get 502 or 602? The 602 can upconvert ('transcode') composite to s-video, but not component. The 502 does neither.

The answer to your question is No. If you want to use component from the xbox to the receiver, you will then need component to the tv. If the other devices use only composite or s-video, you can also connect them to the receiver but will also need the same type of cable from the receiver's monitor out to a different input on the tv and then will have to switch the inputs on the tv with the tv remote. You could buy a good universal remote with macro capability to automate the process but I personally wouldn't bother. I would use s-video all the way around so the receiver can do all the switching and you won't have to change the tv input.

[Note: if you got the 602, the composite from the cable box to the receiver is ok, because it can convert that to s-video].

 

[scasarano]

Cool thanks - thats what I thought. I want to use the receiver to switch everything. There's a minimal diff in pic quality between SVid and Component b/c my TV is not HD. So I guess I should keep the wiring as is?

 

[Takeereasy]

You can run in two component cables to the receiver from the cable box and Xbox, and you only need to run one from the receiver to the TV. The receiver can't upconvert a lower quality signal (composite or s-video) to component quality, but what it can do is act as a switcher. I'm not sure how many component ins there are on the back of the 602, there is a discrepency between the print and the picture. The written specs say two component inputs and one output, the picture clearly shows 3 component inputs and one output. You willbe sacrificing picture quality by not using component connections for your Xbox and cable box if possible. A progressive scan picture is superior to an interlaced. (480i vs 480p, please no one start bringing in irrelevant resolutions)

 

[scasarano]

The problem is that (1) my cable box does not have component outs and (2) I don't want to have to switch video inputs on the TV, I'd rather have all the switching take place at the reciever. The 602 has 3 component in and 1 out. My DVD player (xbox) is not progressive scan and my TV is not HD.

 

[Takeereasy]

Alright, do it your way. I understand not wanting to switch between inputs all the time, it was a pain for me to do it before I got a receiver that upconverted. Oh well, it also cuts down on the number of wires to run since the 602 upconverts to s-video.

 

[scasarano]

Right - the only thing I'll need to do is when I switch to regular cable (thru VCR), I'll need to program the reciever remote to change the channel on the VCR. This will only be required when I want to watch 1 show while Tivo is taping another (single tuner Tivo). I shouldn't have any problem programming the Onkyo remote to change the channel on my VCR, should I ?

 

[Takeereasy]

It shouldn't be a problem from the description of the remote on Onkyo.com.

 

[scasarano]

OK so with the way I currently have it wired:

http://www.geocities.com/scasarano/HomeTheater.pdf

When I switch to Video 2 (VCR/Cable), will I be able to watch cable TV and change channels using the receiver remote? I'm not sure if the remote will have to be coded to operate the VCR or TV. From what I can read in the Onkyo manual, when the remote is coded to operate the VCR, you can't use channel up/down. Does this make sense? They may have just left it out of the manual.

 

[Azz123]

In my experience there is a marked imporvement using componenet over s-video even just for viewing the likes of a DVD from an X-Box, and its well worth changing the imputs on the TV.

Dare I ask, does the Tivo and Comcast box have SCART plugs? You can get SCART to component adaptor cables if they do...

As the guys have said, try the different inputs to the TV and let your eyes make the decision on justification of switching the TV's inputs.

Something to think about - if youve got a multi source remote, many of them can be programmed to run a macro that can include switching the TV's source.

Good luck with it.

A