trouble connecting home theatre components [Archive]

bull12

13th June 2006, 08:46 PM

I AM TRYING TO FORM A LOOP BETWEEN ALL MY COMPONENTS SO I CAN RECORD ON DVD RECORDER OR VCR AND PUT ALL THROUGH MY SOUND SYSTEM. i have a 81cm GRUNDIG widescreen tv,YAMAHA 457 av receiver,LG 80g dvd recorder,LG stereo vcr,Strong digital set top box [terrestrial box},FOXTEL digital pay tv.Free to air tv via outside aerial with rf connection, FOXTEL via telephone line with rf connection. At the moment i have FOXTEL through my dvd recorder and system but nothing else.Please help me get my system operating properly. Or let me know someone in melbourne who might help:confused:

Master Splinter

15th June 2006, 11:58 PM

Reading the manuals for all the equipment might help.

Basically the outputs of your source components (set top box, Foxtel thingy, DVD player etc) need to connect to the inputs of recording devices, but to get them all working in that wonderful 6.1 stereo kinda way, you need to run them via the amplifier. (This gives you your 6.1 stereo, too)

So, on the back of your amp, there's a nice array of sockets to enable you to plug your components in so that they can all talk to each other. You just need to sit down and figure out which connections you want to use for which device.

Your amp has three digital connections (two optical and one coax) - you'd be best off using these for the DVD player and the set top boxes (if the DVD player and set top boxes offer digital outputs, that is). These connections are marked as "Digital Input" on your amp. (they are even labeled DVD and DTV/CBL for their suggested uses)

Your TV should be connected to one of the "Monitor" connections. In order of decreasing quality, use either the Component Video, S-Video or Video connections labeled "Monitor" on the back of the amp. (the TV is used purely to display the picture...it's not used as a receiver or a loudspeaker, so you don't connect the antenna or the audio leads to/from the TV).

Your DVD recorder should be connected to the In/Out connections labeled "DVR". You've got those as Component, S-Video or Video.

I'd throw the VCR away.

Types of plugs, and their uses (http://www.accesscomms.com.au/AVconnectors.htm)
Colour coding of plugs (http://www.accesscomms.com.au/AVconnections.htm)

Note that you won't be able to do 'everthing' that you expect. DVD's use copy protection so you can't record a DVD to video, for example.