How Can I listen to cable tv in 5.1?

[Erman_94]

ok little snag...how do i get the receiver to take the video from the hdmi-dvi connection and audio from the rca cable?


i know dvi is only video, but would the receiver take the audio from the rca as long as it is plugged into the correct in for the cable box?

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

ok little snag...how do i get the receiver to take the video from the hdmi-dvi connection and audio from the rca cable?


i know dvi is only video, but would the receiver take the audio from the rca as long as it is plugged into the correct in for the cable box?

For me, I have to go into the receiver setup to assign the 5.1 in to an input (I usually choose "SAT" or "TV"), and I have to choose "COAX 1" or "COAX 2", etc.

[Another_Dude]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

ok little snag...how do i get the receiver to take the video from the hdmi-dvi connection and audio from the rca cable?


i know dvi is only video, but would the receiver take the audio from the rca as long as it is plugged into the correct in for the cable box?

Can you just take the HDMI/DVI directly from the cable box to your TV?

[Erman_94]

Originally Posted by Another_Dude

Can you just take the HDMI/DVI directly from the cable box to your TV?

yes

[Erman_94]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

For me, I have to go into the receiver setup to assign the 5.1 in to an input (I usually choose "SAT" or "TV"), and I have to choose "COAX 1" or "COAX 2", etc.

oh boy im not good with stuff like this...ill give it a whirl though

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

oh boy im not good with stuff like this...ill give it a whirl though

Shouldn't be too hard -- you can't break it. Just go into the setup in your AVR. If yours is like mine, simply select the input to which you want to assign the 5.1 from your cable box, then go to Setup, then go to Input, then select the appropriate COAX (i.e., if your receiver has 2 COAXs, make sure you select the right one -- 1 or 2).

Trial and error my man!

[Erman_94]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Shouldn't be too hard -- you can't break it. Just go into the setup in your AVR. If yours is like mine, simply select the input to which you want to assign the 5.1 from your cable box, then go to Setup, then go to Input, then select the appropriate COAX (i.e., if your receiver has 2 COAXs, make sure you select the right one -- 1 or 2).

Trial and error my man!

alright ill try it out and be back...thanks for all the help

[doubledip_008]

sooo what youre saying it's better to run the audio out from the box rather than from the tv and it doesnt matter if it is optical or coax, right.

[bda4life]

Originally Posted by doubledip_008

sooo what youre saying it's better to run the audio out from the box rather than from the tv and it doesnt matter if it is optical or coax, right.

Based on your question, you will not get surround sound from your tv unless it has a built in tuner and the tv can pass a SS signal (Dolby Digital) to your receiver.

The much easier way to accomplish this (IMO) is to send the audio out from the set-top box to the receiver's input. Be it optical or coaxial.

Lastly, quality-wise, optical and coaxial are virtually identical. I personally like optical versus coaxial, but I have both in various rooms of my house. It's six one half dozen or another at the end of the day. Go with what's cheaper or laying around your house.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by bda4life

Based on your question, you will not get surround sound from your tv unless it has a built in tuner and the tv can pass a SS signal (Dolby Digital) to your receiver.

The much easier way to accomplish this (IMO) is to send the audio out from the set-top box to the receiver's input. Be it optical or coaxial.

Lastly, quality-wise, optical and coaxial are virtually identical. I personally like optical versus coaxial, but I have both in various rooms of my house. It's six one half dozen or another at the end of the day. Go with what's cheaper or laying around your house.

I'll cosign on this one 100% -- all three paragraphs/points.

[Erman_94]

hey guys...back again and trying to get this to work right now!

i was looking around for some cables and i realized that my hd cable box came with an RCA audio cable (right and white)...can i use this for 5.1 sound? or do i need a regular RCA (red/white/yellow) or coaxial?

EDIT: i believe it also came with a 6 foot coaxial. so should i use that?

my receiver also says on the back of it that both the HDMI 1 (IN) is assignable as is the coax1

is this what im looking to do/looking for?

[Erman_94]

any help?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

hey guys...back again and trying to get this to work right now!

i was looking around for some cables and i realized that my hd cable box came with an RCA audio cable (right and white)...can i use this for 5.1 sound? or do i need a regular RCA (red/white/yellow) or coaxial?

red/white is analog stereo - so, no, it won't work for 5.1. red/white/yellow just adds a third cable for video. still no go for 5.1.

EDIT: i believe it also came with a 6 foot coaxial. so should i use that?

yes, assuming your cable box has a coax digital output.

my receiver also says on the back of it that both the HDMI 1 (IN) is assignable as is the coax1

is this what im looking to do/looking for?

yes. you can use coax, optical, or HDMI out of the cable box to the receiver for digital audio.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by BIslander

yes. you can use coax, optical, or HDMI out of the cable box to the receiver for digital audio.

This is what you're going to have to do.

[Erman_94]

ok, my cable box only has a DVI connection...so i am currently doing DVI to HDMI into my tv

should i be doing DVI to HDMI into the receiver?

also, i went into my receiver input menu and it doesnt seem like it allows me to take the audio from somewhere else with an HDMI connection...could this be because i havnt connected the coaxial yet?

thanks

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

ok, my cable box only has a DVI connection...so i am currently doing DVI to HDMI into my tv

should i be doing DVI to HDMI into the receiver?

There's no advantage to that since the DVI output from the STB doesn't include audio. So, leave that connection as is and add an optical or coax connection to your receiver for audio.

also, i went into my receiver input menu and it doesnt seem like it allows me to take the audio from somewhere else with an HDMI connection...could this be because i havnt connected the coaxial yet?

No. Most receivers don't allow for separate audio and video inputs with HDMI. But, it won't matter in your case since you'll just be using the receiver for audio over coax. Video will be going directly to the TV over the DVI-HDMI connection.

[Erman_94]

Originally Posted by BIslander

There's no advantage to that since the DVI output from the STB doesn't include audio. So, leave that connection as is and add an optical or coax connection to your receiver for audio.

No. Most receivers don't allow for separate audio and video inputs with HDMI. But, it won't matter in your case since you'll just be using the receiver for audio over coax. Video will be going directly to the TV over the DVI-HDMI connection.

thanks...so i should just connect the coax (or optical) from my cable box to receiver

then i should somehow get the receiver to take the audio from the coax or optical connection? (how would i do this? )

EDIT: what cable do i need to get 5.1?

coaxial, RCA (red,white,yellow), optical, component RGB...do those all work?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

thanks...so i should just connect the coax (or optical) from my cable box to receiver

Yes.

then i should somehow get the receiver to take the audio from the coax or optical connection? (how would i do this? )

Sorry, but you really need to read your receiver manual. It will tell you how to associate a digital audio input with an activity. You'll go into the receiver setup and tell it that the audio for the DVD activity will be arriving on Coax Input #1 or Optical Input #2 or wherever you decide to put it. Then, when you select DVD on the AVR's selector, it will know where to find the audio. But, again, all of this will be explained in your receiver manual.

what cable do i need to get 5.1?

coaxial, RCA (red,white,yellow), optical, component RGB...do those all work?

For an optical connection, use an optical cable. For digital coax, just about any standard RCA cable will do, especially for short distances. It's best to use a 75 ohm cable, like the ones used for component video. But, the cheap ones that come with all sorts of home electronics equipment will work, too.

[Erman_94]

Originally Posted by BIslander

For an optical connection, use an optical cable. For digital coax, just about any standard RCA cable will do, especially for short distances. It's best to use a 75 ohm cable, like the ones used for component video. But, the cheap ones that come with all sorts of home electronics equipment will work, too.

so i dont need to go out and buy a coaxial cable? an RCA will work?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Erman_94

so i dont need to go out and buy a coaxial cable? an RCA will work?

That's correct. (RCA is the type of connector, btw.) The give-away red, white, and yellow cables have the same internal design as the coax cables used for digital audio and the cables used for component video. There are quality differences, of course. But, for a typical short run between player and receiver, a standard audio cable should work just fine.

from Big Daddy's excellent sticky thread at the top of this forum:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Coaxial cables look and feel virtually identical to standard RCA cables. The main differences are that they are better shielded from interference; have a higher impedance (usually 75 ohm), allowing them to handle more energy; and can handle a wider range of frequencies.