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How do I setup my PC with my home theater?

How should I wire my home theater setup?

  • Home theater conundrum. Ok, so, what's the best way to wire this up? Maybe there is no "best" way. Maybe there's just a couple different ways, each with their own sets of pros and cons - but I figured I throw it out there. So, before yesterday I had a 42" LCD monitor I bought off of WOOT! acting as my primary TV. It had ONE HDMI input. My audio receiver, though, a nice number from Onkyo, had 4 HDMI inputs. In this configuration, I wired all my HDMI devices (cable box, XBOX, media center PC, etc) through the Onkyo receiver, and then just had a single HDMI output run into my TV/monitor. I was pretty happy with this solution. That meant the TV was basically set to a static input, and I just had to change the input on the audio receiver when I wanted to switch to a different device. Except yesterday I got a new TV. It's glorious, but it has like 9824 HDMI inputs. Not only that, but the remote seems to be some sort of God-Box type thing. It can apparently control all the rest of my devices, so with a little work I could eliminate my four remote setup down to maybe like, you know, one. It can seemingly control both my cable box and my Onkyo receiver. So I'm thinking about (read: did this about ten minutes ago) re-wiring everything. I took all the HDMI inputs and now I run them into the TV instead. And now out of the back of the TV I just run a single optical audio cable out and down to my receiver. This seems kind of like six in one/half-dozen-in-the-other territory. The interface on the TV for switching inputs and such is kind of slick, and the TV regards all the signals as 1080p now (when going through the receiver they were all 1080i) but I don't know if there's a conventional logic to how this kind of thing should be done. Any thoughts, hive mind?

  • Answer:

    One thing that strikes me is that, in keeping the current setup, you avoid having your screen filled with menus every time you want to switch things. The downside to that is you have to look over at the amp to do the switch. Can your god-box remote control the receiver? If not, that's the other drawback to the status quo. If so, the only decision I'd think about is how do I want to do my switching? Which drawback is worse - onscreen menus or checking the amp?

kbanas at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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bDiddy, It's the Vizio XVT553SV. (http://www.vizio.com/led-lcd-hdtvs/xvt553sv.html). Vizio is known for being bottom of the barrel, but the XVT line is one of their first attempts to go high-brow. It's a 55" full-array local-dimming set with 120 control zones ! and all the usual bells and whistles (Netflix streaming, WiFi, Bluetooth) and the price is unbeatable - I got it for $1750. I felt a little dirty buying a Vizio, but I am officially a happy man.

kbanas

Some sources will allow you to send video through hdmi and audio another way, but only hdmi has the bandwidth to handle surround pcm or the newer audio codecs. Or, if there are any, bluray players with line-level outputs for each channel. But the PS3 won't do that and the PS3 is the most mackin'-est bluray player. So, that settles it. I'll run the HDMI into the Onyko and then route it up to the TV. For now. Heh.

kbanas

Do you still use yours, ROU? Not right now. The HDMI got just too much to endure. We still have it, though, and we'll probably put it in the bedroom and hook up the fios box and a dvd player through component at some point. Some sources will allow you to send video through hdmi and audio another way, but only hdmi has the bandwidth to handle surround pcm or the newer audio codecs. Or, if there are any, bluray players with line-level outputs for each channel. But the PS3 won't do that and the PS3 is the most mackin'-est bluray player.

ROU_Xenophobe

I don't know for sure. On my XBox I don't have HDMI, just component, but the adapter also has an optical audio link too. So does my Tivo. But my Xbox is old. If you have the XBox elite (I think) it should have come with an audio breakout cable. If you have the brandy-new Xbox, i don't know.

bDiddy

What about if you send HDMI direct to the TV from each device and send audio direct to the receiver? I could totally get behind that, but I don't know how. Like, take my X-Box. It has an HDMI out. Is there a way to split it? Like, break it out into *TWO* HDMI cables - one I can plug into the receiver (for audio) and one I can plug into the TV (for video?)

kbanas

What about if you send HDMI direct to the TV from each device and send audio direct to the receiver? You'd have to then switch video inputs and audio inputs, but maybe the remote would handle that? I don't know if the Vizio remote handles macros or not. If it doesn't, then this is a bulky solution that I would hate to use so wouldn't recommend. Unless you want to buy a 3rd party remote like a Logitech Harmony, or something similar. Anyway, that's sort of how my current system is setup.

bDiddy

Oh my god. My first 606 did this, and I returned it after two weeks of wonky HDMI behavior. I've always liked Onkyo, so its sad to hear this is epidemic on the 606. I bought it in part because of the rave reviews. Do you still use yours, ROU? As for 1080p signal, my XBox 360 is connected via HDMI through my receiver, and is set up for 1080p output. The TV still says 1080i. I'm unclear if I would ever notice a difference?

kbanas

The receiver I have is an Onkyo TX SR606. The 606 is supposed to be able to pass through 1080p. Ours did before the hdmi crapouts got to be too much to bear. Maybe you have a bad cable? Or, the 606 seems to be extraordinarily prone to hdmi fuckups because of some bad design and cheap materials. Apparently they got a load of cheap-ass capacitors that suck, and they put them on the hdmi card that sits right on top of other components that get hugely hot, so they break and how. If you're having other weird hdmi problems, like refusing to connect unless the receiver warms up for a while, it's just your receiver fixin' to die. Soon you'll have the choice of just not using hdmi or getting a new receiver. Alternately, do you have any 1080p signals to send through the receiver?

ROU_Xenophobe

http://forum.blu-ray.com/audio-theory-discussion/41820-guide-home-theater-audio-codecs.html of what ROU_Xenophobe was saying. I don't know why the TVs don't provide HDMI out. Isn't it really easy to pass the signal through unmolested? Is the problem HDCP?

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