Need some help with my projector setup

Dudleyboy123 · 5 Jan 2015 at 15:20

Hi all, happy new year!

I've bought a BenQ W1070 projector for my room. It should be here in 2 days.

However I need a bit of help regarding the audio side. I don't have much experience in this area.

In the room I have:

Xbox 360
LG 3D TV
Desktop Computer
Computer Monitor
PC Speakers

And now a projector..

Would I be right in thinking that I can simply connect the xbox 360 & computer to the projector via HDMI. Then connect a speaker system/soundbar to the projector and use those speakers for sound?

So when I play the xbox through the projector via HDMI the sound will come out of the speakers.

And when I want to watch films from my computer onto the projector the sound will come out of the speakers connected to the projector and NOT the pc speakers? is this possible by disabling the pc speakers in the sound settings on Windows 7?

Would really appreciate some help with this before I purchase any sound system or cables.

Regards

Ross

William-Mathew · 5 Jan 2015 at 15:27

Welcome.

Could you just connect the speakers up to your PC and play the sound through that? When you are watching films you can just chose what speakers they are coming through if you are going to buy a sound system

Dudleyboy123 · 5 Jan 2015 at 15:35

William-Mathew said:
Welcome.

Could you just connect the speakers up to your PC and play the sound through that? When you are watching films you can just chose what speakers they are coming through if you are going to buy a sound system

You mean just connect the new speakers that I will buy straight to the PC along with the old PC speakers?

But what about when I play the Xbox? Will I have to connect the speakers to the projector each time I want to play Xbox or watch films from my PC onto the projector?

William-Mathew · 5 Jan 2015 at 15:38

What I mean is that you have the projector showing the image. You then have a pair of speakers you connect into your computer to output the sound. There is no need to connect the speakers up to the projector. In windows you just set you output as the speakers and not the projector. Same with the Xbox

Dudleyboy123 · 5 Jan 2015 at 15:43

William-Mathew said:
What I mean is that you have the projector showing the image. You then have a pair of speakers you connect into your computer to output the sound. There is no need to connect the speakers up to the projector. In windows you just set you output as the speakers and not the projector. Same with the Xbox

Right I understand what you mean by that but when you say same with xbox, what do you mean?

How do I get the sound to come from the speakers (that are connected to the PC) when playing the xbox on the projector?

ote1 · 5 Jan 2015 at 16:48

Best thing for you to do is get an AV receiver, I think. You will have to change the HDMI from the monitor to the AV receiver to use the projector with your PC and perhaps assign the HDMI as the audio output on your PC every time (something of a pain, but how often do you sit down for a film like that? & when you do what is 5 seconds of cable adjusting). To combat the cable issue perhaps you could look into a HDMI splitter, although I couldn't say how good they are they generally get very positive reviews and aren't too expensive.

If you split the PC's HDMI between your monitor and AV receiver (where the projector is the output) then I'd imagine it'd be an easy flick of a switch to change where the PC outputs and then you'd control audio through Windows.

Hope that makes sense. Not so sure I follow myself or have actually helped answer. :confused:

Also, enjoy the W1070. It's great!

lucid · 5 Jan 2015 at 16:51

What most of us do in the AV world (rather than the PC world) is run a separate sound system which comprises an amplifier and speakers. Pictures all go directly to the projector, but sound signals do not. Sound is handled separately.

If you've only ever been used to PC speaker kits then this is something of a departure from what you've known. With PC speakers, the PC does all the processing and decoding. The speakers are quite dumb really. They just sit there waiting for the decoded signal either in a basic stereo format (2x speakers or 2 + sub [2.1]) or on multiple jack connectors for surround.

When running an AV sound system then things change. The PC is a sound source still, but the sound goes off to an amplifier which decodes it (if required) and then amplifies it for the appropriate number of speakers being used. These are not PC speakers. They're AV surround speakers. All the rest of your sources also connect to the AV receiver.

Now, the big shock for you is price. AV receiver kits with surround speakers start at £200 for something like this Pioneer kit, and it's possible to spend £10,000+ without really trying too hard on high performance gear. The difference though between a £60 PC surround kit (Logitech) and a £200 Pioneer kit is massive. The Pioneer has inputs for way more sources; this includes HDMI for Blu-ray players, Optical for your XBox to give true 5.1 surround, another Optical for your TV sound, audio inputs for the PC, plus spare inputs for other sources. You have smart audio decoding so stereo sources can be turned in to surround. There's lip sync adjustment to get sound and vision timing aligned. There's greater precision in the sound and an AV kit is far more flexible and easy to use.

spoffle · 5 Jan 2015 at 16:52

ote1 said:
Best thing for you to do is get an AV receiver, I think. You will have to change the HDMI from the monitor to the AV receiver to use the projector with your PC and perhaps assign the HDMI as the audio output on your PC every time (something of a pain, but how often do you sit down for a film like that? & when you do what is 5 seconds of cable adjusting). To combat the cable issue perhaps you could look into a HDMI splitter, although I couldn't say how good they are they generally get very positive reviews and aren't too expensive.

If you split the PC's HDMI between your monitor and AV receiver (where the projector is the output) then I'd imagine it'd be an easy flick of a switch to change where the PC outputs and then you'd control audio through Windows.

Hope that makes sense. Not so sure I follow myself or have actually helped answer.

Also, enjoy the W1070. It's great!

You can get AV receivers with dual display outputs for this very purpose.

ote1 · 5 Jan 2015 at 16:58

spoffle said:
You can get AV receivers with dual display outputs for this very purpose.

I'd have thought they'd jack up the price quite a bit and given the OP has the W1070 (like myself) and not the swish Sony's perhaps isn't wanting to shell out too much. I will go and try and find an example, though.

Dudleyboy123 · 5 Jan 2015 at 17:26

ote1 said:
Best thing for you to do is get an AV receiver, I think. You will have to change the HDMI from the monitor to the AV receiver to use the projector with your PC and perhaps assign the HDMI as the audio output on your PC every time (something of a pain, but how often do you sit down for a film like that? & when you do what is 5 seconds of cable adjusting). To combat the cable issue perhaps you could look into a HDMI splitter, although I couldn't say how good they are they generally get very positive reviews and aren't too expensive.

If you split the PC's HDMI between your monitor and AV receiver (where the projector is the output) then I'd imagine it'd be an easy flick of a switch to change where the PC outputs and then you'd control audio through Windows.

Hope that makes sense. Not so sure I follow myself or have actually helped answer.

Also, enjoy the W1070. It's great!

I've never owned an AV receiver before, I wouldn't know where to start when looking for one or how to use one properly. I kind of understand what you're talking about though! thanks for the information.

But, could another option be to connect the Xbox 360 & PC to the Projector via HDMI as normal so the video comes out from there when needed.

Then when I want sound when playing the Xbox I could connect the soundbar/speakers to the projector with RCA/phono cable and that would work right?

Then when watching video on my Projector from my PC, the video will still go through the projector via HDMI but I could just connect the soundbar/speakers straight to my PC with an aux cable? obviously this means I'll have to reconnect the audio cables everytime I do that though

Hopefully this makes sense lol

lucid said:
What most of us do in the AV world (rather than the PC world) is run a separate sound system which comprises an amplifier and speakers. Pictures all go directly to the projector, but sound signals do not. Sound is handled separately.

If you've only ever been used to PC speaker kits then this is something of a departure from what you've known. With PC speakers, the PC does all the processing and decoding. The speakers are quite dumb really. They just sit there waiting for the decoded signal either in a basic stereo format (2x speakers or 2 + sub [2.1]) or on multiple jack connectors for surround.

When running an AV sound system then things change. The PC is a sound source still, but the sound goes off to an amplifier which decodes it (if required) and then amplifies it for the appropriate number of speakers being used. These are not PC speakers. They're AV surround speakers. All the rest of your sources also connect to the AV receiver.

Now, the big shock for you is price. AV receiver kits with surround speakers start at £200 for something like this Pioneer kit, and it's possible to spend £10,000+ without really trying too hard on high performance gear. The difference though between a £60 PC surround kit (Logitech) and a £200 Pioneer kit is massive. The Pioneer has inputs for way more sources; this includes HDMI for Blu-ray players, Optical for your XBox to give true 5.1 surround, another Optical for your TV sound, audio inputs for the PC, plus spare inputs for other sources. You have smart audio decoding so stereo sources can be turned in to surround. There's lip sync adjustment to get sound and vision timing aligned. There's greater precision in the sound and an AV kit is far more flexible and easy to use.

I understand what you mean and it does sound good but as a complete noob in the AV world this all sounds too complicated and expensive for what I require. I am big on video quality but sound quality I can comprimise on at the moment, especially as it's my first projector/home cinema. I will probably venture into the AV receiver kit side of it in the future though but for now I would rather settle for convinence!

So would my idea above work for what I need? the only downside would be having to reconnect the audio cables from the projector and PC when required?

A straight RCA/phono cable from the soundbar to the W1070 for Xbox/Playstation use.

Then the same or an aux cable straight to the PC for films/tv shows.

ote1 · 5 Jan 2015 at 18:14

I don't know if you can run audio out of the projector, but if it does work that would be suitable. It would be a right PITA though! I got the Yamaha YHT 199 set for £200 a while back. It's a 5.1 speaker system and AV receiver (model no. HTR 2866). Like Lucid said it's be worth inversting in an AV receiver and 5.1. However, if you don't want to spend that much you can buy the receiver now and get a 5.1 system later for relatively little (from £100).

I'm not the best person to ask what to look out for in one. I guess at this price point then buying from a reputable brand will be fine.

vanandjuanunited · 5 Jan 2015 at 18:22

IMO much easier going the av receiver route. Either one with two outputs or a switch.
My setup is projector and TV split to the av HDMI out. Two PCs and ps3 connected to receiver by HDMI. All audio either through TV or receiver. Make sure the receiver does passthru

ote1 · 5 Jan 2015 at 18:47

Ah yeah, running the splitter on the output would make most sense! Don't know why I didn't think of that.

ote1 · 5 Jan 2015 at 18:55

£150 for this Onkyo. It's £20 more than the Pioneer but you get Bluetooth and 2 additional HDMI inputs. Sign up to RS by e-mail and you'll get a 5 year warranty. The bluetooth will be nice for streaming from your phone should you choose to. Having 6 HDMI inputs will be useful for expansion with something like a Chromecast etc.

If you want a better understanding of AV receivers then I suggest Wiki or lucid, he knows an awful lot more than me and will explain things more effectively.

lucid · 6 Jan 2015 at 00:10

What it comes down to is this....

Yes, you can cobble together what you think of right now as a simple solution using a soundbar and then doing wiring swaps. But I promise you, you're going to get real fed up of all the cabling hassles, and because you'll buy cheap/unspecified long phono cables off Ebay then they're going to act like radio antenna in picking up all sorts of interference. So then you'll waste even more time and money trying to fix a problem that you made from going cheap.

The next stage will be "How can I make this easier to run/switch/use?"

You'll then start investigating HDMI switchers and audio switchers. £30/£50/£80 later you've got a messy pile of boxes, remotes and cables on top of the basic stereo soundbar you spent £60-£100.

When you look back you'll go "****. I could have spent another £20-£40 and got the AV receiver with the surround speakers instead of all this crap and made my life a whole lot simpler and had better sound too. What was I thinking???"

That's called hindsight. Now no one is forcing you to make any choices you don't want to. We're just saying, from years of experience and from too many times watching others make exactly the same mistakes, that you have an opportunity right now to learn from people who've been there and bought the hangover.

I totally get where you're coming from that the AV receiver seems a daunting prospect. But so did other stuff in your life. If you drive, do you remember sitting behind the wheel on your first lesson and thinking how on earth you'd master a car? There's other things in life that seemed complicated at first, but you mastered them too. This is no different.

The sort of questions people worry about with their first AV receiver surround kit compared to a soundbar generally run along the following lines:

Q 1) Do I need all these speakers?

Q 2) It looks more complicated to set up than a soundbar

Q 3) It's a lot of money

The answers generally follow these lines:

A 1) No. If you want you can leave the rear surround speakers in the box and just set up the front centre, left, right and sub. The amp will accommodate that and adjust it's processing to suit.

A 2) It's actually simpler. Basic soundbars have limited inputs. The result is not enough inputs of the right type. You then have to either work out ways around that which means either cable swapping or spending extra money on workarounds. With an AV receiver that's far less likely. You'll have a broad range of inputs to cover all the popular choices.

A 3) It might be more than you originally intended to spend, but with budget AV surround systems starting at £200 it's a lot cheaper in the long run than any other option. This is what you need to spend to do the job right, rather than what you can get away with spending just to get by.

vanandjuanunited · 6 Jan 2015 at 13:20

5 years ago I had never imagined a home cinema set up by any means. Bit the bullet and now wouldnt be without it.

Evertything connects to AV receiver and you run the setup on the receiver and it calibrates/set up itself according to the surroundings.

It really is not diffficult. At worst you only connect the front speakers and sub to start with then expand to 5.1 or 7.1 depending on the receiver you bought.

Dudleyboy123 · 6 Jan 2015 at 17:05

Thank you all very much for the informative replies. I've learned a lot from this thread already regarding a home cinema & sound.

I am going to listen to all of you and get an AV receiver. Afterall I think having a 1080p projector paired with a basic sound system would kind of ruin the cinematic experience. So getting it right the first time will save me time and money in the long run as advised by you guys.

The ONKYO TXSR333 that was linked here earlier seems decent, a lot of HDMI inputs and a good price at £150.

Here are the devices in the bedroom:

Xbox 360
LG 3D TV
Desktop Computer
Computer Monitor
PC Speakers
Projector
AV with speakers

So with an AV receiver I would basically connect the PC via HDMI, projector via HDMI, AV speakers, Xbox 360 via HDMI, LG 3D TV via HDMI to it then I will be able to control where the sound and video comes out of?

So I can play video from my PC onto the projector or LG 3D TV for films and have the sound come out of the AV speakers?

Then I can play Xbox 360 on the LG 3D TV or projector with sound coming out of the AV speakers too?

Is that how they work? basically like a hub connecting all devices and allowing you to alter which device is used?

ote1 · 6 Jan 2015 at 17:35

Glad you're going that way, you won't regret it. The only thing to point out is that this receiver has 6 HDMI IN ports, i.e. you can plug 6 devices that generate content such as a Blu Ray player, Chromecast, Xbox and your PC. You can switch between these at the touch of a button on the remote. However, the receiver will only send ONE signal out of the box to a TV, projector or monitor. This would mean a cable swap to go from your TV or projector, for example. AV receivers with more than one output get quite costly (£500+). To overcome this you could look at getting a HDMI splitter (of which I have no experience). I believe you could plug one of these into your AV receivers HDMI 'out' and connect your three TV-type devices to enable easy switching with a remote rather than fiddling behind a desk/cabinet with cables.

As for the audio, the AV receiver with siphon that portion of the signal from your input (say Xbox) and route that to your speakers rather than send it along with the image to your output (say Projector).

To clarify, you won't be able to simultaneously have your PC on your monitor, Xbox on projector and Blu Ray on your TV. It will only do one thing at a time. That would be awesome, however.