Cabling Help

Kingy

Kingy

Kingy

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,400
Location
Leicester
My 52W5500 should arrive next week! \o/

I already have an old Pioneer DV313 surround sound system that I had hooked up to my old 40D3000. I'm a cabling numpty though, and I only managed to get sound out of the rear speakers when the channel or DVD supported Dolby Digital, and my Xbox/Playstation/Wii only ever played sound out of the TV.

I have:-

  1. 52W5500
  2. PC - Connected via HDMI which carries the sound over the HDMI cable.
  3. Sky HD - Connected via HDMI, and via Optical cable to the DV313 for surround sound)
  4. PS3 - Connected via HDMI
  5. Xbox 360 - Connected via Component (or Composite, whichever the HD version is?)
  6. Wii - Connected via RGB?
  7. Pioneer DV313 (This dosen't have HDMI input, has one optical input, although it has 2 'lines' the first was used for watching DVD's, and the second for Sky HD)
  8. A spare BDP-S550 that comes with the TV that I'll be ebaying if I get round to it, as I'll already have BluRay player in the form of the PS3.
  9. A cable with a red and white connector on each end.
  10. A room that is far too small for a 52" TV...

I only watch TV via Sky, so the freeview won't even be connected (I think I have an aerial cable round there, but I don't think it has a connector, and I wouldn't even know where to start with that...

I would like:-

  1. Surround Sound from Sky HD, Xbox 360, PS3, and ideally PC (will this be more complicated as it is only connected to the TV via HDMI, or can I patch the TV into the DV313 and get surround sound out of all the speakers without running a seperate cable direct to the DV313?)
  2. Normal sound to come out of all the speakers rather than just the front two when the source is not Dolby Digtal.
  3. To know if I can achieve the above with cables and splitters, rather than a new amp (I've just had a new carpet fitted, so this would be less of an issue if I knew if the speaker cables used have universal connectors so I wouldn't have to tear up the carpet? They have coloured connectors at one end, that look to be RJ11-ish in size but don't have a connector at the other end, it's just exposed copper wire that fits into a clamp in the speaker)

I'm not overly anti a new amp, but I'd only really be interested in replacing it if I could keep/EASILY modify my existing speaker cables, and it offered more in the way of optical inputs so that I don't have to get up to manually switch using one of the 3 way ebay splitter jobbies, or that it was bravia sync compatible so I could control it with the tv remote? (what's the point of HDMI in an amp without an integrated bluray/dvd player?) I'm no audiophile, so I'm unlikely to notice, much less appreciate the difference in sound quality processing or whatever.

Any help appreciated... :)
 
Hi all,

Further to my earlier post I'm now looking at getting the Sony HT-IS100, to complement a 52W5500 and Sky HD/HTPC/PS3/X360/Wii. Am I right in thinking that the following is accurate?

52W5500 - HDMI-1 --> HT-IS100 - HDMI - TV-OUT
52W5500 - Optical Out --> HT-IS100 > Optical - TV In
52W5500 - HDMI-2 --> HTPC - HDMI
Sky HD - HDMI --> HT-IS100 - HDMI - SAT In
Sky HD - Optical --> HT-IS100 - Optical - SAT In
PS3 - HDMI --> HT-IS100 - HDMI - BD In
X360 - Component --> HT-IS100 - Component - DVD In
X360 - Optical --> HT-IS100 - Optical - DVD In
Wii - Composite --> HT-IS100 - Video In

I will need 4 * HDMI cables & 3 * optical cables in addition to the standard Xbox 360 component cable and the standard Wii composite cable.

I will get 5.1 surround sound from Sky HD, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Will I get sound (stereo, not 5.1) out of all the speakers when the source is not 5.1?

The HTPC sends sound over HDMI to the 52W5500, will this output sound (either 5.1 or stereo) via all speakers as the 52W5500 and HT-IS100 are linked by HDMI and optical cables?

If I buy a Wii component cable, and connect this to the component input on the 52W5500 (as the component input on the HT-IS100 is used by the Xbox 360), will this output sound via all speakers as the 52W5500 and HT-IS100 are linked by HDMI and optical cables?

Can the Xbox 360 transmit 5.1 surround sound via HDMI if I ditch the component and optical cables?

I understand that there are issues with Sky HD transmitting 5.1 surround sound if Bravia Sync is enabled between the 52W5500 and the HT-IS100 (even if a seperate optical cable is used)? People have mentioned disabling HDMI control, but can anyone explain what this means?

If reducing the number of remotes is appealing, and Bravia Sync experiences issues with Sky HD, is a Logitech Harmony One remote the answer?

I understand that the HT-IS100 comes with an optical cable supplied. Is a HDMI cable also included?

The speaker connectors on my current surround system (Pioneer XV-DV313) look to be the same shape as the ones on the HT-IS100, but the other end of the cable is just a spring clamp. What connection is used on the speaker end of the cables with the HT-IS100?

Any help appreciated... :)
 
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