Need some help with my projector setup

[Dudleyboy123]

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

 

[Dudleyboy123]

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?

 

[Dudleyboy123]

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?

 

[Dudleyboy123]

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

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.

 

[Dudleyboy123]

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?